Lipari Blues

Where's Waldo?  Yep... that's really me swimming... and yeah, that's the normal color of the water here in the Tyrrhenian Sea surrounding Lipari.

After 4 consecutive weeks of games and with 8 days before our next contest, Christie and I headed north to the Aeolian Islands for a little R & R... and we were simply blown away.

The Aeolian Islands, officially dubbed, "The Best Islands in the world you've never heard of..." are a volcanic archipelago of 7 islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea about 20 miles north of Sicily.  They have been inhabited for centuries, beginning with the Greeks in 580 BC (They were originally named after the Greek 'Keeper of the Winds' Aeolus, who was believed to have lived on the island and was responsible for the big 'Fan in the Sky' back in those days).  However, we were not here for the history or museums... we were here for some sun!

Upon our arrival (a painless 45 minutes ferry from Milazzo), we worked our way through town towards our hotel - the Hotel Carasco.  While we had not planned on the 1 km walk taking us over three large hills and one sand beach, we eventually reached our hotel and immediately cancelled all plans for the day in leu of the swimming pool.  For while our life here isn't exactly the most stressful... "It's not vacation until you are at the beach!" (Christie Chorley quote).  Good Times!

Where we "laid out" (aka Sunbathing) today... not a bad view?

The pool at Hotel Carusco... a safe alternative to the sea.

Yeah... I'm big here!

Dusk at the Hotel Carasco patio looking back towards Lipari town.

~ J. Twice