Category: 2019_04 Sicily

June 7

We left Catania early, around 8am to get to Taormina before the hoards of tourists arrived and to, hopefully, find parking. We’ll we succeeded on the 2nd goal as we found a lot on the north end of the town. Of course, we had to drive through town to get to it, but we had an easy trip out at the end of our visit.

As for beating the hoards of tourists, not so much. We passed bus parking lots that already had quite a few busses parked. Once we started walking along the streets, we saw at least a dozen tour groups following the flag (the kind of tour I hate). There were a lot of people in Noto yesterday but nothing like this. We hadn’t seen this many people in one place since we left Rome.

But, with no choice other than to join the hoards, we wandered the streets of this beautiful town. It’s filled with narrow streets lined with shops, bars and family run restaurants. Of course, we had to stop at one of the latter for our daily granite and cannoli. Since both of those delicious treats are specialties of Sicily, they may be our last. We can get them on the mainland but I’m not sure they’ll be as good.

After snacks we headed to the Greek Theater. While it’s built in the Greek style, the brick used comes from the Roman period. It was built in the 3rd century BC. Like the one we saw yesterday in Siracusa, it is still used for events.

Here’s a video I took. https://youtu.be/Njo1l10j3EA

Here are a few pics from around town.

After walking around for a couple of hours, we took the funicular down the mountain and had lunch by the beach.

After a couple more hours at the beach we headed back for the car for the short trip (less than an hour) to Messina. On the way we decided to stop for Peter to put his feet in the Ionian Sea. We walked on the beach after lunch but we’re back to rocky beaches (versus the sand beaches of the Med coast) and his reef booties were in the car. So, we stopped in Roccolumera and went to the shore. He got into the water up to his ankles and that was enough. It was cold and got deep very quickly. Since he was in shorts, not swim trunks, he decided ankle deep was enough.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip back to Sicily. The drivers are still crazy, and the roads are still lined with garbage. But it’s a beautiful island (if you ignore the garbage) and the people are so friendly. Yes, the base was totally different, and I couldn’t find my apartment (I think they may have added a gate to the entrance which meant I couldn’t see the building) but it was still fun to revisit all the places I remembered.

We’re spending tonight in Messina at the same hotel we stayed at when we first arrived in Sicily last Wednesday. We’ll catch an early morning ferry tomorrow and head to the heel of the boot. I’m very excited as I’ve not visited that part of the country before so it will be a new adventure.

June 6

If all day tours were this good, I would take them every day. It was a small group, only 7 people, which helped a lot. We started the day with an hour drive to Noto. I had never been there before and wouldn’t have thought to go today if we had just gone out on our own. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage city and is absolutely beautiful. Like much of eastern Sicily, Noto was destroyed in the 1693 earthquake, so much of the town is consider the “new” town. Guess new and old are relative terms. It’s hard to imagine anything over 300 years old being new, but the buildings that were destroyed were 400 years old at the time of the earthquake, so…

Of course, there’s a church on every corner. We saw 3 of them within 2 blocks but they were all beautiful.

After seeing the churches, we had about 20 minutes free, so we had a little snack. I had a lemon granite and Peter had his new favorite dessert…. cannoli. Then it was back into the van for the short trip to Syracusa.

We started in Ortigia, which is the historical center of Syracusa. It’s an island connected to the main city by two old bridges. It was beautiful and, as in most places in Europe, a mixture of old and new.

Our first stop was the remains of the Temple of Appolo from 700BC.

We walked to the Syracusa Cathedral which is of Norman design with a Baroque main altar. It’s dedicated to Santa Lucia and there are several side altars containing relics from her.

Once we were done at the Cathedral, we headed to the port where we took a break for lunch. It was another beautiful day and there were several yachts in the harbor. I saw one I really liked, and while Peter was willing to check into it for me, I decided no because it didn’t have any place to land the helicopter. I mean if you’re going to have a yacht, you might as well have one where you can land your helicopter.

