Vendicari

Now that we're getting ready to leave, Ben and I are finding great new things to do here in Sicily. Things that we're thinking, why didn't someone tell us about this sooner?

Our most recent adventure was to Vendicari. Ben and I don't own a GPS, and the person who was supposed to come through with directions well, didn't. Armed with a rough idea of where we were heading, we set out in the old Fiat Marea Weekender. It wasn't too hard to get there as we managed it in one try. Although, admittedly, we did feel as if we might be lost for a short while. After winding down several roads that looked like they were going no where, we started seeing signs for the nature reserve.

What a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. It is really not like anything else I've seen in Sicily. There were lovely little lakes, birds flying around, some lovely little ruins, a small stretch of beach ... I could go on, but you get the idea. The really nice part was that there were some great paths which made it easy for both stroller and baby to get around.

Or sometimes, baby with stroller. One of Gabriel's great joys in life is trash collecting. It's nice to know that my son is prepping for his future career in the janitorial arts. Personally, I'll encourage this goal. I figure he'll be making the world a prettier place, pursuing gainful employment and getting into a field that is always in demand. What more could you want for your child? His latest brain storm is to push around the stroller
while he collects his treasures. This way he's got the basket in the back to catch everything for him along the way.

Amongst his new treasures was his very first sea shells. We had taken him to the beach during our time here in Sicily, but it was rather densely populated. Not a lot to be found in the sea shell lines. Ben and I felt that we really needed to hold onto them. He really seemed intrigued by the waves and the sand. He especially enjoyed running up and down the little ramps that led to the beach area. I really enjoyed looking at the view with him, but I loved watching him and his Papa walk down the path together towards the sand.

Our last stop for the day was the visitor's center. Which it turns out was not opened. Not sure if it was closed for the weekend or just at that hour of the day. Either way, it was just as lovely looking at the buildings as the sun was setting in the back ground. The one building used to be a fishery. Now I know this has something to do with the fish that were caught in the area, but I would have to read the sign again to say exactly what. In the interim, I won't pretend to be an expert.

Gabriel had a grand time running around, climbing up the steps and, I'm not sure he was supposed to be doing this, but running through the fences. After all, they were perfect Gabriel size! The last picture shows this block that Gabriel was bound and determined to get on top. The
block is actually a little bit bigger than it looks in the picture and he had a brief moment where his little legs were just flailing wildly in the air behind him as he struggled to pull himself up. As you can see, he managed the feat. Once he made it to the top of his hard earned perch, he really liked taking in the view. I couldn't help thinking of Tattoo as he looked up in the sky and pointed to show us the passing plane. I guess if janitor falls through he can always try out for television?