Off to See Mount Etna

Don't cross that rope girls.....apparently it equals a singeing death

Etna giving it's all

Volcanoes are exciting.  There's no doubt about it.  There is something fascinating about a mountain that can suddenly go all psycho on your ass and start spitting fire and shit.  Do you think that insightful scientific description could make it onto the discovery channel?  That is technical stuff right there, I think I missed my calling.  I do wonder, however, how it feels to live beneath such a benevolent and picturesque, yet evil monster.  Etna is beautiful to gaze upon (especially from a distance), and it makes the soil of Sicily incredibly rich and fertile.  Yet it can also destroy villages with minimal effort......and has done for thousands of years.

Only smokin' when we visited, on a picture perfect day

Watch it Cock!

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.  It is constantly smoking, and often erupting.  There are currently six craters that make up Etna, while eruptions can also occur on the flanks - where there are 300 vents of varying sizes, all brewing some kind of activity beneath.  Apparently, eruptions can happen at any time, as a couple of tourists found out twenty years ago when they were killed by an explosion near one of the craters.

Smile in front of one of the most active craters in the world Cordi

Hey Mum - look!  A river of lava!

It is times like this, when I pause to reflect, and think perhaps I should have done the above research before merrily skipping up to the summit, and encouraging my three year olds to peer in a smoking vent.  The thought actually did occur to me, as we were rocking back and forth in a 4 wheel drive bus on a winding road (if you could call it that),  on our way to the highest point you can go to, that perhaps it wasn't quite the activity you'd subject your most precious things in the universe to willingly.  Though it wasn't like we were alone up there.  A large number of people also seemed to be risking life and limb for a few good photos taken in one of the most inhospitable landscapes on the planet.

Go Etna Go Etna, Go Go Go Etna....

It is a strange quirk of nature, how the terrain close to a volcanic crater is black and completely devoid of life.  Whereas, just a hop step and jump down the mountain, the fields of the solidified and rolling lava-flow, blend with the soil, and create a environmental situation where life thrives.  It's fascinating to drive down, and see the point where bleakness gives way to greenery - and rows and rows of grape vines.  It's even more pleasing to taste the wine produced from the slopes of Etna, just as I'm doing now.  I'm about to have a third glass - please forgive any further spelling mistakes......

While doing my most common form of blog research - i.e a trip to the oldest library of the area I find myself in, and immersing myself in ancient dusty volumes....ok, a google search, crucify me - I came across this tip for those considering going to Mt Etna;

"We would strongly discourage you from venturing to the main craters of Etna without a qualified guide. Apart from the volcanic aspect, you must remember that this is a very high mountain and should be respected as such. The weather can change quickly, and it can get very cold even in the height of summer. If you are planning on doing anything more than stepping out of the cable car to look at the view, you should be properly equipped with good boots, long trousers, a couple of warm outer layers, hat, gloves and a waterproof jacket. Make sure you take some water and food too"

I'm proud of this one - that's why I enlarged it.....

It doesn't mention anything about casually popping right up to the top with your tiny children, while wearing thongs.  Look, at least I brought jumpers and forced everyone to put them on.  And I brought my boots in my bag too.  But it wasn't even cold though.  And after a trip down to one of the smoking vents, we were all sweating, and the jumpers then became annoying things I had to carry.  I was glad of the boots though, that solidified lava is unrelenting.  And very dusty...my french pedicure!....the horror!

Stark and bleak.....my outfit I mean - if I'd known photos were going to be taken....

Arenal Volcano at night -this is similar to what we viewed - no shit!

Granted it was a thrilling outing.  Perhaps not so thrilling as the volcano trip Chalks and I took in 2008 to Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica though.  There was a whole section of hotels built on one side of Arenal.  Tourists could then look at the lava flowing out of the top of the volcano from their hotel rooms.  Tourist operators set up some zip lines as well,  and squeezed a few more dollars out of the masses. A giant outdoor natural hot springs water-park was also developed too.  During a trip to this hot springs world, I actually saw teenagers shagging under a small bridge in one of the darker rivulets.  Didn't like to get back in the water after that........Imagine how fucked off the hotel operators were when the lava flow changed suddenly, and visitors could no longer see shit from their now crappy hotel suite.  Instead it could be viewed beautifully from a a couple of small guest houses around the other side of the mountain that were yet to be taken over and over-developed (I think the change in lava flow was a relatively new development when we went there).  We stayed in a place called "Linda Vista".  We chose the honeymoon suite.  Tip: If you are on your honeymoon do not rent this room.  Although, in fairness, it was one of the most incredible views I have ever experienced from a room.  Who cares about the bed bugs and scorpians when you can watch splurting lava and glowing rocks exploding out of the top and rolling all the way down the mountain.  We were close.  Dam close.  And we could see everything from our bed.  God knows how many times I woke up in the night to make sure we weren't about to be covered by a flow.  I couldn't believe that this kind of sight could actually be a benign threat.  It sure was pretty though.....Although so is lightning, and box jellyfish......

Who doesn't love a cable car? Maybe not the victims of Calvalese....

Feather light

Mount Etna wasn't so pretty up close, but it was interesting.  I think the girls loved the cable car the best.  And the volcanic rocks.  They filled their pockets with them.  I don't know if anyone has felt volcanic rocks but they are extremely light.  This is because a lot of air gets trapped in the liquid rock, and stays there when the rock cools down (thanks again google search).  There has been a lot of lava rock painting around our place lately = a filthy bloody mess.  Not to mention the fishing around in the washing machine to pull out piles of mini bits of Etna that have gone in with the loads.  Remind me to dress the girls in pocket-less outfits when we take out next volcanic adventure.

Apparently you can go skiing on Etna.  How amazing.  I want to do it.  However, some pistes and a ski lift station were actually destroyed one year.  It does add that extra dimension of risk doesn't it.  What's crashing into a tree when you can be wiped out by a molten river of liquid rock. measuring in at about 1000 degrees centigrade?  Anyway, as usual, we zipped away from Etna unlava-ed (could that be a new word?), and went to Taormina for drinks and ice cream.  As we had been up over 3300 metres for a few hours, we had that high as kite feeling you get when you breathe oxygen rich air air again.  We were all giddy.  Has there ever be a person this happy to have an expresso martini?  It was a good one though.....

Cheers to not having my skin singed to the bone by lava!