Ports: Messina

In two days I’ll be back in Messina, Sicily for the last time.  It’s a nice Italian town with a terrifying road crossing right off of the ship.  I’m surprised that people aren’t injured or killed every time we dock.  There’s a busy road where cars don’t stop and then instead of there being a sidewalk on the other side there are two light rail tracks with a shin high median between them that you have to step over.  It’s like Frogger.

 

Probably the main attraction in the town is the bell tower.  It’s huge and mechanical.  At noon a lion roars, a cock crows, you see saints in procession, also the passage of youth to old age is depicted, and so much more.  You can also climb the tower for a small fee and see amazing views from high above all the other town buildings.  Pretty awesome.

 

This is the tower that stands watch over the harbor.

Brian has had his fill of delicious pasta.  Note the beer.

Mmm.  Cheesy.

Yes.  Fizzy mineral water, but check this out.

Silice (SiO2).  That’s sand, or glass, however you want to say it.  Awesome.

Brian and I took an embarrassing bus tour.  Neptune is calling us out.  We were spared any quacking at least.  But yes, reminiscent of the ducks in Seattle.

Hey.  I can see my house from here.

Ooh.  There’s the clock tower.

But first inside the amazing church.

I believe this is the largest pipe organ in Italy?  Maybe just Sicily, but this is just one of several banks of pipes around the church.

Now on to the clockwork.  I believe this guy is the “old man.”  Also on this wheel is a young man and a really old man and maybe a boy.  In any case…

They parade by the grim reaper every day at noon.  Ominous, eh?

Here’s the lion that roars, taken from inside the tower.

A detail of one of the beautiful bells.  They don’t swing them to ring them anymore.  There’s a mechanical striker that hits them.

And finally the clock face.

And the view from the top.

And then there was this awesome deli.  Yesterday I got a “written warning” basically for having the ingredients for a sandwich in my room.  How do you say “worth it,” in Italian.