Sicily - June 26 - Mt Etna

The air was thick with heat and smoke as we departed bright (or not so bright) and early for Mt. Etna (Europe's tallest active volcano) and the seaside town of Taormina. Much of the route on the highway retraced our path to Agrigento, and this time we were able to see the "Madonie after they burned" or the "Madonie on fire," as was the case when we literally drove through flames on both sides of the highway. Several times the driver actually had to slow down because the smoke was too thick.

After about three hours on the bus, we arrived at Mt Etna. Sweetie and I had toyed with the idea of doing the extra cable car/jeep trip to a higher elevation, but I started to have flashbacks to my near-death experience on a cable car in Venezuela. When I thought of the similarities in attitude between Italians and Venezuelans, I was downright panicked. Luckilly, Sweetie felt much the same way and we decided to just tool around in the "village" (ie: tourist trap heaven) for 2 1/2 hours while others did the tour.

We headed straight toward a nearby crater which had a path around the rim. The entire crater was just black ash. We started up the crater side, but it was soooo windy that I became completely terrified of being blown off the side. It didn't matter that there were numerous 40-pound children walking around the rim and not being blown off. So, Sweetie had to escort me back down to the "safe zone" (ie: the point where terrified four-year old girls were cowering with their mothers) while he forged ahead and bravely circled the rim. When he returned, he decided he also wanted to go IN the crater, so that's what he did. When he safely returned, he somehow was able to convince me that I should also descend into the crater because it was perfectly fine and un-windy there (he was right).

Once that was out of the way, we bought the required snack at one of the restaurants in order to use the bathrooms without attracting attention (that was one ice cream bar I could have done without, but oh well, sometimes we have to make sacrifices).

We were grateful for the cooler temperatures at the higher altitude.

We headed to Taormina after that. Taormina was sooooo lovely. I could have wondered its scenic shop-lines streets for hours. It was very pictureque and charming. The Greek theater there had stunning views from the top -- along the coast both north and south of Taormina. There was even a huge cruise ship in the harbor.

We had a rather late return to Calanica, and nearly missed the "special dinner" night. But Domenico at the front desk admonished us that our food was waiting at the restuarant, so off we went, unshowered and unchanged from our day trip. Oh well. We enjoyed the dinner, but I swear if I have another dish of grilled eggplant in this lifetime.....That was almost always the vegetarian option...

Sicily -- June 25 -- Madonie Mountains

This was our designated day for our trip through the Madonie Mountains (remember our failed trip to Castelbruno?). This time we had the benefit of my tour book that was in the wayward suitcase and a new map which set us back 7 Euro (only to discover that it was virtually the same as the one Jeancarlo at Calanica gave us for free, though to be fair, the one we bought was MUCH easier to read and I credit it with our successful trip).



We took our time and had a late breakfast around 9 AM. We set off at 10AM in our trusty automatic/manual hybrid Fiat Punto. We began our day at the church at Gibilmanna -- about a 20 minute drive from Cefalu. There were only a few Italians there, so it was virtually deserted. The church was small and absolutely stunning inside. I was put off from lingering too long by the man inside who was cleaning the pews in a very OCD-way. He had a book that he would put on the floor between each pew and kneeler to ensure they were spaced exactly right (the kneelers were not anchored to the floor).










There is a statue of the Madonna and Child that was confirmed to have caused two miracles, and I must say that it was incredible to look at. I wish I had not felt so unwelcome to admire the church.




Outside there was a nice view of the mountians and we ventured behind the church to find the cobblestoned grounds and brown stone buildings to be incredibly beautiful and serene.



Then, we ventured on in the Punto to Polizzi Generosa where we sought to find some "spectacular vantage point" referred to vaguely in my Fodors guide. Of course, Fodors provided no maps of the town which is literally perched on the edge of a mountain, seeming to defy gravity.






We found our way to a large bus parking lot, which I promptly declared must be the vantage point (I really didn't fancy the idea of driving further up narrow cobblestone streets). But, Sweetie was certain this could not be it. We returned to the car and drove about 75 yards further up the "normal" road where we then hit road construction. So, we parked and then just started walking UP.



A police car passed us on one of those ever-present "steep single lane cobblestone roads" and gave us a slightly dirty look. Something told me that we were the only tourists in the town that day.




We reached a plaza where there was a suspect-looking group of men sitting on shaded tables outside a store of some sort fronted with one of those beaded curtains that Americans used to hang in the 70s. I might add that we were a bit hungry, but I sure did not feeling like seeing if that was a restaurant. Actually, on this trip, I was amazed by how little food I could actually live off of. We did not have a proper lunch most days and I was completely unaffected by this. Perhaps it was those huge dinners that kept me going. Or the bag of Sicilian breadsticks that was always at my side...





