I mentioned in the last post that by the time we finished the Naples stop we were feeling pretty good. Though we felt rushed at times having to return to the ship each day, we had been able to see and do quite a lot thus far and all of our pre-trip planning was working out well.

The next stop on the cruise ship itinerary was Messina, Sicily. I had never been to the island of Sicily and for a long time the island was kind of off the radar due to the association with the mafia. In recent decades the island has become one of the most intriguing places to visit in Italy with its beaches and history some of the most beautiful in the country.

Originally the Messina stop was supposed to be short, only 7 hours, which for a cruise passenger is effectively 5 hours due to the time necessary to debark and reboard the ship. However, about a month before departure NCL notified us that they were extending the Messina stop by 2 hours, which gave us more latitude to enjoy ourselves in Siciliy.

Arrival in Messina

We had decided beforehand to travel down the coast to Taormina, a resort town on the coast about an hour away. Initially I expected that visiting Taormina would use up all of the time that we had in port, but with the additional two hours I now expected to be able to walk around Messina a bit before boarding the ship.

To get to Taormina we booked the only cruise excursion we planned for on the trip: ‘Taormina On Your Own’. This turned out to be a blessing and a curse as you will find out later. Effectively the excursion was simply bus transportation, which had the advantage of taking us right to the city and not to the train station below the city (at least 45 minutes walk up a cliff or a taxi ride). This in theory would give us more time.

Shelley also had wanted to take family portraits at a stop on the trip. For once this was a day where I didn’t have anything in particular that I wanted to see (other than the Greek Theater in Taormina). This was probably the last time we would vacation as a family since our eldest was a high school graduate and intended to move away to start his life, and this was our 20th anniversary trip.

We booked a photographer through Flytographer in advance and scheduled the meetup to occur in Taormina at a time when we would be there after taking the bus ride for the excursion. We bought matching clothing that would be suitable for both the portraits and the hot, Mediterranean weather, and contacted the photographer to let him know we were on our way.

As the bus left Messina I saw that the city was more attractive and interesting than I first assumed. There were entire blocks devoted to parks and attractive historic buildings in the city center. The tour guide on the bus pointed out some civic buildings as having been built during the Mussolini era that were unpopular with the locals, but were historic reminders of World War II. Had we more time that day I would have liked to look for more connections to WWII in the city.

But certainly, once we got back from the excursion we would have time to explore the city near the port. Or so I thought.

Taormina

We arrived in a parking garage and after ascending the stairs to the top level I did not see much that was particularly interesting. It wasn’t until we passed through the city gate that I realized just how beautiful Taormina really is.

These few pictures really don’t do justice for Taormina. We just didn’t have much time to explore the city on our own and to take photographs. But I will tell you unequivocally it was the prettiest city we visited on the entire trip.

And we did choose the right city for family portraits.

We entered the city gates and walked the narrow streets, quickly following Google Maps to find the Public Gardens. It was there that we had arranged to meet the photographer. We entered the gardens, found a bench to sit on, trying not to be sweaty, and messaged the photographer. We mentioned being near a statue and he found us quickly thereafter.

I have always had a personal policy of not posting photos on my blog that are not my own. The following photos were taken by Guiseppe who you can book under ‘Guiseppe and Guiseppe’ (we didn’t see the other Guiseppe) on Flytographer for Taormina, Italy.

The photo locations were terrific throughout the town and we were very happy with the results. The only problem was that my wife had to do the entire session in a lot of pain.

Just after we started the portrait session Shelley tripped on uneven pavement in the Public Garden and fell very hard on her arms. We were instantly concerned that she had broken bones and certainly severe sprains in her wrists and elbows. By catching herself with her arms on a hard surface she saved herself from further injury but was in immense pain throughout the rest of the day (and trip).

She refused to stop the portrait session and after all we had done and gone through to get there, we were not about to quit. She put on a strong, smiling face for the next hour and a half and we walked from one location to another to continuing posing for photos.

