Day 34 - Taormina - June 30

View from the balcony in our room at Taormina.  Pretty sure we are looking the “wrong” way towards Sipsone and Mazzeo rather than Isola Bella but it’s nice to see the sea. 

Chiesa di San Giuseppe.

Chiesa di San Giuseppe inside.

View from the main square.

Fabulous dinner at 3/4uarti antipasteria Siciliana. Including meatballs wrapped in lemon leaves, frutti all cooked by the mother of the wait staff, wine and frozen lemincello. 

Day 33 - Cefula - June 29

We decided to walk up La Rocca as early as we could because of the heat. Most of the literature says it opens at 8:30 in summer. The man controlling the gate unlocked it at 8:25 but wouldn't let us go up until 9am. Only in Italy! La Rocca is a limestone promontory that is 2630m above sea level. On top stands the remains on a castle and half way up is the Temple of Diana.

  View of Cefalu from half way up.

 View of Contrada Caldura from the Byzantine Castle on La Rocca. 

A goat on the castle - we saw a group of five.

Guardhouse.

 View from the guardhouse.

Temple of Diana outside.

Temple of Diana inside.

The duomo.
Dinner at Al Ristoro Di Re Ruggero. Mussel zuppa was a bowl of mussels in their shell!

Day 32 - Cefalu - June 28

Last view of Switzerland.

Sicily from the plane.

We flew from Zurich to Palermo Airport and rented an Avis hire car. After much dispute about the extra charges we finally set off with our brand new automatic Audi 1 and drove to Cefalu.

Our first Roman ruin.

View from the air conditioned apartment. 

Lunch at Sutt’a Ravia. 

Did some washing and had a swim. 

Free beach. Water is warm and clear but it is very crowded.

Free beach at 6pm. 

 Dinner at La Botte Restaurant and it was very good - sword fish and grilled octopus and seafood risotto.

 A little alleyway - cars might just squeeze through...

 Medieval wash house - 'Fiume Cefalino'

 Not uite as good as Granada's washhouse!q

Sunset at Cefula.

Staying at Royal Sea House with a view of the water. 

Day 31 - Lucerne to Zurich - June 27

Another ferry ride to see the other end of the lake before catching the train to Zurich.

Lake Lucerne.

Rutli - an historic wharf still in use.

One of many monuments along the lake shore.

The most exclusive hotel on Lake Lucerne - The Park Hotel Vitznau. It only opens in summer and its restaurant has 3 michelin stars.

One of the historic paddle steamers that go up and down the lake that we sailed in.

Interesting rock formations.

Bauen.

Stayed at the Radisson Blu Zurich Airport for an early departure tomorrow.
Checked in for our flight with Swiss Air and got an exit row - lots of leg room.
Dinner at Air.

Day 30 - Lucerne - June 26

We are a bit peaked out so we decided to go to Mount Rigi which is another peak but a small one without any snow and fewer crowds. Beautiful sunny day but heading for 31*C.

We took a huge brand now boat with four stories to Vitznau - beautiful.

Ronnie on board the boat with Mt Pilatus - the tallest peak in the area - in the background. 

Then the cograilway to Rigi Klum (the summit). Wandered around trying to identify the 200 peaks you can see from there.

 Beautiful little abandoned church at Rigi Klum.

 Mt Titlis (the snow covered peak in the centre) one of the tallest peaks in the area. 

 View from Rigi Klum. 

Where are we in relation to the world. 

Had lunch and an ice cream and caught the cograilway to Kaltbad then took the cable car to Weggis and met up with a boat to Lucerne.  Great, relaxing day.

View from the Weggis cable car.

Lovely old house with its own chapel. 

Bought a box from Swiss post and posted 5kg of clothes designed for the cold and sent them back to Australia since we are off to the warmth of Sicily the day after tomorrow. Not that Switzerland has been cold (except for the peaks). We have had fantastic weather, especially since the official weather forecast a week out was predicting rain everyday in Switzerland, Annecy and Lake Como!

Stayed at Hotel Waldstatterhof, Luzern - great location (close to the Luzern train station, ferry terminal, the old town and restaurants - all a 2 min walk) good size rooms, great bathroom but no AC - they are getting it next year.  We had a fan instead.

Day 29 - Lucerne - June 25

Took the train to Lucerne from Wengen. Lovely old time hotel the Waldstatterhof in the centre of town two minutes walk from the main train station. Checked in and took a steam paddle boat to Wassig while we had lunch.

Kaiserstuhl on the way to Lucerne. 

Steam driven paddle boat we took on Lake Lucerne. 

 Kapellbrucke covered wooden footbridge in Lucerne built in 1333 but restored in 1994 after a fire. 

Dinner at Pastarazzi Spezialitaten for homemade pasta and gnocchi. Ver nice.

Day 28 - Wengen - June 24

Schynige Platte and Lauterbrunnen and Mürren.

Staubbach falls, Lauterbrunnen. 

 Staubbach falls, Lauterbrunnen - constant but ever changing. 

Went up to Schynige Platte via a cograilway which made its maiden journey on 13 June 1893. It takes 52 minutes each way. We saw the Schynige Platte alpenhorn players. 

Hopefully will give some idea of the steepness of the cliffs - view of Thunersee a from Schynige Platte. 

 Views of Brienzersee from Schynige platte. 

 Alpine garden with Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau Mountains in the background. 700 alpine plants on display in the gardens at 2076 m high some of which we used to grow.

Trummelbach falls. 

Last views from Wengen. Fabulous place, fabulous hotel, lovely memories for us both.