Anyway, we started wandering the streets (in record-high temperatures, reaching over 100 F) of town looking for the vantage point. We tried to ask a police officer for directions (I think he was the one who gave us a dirty look earlier) but he didn't speak English and even though I sputtered out the plaza's name in Spanish, he just pointed vaguely AWAY from him. Anyway, we followed his "directions" but came up empty-handed. So, we ventured back into the first plaza we had entered and followed signs to a restuarant, figuring we could eat and ask for directions. Well, the restaurant was closed from June 15-July 15...



So, this left us with one option. To approach the men sitting in front of the place with the beaded curtains.


We approached them, and one led us inside. It turned out to be a gelatto shop/bakery-with-the-yummiest-looking-Sicilian-desserts-I-have-ever-seen. And the owner prompty pulled out a MAP (it might as well have been a winning lottery ticket, I was so excited) of the town and informed us that the plaza we were looking for actually had another name (hence the difficulty in finding it). He gave us flawless directions, we got a gelatto, and off we went on foot to find the plaza.



It was clear across town (ie: a ten minute walk) and did have rather spectacular views. (See photo)





By this point, we had been traveling for several hours and had been drinking lots of water given the heat. My only concern was to find a bathroom. We ventured into another beaded-entrance cafe and Sweetie got a sandwich and I got my bathroom (it was clean at least, but another one of those Italian toilets without a seat...). The cafe had an interesting selection of artwork on the walls (a poster with a list of "Why beer is better than women," for example). The lady working there was kind enough to wait until we finished before closing the shop for the afternoon. After this brief stop, all was well again.




Polizzi Generosa was an absolutely lovely town and turned out to be our favorite in the Madonie. It is also the hometown of Mario Dolce of Dolce and Gabbana.





Next, off we set to the next stop. Petralia Soprana, the highest village in the Madonie. We found the church referred to in my Fodors guide without too much frustration (well, finding a place to park was a bit frustrating, but again, walking clear across the city only took about 5 minutes). The views from behind it were stunning. It was too hazy to see Mt. Etna, but it was gorgeous nonetheless and well worth it. (See photo)






We set off back toward Cefalu, taking a slightly different route for a change of scenery. Sweetie noticed "the only cloud today." But then he also noticed that it didn't "look very natural." No, it didn't. Because it was smoke. From a fire. A forest fire. And there we were, in the middle of the Madonie Mountains, far from civilization. I monitored the "cloud" every single time it entered back into view as we twisted around and through the mountains.


Eventually, we twisted toward a few more "clouds." I was less than pleased with this development: "Hey, isn't that mountain with all the smoke on it precisely where we are going?"



It was. We eventually ended up skirting along the side of a mountain close to Cefalu and large portions of the valley below us were engulfed in flames. There was a firefighting plane flying over the inferno. Sweetie wondered, "Our road doesn't go down that way, does it?" Hmmm....looking at the map, I didn't think so.



And indeed, we didn't have to go into the flames to get home. When we arrived back at Calanica, however, I thought the smoke still looked a little too close for comfort (see photo).



Over dinner that night, we were able to watch the firefighting plane come in just above our bungalow and swoop down into the Mediterranean right before our eyes to refill. It was exciting!



Overnight, there was some excitement we could have done without. The fires continued to rage, and were moving over the top of the hillside near us. Ash was falling at Calanica. On our thatched roof bungalow. We ended up taking turns holding vigil until about 4:30AM when we crashed. But, we had to get up again at 6AM for our Mt. Etna and Taormina tour....

Road manners

The thing that makes me want to strangle people

Back in my pre-blog days, I mentioned the Israeli habit of honking their car horns virtually all the time (even at red lights). It is really excessive and it is the one thing in this country that actually makes me want to leap out and strangle people.

The other day, I was enjoying a delightful lunch at an outdoor cafe in a quiet, residential area. Then, suddenly, a deafening HONK! emanated from a large SUV about 30 feet from us. We ignored it. But then, HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.

I was aghast. Others were too. The lady apparently wanted to get through the single lane in the parking lot, but someone was parked halfway on the sidewalk AND the lady had this excessively large SUV, so she couldn't get through. Mind you, the shopping center is so small that it only has about 10 parking spaces, so whoever owned the offending car could not possibly have not heard the first honk.

At any rate, no one stepped out to move the car, and SUV Lady was honking so much that Israelis were actually getting offended by it and one man approached the lady telling her to stop. Then, the cafe owner also did the same. But, the lady ignored their pleas and HONKKKKKKKED again.

What does this achieve? Why are some Israelis so fixated on this practice? I do not understand. If I hadn't been so shocked, I might have actually gone up and physically harmed that woman.

Killer bugs, killer croquet

Distant Cousin of Creature From the Blue Lagoon



Last night I went out to lock up the gate and decided to take a brief stroll through the garden to admire my handiwork (I had trimmed back some of our flowers because they were starting to eclipse the lights -- welcome to summer in Israel). As I approached the elegantly lit pool, I noticed a large area of disturbance on the surface of the water. Hmmmm....I thought....that is interesting because the jets are off and the pool should be still. So, I moved in for a closer look. And that is when I saw the largest thing I have ever seen in our pool, humans excepted. I could not even fool myself that it might be a "water bug" or a "beatle," or even something as offensive and hideous as a cockroach. No....it was none of these things. It was a life form I had never seen before.



