a springy painting

Santa Felicita' • "The Deposition" • pink sunset
Continuing on my spring reflections and the small things in our everydays here in Florence...

This afternoon, we decided to take a small walk since the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we'd been staring at the blue skies and enjoying the warm breeze through the windows. I'd picked up an art textbook that was on our bookshelf when we rented the apartment: A Basic HIstory of Western Art, and as I flipped through the majority of the mid-section from the Middle Ages through Late Renaissance, I found that about 75% of all the pieces of art that were highlighted and pictured, are within 10 minutes walking distance from where I sat.

I picked out a painting that I clearly remember studying in Art History in college, The Deposition from the Cross by the Italian artist, Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, and headed out to see it in real life.

Chris and I walked out our door into the throngs of tourists milling about the streets, past the Duomo, through Piazza della Repubblica, and across the Ponte Vecchio before finding ourselves in the small piazza where we found the church of Santa Felicita, which housed the masterpiece we were seeking. This church is easy to overlook, as we've walked past it many times without a second glance. The stone walls were quieting and the breeze blew in the open doors. As soon as we entered, to our right hung the striking painting. I remember this piece specifically because of the shapes of the forms and the bright pink color. There is almost not a drop of black shading that I notice at all, and the bright "happy" colors are in contrast to the subject of the work. Chris mentioned that it looks very "springy". I agreed...and thought that maybe it was good we didn't see this piece until today as it was a wonderful way to welcome the primavera (spring) this season.

Did I mention the wonderful sunsets we've been enjoying out our windows lately?

spring musings

This past week, we've been enjoying some time with the last of our "spring guests" who are visiting from St. Augustine, and this past Saturday, fellow-blogger, Sara, organized an Expat Get-Together here in Florence. About 30 or so of English-speaking expatriates met at a pizzeria in Piazza Signoria. The weather ended up to be beautiful, and we enjoyed meeting everyone in the outdoor terrace. It was great to finally meet in person, many other bloggers who I've "known" (through emails and blog posts) for a couple of years now!

colors of florence • view of the city • sunset on the Arno
We're down to about 1 month left here in Florence before we leave for a summer back in St. Augustine. There are a lot of our friends and family that know the ins and outs of our decision-making over the past several months. I'm sure I'll be updating more as the time goes by, but there are some options on the table and whatever happens, I look forward to the adventures that await...

In the meantime, I have some of my random observations...

The city has become more and more colorful to me as we've lived here. When we first visited Florence several years ago I remember thinking how monochromatic it was - and I only remembered the aesthetics as a sea of beige and creams, burnt red color roofs, and forest green shutters. I remember thinking how all the buildings looked the same to me and even wondered if I could ever find my way around. Now, almost everyday I find more and more colors to admire, and the streets all have a different personality to me. The green hills in the distance, the varied tones of oranges, reds, yellows, browns, and grays of the walls emit a warm ambience even on cloudy days, and now that spring is blooming, there are red poppies, purple wisteria, white gardenias, and plenty of pink wildflowers everywhere. I will never again see this city as varied shades of beige, but it will always hold a colorful image in my mind, especially since the physical beauty is layered with the life I know that lies intertwined within it.

When we leave town to travel, after several days I begin to get the feeling of "just wanting to be back home", in my comfort zone again and in familiar surroundings. And when we finally arrive back at the Firenze SMN train station and walk the familiar streets back to the apartment - we do feel like this is a home now. It feels familiar. Which roads to take comes naturally, and many days of the week, we'll see familiar faces in the streets. There is a routine here and I've come to really enjoy the tasks that a lot would categorize as "inefficient": having to go to specialty stores for different types of products instead of a "one-stop shop", waiting 3 days for jeans to dry, not having a car, dealing with no oven and a mini-fridge. I like having to stop by the farmacia (pharmacy) for contact solution, the mercato (market) for fruits & veggies, the supermercato (supermarket) for boxed food and paper goods, the forno (bakery) for bread, the pasticceria (pastry shop) for sweets, and the latteria (dairy shop) for cheese.

I have my niche here and absolutely love the days of spring (although we're still getting the colder, rainy days more often than I'd like right now). I like hearing Italian when we watch tv or walk outside the apartment. It sounds so familiar to me now, and without thinking about it, I understand most of what is being said. Somewhere my mind stopped translating into English and began associating meaning with the Italian words. Now that we know the date that we have to leave here for a while, everyday I'm trying to take in more and more as I walk around the city. We have our favorite bars where the bariste recognize us; I help at a food-bank on Thursday mornings where I've met a wonderful group of women; we participate in a bi-lingual worship service on Sundays; and we even know the pasticcerie (pastry stops) schedules for when the ciambelle (donuts) come hot out of the oven (9:30am Pane e Cioccolato, 4pm S. Marco, and 4:30pm Marino's).