It had been a week since we had pizza, so we indulged at one of the seaside cafes. Unlike most Italian pizza, this one was a little heavier with more cheese and sauce. While good, it wasn’t one of my favorites.

After lunch it was back in the van where we visited the Syracusa Archeological Park. This is divided into two sections: the Greek and the Roman.

I had been using my cane a little as my ankle was a bit painful (oddly, it was hurting on the opposite side from where I had surgery) and when I propped it up against the fence to take the above picture, it fell into the Amphitheater. So, my cane will be forever part of Roman antiquity, or at least until someone who works there sees it and climbs down to get it out. Never a dull moment on our adventures.

From here we headed home, tired but very happy about our day. Tomorrow we’re heading back to Messina with a stop at Taormina, one of the biggest tourist spots in Sicily. It’s only an hour away so we plan to leave early to get there before the bulk of the tourists arrive. It was hard to find parking there 25 years ago so I can imagine what it’s like now. Fingers are crossed.

June 5

After starting the day with a delicious breakfast on our back patio (from which we could see the Med if we stood up and looked over the bushes), we checked out of our flat and headed to the interior of the island.

The drive to the base was under 2 hours but we got stuck on a road behind a herd of geep (sheep/goat cross breed). I’ve seen a lot of geep herds, but I’ve never seen one this large. There had to have been at least 150 of them. Since there was no way to get around them, it took about 10 minutes before they cleared the road, and we could get around them.

So, we finally got past the geep and back on to a major road. Since Gracie seemed to be on track, we didn’t expect any further difficulties. Well, she had a little trouble once we got close to the base. She kept telling us to turn down this tiny little road, then make a right where there was no road. After about 3 tries, we gave up and decided to go straight to the WWII museum in Catania that Peter wanted to see. Gracie got us there with no problem but then we couldn’t find any place to park. We decided to bail on the museum and head to the hotel where we thought we could get directions to the base.

We checked in without problem, but the desk clerk had no idea what base I was talking about, but he was kind enough to call the Navy Lodge for us. The clerk there told me what to put into the GPS to get there. Mind you, the driving in Catania makes driving in Palermo look like a picnic in the park but we really need to get to the base, so off we went.

This time we made it without difficulty, but the entire base is different from when I was last there 25 years ago, so it took a little while to find the laundromat. Once the clothes were in the washer, we took our stuff to the pack and wrap place to get ready for mailing. We had to leave it for several hours but that was okay because we still had to do laundry.

While waiting for clothes we walked to the Hospital where I was stationed from 1992-1994. In fact, I am a plank owner of the hospital, which means I was a member of the “ship” when it was first commissioned. On a ship, a plaque is placed onboard with all the names of the crew members who were assigned when it was first commissioned. I’m sure there’s a picture of the crew on commissioning day some place but we had no idea where to look. In the old days, a plank owner could request a deck plank from the ship when it was decommissioned which is where the name comes from. That practice ended many years ago but the name “plank owner” stuck.

I first arrived in July 1992 for the purpose of setting up the inpatient nursing department. At that time Sig only had a large clinic but the hospital was opening in 1993 so it was my job to get the 4 inpatient nursing areas (multiservice unit, labor and deliver, nursery and the operating rooms) ready to open. I worked on that for about 6 months before the hospital opened, and was commissioned, in early 1993.

I have to say that very little seemed familiar to me. Just like the rest of the base, much had changed since we opened the facility 26 years ago. First, it was much smaller than I remembered. I did, though, recognize my offices. I had two different jobs while I was there (first Inpatient Nursing Department Head and then Health Promotions Coordinator) and I had a different office for each one.

