Today we were wowed! The size of the black lava flows take some comprehending. The scenery is alien. The weather seems to change every five minutes, so Etna came in and out of view behind her veil of cloud and smoke. At times the smoke changed the cloud colour to pink. Out of the cloud the sun shone quite warmly, then a spot of rain brought with it a rainbow. Whatever the weather though, the wind blew and blew. We tried to go for walk up one of Etna tracks but had to return after only a few feet; it was hard enough to stand up, let alone walk! And all the time there is the smell of Etna, a charred, burning smell, quite unlike any other burnt aroma. She is her own beast!
We really enjoyed today, it was something different, a new experience. It has also shown us that this trip is not about feeling familiar, this is our little adventure and we only have a maximum of eight weeks left to fulfil it!
The wind does not ease up, so we look for a sheltered place for the night. We find a disused road and head down it to a sheltered position. Having seen one tree fall down before our eyes today, it was not easy to decide if trees were going be a wind break for us or a risk? As we sit having a cup of tea a heard of cows appear, followed by several four wheel drive vehicles. The shepherds tell us in broken English and sign language, that they are moving the herd and will need to barricade the road. The cows also need a safe sheltered spot for the night.
We move on. Daylight is fading before we find another suitable place, not so nice but at least we found somewhere before dark. I had hoped to call my work mates this evening, during their Christmas celebration but we are so sheltered, there is no signal at all. Well, I was thinking of them, that's the best I could do.
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