I'm so thankful for our time here and know that Italy will play a large part in our future, whether it be through regular visits of shorter stays without special visas, or even perhaps a proper long-term visa in the years to come. There are several lessons I've been learning since our move, and one of them is taking things as they come while enjoying where we are at this moment...not always planning ahead so we lose the beauty of 'now'.

barcelona pt 3 :: dancing, temple, & beach

museum courtyard • mass on tv • dancing circle
Sunday's weather was just as beautiful as Saturday's, although I was hoping for higher temperatures and didn't pack a heavy enough coat for our time in Spain. We began the day at a pastry shop and then roamed the side streets towards the Cathedral. There was a museum that was open (and free) that we stumbled upon, which featured a documentary exhibition of letters from King James I of Aragon from the 13th century. Then we filed inside the church next door to take a peek. Mass was in session, but since tourists were allowed in the back of the immense hall, we still got a good look at the interior, and watched a bit of the mass on flat screen TVs showing the mass at the front of the church. When we exited, we took a seat on a side bench and waited about 20 more minutes until the noon bells struck, signaling the beginning of the Catalonian dance circles which we'd happened upon the night before. This time, our friend wanted to get in the action and so when the older "veterans" of the traditional style joined hands and began to side-step, she scooted in and tried her best to keep up.

older facade • newer side • fruit on the towers
When the show was complete, we stopped for lunch at a pita/falafel cafe' and then descended to the Metro for a ride towards the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's final (unfinished) masterpiece of his life. As soon as we emerged from the underground Metro station, we turned around to see this enormous, under-construction temple looming above us. I think each one of us mumbled something like, "oh my" or "wow"! A somewhat ominous facade on the older section of the church that Gaudi actually worked on, the side we saw first looks like burning wood or melting copper from a distance. Not until you get closer can one see the details in the stone. The tops of towers have candy-like spirals of color and the smaller pillars to the side hold bunches of colorful fruit sculptures. We awed at the details and size, and finally walked around to the more modern side where the entrance is. There was no line at all, which was a nice surprise, so after we paid for our tickets and rented an audio guide, we began to take in the Passion Facade which details the last week of Jesus' life in interesting symbolism, type, and images.

interior • glass • ceiling • under construction • tree pillars
Walking inside, we were struck with the size and uniqueness of the architecture. Since Gaudi was mostly inspired by nature, and felt that a connection to the creation was where one could see God in the world, he wanted the interior to feel like a forest - and it clearly does. Pillars of four different types of stone, depending on the weight it needs to hold, divide off at the top like branches coming off a large tree trunk. The ceiling is full of a continual design of flower *slash* sun bursts and the white starkness of the stone is highlighted with some of the most colorful stained glass in bubbly shapes.

nativity detail • tower tops • passion facade • brass door detail
Since it's estimated to take 50 or more years to finish this building, there is ongoing construction going on inside and outside. Cranes are a constant fixture by the towers and stacks of plaster molds and stone cutters always grace the cathedral floor. It felt historic to me to be a part of the this important creation as it is in process. After exploring a little more, we visited the museum attached to the side basement. There we viewed sketches, models, and old photos of the construction which started in the late 1800s.

lobster on the boardwalk • street band • beach sculpture
Next activity of the afternoon was taking a walk from the apartment to the harbor and Barceloneta Beach. We enjoyed the stroll on the lively boardwalk and then stopped to watch a street band, before making it to the sand. Even though it was too cold (for all the people except about 5) the beach was full of people on towels, just with all their regular clothes on. The atmosphere of this section of the city had a different feel, as most beach communities do...a little more chill and slow, although still very festive and fun!

We had a quiet evening and headed out the next morning to the airport. Overall, I really enjoyed Barcelona as a city and would love to go back one day to see more of the sites that we didn't get to. Now, when we travel, we almost like to leave a couple of sights unseen so we can say to ourselves, "It's ok, because we'll see that the next time..."

barcelona pt 2 :: market, park, & more

After the drizzly weather on Friday evening, we were excited to wake up the next day to a beautiful clear sky. One of the things that woke us up was a loud yell from up and down the streets. It was the same sound everytime, but we couldn't figure out what the guy was saying. Later, when we were out and about a block away, we saw the culprit: a butane gas tank seller, yelling "BUUUUUTTTIIIINNOOOOOOO!" People hear him and come out to pay for a new tank.