While Peter and I were hanging out in the hall in front of this office, the XO (Executive Officer; second in command) walked by and asked if we needed help. I told him who I was, and I just wanted to see my old duty station. He very kindly offered to take us to the multiservice nursing unit, which it turns out, was just around the corner. When he saw the nurse at the duty station he said, “we have a special guest; a plank owner of the hospital is here to visit.” How cool was that of him! Of course, I had to explain to the LTJG (same as 1st LT in Army) what a plank owner was but we had a very pleasant conversation.

She took us to meet the current Department Head, which is the job I started with. That LT (same as Captain in Army) was also gracious with her time, offering to give us a full tour. But she was clearly busy with a few of her staff, and we didn’t want to take up anymore of her time.

We talked with the LTJG (who said it was an honor to meet me; who’s crying; I’m not crying) a little longer than headed back to the laundromat to get our clothes into the dryer. After stopping at the exchange and commissary (can’t wait to get into to puffy Cheetos when we’re back in the car on Friday) we stopped for lunch. There is now a very nice complex that houses the gym, pool, movie theater, and a variety of other activities so we had a juicy American cheeseburger and fries for lunch.

Then it was back to the laundromat to get our clothes and to the post office to mail our boxes home. We were only on base for about 3 hours, but it was nice to see the place again even if I didn’t recognize much.

Since I was on a bit of a nostalgia kick, we decided to head to Aci Trezzi to find my old apartment. We have to drive back through Catania to get there and about 2/3 of the way there, Peter remarked that it was a long way to go every day. Yes, it was but I told him that I wanted to live with the Italians. He commented that the entire island was full of Italians and that I could probably have found something closer. While that’s true, I loved my apartment.

Anyway, I knew the street (Via Litteri) but couldn’t remember the house number. But I was sure I would recognize it when I saw it. Unfortunately, I didn’t. We got to the top of the road without anything looking the least bit familiar. So, we turned around and came back to the hotel. It was a little disappointing but at least I got to see the hospital.

That was our day. Tomorrow we planned to drive to Syracuse, which of course I was dreading because I would have had to drive back through Catania and into another big city. But the desk clerk mentioned a tour, and as much as I hate tours, it was better than driving so we signed up. The best part is that the bus will pick us up at the hotel, so I don’t have to move the car. So, we’ll follow a flag like lemmings, but I can suck it up for one day of not driving. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Buona note.

June 4

Today was basically a rest day. We slept late, ate breakfast in the sun on one of our 2 patios then Peter walked to the grocery store while I worked for a while. I’ve been finishing up a client project while in Italy and I’m almost done. Once that was crossed off my list, I started working on our itinerary for the next week or so. We’ve got everything planned out and actually have reservations for the next week. If you’ve been following us, you know how unusual that is, but we found some nice places and I wanted to get them booked while they were still available. Now I can just relax about the logistics for the next week.

Then we headed to the town of Gela, only about a 30-minute drive from here. It was one of the places the Allies landed on Sicily in the spring of 43 and there is a memorial to the 82nd Airborne that Peter wanted to see. We managed to find our way to Tourist Information, but she had no idea where the monument is located, and we couldn’t find an address. So, instead of wandering aimlessly, we decided to go to the beach instead.

Since I can’t sit in the sun and I hate the sand, we rented an umbrella and a couple of chairs. It was very windy and a little cool in the shade, but the sun felt wonderful.

Peter, on the other hand, gave swimming another try. If you saw our post from Favignana, he tried but the water was freezing. Actually, he told me I should put my right ankle in the water, and it would have served as an ice pack. But he’s a game-day player so he gave it another try today. Here are a few videos of his latest effort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRKhPJDQavU Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IVW3sBagqg Part 2

Actually, he said the water was wonderful, cold but much warmer than the other day. We only stayed at the beach long enough for his swim and to eat our sandwiches then we headed back to Licata.

Once back in Licata, we tried to drive to the castle, but Gracie (our GPS) kept trying to get me to turn right at a street that was one-way only…. the other way. After a couple of tries we gave up and settled for a long-distance photo instead.