Once we were done with the portraits, we were near the city gate. We stopped for some much needed gelato (it’s always needed) and Shelley wisely ordered granita, since it comes from Sicily (or so I’m told). Despite the pain she was in we would have explored the city a bit longer and gone to the Greek Theater, but the tour guide gave us only enough time to finish the portrait session and eat a little before we needed to return to the bus.

Once we were back on the bus the adrenaline wore off and Shelley said the pain and stiffness were becoming more severe. We needed to find a doctor and get x-rays done. Being in a foreign country this would be more difficult. But the ship did have a clinic on our floor with an x-ray machine, so we could go there.

Seeking Medical Care

Travel Medical Insurance

To a certain extent we’ve always had good fortune over the years and have never been in a situation where we needed medical care on any trips (that I can recall anyway). We have had to stop at pharmacies and shopping centers for pain medicine, band-aids, cough medicine, etc.

Now we had a situation that would require seeking medical care in a foreign country. So I needed to check on the coverage provided by our insurance from GeoBlue.

In the past whenever we have traveled outside the country I have gotten some form of Travel Insurance. Usually I do a cost-benefit analysis to decide how much and from whom.

Most travel insurance covers both medical and trip cancellation or disruption. While trip cancellation or disruption can be costly it pales in comparison to the costs of receiving medical care for serious injuries or illness while abroad.

GeoBlue is ONLY travel medical insurance. You can buy reasonably priced plans for an entire family that cover up to $1 million in expenses. It is run by Blue Cross and it is generally considered one of the best travel medical insurances you can get. It also is more streamlined for getting reimbursement and finding providers since it’s not an umbrella travel policy but is focused on just the medical insurance aspect.

I have two Chase credit cards that provide some travel insurance to cover the other possibilities including disruption and cancellation, along with lost luggage. I also often pay extra for plane tickets and cruise fare so I can cancel up to the day of departure and still at least get credits for future travel. Also I almost never prepay for a lower rate on hotels just so that I can pay when I arrive and cancel up to the date of departure.

So basically, my primary concern is the medical aspect and GeoBlue provides great coverage for that purpose.

Still, I needed to call GeoBlue and make sure there were no catches before we used the medical clinic on the ship. We were still docked in Messina a couple hours and if we needed to use a medical facility in Italy we could. Though it was a bit risky now since the ship would depart without us if we were late.

I called GeoBlue and fortunately we could use the medical clinic on the ship and we would be covered. If we were docked in a home port in our home country we would have to exit the ship and seek care in the port with our non-travel insurance. But away from home it was by far the best option and we were covered.

X-Rays

Shelley was in a lot of pain and we were lucky to have the medical facility literally just around the corner from our room. We called the emergency line (the clinic isn’t always open for non-emergencies and they let us in).

Both arms were affected and x-rays were done from the hands to the shoulders. Fortunately, no broken bones were visible on the x-rays, which was at least a partial relief. What the x-rays could not show was soft-tissue damage, and only a CAT scan would reveal these injuries.

Still, at least for now the trip could and would continue on. Our next stop was Katakolon, Greece, the port for Olympia. The medical clinic would attempt to get Shelley into a clinic there to receive the CT scan and further treatment as needed.

Because we were on a cruise-sponsored excursion and no alcohol was involved (they gave her a breathalyzer test), we were not charged for the x-rays and medical care. So in the end we were covered, but it was complimentary. Also, NCL suddenly became a lot more accommodating and helpful to her (and us by extension). We were able to order free room service meals the rest of the trip.

Onward we proceeded toward Greece. It was the country I most looked forward to visiting on the trip. I had never been to Greece and since I am a history buff there are very few places that an match the archaeological sites to be found in Greece (probably only Egypt surpasses it in my mind).

But Shelley would now be wearing a sling and would have to limit her activity considerably. The trip was becoming a gauntlet of challenges to overcome, but we were taking it in stride as much as we could.

Olympia awaited the following day.