candy at the market • fish on ice • fruit juices
The first place we headed was the La Boqueria Market, which was only a couple of blocks from our apartment. A lot of aspects were similar to the markets were used to here in Italy (lots of people, slightly chaotic, bargaining, colorful stands), but there were noticeable differences. One of the main new items for sale that we saw was freshly squeezed fruit juices of all flavors packed in beds of ice: coconut (my favorite), mango, orange, dragon fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, strawberry, and many combinations. We bought a couple different types and went back later in the day for more. There was also a LOT more seafood than here in Florence, and we watched booth after booth of the fish butchers wacking off fish heads, letting the guts spill out and scales fly.

kind of gross.

row of street performers • lamp post • chipmunks for sale • fruit lady
When we exited the market, we were back on Barcelona's most famous avenue: La Rambla. Best known for the tree-lined, tourist-filled street in the center of the historic district, we passed dozens of unique street performers, flower stands, and market-like pet stores with birds, ducks, rabbits, turtles, and chipmunks. At the top of the street, we hopped on the Metro at Plaça Catalunya and rode towards the mountains to Park Güell. This was one of the sites I've been wanting to see for years and we were all very excited as we approached the entrance. Designed by Antoni Gaudi as a planned residential development, it was bought by the city and converted to a public park and deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the private venture failed. Full of wavy mosaic patterns, interesting layers of walking paths, and a couple homes, and an unmatched view of the city and sea, this park did not disappoint. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on a terrace area and wandered around for a bit more before heading back down into town. On our way to the center we stopped off by the Block of Discord to see the exteriors of two more of Gaudi's works: the Casa Milà and the Casa Batllo.

view from the park • sitting area with mosaic benches • in the park
Later in the afternoon we explored the Barri Gòtic quarter as well as the La Ribera area. At first, we walked by the Barcelona Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, which is undergoing major reconstruction on the facade. There was a band on the steps of the church and several circles of people dancing a traditional Catalonian dance. I took a small video of the footwork. Although quite toned-down from most latin dances, this is a tradition that this region is trying hard to preserve, so every Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, there are dance gatherings here in the square. When we crossed into the La Ribera zone, we walked down a lovely pedestrian street full of cute cafes and shops towards the Santa Maria del Mar cathedral. This is known for being the most popular wedding chapel in the city, and true to form - there was a wedding going on as we stepped in. Because the gothic style interior is so large, the front was roped off for the guests, while dozens of tourists milled around the back. We walked outside and waited a couple of minutes as the wedding guests filed out. Everyone waited in anticipation for the newlyweds to emerge, and as soon as they did, several people shot confetti guns in the air and the square was filled with colorful streamers. (small video here) Also, a Spanish 4-piece band began to play around the crowd as the couple exchanged hugs with the guests outside.

Casa Mila • inside S. Maria del Mar • wedding confetti
We went back to the apartment for dinner, but decided to try a Belgian cafe next door for dessert. The apartment owner had recommended it to us, and everytime we'd passed it, the smell of waffles with Nutella lingered in the air. Earlier in the afternoon, we'd stopped in to check out the menu, and when we returned later that night we were in for a tastebud treat! There was a list of waffles or crepes with sweet toppings (fruit, marmalade, Nutella...) and salty toppings (cheeses, onion cream spread, salsa...), lots of fun fruit drinks and chocolates...

...then there was the gelato.

Flavors that were so strange, that we had to taste-test many of them. (Luckily the cashier was from Italy and was super nice so we talked in Italian and she was so generous with the samples and recommendations). Here is a small list of the unusual varieties (all handmade in small batches there in town):
• Lavender
• Violet
• Spinach & Bacon
• Curry
• Red Wine
• Anise & Mint
• Açai
• Black Olive
• Baileys® Irish Creme
• Gin & Tonic

After tasting most of these (minus the bacon one), and then some - I ended up settling on the Anise & Mint together with a chunky dark chocolate fondant. Chris had pistachio (which was so fresh, it was entirely brown) and a 70% cocoa.

A sweet ending to a sweet day.

...but Sunday was just as sweet, if not sweeter...

barcelona pt 1 :: hola!

I looked out the window of the plane on Friday as we were flying near the southern coast of Spain, and suddenly the entire city of Barcelona came into view. I noticed the harbor, precisely gridded street blocks, and the Montjuïc mountain in between the Mediterranean sea and city.

