Syracuse-Ortigia Island October 19, 2021

 The day started out grey and overcast.  Some of us made the daily walk to the bakery just down the road.  The only eatery/store in town.  As we ate we noticed it started raining - then pouring.  We had laundry that had finished - however the washing machine is in a shed near the pool quite a ways away from the house.  They don't close the pool until the end of October, but the weather is really not that warm.  There are a lot of dead bees in the pool and a huge contraption that stretches across the short end of the pool that is supposed to be cleaning it, doesn't make the pool inviting.   Also,  I can't see that it is doing any good.  Luckily no one seems that excited about swimming so it is OK.  

It keeps downpouring!  By noon, Rob had researched where the rain was and where it was headed.  Syracuse should dry out by about 1:30.  Alexis fed the girls early and the rest of us waited.  We decided to drive to Syracuse.  It was only sprinkling as we left the house - but the roads still had sections with deep water.  We follow someone who seems to be a local - when he drives on the wrong side of the road, so do we - as long as no one is coming.  

We find parking easily and walk across the bridge to the Ortigia island.  We find a restaurant for lunch, no one asks for our covid vaccine cards.  People may put on a mask briefly to enter and when seated at a table immediately take off their mask.  After lunch we set off to find the Gelato place that had the most choices.  On our way we passed lots of narrow streets.  Here the girls could touch both sides of the alley.

Michael doing a funny walk from Monty Python.

                                                        The ruins of a temple to Appolo.

                                                     And finally the promised ice cream. 

                                    The girls were really into taking pictures with their ipads.  

                                                            Piazza del Duomo in Ortigia.

We headed for the lighthouse - you can barely see the top if it in the top right side of the photo.

To the tip of the island where the light house is -but the only way you can see the whole thing is by boat.

                                 Then we headed back - towards the car park and going home.