発見！このサイトで日本語もできるのです。わざわざ日本のサイトでブログを作らなきゃいけないとつい思って。これは楽ですね。
これから少しずつ日本語も書くように頑張ります。
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Sicily -- June 21 -- Day trip to Agrigento
Today we took a tour to Agrigento, in the south of Sicily. I apparently undercalculated the walking time to the nearby gas station (pickup point for the bus) and Sweetie made it clear that I would pay for this at some point in the future. Seeing as how we were already sweaty by the time we got on the bus (something to do with our mad dash to the gas station as a result of my miscalculation), it was shame that the A/C on the bus didn't seem to be cranked too high. Otherwise though, the trip was well-organized and the bus had plenty of room.
It took two hours to get to Agrigento. We first spent AGES in the stuffy museum which was interesting, but we had to wait for the guide to run though explanations in Italian and French before she got to English. Tedious.
The Valley of Temples (actually, they're on a hill, not in a valley) was great, but very hot. I felt like I was being cooked. Lunch was at an ordinary beach dive, but at least service was quick. We were seated at a table with the "Lady With a Paper Bag on Her Head" (see picture, she's in the middle). Sweetie noted, "She's not so ugly that she needs to wear a paper bag on her head." Anyway, Sweetie noticed Bag Lady was eating with her head so close to the plate that she was practically shoveling her food into her mouth. And then, when they brought out my spaghetti, she tried to claim it as her own....very odd. And we were both stymied by the fact that the gentleman with her seemed completely normal and yet undisturbed by her behavior. I decided he must have been a social worker taking her out on a trip.
After lunch, we walked out onto the wide, long beach with clear turquoise waters. It was scenic,
but definitely had a different clientele than what we were used to up north...Let's just say I was glad I wasn't staying in Agrigento. It was very undeveloped and reminded me a bit of parts of Venezuela.
I enjoyed our tour guide's very matter-of-fact way of saying things like, "And the politician who accomplished the construction of this great highly was later accused of being Mafia."
It took two hours to get to Agrigento. We first spent AGES in the stuffy museum which was interesting, but we had to wait for the guide to run though explanations in Italian and French before she got to English. Tedious.
The Valley of Temples (actually, they're on a hill, not in a valley) was great, but very hot. I felt like I was being cooked. Lunch was at an ordinary beach dive, but at least service was quick. We were seated at a table with the "Lady With a Paper Bag on Her Head" (see picture, she's in the middle). Sweetie noted, "She's not so ugly that she needs to wear a paper bag on her head." Anyway, Sweetie noticed Bag Lady was eating with her head so close to the plate that she was practically shoveling her food into her mouth. And then, when they brought out my spaghetti, she tried to claim it as her own....very odd. And we were both stymied by the fact that the gentleman with her seemed completely normal and yet undisturbed by her behavior. I decided he must have been a social worker taking her out on a trip.After lunch, we walked out onto the wide, long beach with clear turquoise waters. It was scenic,
but definitely had a different clientele than what we were used to up north...Let's just say I was glad I wasn't staying in Agrigento. It was very undeveloped and reminded me a bit of parts of Venezuela.I enjoyed our tour guide's very matter-of-fact way of saying things like, "And the politician who accomplished the construction of this great highly was later accused of being Mafia."
Pick-up lines
Today I was walking to the store and a car pulled up beside me and a man starting speaking Hebrew. I said, "What?" and I figured he was asking for directions (as this still happens to me about 3 times a day). He asked how to get to the beach with the hotels and restaurants. Uhhhh....derrrrr....drive toward the water?? He didn't seem to understand the concept of "GO STRAIGHT." I kept repeating myself. Then he wanted to know if I was going to the beach. "No." So, finally I just started walking again because I sure couldn't help him if he still didn't understand my unmistakable "go straight" motion. Then, he pulled up again, and asked if he could give me a ride if I was going to the beach. "No, I'm NOT going there." He had a huge beer belly and sequins, yes sequins, on his t-shirt. I think next time I will wear sweatpants to the grocery store instead of a skirt...