So, being the fearless type that I am, I got the pool net (conveniently located on the end of a 12 foot pole) and scooped it up. I tried in vain to dump it out of the net and into the neighbor's driveway. In the end, I just left it in the net and prayed I wouldn't need to use the net again for a good long while.



Killer croquet

Sweetie and I were invited to play croquet at the Ambassador's residence last weekend. I told Sweetie I was up for it, but that I hadn't played since the time my younger brother got mad at me for winning and hit me on the back with a croquet mallet about 25 years ago. I certainly didn't expect bodily harm would be involved among diplomats.



The first game was quite relaxed. The Ambassador acted as coach, while the rest of us fumbled along, until I came from behind and won the game with a string of brilliant croqueting. Nobody knew what hit them and Sweetie was virtually speechless.



The second game got a bit more strategic. I don't even remember who won, because the third game of the day sort of blotted out all memories of the second game. By the time we all reached the third game, participants were fully fixated on hitting and then whacking other participants balls into oblivion and it became a never-ending cycle. This situation was not helped by less-skilled players like myself, who, on the rare chances we had to actually make progress and hit a ball through a wicket, messed it up. Those who sat out the game were watching in shock and horror from the patio as the game dragged on and on and on....with no end in sight. It finally ended over two hours later with the Ambassador declaring that it was the longest game he had ever played.

Sicily -- Our trip to the pottery town

We took an afternoon trip to S. Stefano di Camastra -- known for its pottery. Indeed, we did find masses of pottery shops there. Most were a bit too gaudy for Sweetie, and I simply am not buying things anymore because I have too much stuff. We picked up a few gifts, however, and enjoyed the amazing view of the water from a plaza in town.

I noticed during our drive along the coast to/from Cefalu that there were lots of elderly men just sitting around outside on benches, chairs, etc. watching the world (and time) go by. One man was bringing a chair out in front of his house as we passed on our way to the pottery town. I couldn't believe it when he was still out there when we returned about 2 hours later! All I could think is how boring that must be. But, that's very typical for Sicily. Also typical is for older people to stand out on their small balconies in the evening and people-watch on the narrow medieval roads.

Sicily -- Sunday 24 June -- on the water

We took the "Cefalu Coast to Coast" boat trip in the morning. Our bus was quite late picking us up from the gas station, and after about 15 minutes of waiting, the booking agent zoomed up on a motor bike to tell us the bus was running "about 5 minutes late." Never mind that is was already 15 minutes late! Italian time...


Our bus did finally arrive and took us to the port where our boat (and two Brits already on board) was waiting. The only other passengers were a mother, two children, and the grandparents. Sweetie and I were perplexed by the family, as the mother seemed to speak Italian to the grandparents, but Russian to the children... Anyway, we were pleased to have a not-so-crowded ride, and the boat was nicer than we expected. Our host, Fabriz, who was turning 19 the next day, was very eager to please, and it was a really enjoyable trip.


The boat stopped several times for swimming opportunties, which neither the Brits (including Sweetie) nor I elected to take part in. But, we did enjoy watching the boat captain (when he wasn't on his cell phone) and Fabriz dive very deep down into the water. Fabriz even brought back a sea urchin which the captain ate. I assured everyone that they are delicious and melt in your mouth. (In my fish-eating days, "uni-don" -- a Japanese dish of rice covered in sea urchin -- was my favorite food).

We had an interesting "Chinese fire drill" on the ride home, when the family and we got into a minibus for the ride to the gas station, and the British couple got into a Mini Cooper with the man who had shown up at the gas station on a motorbike in the morning. Once we reached town, they had all of us pile out and the Brits got into the minibus, the family departed on foot, and we were told to get into the Mini. All very strange. So....we were regaled by the very gay tour director and his very loud Mariah Carey music for the trip back to Calanica.

Sicily -- Saturday 23 June -- the town of Cefalu

We ventured into town in the afternoon, and I tried one of Sicily's famous marzipan desserts (wonderful!). We followed my Eyewitness guidebook's stroll along the main road in the old medieval part of town. There were lots of interesting (and "very old" as I would say) buildings that you would never notice unless you were looking for them.



Also, we finally found the Porta Marina -- the only remaining city gate of the four that once led into the town. Sweetie said, "Shall we walk through it?" but it seemed to be occupied by a drug addict and so I discreetly declined. Sweetie offered up, "It looks contagious in there." We walked by it again a few days later, but it was occupied by a different drug addict...Oh well.



We also explored the "Night Market," which silly me, I was expecting to contain stalls of local handicrafts. .....Not quite. It was more like ummm...a swap meet or something. A bit bizarre. Oh well.