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A Kayak Tour of Elba
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 I was paddling around a very small (40 ft), cone-shaped rocky island topped by a tuft of green trees. The Isola Paolina, named for Napoleon's sister. The sea and sky were as soft and blue as the Madonna's cloak on a Florentine fresco. Fuzzy from jetlag, I was doing my best to take it all in and keep paddling. Raymondo and Daniela paddled by in their orange double with Basco, their wire-haired dachshund named after Tabasco sauce, in the center hatch. The coastline accented by bare volcanic rock, steep cliffs topped by vinyards and farm houses. Some of the sandy pockets of beach, quiet as the dawn, were dotted with small decorated fishig boats.
My kayak slid (I cannot say effortlessly) into the protected harbor of Marciana Marina. The stucco town glittered with the warmth under the midday sun. I was distracted by the simultaneous yuck of three sets of church bells. I could see the bell towers from the water and watch the bells swing back and forth as the musical clamor echoed from the sea walls. It was Saturday noon in Marciana Marina, a small town on the north shore of Italy's Elba Island. Colorfully painted and in various states of repair fishing boats, small yachts, sailboats, dinghies, and rubber rafts were harbored all around me.
 
  
"Kayak through clear blue Mediterranean waters along volcanic cliffs, ancient towers, and coastal villages. Lunch on the beach or in a cafe, then paddle back to your seaside hotel. After spending a few days on Elba you won't want to leave, and when you leave, you'll vow to return..." For more information, write Barbara at bkossy@igc.apc.org |
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