Then we decided to head back to La Dolce Vita a short walk away to have more gelato. Seriously, I’ve had a lot of gelatos all over Europe and this is the creamiest I’ve ever tasted. It was wonderful but has totally spoiled me for all other gelatos.

Then we strolled through town, which didn’t take very long. Of course, there were several churches and a large piazza where we stopped for coffee.

On our way back we stopped into a tourist info to ask about mailing a few post cards. Drop boxes are hard to find and we’d been carrying the cards around since Palermo, so the young women in the office said she’d mail them for us. It turns out that the tourist office is also a small museum about the Allied landing in 1943. Peter was thrilled and while he walked around, I chatted with Laura. She is a delightful young woman who is studying languages in school and was thrilled to get a chance to practice her English. She was actually very proficient and helped us with our Italian. We spent about 30 minutes there and she didn’t want us to leave. I don’t think there’s a lot of foreign visitors here, so she spends most of her day by herself.

We just finished a delicious dinner of chicken and potatoes. Peter does almost all the cooking while I either work on the blog, work on work, make travel arrangements or pack/unpack.

Tomorrow we’re going to the base at Sigonella (my old stomping grounds) for laundry and while we’re there we’ll mail home stuff we bought and don’t want to drag around with us anymore. We’ll also check out the mini mart for American car snacks (you don’t even want to think about eating the Italian version of cheese puffs) and whatever else we can find. Then it’s two nights in a hotel in Catania before heading back up the eastern coast for Messina and the ferry back to the mainland.

Can’t believe we’re more than halfway through our trip. The time is going by so fast but there are still plenty of cool things to see and adventures to have. Hope you join us.

June 3

We spent most of our day either driving or visiting ancient Greek ruins but now Peter has seen all the major Greek archeological sites in Sicily. Of course, there are many more but Segesta, Selinute and Agrigento are not only the most famous, but also the best preserved.

We discovered Saturday (I think it was Saturday; very hard to keep the days straight) that with Peter’s handicap car placard and his ID that says he’s over 65, we can get into these sites for free. I had to pay at Segesta but we both got in free at Selinute and Agrigento. Very cool. That means we saved over 40 euro at the 3 sites. We never tried it at Ostia and Paestum but now that we know we’ll give it a shot everywhere we go.

Our first stop today was the Archeological Park of Selinute which was one of the most important Greek colonies in Sicily and dates back to 656BC. Most of these temples don’t have names, just letters. We only saw four as the park was very large and we didn’t feel like walking that far.

Then we drove 90 minutes to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. This is probably the most famous, and the most popular, of the archeological sites in Sicily. I visited there quite a few times when I lived here but it’s much more developed now with restaurants and, more importantly, bathrooms.

We didn’t get to see the Temple of Castir and Pollack as it was a very long walk, and we didn’t have the energy. I showed Peter a picture of it from when I was here before.

It was after 3pm when we finally got back to our car and headed to Lucati where we’re spending the next two days. After getting settled into our 2BR flat, we took a stroll for some delicious gelato. It had been 3 whole days and our gelato blood levels are dropped dangerously low. We had a nice home cooked dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Tomorrow we’re going to spend the day relaxing even more and enjoying the nice weather. Can’t wait.

June 2

The Isole di Egadi are 5 mountainous islands just off the coast of Sicily. They are more of a spot for Sicilians rather than a tourist destination. In fact, I think we were one of only a handful of tourists on the trip.

We met two very nice couples who were on a day trip from Palermo. In fact, many of the people on the ferry were came with this group. Neither of these couples spoke a word of English but between Peter’s fairly good conversational Italian, my decent tourist Italian, sign language and Google translator for the hard words, we did fine. In fact, they complimented us on our Italian. They were very nice, and we kept running into them as we toured the islands.

