Posted by socrates on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

Today we rented a boat and explored the coastline of Sicily near Cefalu’. This was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing activities of the trip. The process of renting a boat was extremely easy as we were out to sea nearly ten minutes after arriving in the harbor. The process was infinitely more convenient than it would have been in the United States, and we were even able to bargain the price down. The four hours spent on the boat provided some of the most beautiful views of the island that I have seen so far. Looking in on the island from the water I was able to see things about the island that are impossible to see from land. Cefalu’ looks extremely unique with “La Rocca” sticking out from behind and beautiful beaches in the front. The marina and the lighthouse are other aspects of the city that we do not see as often.

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The only prior boating experience I have has come fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. I noticed some major differences between these two environments. Firstly, the level of marine life seems to be much less in the Mediterranean than in the Atlantic. We know that various different peoples have inhabited the Mediterranean area for thousands of years. We also know that fishing was a focal point of many of these cultures. Opening my eyes under water I have not seen any evidence of marine life. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Mediterranean may be overfished, whereas the vast Atlantic is in no such danger. Surprisingly, there were very few other boats out at sea. This is very different from where I have traveled back home. On a nice Saturday afternoon, you would usually see many boats out on the ocean. Another difference I saw in exploring the island from the sea was just how rocky and mountainous Sicily is. There are massive mountains everywhere you look. There are cliffs, forests, beaches, rocks, and cities all on one coastline, which is what makes Sicily so unique.

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