After a late night at the hostel bar with my new friends (see Catania photos), we decided to get up at 7am and catch a bus to Mt. Etna. After oversleeping and almost missing the bus, we were taken a certain distance, then dropped off at the starting point for the hike. We could have caught a cable car up, but since that was 42 Euros each, we were quite happy to walk. But it wasn't really a "walk" after all, it was more like a test of endurance - climbing up the side of an active volcano!

I am very pleased with myself that I made it all the way. It did take a little coaxing from the boys every now and then, and I was quite scared at some points that I was going to fall, but I made it all in one piece. We then collapsed in the cafe/restaurant at the top of the hike for a couple of hourse and had some well deserved food and drinks.

After the hike, we went on a 4WD minibus into the crater, which was very interesting. The 10 mins on the bus was the scariest part of the day, we were completely surrounded by white cloud, we could not see past the windscreen. Now and then was a stick at the side of the road so the driver could see where to go. At 3,233 metres in the air, it is not such a good idea to go off the road!

We made it safely, and the view was spectacular, like being on another planet. Swirling clouds, black rock, coloured rock, sheer drops, breathtaking. Knowing that it erupted only 2 years ago made it all the more real. Afterwards, we were all chilled and exhausted, and they gave us all a small shot of an alcohol called "Il fuoco dell'Etna" - the fire of Etna. The tiniest sip was enough to warm us right through and burn half our insides, just what we needed!

Afterwards, we all slept on the bus the whole way back, then after a nap, returned to the hostel bar for another night of drinks, a good steak meal, and another late night.... it had to be done.