The island of Corsica was our next destination.  We enjoyed the quiet, rural feel of the island after the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo.  We took a bus up into the mountains to tour an essential oil factory.  We were very impressed with the amount of effort that was required to make  the wide variety of products they sold.  We stopped at a nougat factory on the way back down the mountain. The owner was very gracious and greeted us with the saying " thank you for your smile". He gave us a tour and provided delicious samples, which prompted us to buy some to take home.  We also toured a winery before we returned to the ship.

     A storm blew up that night and we encountered force 5 winds that kept the ship rocking heavily, which made it hard to walk across the room.  Our stop at Sorrento was cancelled due to the stormy weather, so we ended up docking in Naples.  We strolled along the waterfront, but didn't like the heavy traffic and noise of the big city.  We enjoyed the view of Mt. Vesuvius.  Naples was a meaningful stop for me, because my Dad was stationed there in World War II and he told me about climbing the mountain.

    We docked in Messina, Sicily the next day.  Our tour took us through the busy atreets of town and then out along the beautiful beaches.  We were surprised at the amount of damage that remained from a large earthquake several years earlier.  It seemed like the people of Sicily have faced more than their share of challenges.  Our tour continued on through groves of olive trees to Palermo, where we viewed historical buildings and statues.

     We really enjoyed our stop at Malta.  The entrance to the harbor was very dramatic as we cruised by formidable fortresses on both sides of the channel.  We went on a tour into the countryside and were impressed by the stone fences that dotted the landscape.  We toured a winery located in a building at a former British airbase.  It took awhile to get used to seeing cars driving on the other side of the road, which was a British custom.  We drove to the scenic fishing village of Marsaxlokk, where we saw  the colorful fishing boats anchored in the harbor.  We also explored the open market in town.   We could really feel the British influence on Malta.