Sicily -- June 20 -- MY SUITCASE ARRIVES
Today we went into town to get a haircut for Sweetie (it looks fabulous), and I managed to procure a plug converter for Sweetie's cell phone charger (major coup). Oddly, one of the men who seemed to always be loitering at Villa Cerniglia, the original place I had booked, was loitering in the doorway of the electronics shop.
Then, after much looking, we found some decent walking shoes for me, in case my suitcase doesn't make it before our tour of Agrigento on Thursday. The old man at the Ellesse shop where we got the shoes didn't take credit cards, but gave us 1 Euro off and told Sweetie to buy me a coffee with that. Very sweet.
So, we had drinks on the very steeply sloped plaza in front of the cathedral. I was hanging on to my drink the entire time. We had lunch at La Brace, which came highly recommended. We were a bit disappointed though. The food was presently very simply (no style), and Sweetie's catch of the day certainly wasn't big enough to warrant the price tag. That said, my tagliatelle with funghi was tasty, as was the hot banana doused in a sweet rum liquid for dessert.
We hit Calanica's "beach" in the afternoon -- and found that the snack bar there was actually open, so Sweetie indulged in an ice cream.
My suitcase arrived at 7PM -- a full FIVE days into my vacation. Anyway, it's nice to have a selection of clean clothes and other amenities for a change.
Then, after much looking, we found some decent walking shoes for me, in case my suitcase doesn't make it before our tour of Agrigento on Thursday. The old man at the Ellesse shop where we got the shoes didn't take credit cards, but gave us 1 Euro off and told Sweetie to buy me a coffee with that. Very sweet.
So, we had drinks on the very steeply sloped plaza in front of the cathedral. I was hanging on to my drink the entire time. We had lunch at La Brace, which came highly recommended. We were a bit disappointed though. The food was presently very simply (no style), and Sweetie's catch of the day certainly wasn't big enough to warrant the price tag. That said, my tagliatelle with funghi was tasty, as was the hot banana doused in a sweet rum liquid for dessert.We hit Calanica's "beach" in the afternoon -- and found that the snack bar there was actually open, so Sweetie indulged in an ice cream.
My suitcase arrived at 7PM -- a full FIVE days into my vacation. Anyway, it's nice to have a selection of clean clothes and other amenities for a change.
Sicily -- June 19, lazy day
Temperatures of 40 C were predicted, so we planned to stay in (little did we know that the heat wave would continue for a week, with temps ultimately hitting 46). The staff all know of my suitcase saga all too well, and I finally started calling Al Italia myself. They told me my bag arrived in Palermo in the morning, so I only hope it will get to me before they launch it onto another tour of Europe. Unfortunately my $100 new wardrobe hasn't stood up so well, as the
"Club Med" sandals (ironic, considering our search in the car for "Club Med" on Day 1) I bought for 5 Euro also have bit the dust. I was walking to the pool and suddenly the left one felt much looser....kinda like what happened with my shirt. Anyway, I was just grateful no one was at the pool because I'm sure the next thing to go will be the 8 Euro swimsuit I bought.
Sweetie and I braintstormed means of revenge against Al Italia in the afternoon. None of our ideas are publishable, however.
Calanica had a much-hyped BBQ in the evening. Only problem was that it started about 45 minutes late. It was worth the wait however, as they had an exciting and new (and more extensive) collection of salads (very key for the vegetarian). And once the BBQ got going, they had fish, meat, octopus, etc. There was also a dessert buffet with lots of yummy things.
"Club Med" sandals (ironic, considering our search in the car for "Club Med" on Day 1) I bought for 5 Euro also have bit the dust. I was walking to the pool and suddenly the left one felt much looser....kinda like what happened with my shirt. Anyway, I was just grateful no one was at the pool because I'm sure the next thing to go will be the 8 Euro swimsuit I bought.
Sweetie and I braintstormed means of revenge against Al Italia in the afternoon. None of our ideas are publishable, however.
Calanica had a much-hyped BBQ in the evening. Only problem was that it started about 45 minutes late. It was worth the wait however, as they had an exciting and new (and more extensive) collection of salads (very key for the vegetarian). And once the BBQ got going, they had fish, meat, octopus, etc. There was also a dessert buffet with lots of yummy things.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
June 18
We took our time getting out of bed and finally sauntered down to breakfast at 9AM (it ends at 9:30). Then we strolled down to the "grassy knoll" -- otherwise known as the Solarium -- a grassy spit just above the water with some nice chairs and umbrellas. But, there was a stinky cat deposit near our chairs so we relocated, but somehow we were already turned off.