Our first stop was Favignana. We walked around the tourist part of town a little, stopping for a mid-morning pastry snack. Here are a couple of pictures and videos from that stop. Peter really wanted to swim in the Med so we brought suits and towels. I had no intention of getting wet but he’s a game day player, so he gave it a shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0CLdsiEsYg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OZ7Tv0BiNw

We spent about 2 hours on Favignana then got back on the ferry heading for our lunch spot. While the weather on the islands was beautiful, very sunny and warm, the ferry ride was cold on the upper deck. We were a little chilly on the first leg of the trip, but for this one we were freezing. We were also getting sprayed with water from the ferry so that didn’t help. Once we stopped for lunch, we warmed up a bit as it wasn’t as windy, and we weren’t getting wet.

Lunch was delicious, starting with antipasti followed by prima patti of wonderful pasta. We finished the meal with fresh fruit. Of course, it wouldn’t be an authentic Italian meal without wine and bread, so we had plenty of that as well.

Then we were off to our last stop, the Island of Levanzo. We only stayed 90 minutes which was fine as there wasn’t much to do. We walked around the hilly streets for a bit, checked out a few shops, and while resting, ran into one of the couples from Palermo we had sat with on the first leg of the trip. So, we practiced our Italian for a few more minutes while we chatted with them.

The town was very pretty; it really had the look of a small Mediterranean town. Here are a few pictures from that portion of our day. This time Peter took a pass on the swimming.

For the last leg of the trip, we stayed inside and had a much more comfortable ride for the 45-minute trip back to Trapani. We only live about 15 minutes from the port, so it was an easy walk home.

After a light dinner, we went to the nearby park where the locals were celebrating Republic Day which is the Italian version of our 4th of July. Festa della Repubblica, as it is called here, celebrates the 1946 vote that decided the form of government Italy would have after the fall of Facism. People voted for a Republic rather than a monarchy, so the remaining male members of the House of Savoy went into exile. The celebration here was pretty simple but in Rome there is a big military parade.

Here are several videos I took of some of the things that were going one in Trapani. As you can see it was a pretty simple celebration, but it was fun to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KslgL43xkxc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AIvQLYPXY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssh9cN9Squc

Tomorrow we leave Trapani and make our way to the southern coast of Sicily. We’re staying in the beach town of Licata for two nights. We’ve been moving quite a bit for the last week so we’re ready for a rest day. The weather is supposed to be beautiful too. Who knows, maybe Peter will trying the water again.

June 1

Since our B&B didn’t start serving breakfast until 8:30, we had a leisurely morning before starting our short drive (only about an hour) to our first stop of the day.

The construction of the Temple of Segesta dates back to the late 5th century BC and is in pretty good condition considering it’s over 2500 years old. The columns are so cool. You can see how they used circular pieces of stone, progressively getting smaller as the column got taller.

There was also an amphitheater at the site, but we took a pass on that. We saw a great looking one in Paestum and didn’t want to walk the 1.2km to get there.

After Segesta we headed to Trapani, where we caught the cable car up to Erice. We could have driven but thought the cable car would be easier. The town is located 2,460 feet above sea level on the top of Mount Erice. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day in Trapani, so we left our coats in the car. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, though, it was a bit chilly. The sun kept hiding behind the clouds which really made it cold.

Here’s a video of Pepoli Castle (first one on left) and the Castle of Venus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m849DDkOi4c

We walked around for several hours before having lunch. We both had Pasta alla Norma, a pasta dish made with tomatoes, basil, eggplant and olive oil. It was delicious. After doing a little window shopping, we headed back to the cable car for the 15-minute ride back down the mountain where it was warm and sunny once again.

While we were only 10 minutes from our flat it took about 30 minutes to get there. The booking site said it had free parking on site, so I was expecting something a little outside of town, but the GPS took us to the town center where the streets are just barely wide enough for even our little car. To make matters worse, it kept telling me to turn the wrong way down one-way streets. It was very frustrating! We finally found the street where our host was waiting for us. It turns out that not only is there no free parking on site, but there is also no free parking at all in the old town during peak tourist season which began today. So, after we got our stuff out of the car, we moved the car to a lot that only cost 10 cents/hour. We don’t have to feed the meter again until 10:30 pm on Sunday.

