Smoking Mt Etna..this is good!

Very hot here..35 in the shade. We think 40 on the archaeological sites! A huge amount of walking yesterday including walking up a flank of Mt Etna . It's an active volcano. Steady climb up slippery in parts. Volcanic rock filled my Keen sandals making every step painful. There was a final ascent to view a hole with escaping gases. I declined. I treasure my knees. One knee was giving me twinges. The landscape is barren mostly with black basalt rock. The volcano has never killed anyone. Earthquakes in the area pose a more serious problem. We climbed down into a cave where the temp dropped many degrees. Snow & ice blocks was kept here and later sold to keep food fresh. Then there wouded areas, very pretty verdant areas on the mountain.

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