We returned to our bungalow. I washed my two shirts, two shorts, and two pairs of underwear that we picked up in a desperate shopping spree our first day. It's day Day 4 now and my bag is still missing. It's alternately reportedly been in Monaco, Berlin, Rome, Palermo, but not here. (As a result of this experience, Sweetie took his suit for his daughter's graduation in a paper bag so he could carry it onto a flight to Milan in case his suitcase when missing. Sad, isn't it?)
We wanted to get out, so we drove to Castelbruno -- a town in the Madonie Mountains. We took the autostrada (expressway) for the first leg, but did not enjoy the three very long (as long as 3 km) tunnels that were along the way. Haven't there been some fairly dramatic Italian tunnel collapses? Anyway, we hadn't set out a strict agenda before we arrived in the town--the driver was heading toward the castle, while the navigator was heading toward the center of town....Long story short, we got frustrated and turned around and drove back to Cefalu. We wrote it off as a recon mission for a future daytrip to the Madonie.
I decided to take a walk into town (rather than try driving our half-automatic/half-manual Punto). I had seen lots of people from Calanica doing it, so I knew it was possible. I just didn't realize that there would be NO SIDEWALK around BLIND CURVES with NO SHOULDER on the road IN ITALY. I felt my life was in immediate danger more than once due to this situation.
I did finally make it into town, and took my dead international cell phone into Vodaphone to see if it could be fixed. After waiting for 30 minutes while the clerk flirted with the girl in front of me (she wasn't THAT cute), and seeing two Italian couples give up and walk out, I finally pushed the not-that-cute girl out of the way and showed the guy my phone. He said I needed to charge it, but I couldn't get him to understand that I DID charge it and the problem is that it won't turn on even though I charged it. So, that was a waste of time.
I ran a few other errands and then started walking back to Calanica, and just as I set off, I felt one of my shirt straps go slack. It was one of the shirts I bought on Day 1 due to the missing bag. It was a very cute shirt, but not that expensive, and basically my only hope is that it would last until my bag came. No such luck. So, there I was, faced with a 40-minute walk back to the hotel with only one shirt strap. And this wasn't one of those shirts where the straps were sort of superfluous, either. I managed to catch it before all of main street Cefalu got a free show, and tucked it under my purse strap for the long walk back to Calanica.
That night (after I changed into Shirt #2), we headed back into town for dinner at Al Porticculo -- one of the restaurants with decks jetting out above the rocks on the water. It was a spectacular setting. Sweetie sat facing the sunset and I sat facing the town. I just loved looking up at the houses and seeing people out on their balconies, watching the sunset and checking out the restaurant action below.
I had the best pizza EVER for dinner. We tried a Planeta wine, which a friend recommended. Sweetie had a Sicilian cassata (cake) for dessert, which was even too sweet for me (I didn't know that was possible). I had creme caramel, which I only know as Japanese "purin." Sweetie did not approve of my dessert choice, but I thought it would be good to try a purin that didn't come out of a plastic container.
We had some issues getting the check. They just didn't bring the darn thing no matter how many times or who we asked. We finally got up and started walking...thinking that might get them into action (it did). I decided that the only time Italians are in a hurry is when they're in a vehicle.
We returned to our bungalow. I washed my two shirts, two shorts, and two pairs of underwear that we picked up in a desperate shopping spree our first day. It's day Day 4 now and my bag is still missing. It's alternately reportedly been in Monaco, Berlin, Rome, Palermo, but not here. (As a result of this experience, Sweetie took his suit for his daughter's graduation in a paper bag so he could carry it onto a flight to Milan in case his suitcase when missing. Sad, isn't it?)
