Since 1842, the place at the mouth of the Komoe River has been the most important trading post for the French on the coast. In Grand Lahou, originally a French settlement, only a few abandoned colonial houses remind us of the heyday of the former port, where ships loaded mahogany logs, palm kernel oil, rubber, ivory, and oil palms. 

The first President of Ivory Coast, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, appointed his birthplace Yamoussoukro as the new capital of the country in March 1983. Under his leadership, several major construction projects were started there, including the construction of a basilica inspired by the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The foundation stone was laid on August 10, 1985. After only three years and three months of construction, the church was completed. The entire construction project was officially paid for from Houphouët-Boigny's personal wealth and has since been maintained by the interest from a Swiss blocked account. After a long wait, the basilica was consecrated on September 10, 1990 by Pope John Paul II as part of his visit to Africa in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary doctor. The reason for the delay was the fact that the Pope made his participation in the ceremony dependent on the commitment to build a hospital near the church. However, the implementation of this project did not begin until ten years later, and a university announced at the same time was still in the planning phase in 2007. The promised hospital did not go into operation until January 2015. In 1992, Michael Jackson was led by Houphouët-Boigny through the church.
The can still visit the Félix Houphouêt-Boigny Foundation not far away is worth a visit. Especially for its rooms, including a huge gallery. Near the presidential palace, the Lake of the Holy Crocodiles attracts the most daring to the animals, which weigh almost a ton. Fans of traditional culture can visit the Adja Swa Museum, which exhibits typical wooden masks, musical instruments, Baule statues and African art. Visitors can do their shopping in a rhythmic atmosphere at the central market.

From Agrigento, we continue along the south coast. We have to bike a lot on the only main road, often it goes smoothly on a wide shoulder, but the traffic and noise are exhausting in the long run. In Falconara, the wind slows us down once again. The Scirocco blows directly from the southeast and we are forced to stay at the almost ugliest campsite of the trip.

After that, we bike through a white plastic landscape for two days until we reach the southernmost corner of Sicily. Endless greenhouses with tomatoes spoil the area, which is also quite desolate. Here, we are also barked at by aggressive dogs for the only time. It could have ended badly if a nice Sicilian hadn't intervened with his car.

On the east coast, there are some nice coastal towns and significantly more tourists. We visit Noto with its many Baroque buildings on the way to Syracuse. In the old town of Syracuse, we stay in a very beautiful apartment. Thick steel cables run along the ceilings, holding the walls together.

We explore the city with a hop-on hop-off bus. The huge, modern church of the weeping Madonna is impressive. It is almost 90 meters high and wide.

Nearby is the Archaeological Park with Greek and Roman amphitheaters. The first one is built with a grandstand and seats, the second one is overgrown with grass. However, we are treated to impressive acoustics in the Ear of Dionysius by several groups of kindergarten children!!!

In Catania, we stay to take a trip to Mount Etna. We book a tour and go up to 2000 meters with mountain guide Marco and two French people. We hike another 600 meters in altitude in a hurry. Actually, Marco wanted to show us the new lava flows and the Valle del Bove, but we are so surrounded by clouds that there are only brief gaps for great views. But we hear the rumbling of Mount Etna, which has been active again for two days. After a few minutes break, it starts to snow and Marco urges us to descend. We run down the lava fields, which feels like sand dunes, and arrive quite wet and frozen at the bottom.

In the evening, we spontaneously decide to take the train to Messina the next day after 15 days and 664 kilometers. On Sicily, we have seen some very beautiful and impressive cities and landscapes. However, despite the many garbage and the road conditions, we didn't enjoy it so much.

Total kilometers: 2475

Elevation: 19956