This day, too will be happy. I watch the mountain, where a mixture of clouds and smoke obfuscate the summit, against a grey, possibly rain-laden, sky, and hope the weather will clear.
At 7.30 we burst into Victor's room, singing "Happy Birthday" loudly - and even the lengthy and detailed Danish birthday song - thus ensuring that he will be up and awake when the driver comes at 9am. Oswaldo and I eat eggs for breakfast feeling we'll need the proteins - I even have marvellous sauteed vegetables - but Victor has a brief cup of coffee and disappears to take his shower. At 9 we're ready, well almost - guess who's not - all dressed in many layers. I must have about 30 zippered pockets on my body between one thing and another! Our driver and guide, Gaetano, aka "Tano," is a tanned and fit Dr. Frossard look alike. He is also a geology teacher and outdoors person who loves to hike and ski, and drives a nice green jeep.
This is when a fierce wind sets in, making us feel we easily could tumble into a crater. Finally - remembering very clearly my wheelchair experience in Greece, I refuse to venture down a slippery and gravelly ledge in the storm (du-uh!) and Oswaldo and I sit holding on to each other on a windswept plateau (glad to sit down!) while Victor and Gaetano forge ahead on a rather narrow ledge to see an endless and very dark hole, which is the deepest crater.
This, Victor reports, was very scary, and thus his birthday has been like no other. The walk down, with the growing wind and the occasional lashing rain makes us walk in silence, thinking of the wine-tasting ahead. At the end it is a very tired birthday boy, who sits waiting for the car. By then we have walked for 3 1/2 hours.
He has brought jackets for the rain splatters that hit us as we eventually get to the base camp, constructed in the path of black lava from the multiple eruptions in 2002. He has also brought extra pairs of walking sticks, which turn out to be invaluable, giving us balance and force as we trudge uphill from 1820m to 2120m, where the air - and one's breath - gets a little thinner. The walk up is quite demanding for us, but we stop to see signs of earlier destruction - this was a hotel
and these trees kept standing while the lava flowed around them.
The lava is very black and in some places vegetation has started after the excavation and construction of the path on which we're walking - in spite of the thistlely look the plants are called 'pillows.'
But most importantly there are the awesome views of the tallest crater behind the snowclad other and older craters.
When we think we cannot walk another step Tano urges us ahead to see a special crater in the middle of mounds of crumbly black lava.
We almost fall asleep in our seats as Gaetano drives us down the mountains and through the vineyard landscape. But we perk up when we arrive at the stately Gambino estate, where we will taste four different wines and enjoy some local delicacies. We love the fruity white wine Tifeu, and the red Cantari, and when they learn it's Victor's birthday, he gets to choose a bottle. Thus we leave with the smooth, chocolatey Cantari. We still stop for an ice-cream and buy several almond sweets, and then Gaetano drops us at the hotel. We sink into the lobby's large sofas and order coffee - lots of coffee - and munch on our sweets, while we swap pictures, and Victor checks his many Facebook birthday greetings. Luckily the wi-fi, not working yesterday, has been fixed. Then we go back to our rooms, have hot baths - and it's all over. We're just exhausted after this very active day and never leave our beds again.
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