We wanted to get out, so we drove to Castelbruno -- a town in the Madonie Mountains. We took the autostrada (expressway) for the first leg, but did not enjoy the three very long (as long as 3 km) tunnels that were along the way. Haven't there been some fairly dramatic Italian tunnel collapses? Anyway, we hadn't set out a strict agenda before we arrived in the town--the driver was heading toward the castle, while the navigator was heading toward the center of town....Long story short, we got frustrated and turned around and drove back to Cefalu. We wrote it off as a recon mission for a future daytrip to the Madonie.
I decided to take a walk into town (rather than try driving our half-automatic/half-manual Punto). I had seen lots of people from Calanica doing it, so I knew it was possible. I just didn't realize that there would be NO SIDEWALK around BLIND CURVES with NO SHOULDER on the road IN ITALY. I felt my life was in immediate danger more than once due to this situation.
I did finally make it into town, and took my dead international cell phone into Vodaphone to see if it could be fixed. After waiting for 30 minutes while the clerk flirted with the girl in front of me (she wasn't THAT cute), and seeing two Italian couples give up and walk out, I finally pushed the not-that-cute girl out of the way and showed the guy my phone. He said I needed to charge it, but I couldn't get him to understand that I DID charge it and the problem is that it won't turn on even though I charged it. So, that was a waste of time.
I ran a few other errands and then started walking back to Calanica, and just as I set off, I felt one of my shirt straps go slack. It was one of the shirts I bought on Day 1 due to the missing bag. It was a very cute shirt, but not that expensive, and basically my only hope is that it would last until my bag came. No such luck. So, there I was, faced with a 40-minute walk back to the hotel with only one shirt strap. And this wasn't one of those shirts where the straps were sort of superfluous, either. I managed to catch it before all of main street Cefalu got a free show, and tucked it under my purse strap for the long walk back to Calanica.
That night (after I changed into Shirt #2), we headed back into town for dinner at Al Porticculo -- one of the restaurants with decks jetting out above the rocks on the water. It was a spectacular setting. Sweetie sat facing the sunset and I sat facing the town. I just loved looking up at the houses and seeing people out on their balconies, watching the sunset and checking out the restaurant action below.
I had the best pizza EVER for dinner. We tried a Planeta wine, which a friend recommended. Sweetie had a Sicilian cassata (cake) for dessert, which was even too sweet for me (I didn't know that was possible). I had creme caramel, which I only know as Japanese "purin." Sweetie did not approve of my dessert choice, but I thought it would be good to try a purin that didn't come out of a plastic container.
We had some issues getting the check. They just didn't bring the darn thing no matter how many times or who we asked. We finally got up and started walking...thinking that might get them into action (it did). I decided that the only time Italians are in a hurry is when they're in a vehicle.
June 17 in Sicily
We have been enjoying gorgeous scenery over breakfast at Calanica. It doesn't get any better! We drove into town and saw the Duomo cathedral -- dating back to the 12th century. It is famous for stunning mosaics. The cathedral was mobbed with tourists in tour groups and some power-that-be at the church basically started yelling at them to shut up. As we walked out, I realized that my tank top was probably not appropriate attire as there was a table of shawls with a collection box next to it. Oh well. I snuck out before being busted.
We stopped for coffee near the water and happened to catch an air show right before our eyes with 4 stunt planes. We had lunch at a restaurant called Kentia (it turned out to be our favorite meal during the trip). I ordered pineapple for dessert and a few minutes later saw the waiter walking back up the street toward the restaurant, carrying a pineapple. It was fresh!
We've been eating our dinners at Calanica, as we're on half-board. I'm always looking forward to the ever-changing buffet of appetizer/salads. But, having two courses and dessert on top of that is A LOT of food for me. At least the walk up the hill from the restaurant to our bungalow helps a little bit.
We stopped for coffee near the water and happened to catch an air show right before our eyes with 4 stunt planes. We had lunch at a restaurant called Kentia (it turned out to be our favorite meal during the trip). I ordered pineapple for dessert and a few minutes later saw the waiter walking back up the street toward the restaurant, carrying a pineapple. It was fresh!
We've been eating our dinners at Calanica, as we're on half-board. I'm always looking forward to the ever-changing buffet of appetizer/salads. But, having two courses and dessert on top of that is A LOT of food for me. At least the walk up the hill from the restaurant to our bungalow helps a little bit.
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