An open-water adventure through Sicily's Aeolian Islands
Somewhere between two islands in the Aeolian Islands, I was attempting my longest-ever open-water swim.
Approximately five kilometres, island to island, with nothing but open sea around us.
What I didn't know at the time was that the current was taking us well off course.
Then I lifted my head to sight ahead and saw a car ferry passing in front of us.
Farkkk!
Not something I'm used to seeing during my morning swims in Sydney.
I'd never swum that far in one go before, and when we finally finished, all I could think was, "Oh my fucking God, that was amazing!"
It was the hardest swim of the week, but also my favourite.
Swimming the Aeolian Islands
I'd signed up for a SwimTrek trip around the Aeolian Islands, off the northern coast of Sicily.
Having previously done a SwimTrek in Croatia, I had some idea of what to expect. Or so I thought.
We were swimming approximately six to seven kilometres a day, usually split between two swims. The days were long, and there wasn't nearly as much downtime as I'd experienced in Croatia.
By the time we got back to land, I was often exhausted.
But the swimming was fantastic. Clear water, enormous volcanic cliffs, little coves and islands that looked completely different from the water.
Some swims were relatively straightforward. Others were much harder than I expected.
And there was something pretty special about swimming between islands rather than simply following a coastline.
By the end of most days, all I wanted was a shower, something to eat and a decent night's sleep.
Salina — I probably need a safety warning
I'd arrived in the Aeolian Islands early and spent three nights on Salina before joining the swimming trip.
Salina is beautiful, green and relaxed, with lovely little villages and quite a few English visitors.
Most mornings I'd head out at sunrise for a long walk, often finding little places I wouldn't have discovered otherwise.
On one of those walks, I came across a little slipway used by fishermen and decided to go for a swim.
There was no beach, no gradual entry into the water. Just steep rocks dropping straight into very deep sea.
I jumped in, then started wondering how on earth I was going to get back out.
And there was absolutely nobody around.
Probably not one of my better decisions.
When I showed my husband the video afterwards, his reaction was, "You are seriously crazy."
I'm beginning to think I should come with a safety warning.
Vulcano — a step back in time
Vulcano was another world altogether.
It felt completely Italian, almost like stepping back into the 1950s. Very basic, a bit old-fashioned, but fabulous. I loved it.
You certainly couldn't ignore the smell from the thermal mud baths.
I didn't go in. It was August, already ridiculously hot, and after swimming all day I was exhausted. The thought of sitting in hot, bubbling mud wasn't particularly appealing.
And the Aperol Spritzes were seriously strong!
At Hotel Eros, I also discovered a deep-pink, blood-orange alternative to Aperol. I can't remember what it was called, but I've never seen it anywhere else.
What's happening beneath the water?
One of the things I hadn't appreciated before visiting was just how much volcanic activity there is around these islands.
On one of our boat trips towards Stromboli, we passed an area near Panarea where you could actually see bubbles rising through the sea.
I hadn't realised that Panarea was part of a much larger, ancient volcanic system, much of it now underwater.
The bubbles were coming from gases escaping through the seabed. We were told that the water around some of these areas could be warm.
It was fascinating to see it happening right beside the boat.
And then there was Stromboli.
We went out by boat at night to watch the volcano, and actually saw it erupting, shooting glowing lava into the night sky.
It was unreal.
I'd never seen anything like it before. Watching an active volcano erupt in front of you, from a boat in the middle of the sea, was something else entirely.
Panarea — I would definitely go back
After the swimming trip, I stayed on Panarea for another two nights.
What a contrast to Vulcano.
Panarea is tiny, but the boutiques are amazing. Beautiful clothes, lovely little shops, narrow lanes and stylish bars. The sort of place where you could spend hours wandering around.
There seemed to be plenty of Italians holidaying there, many possibly staying in private holiday homes rather than hotels.
I loved the atmosphere. After a week of swimming, it was lovely to have a couple of days without a schedule, wandering around, looking in the shops and stopping whenever I felt like it.
I also discovered that Christopher Nolan had filmed parts of The Odyssey around the Aeolian Islands, including Basiluzzo, just off Panarea.
And Dolce & Gabbana famously had a holiday villa on neighbouring Stromboli.
I'd definitely go back to Panarea. Two extra nights weren't enough.
Joining a group of strangers
I travelled to the Aeolian Islands on my own and joined a group of people I'd never met.
You have absolutely no idea who you're going to end up spending the week with.
A few days into the trip, I found myself lying on the front of a boat at night with two women I hadn't known a week earlier.
We were heading towards Stromboli, the boat was bouncing around, and the three of us were screaming with laughter, wondering whether we were about to fall off.
Turns out they were just as crazy as me.
There were plenty of laughs during the week, along with tired arms, very salty skin, early starts and some seriously long swims.
Looking back at the photos now, I actually miss some of the people I met.
I'm glad I gave myself time on Salina beforehand and Panarea afterwards. It meant I saw much more of the islands than I would have during the swimming trip alone.
Six or seven kilometres of swimming a day isn't for everyone, and it certainly wasn't a relaxing holiday.
But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
In fact, I'm already looking for my next swimming adventure. Any suggestions?