Jun 7, 2012 - Greek day - Selinunte and the Satyr of Mazara del Vallo

As Joan points out, everything is layered here - the Phoenicians/Carthaginians, the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish Bourbons, Garibaldi's Italians. On Tuesday it was the Greeks at their best, with a splash of Carthaginian and Arab. Selinunte is the ruin of a mainly 6th and 5th century BC Greek city. Most of the buildings are a jumble of stones, extending across about 150 acres facing the sea. From the guidebook description we didn't expect much, but it is a moving place to visit - to think of all those lives that lived and what they...

Mar 21, 2009 - Stormy weather

Friday 20th March. Well what a night! As the evening wore on the temperature dropped until when retiring, all the bedclothes we could find were on us and we still felt cold. The wind speed rose and before long the building was feeling the full effects of a mighty storm. The windows shook, the doors blew open then shut, the patio furniture ran around, the roof tiles clattered and the rain pounded down. Sleep was barely possible especially as there was a noise similar to sitting next to the M4 all night. When we could summon up courage and...