About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, February 14, 2011

E is for ETNA




This week, I'd like to take you to Mount Etna, a volcanic mountain in Sicily. During my 2006 journey through Italy, this was one of the last amazing sights I experienced. In fact, as soon as we got settled in at the San Domenico Palace Hotel (check out these photos to see this amazing place!) in Taormina, we headed up to the town piazza for a coffee and gelatto. From there, just at twilight, we saw poofs of smoke and little fingers of fire rising from the volcano's depth. It was very exciting as all the tourists "oohed" and "aahed." Of course, it wasn't as terrifying as it was last month when the mountain erupted and lava poured down its sides, frightening even the most hardened locals. Actually, it does erupt every few years, but this last time was a bit too much! I'm not going to write much about the mountain here because you're all smart enough to look up facts online if you're interested. Below is my photo of Etna from the Teatro Greco in Taormina. And below that is one from the web and one fro youtube of Etna erupting Jan. 12/13, 2011 - quite spectacular!




18 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

very hot, thus very cool - if you're far enough away!

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Kay L. Davies said...

Wow, Leslie! The first volcano I ever heard about, when I was a very young schoolgirl.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

That would of been fab too see, but must be terrifying if you live below it. Reminds me of our trip in 2006... we had an amazing time.

Nanka said...

Really a rumbling, grumbling Etna!!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Etna's eruption! Exhilarating!
We have Kilauea in Hawaii...

photowannabe said...

Beautiful, exciting, dangerous and awesome.

Hildred said...

Great pictures and video Leslie, - I guess every school child is introduced to the volcano via Etna - it is certainly long lived, - keeps coming back forever.

Hope you are feeling better!

Jane and Chris said...

I have always wanted to see molten lava....but not up close.
Jane x

Richard Lawry said...

That would be very interesting to see, and just a bit unnerving.

An Arkies Musings

Tumblewords: said...

Frightening and spectacular - excellent post - the photos and vids are terrific.

Beverley Baird said...

What great shots! Can't imagine being that close to a volcano!

GVK said...

Remember seeing this ever smoldering volcano from a ship in 1964. I was on a boat from Bombay to Genoa.

Chloe m said...

It just reminds me of my teenager daughters feisty temper.
Cool video!

annies home said...

wow my husband is the one with interest in weather here but I must say the pictures are great

Reader Wil said...

How fascinating is this, Leslie! Even if we know that an eruption is destructive. In Indonesia eruptions were normal. We never saw them, but they caused a lot of dust in the house and my mum kept dusting.

Barbara said...

Fascinating to see a volcano so close. I hope you are now feeling much better.

Wanda said...

Oh my goodness....that is hot!

We did visit a volcano in Hawaii, but it was not erupting... Thank goodness.

Shrinky said...

Wow, that's pretty dramatic stuff, Leslie. I did make it to the top of there once, but thankfully that was back in it's quieter days - many, many moons ago!