Once that trauma was over, we went out for a walk to explore. We found a tourist information where we planned to buy tickets for the ferry to one of the Aegadian Islands just off the coast. You can actually see them from Trapani. The guy at the tourist office told us about a tour we could take that gave us the ferry ride, a visit to two islands and lunch. The round-trip ferry ticket to one island cost 20 euro each and this tour was 40 euro. But we get to see 2 islands and have an authentic Sicilian lunch and open bar. We thought that was a pretty good deal, so we decided to go for it. It’s supposed to be another nice day so we’re looking forward to it. We’ll let you know what happens.

May 31

I think we set a new record today….5 churches in one day; two of them Cathedrals and one of those considered to be the most beautiful church in all of Sicily.

But before we get to that, let me back up just a bit with a picture from our Termini hotel balcony. There were just a few clouds that made the mountain even more beautiful than it looked earlier without the clouds.

After researching for about an hour on how to find birth certificates in Termini, he decided that searching for Grandpa’s documentation would be a big waste of time. He thought it would be cool to have it and at one time he thought about trying to get dual citizenship but given that he couldn’t find anything about how to get the birth certificate and didn’t even know if Grandpa had one, he decided not to deal with it. So, instead of spending time doing that this morning, we headed straight for Palermo.

The first part of the drive was super easy as we were on the autostrada all the way. Once we got off in Palermo, though, it was an entirely different trip. I’ve been doing all the driving since we got here as I’m more used to the crazy Sicilian drivers but even for me it was challenging. You really need about 4 pairs of eyes to watch the road as cars, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians are coming at the car from all directions. Seriously, if someone sees a square foot of empty road, he’s heading right for it. Motorcycles weave in and out of traffic at insane speeds. It took about 25 minutes to get to Palermo and another 25 minutes going into the city center. I was very glad to park the car when we finally made it to the parking lot.

BTW. We discovered something new about our car. After one full week of trying to be a contortionist, folding myself in half to reach things in the back seat from the front seat, this morning Peter suggested that we try OPENING THE BACK DOOR instead. Seriously, we’ve had the car for a week and neither one of us knew that we even had a back door. In our defense, the handle is built into the window and not in the least bit obvious. Here’s the picture. Can you see a handle? Yeah, we didn’t either. We laughed about it for about 10 minutes, but it’s much easier to reach stuff in the back now that we know it’s there.

While we were waiting for tourist information to open in Palermo, we visited our first church of the day…Sant’Ignazio del’Olivella. It was just a couple of blocks away and was a pretty little church.

Then we headed back to Tourist Information in the Teatro Massimo. This is a beautiful building with the Tourist office well hidden inside.

Once we had our map and a plan of action, we headed down the pedestrian street. I’m using that term loosely. It was a pedestrian street if you don’t count the bicycles, motorcycles, cars and delivery vans that were on it. We walked several blocks before coming to City Hall (where I once more asked if Peter wanted to try to get Grandpa’s birth certificate…. nope) which had a beautiful fountain in the Piazza.

Our next church was on this corner as well. The Chiesa di S. Giuseppe dei Teatini. Mass was underway so we didn’t go too far into the church and didn’t stay for long. It was built in the early 17th century and is considered one of the finest examples of Sicilian Baroque style.

On our way to our next church, we stopped to take a picture of a beautiful courtyard. While there I spotted a ceramic shop and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to pick up a serving bowl and plate to go with my new dishes, but I couldn’t find anything I really liked. Most everything was mass produced and could be seen in just about every shop. When I went into Angela’s store, I found some beautiful items. She designs them all and every piece is made by hand. She told me that she has pieces in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. How cool is that! I found a couple of items that I love that will go perfectly with my dishes. We plan to mail a box home from the base in Sigonella, so we only have to keep the packages safe for a few more days.

