It was hard work, but Lipari, you're worth it!

Today (Wednesday) we arrived in Lipari just before noon. Let me describe how we got here...

Tuesday: up at 5.30am, collected by Matthieu at 7.00 for the drive to the airport (lovely to have Matthieu's help getting the bags down 3 flights of stairs!) On the plane at 9.20 for the 1.5 hour flight to Milan, short wait in Milan for connecting 1.5 hour flight to Palermo airport, Sicily. Take the train from the airport to Palermo train station (50 minutes). The platforms at Palermo station are all at ground level - no stairs! We ventured outside the station for a walk - Palermo is as crazy as I remember! Drivers tooting and yelling, traffic darting in all directions - even saw a man yelling and running after a laughing boy on a motor scooter...making his escape! 

Wait at Palermo for the 4.30pm train taking us the 2.5 hour trip to Milazzo station. Most of the train trip had the coastline on our left and rocky hills on the right...pretty relaxing. Sometimes is was just a small strip of pebbly beach between us and the water; other times there were houses built so close to the train line, if we had stopped I could have stepped onto their back doorstep! Arrive at Milazzo at 7pm - oh, no, I spy 2 flights of stairs! No Matthieu! Carry the bags down 2 flights of stairs from the platform, then up 2 flights of stairs to the station entrance! Taxi to the hotel, arrived just before 7.30pm...oh, no, more stairs! Grubby and exhausted...

Wednesday: we were booked on the 10.45am ferry from Milazzo port to Lipari. The ferry terminal was only a few minutes walk from the hotel, so we could start the day at a reasonable hour, enjoy breakfast on the hotel rooftop terrace, then carry those bags down and wheel our way across to the ferry terminal. Smooth boarding, some lifting of cases and then stacking them in the baggage area. The ferry was busy...first stop Vulcano, then Lipari. We've arrived! Nicole (the holiday apartment owner) sent a taxi to collect us and a strapping woman driver swung our bags into the back of her wagon. An angel disguised as a taxi driver! We're both feeling every muscle in our shoulders!

Nicole greeted us in the street with a hug and we walked to the apartments together (the tiny streets have very limited parking and many are pedestrian only). We were last here in 2019 (which was our first visit to Lipari), but chatting with Nicole, it felt like yesterday. We met Nicole's daughter Chloe (a new addition to the family since we were here last) - she will be 2 in November - and we headed down to our apartment. It's just how we remember it...oh my goodness, it's great to be back! 

We have a beautiful undercover patio, and a petite, comfy apartment with everything we need. The path to the apartment is lined with hibiscus and bougainvillea, and when you turn towards the gate, the view is across the greenery to the sea. Just outside the gate, and down a short section of cobbled street, is a tiny, rocky beach. First stop...a souvenir shop to buy a pair of sea jiffies! Those rubber soles make it easy going on the stones. Second stop...the beach!

Reckon we'll sleep well tonight!