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Arrival in Sicily.  Hurrah!  50 miles today, mostly motoring in flat calm conditions.  Picked up some breeze when we reached the Straits of Messina.  Sicily covered in a huge thunder cloud promised us a real drenching but it never happened.  Taormina is up the cliff with three small bays below.  We anchored in one with a line to Isola Bella.  How apt.  All is lush and luxurious.  Gardens filled with palms and bourgainvillia.  Fancy hotels (and not so fancy), restaurants, little boats, scooters  - everything on the go.

We go ashore and take the funicular to Taormina and walk through the ancient streets.  The film festival is in full swing with nightly screenings in the greek theatre.  We take a glass of wine in the piazza and watch the world go by – two local wedding parties, women in high heels, kids running around, man singing opera arias.  Then dinner in a waterside restaurant and back to LS by moon light (it’s full moon) only there isn’t any.  It’s a LUNAR ECLIPSE!  All that in one day.