enjoy

i love this country. the people the food, the volcanoes, it's got it all.
apart from the attack of the medusa and the threat of melanoma (averted I am happy to say) we had a stunning time. Met a restauranteur (sp?) from Switzerland who runs a hut at 3000m where you have to book a table to get in (i had visions of hypothermic mountaineers feebly knocking on the door pleading for shelter from the storm and getting the response, "have you booked?" by crisply dressed waitresses accustomed to serving tarty young models and aging movie stars) who cooked like there was no tomorrow and drank a class of wine just slightly above my budget..oh well, if you insist.
the swimming was also awesome.. almost tropical.. schools of fish surrounding you, parrot fish, zebra fish, little red guppy like fish, funny fish with swallow tails.. amazing.  and the food.. stunning.. some of the best I have ever eaten.. a farmer's restaurant with a terrace overlooking Stromboli and an organic garden with a seemingly contented pig tied to a stake (there's a novel in there somewhere).. young families of racy decolletees and expensive sunglasses and spoilt kids invading the joint and the men disappearing.. (something I generally welcome).

and the markets.. the fish market, the vege market, the trash market, brilliant. Topped off with one of the 70 different flavors of gelati..

great place, just two weeks is far too short for a holiday.