Grant Goes To: Catania, Sicily
If there's one thing you can say about Catania, it's that it is certainly not in a drought. It rained the majority of my time here, and I had one excursion planned to Mt. Etna for a wine tasting/chocolate trek up the volcano - but it was canceled mid-trip when the driver discovered the road to the mountain was covered in snow... I think it's safe to say Mount Etna is definitely dormant! Though I was confined to the hostel for the majority of this stay, I had some of the best interactions of my whole trip with the friends at this hostel (The Yard Hostel). On my first night, I was graciously introduced by the hostel to Maxence (a frenchman with exquisite photography skills and sublime style), Aileen, Quentin Quarantino (Tarantino's cousin), Luca, and Stefano, in the kitchen where dinner was being prepared. The weather ensured that we would be getting to know each other quite well while cooped up inside, and I am very fortunate that this was the case. Yes, new cities are fun to explore, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, making memories with people I never would've otherwise met is where the real exploring is done.
While in Catania, I visited the town fish market, the Ionian sea (fed some cats their canned food for a woman who wished to remain dry), ate some unique foods (horse :0)
