Hopping the Aeolian Islands

I took the most extraordinary trip this past weekend hopping the islands of Lipari, Panarea, Volcano, and Stromboli. The things I saw in two days were enough to fill the corners of my mind for years. Volcano was like a strange combination of untamed, prehistoric land mixed with a dilapidated mini-golf course. The terrain was rough and varied. I saw black sand for the first time in my life. I saw a sleeping volcano. Oddly shaped flowers filled a panorama, but the only scent carried by the wind was a heavy cloud of sulfur. We stayed in the ugliest habitation ever created and were bitten all night by bed bugs as we slept on thick wool blankets with snowflake designs. Yes, snowflakes on Volcano. When I woke in the morning, I was still pleased by all of this, taking in everything the experience had to offer. That morning we indulged in sulfuric mud baths and geothermal spas. Volcano had great things, but Stromboli was the main attraction. The hydrofoil and boat rides allowed us a view of some of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen. We stopped off at Stromboli for a quick bite and something to drink. We saw the volcano up close but the real treat came as we left on the boat. As if saying goodbye, the volcano preceded its eruption by spewing a giant black cloud before it showered molten lava. A few of us sat outside on the top deck of the boat to watch the volcano disappear. My giant Heineken bottle was now finished, and I thought it an opportune time to have a classic moment. I asked my fellow traveling companions for a piece of paper and pen and proceeded to write a wish of prosperity and wellness for whoever would receive this message. My fellow travelers also included their wishes, and once they were done, they placed the gift in the bottle and we cast it into the Mediterranean. It was clichéd, but unique to our time and path on earth, totally independent of the cheesiness we see on TV.