No wonder these two sound so similar; they were both adapted from French. Yet the journey into contemporary English vocabulary was even more peculiar than our own journey to Gole dell'Alcantara—yes, the gorgeous Alcantara Gorge. Not that the Mediterranean Sea could ever bore us—no way. It’s just that sometimes, traveling with me simply has to get a bit more Czechy, so that I’m allowed to return to my homeland after showing some hiking pictures at immigration (and reporting on the local beers; but that’s a completely different story). I could easily lose my citizenship otherwise!
So, after a proper breakfast on one carefully chosen morning, we risked that dreaded bus lottery once again. And we hit the jackpot! One of the rogue wandering buses arrived just before we were about to pitch a tent at the stop, and it was even headed almost in our direction. True, the driver then changed his mind and decided to terminate his ride, or perhaps even his shift, at some depot in the middle of nowhere, yet we could at least hop on another bus—along with everyone from the original one (so why switch buses at all?)—that finally took us to our destination.
And now for the gorge. It’s a victim of an epic battle between the elements, fire and water (in the form of ice perhaps). Several thousand years ago, Mount Etna blasted a massive lava flow in this direction. The volcano’s still active, by the way. And no, we didn’t hike up there this time. When lava met the Alcantara River, it cooled extremely quickly, experiencing thermal shock. When I say extremely quickly, I mean from a geological point of view—it likely took weeks, or rather months.
Lava streams solidifying in rivers or lakes, or even in the sea, that’s nothing special, you might argue. True, but the gorge remains unique for its perfectly shaped hexagonal basalt columns that are often compared to giant organ pipes, and not just by Catholic Italians. The molten rock cooled down from two sides—from the surface, which was exposed to cool air and rain, and from the bottom dipped in the cold water. The cooling basalt shrank, and eventually began to crack, creating this structure. And it looks quite impressive indeed!
Funny fishermen’s wading pants tour.
Apart from roaming the riverbed (you can try body-rafting or take a guided tour in those funny fishermen’s wading pants, or just walk it yourself, as we did), the reserve boasts a botanical garden guarded by cute tortoises. Oh, and there’s a pretty neat gelato shop too—as you might recall ;) Still, for me, nothing beats a dip in the icy waters and a walk through the gorge. No wonder 
Stay tuned for the rest of the Sicilian series!