Next stop was another Baroque church, this one the Church of San Salvatore. The first monastery was built in 1071 but was totally destroyed in the bombing of 1943. The current church was built in the middle of the 16th century but is only used now for special occasions.

On our walk we also found the public library…

and the Piazzi Bologni that had been the site of the original city of Palermo.

We finally made it to the Duomo, which had been our main objective. In case you’ve lost count, this is church #4. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and was first built in the late 12th century but has a long history of additions and restorations until the 18th century.

After touring the Cathedral, we headed to the Royal Palace, stopping in the park for lunch.

I decided to take a pass at touring the Royal Palace. Two palaces in one week is my limit but Peter wanted to see it so I stayed in the park while he visited the inside. He only stayed about an hour and said that compared to the ones we saw at Caserta and Naples, this one was very underwhelming. So, I was even more glad I hung out in the park.

After retrieving our car, we headed 12km (just over 7 miles) to the Cathedral of Monreale. Driving through Palermo to get there took 35 minutes, but it didn’t seem as bad as the morning drive.

The Monreale Cathedral is one of the best examples of Norman architecture and was started in 1174. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national monument of Italy. The highlight of this church are the 22 carat gold mosaics. Everything that looks like a paint is actually mosaic. It was amazing.

Here’s a short video I took in the Cathedral.

https://youtu.be/BTSQcdKjQzM

Before we left Monreale we stopped for our first gelato since Sunday. My blood levels of gelato were seriously low, so I needed to get them up quickly. It was so good.

We got back in the car for one more trip, this time to Mondello a beach resort where we’re spending the night, this time in a B & B. We haven’t used Airbnb at all yet because we’re making last minute decisions as to where we want to stay. I thought of this plan while Peter was touring the Palace.

Once again it was only about 20 km (12 miles) but it took another 30 minutes in Palermo traffic. The B & B is lovely and only 1km from the beach. Of course, it took us 20 minutes to walk but it was a beautiful day, so it was quite enjoyable.

After walking the beach for a while, we had panini for dinner and then tried to get a taxi back home. My ankle was quite sore from walking in the sand, and I didn’t want to put anymore strain on it. Unfortunately, it was going to take an hour for the cab to come, but just as we were about to leave for the hike back, one of the guys in the sandwich shop offered to drive us home. We were very appreciative of the lift.

And Peter just had to test the water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e8RU0-8aU4

Tomorrow we’re heading southwest to spend a couple of nights in Trapani. We’re hoping we can find a place where we can just relax on the beach for a while. Keep you posted.

After a relaxing breakfast at our hotel in Messina, we headed for the Sanctuary of Tindari famous for the Black Madonna. The carving of the Madonna and the baby Jesus dates from 800AD. Legend has it that it was on a Turkish ship which ran into bad weather and dumped cargo to lighten their load. One of the things thrown overboard was the statue. It eventually made its way to shore where it was found by Sicilian peasants, and it has been worshiped ever since. The Basilica is new, only being finished in 1953 but it is beautiful. Mass was just about to start as we arrived, so we didn’t stay long as we didn’t want to disturb the service.

After leaving the Basilica, we headed to Cefalu for lunch. We found a restaurant right on the water where we had delicious pasta. It was a leisurely lunch (as are most meals in Italy) and we very much enjoyed the rest.

After lunch we headed to Termini where we are spending the night. Peter’s grandfather was born here and tomorrow morning we’re going to try and find out how to get his birth certificate. We thought tourist information was in Piazza Duomo but when we asked someone he laughed, gestured around the Piazza and said, “This is all there is.” So, there is no tourist information to get help with finding City Hall (or the Italian equivalent) and the hotel clerk speaks no English. Maybe we’ll have better luck in the morning with the clerk who checks us out, otherwise we’ll just have to figure it out. We’re getting pretty good at it. Thanks for following and we’ll chat again tomorrow.