Not in a mood for fireworks, but nonetheless fascinating

We leave Vulcano this morning, at 8.00am. We haven’t had time to have coffee and we still have sore bums from cycling. In a normal day, this would be a perfect combination for being moody. But we are going to Stromboli. The trip we have so looked forward to for years. So I embrace the day with a really big smile. Even Gary is impressed.

We have come to this island to climb Stromboli volcano, the only active volcano in Europe. Yes, you’ve read well, it is an active, proper volcano, which expels lava, and vomits fire and pumice. Therefore, we cannot go up there on own own, like we have done with our previous volcanoes. We have to hire a guide. This is unusual for us: Hiring a guide, climbing up with a group…the things you have to do to climb a proper volcano, eh?

We arrive at Stromboli island at 10.00 am.

We have visited pretty much every port of every island around here in the process, Stromboli is at the end of the chain. GDR

The port is empty, not much going on here. We are surprised on such a small island, and out of season. A few hotels and bars line up along the shoreline. Our hotel is only 100 metres from here, very convenient.

Much easier to find than the one on Vulcano, the result of it being three times as much no doubt, not tucked around some back street! GDR

On our way to the hotel we look at our volcano. Although it is clear and bright down here, it is cloudy and misty at the top. We fear the worst. Would the guide companies take us there if the weather is not good?

The check-in in the hotel was quick but the room is not ready yet. We go for a wander around the island and look for a guide who would take us to the top today.

Whilst walking along the shore, we see a very weird sign. We realise. It is a sign for a meeting point in case of a tsunami, caused by Stromboli perhaps? The escape route is, obviously, to run away from the sea, to the centre of the island, where the volcano is. So, if both natural phenomenon, a Tsunami and a volcanic eruption, take place at the same time, which is quite likely, these people have no chance.

We follow the escape route to find out where they have set up the meeting point. It is good to be prepared. You never know.

Quaint Mediterranean village, with its white houses, its orange and olive trees.

This is the end of our route and, therefore, here it is, the meeting point, by the church. I suppose it is not a bad place. At least, you are close to god for your final prayer.

God’s not gonna be much use at this point as a river of lava buries you and a thirty meter wave drowns you, for your sins of course! GDR

We continue to wander and admire the village. We look up, the weather still looks bad.

More lovely, cute houses. We have found a supermarket, an ATM, and a few touristic tat shops. We have found the high street.

And we are back at the port. We have done the village in 30 minutes .

We find a guide next to our hotel. The lady in reception welcomes us and explains.

“The weather looks bad at the top but we are still going ahead, as it can still change.

It is a five hours walk. It starts at 16.00 from here, it takes three hours up and two hours down. We provide you with a helmet.

You have to bring robust walking shoes, water, a torch, a picnic, and a T-shirt to change into – it is a tough walk, you may sweat and, therefore, you will get cold when you stop at the top – “.

OK. Taking comfortable shoes, we do understand; carrying a torch, a safety measure, since we will be back in the dark; but a picnic? a T-Shirt to change into? It is all a bit of a fuss really.

She puts our names down. “We will see you at 16.00”.

This is what Stromboli is like when he gets angry. We hope we seem some of that this evening.

Equipment to rent anyone? No thanks, we have everything, including ice axes and crampons if necessary .

We have a quick lunch on the beach and a bit of fishing. I give fishing a go. Gary seems a bit reluctant to give me his fishing rod. “If you now catch a fish, when you’ve never fished before, I would be very grumpy”. But I didn’t, so he was happy.

We are back at the guide office at 16.00. A French couple was also there. The walk is going ahead, as the weather is clear, but we are the only customers. As she has told everybody today that the weather looked bad, everybody else had cancelled. She is not very business-minded, this woman. As she cannot justify a guide only for the four of us, she has arranged for another guide company, which has more customers than her, to take us to the top.

So we go towards the church, where the other company is based. The French couple is behind us. They look weird. They haven’t spoken a word to each other since we have met them. He has an excuse, he doesn’t stop coughing so he has no chance to articulate a word. He is not going to have a nice time going up.

Outside the church is packed with people. They have three groups going up tonight. Business is going well for these guys. The company down the bottom should learn from them.

We are still amazed but nonetheless excited and intrigued about going on a guided walk. This will be a new experience for us, walking with a group of 20 people. The average age of the group is around fifty. There are three couples in their seventies. Gary and I joke about the likelihood of them getting to the top, but in hindsight, we admire them and hope that we continue to do these things when we are as old as they are.

