Some island cruising - The Canaries and Sicily, then Milan

[RooFlyer]

But then climb some more for the best views (hardly anyone did ).

The coast along the north



I deserved an espresso and a cannoli

 

[RooFlyer]

Bit of a sprint back to where the group was meeting, outside the Cathedral.





Oscar was a frequent visitor.



I think this is Church of St Dominico part of the San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, based in a 14th century Dominican convent on a cliff top. The film The White Lotus was filmed there.

https://www.fourseasons.com/taormina/

Nearby, the The Church of Saint Michele Arcangelo, built in 1600 but again, damaged during the war.



The Cathedral again





Only had time for a quick look - art from the 1400s on the walls.



Ceiling

 

[RooFlyer]

Back onto the coach and out of the car park - stopping of course for this twit who walked right in front, eyes only for the phone.



Tight fit!





On the tender



Lunch! Lamb cutlets.







Followed by a swim. Hardly anyone else used the pool (not sure if the two are related ...). Nice 'infinity' effect, eh?



A few G&Ts and the world was out there, somewhere

OK, time to do something. Caviar tasting will do.

 

[RooFlyer]

As the warm evening fell, it was more coughtails (Champagne) on the pool deck - this time for the Captain to introduce the whole crew - or as many representatives of each dept as practical. Poor old engine room is always under-represented, although the Captain did highlight 'crew member of the cruise' - a chap from the engine room. Very happy chappie!





The Captain in his jacket, centre



The chefs

 

[Quickstatus]

Thanks @RooFlyer
Following along

 

[RooFlyer]

The day was not yet done - this was the second-last night, so they had the 'Celebrity chef dinner' - I wrongly said a previous dinner was this. Presiding over the oven was Danny Imbroisi, "Best Italian Chef in Paris". Maybe, but I thought un-necessary - we had a perfectly good head cook. The Celebrity didn't speak English (yeah, right).



Amuse bouche



Set wines for the galas are different from the regular days. Entrée - potato gnocchi and shellfish (and foam - a Celebrity Chef has gotta use foam ).



I ducked out a few times to keep an eye on the view - of equal interest to me as the fancy dinner.



Mains Beef tenderloin. Dessert of 'ultra-fudgy' chocolate cake



And finally, night over Taormina. A fantastic day and certainly made up for the disappointment of Stromboli.

 

[ellen10]

Great photos @RooFlyer, brings back nice memories of our stay in Taormina last September. You had a beautiful day for your visit.

At first I couldn't believe that lack of people in your first photos. But was reassured as you moved along and saw the crowds.
Wednesdays were apparently (according to our B&B owner), the worst days in Taormina, when the big cruise ships docked at Messina and the hoards of buses descended on the town of Taormina.

P.s. enjoying the food pics and the back deck outlook over the pool.

 

[RooFlyer]

At first I couldn't believe that lack of people in your first photos.

There is some 'iPhone clean-up' involved.

If you don’t use that, you select a photo



Select 'clean up' and it highlights people-looking things, and you can also brush over other things, like motorcycles, badly placed street signs, etc.




And you get this. Simple things with plan or consistent backgrounds, it does a good job; complex backgrounds, such as on the left, poor.



I've used it a bit, but usually I can wait on-site for a clear shot.