The guide has not turn up yet. He is still organising the groups. They have too many customers. In the meantime, everybody seems to be stuffing themselves up with food. Are they going to be able to drag themselves up with a full stomach?

Time to go up. Everybody cheers up.

We all look so funny, as if we were back at school, walk in file, behave, stay together, listen to teacher…

The file goes all over the place as soon as we start climbing up.

I position myself in front of the queue, following the guide, Lorenzo. He is Italian, biologist and a travel lover, like us. I like him. I start to ask him lots of questions about volcanoes and about the places he has been. “Gosh, you are such a teacher’s pet” Gary jokes.

The summit is still clear. “The volcano has been very quiet so far” Lorenzo says. He had a big tantrum last year and had to be closed to the public for seven months. So he is now probably tired and not in a mood to show to anyone what he is capable of. “Shame, but it will still be a fascinating experience” I reply.

And it has been so far. The walk is amazing. We climb quickly. The views of Stromboli village are magnificent.

We stop for the first time after 30 minutes. Lorenzo tells us a bit more about the history of the volcano, the flora and wildlife of the island.

We drink a bit of water and press on. Shit, some people has now taken my place and I can no longer walk behind Lorenzo. “There is a reason for that” Gary says “Lorenzo must have paid those guys to jump in front of you so you can give him a rest”.

We come out of the shrub to an open and beautiful volcanic landscape.

Walking is getting harder as we walk on soft sand made up of the eroded pumice.

The path turns rocky. People seem to be coping well but they are all very quiet, not a word, to save energy.

Although someone starts dropping from the back of the pack. The weakest one. She will be taken out by lions, no doubt.

Notice her husband does not pay much attention to her.

We are nearly there. Quite frankly, the walk is reasonably hard. There are some bits that you need to take big steps up to negotiate large lava rocks on the way. If you have not done something similar before, you may struggle, like some people have done here, according to Lorenzo.

We finally finish climbing and we are now walking along the ridge. It is 19.00, perfect time to watch the sunset.

And there he is, Stromboli’s crater. Although he may be quiet, he is still not very happy, as he is expelling its fumes to us. “Behave yourself or I explode” he is not impressed having lots of people around.

Although the evening is clear, it is a bit blustery and nippy. We put our fleeces and windproof jackets on.

We try to get a bit closer. The smell of sulphur is pretty intense. I have to cover my mouth with a cloth as I start to feel a lack of breath.

The French guy coughs more and more. He must be suffering badly!

The sky starts giving us its best colours. This, combined with the fumes of Stromboli, makes the view a one life-time postcard photo.

We feel we are on our own. Where are the other people? We look back, most of them are gathered behind this rock, trying to gain some shelter from wind and sand, stuffing themselves with dinner. They don’t seem to mind that this is probably a unique chance of being on an active volcano.

I think the cold, the wind the smoke has shocked them. GDR

The second group reaches the summit after half an hour.

Should you be sympathetic to these imbeciles? Fancy coming up in shorts, have you no common sense whatsoever. We were all given the same pep talk but some people just don’t listen.

The wind is whipping up the eroded pumice to sand blast their calves, hence they turn their backs to the volcanic crater. Serves them right! GDR

Lorenzo, calls me over to show me a hole where steam is coming out of the ground, he digs with his shoe and more steam comes, I warm my hands. Stromboli is not in a mood for fireworks today. ‘Let’s start to head back whilst still daylight’ he says.

The sky becomes more beautiful by the minute.

We walk back down a different way.

The landscape here is impressive. We are walking on a massive dried river of lava.

It is like sand on a steep slope, almost like walking down a snow field. You can take long paces as your legs sink into the soft terrain, lolloping down the mountainside, it is a quick way to descend. Some have yet to get the hang of it and drop back, more food for lions. I have always been concerned about such a landscape. Are we not creating lots of erosion, 60 people descending like this every night must have an impact, or is the amount of ash so massive it makes no difference? GDR

This is so stunning, a proper vertical desert.

When it is safe, we stop to take our helmets off and put our torches on, it is getting dark.

A bunch of fire flies in the distance, that is what we look like.

We get back to the village at 9.00pm. We feel dusty and scruffy but we go straight to a local restaurant to have a proper Napoli calzone, filling but delicious. Lorenzo is eating here, which says something.

We ate almost all. Impressive eh?

Stuffed but satisfied. An incredible, unforgettable, amazing lifetime experience.

But we will have to come back when he is a bit more angry! GDR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SM