We landed mid-afternoon, and as soon as the plane's wheels touched the ground all the Italians on board clapped as is the tradition. The airport immediately struck us as organized and clean, less chaotic and more calm. I've known that Italy was more chaotic by nature, but I guess I've just gotten used to it. Not having been outside of Italy for about 8 months, several things immediately stuck out to me as exceptional here in Barcelona: 1) there are lanes in the road, and cars actually stay in them, 2) I only saw 2 pieces of litter on the street the whole time we were there, 3) people formed (and respected) lines (at the bars, bus stops, and museum entrances).

magic fountains
Our first stop on Friday after making it to our rental apartment in the Barri Gòtic quarter of the old Roman establishment of the town, we headed with our friends who'd come from Madrid, to the Magic Fountains next to Plaça d'Espanya. As we walked up toward the museum at the top of the hill, we heard the themesong to E.T. accompanying the dancing water and light show. The next musical selection was the Star Wars theme and we watched the finale with the craziest song ever about Barcelona. We all swore that it was Queen, and back at the apartment we found out online that it was the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. HERE is a video of the song.

For dinner we just popped into a vegetarian chain Moaz, which was recommended for a cheap, healthy plate. We all really enjoyed the falafel wraps piled with hummus, chickpeas, cabbage, yogurt sauce, grilled cauliflower and salsa. While we were eating, we heard a couple of Italians come in and speak Italian to the cashier. It was so refreshing to hear a familiar tongue, since even for the first several hours in Spagna, we'd relied on our friend (who speaks Spanish) to translate for us. I went up and finished ordering in Italian and Chris made conversation with the couple who was from Siena.

Overall, besides Spanish and Catalan (which is the language of this region of the country, which many purists still claim isn't a part of Spain), Italian seemed to be the next most popular language. We heard it all around the streets and noticed a large number of Italian tourists.

The city was much bigger than I'm used to, and was packed with people. It was hard for me to take in the sheer size of the place that can hold all of the crowds. Even with all the people, we ran into a group from our flight from Pisa about 3 times during our stay in the city - and they ended up being on the same flight home. When they saw us waiting to board the plane, we all chuckled and exchanged "ciao".

hint of Gaudi • flags • more Gaudi
At the end of our first evening in Barcelona, we tried to get a good night's rest (to spite all of the noise outside from the clubs that don't even open until 3am) so we'd be ready to really see the sites on Saturday. And see we did..

inside the best building ever • market fruit • street scene
...more to come on the amazing architecture work of Antoni Gaudí, a market, street performers, Gaudi, cathedrals, Catalan dances, fruit juices, and more Gaudi!

sicily pt 3 :: food

After our stay in Palermo, we headed back to Erice for the weekend to see the Doric temple at Segesta and also the Egadi Islands...unfortunately, since we were staying in the middle of nowhere and were relying on public transportation, we forgot that on Sundays EVERYTHING is closed (especially in super Catholic Sicily). So after a bit of tears on my end, we decided to make sure that we return again to see more of Sicily...so we instead just enjoyed a last day on the olive farm, playing with the dogs, taking naps, and eating dinner with our hosts and his friends again.

pistachio sugar ball • Genovese tart • marzipan display at La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico
...so on to the real subject of this post...the FOOD! I'm not sure if you noticed how I haven't really mentioned much about our culinary experiences in the first 2 parts of the Sicily posts, but I was saving the retelling for a post all its own. One of the things I looked forward to quite a bit, was sampling all the lovely treats that this region is so famous for: granita, gelato, marzipan fruits, pistachio confections, etc.

Our first day during our jaunt up to the mountaintop Medieval city of Erice, we stopped by the world famous La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico. Opened by Maria, who is one of the most accomplished pastry-cooks in Sicily after learning the skills of pastry-making by the Sicilian nuns, her shop is known for the genovesi shortbread mini pies filled with custard, which are served warm. We tried one of these and also picked one of the pastel marzipan balls. I chose the pistachio flavor, but wasn't too impressed with the almond flour paste confectionary treat, but Chris enjoyed it. Some of the marzipan creations, including the life-like Frutta di Martorana have been showcased in art exhibitions around the world. The shop window was one to linger over for a while...
*More about the life story of Maria Grammatico can be read about in the memoir Bitter Almonds*

Frutta di Martorana • typical Sicilian pastry counter • fluffy gelato
Our time in Palermo was filled with new taste experiences. As soon as we arrived at our host's house, his mom sat us down for a traditional Sicilian meal of a linguine-type pasta with small berries, sardines, and oil based sauce. For the vegetarian in the bunch, they served me a big salad, cheese, and fruit instead, but Chris enjoyed the pasta. During the afternoon we explored the city streets looking for the legendary Sicilian cannoli. We bought a couple mini cannoli from a cafe' and ate them as we made our way to an outdoor 24-hr hot cannoli and croissant stand. There we bought a full size cannolo with candied fruit on the ends, and a fresh-from-the-oven cornetto (croissant) with pistachio creme.

yum. All I can say is that I had a slight stomach ache after that and was glad that Sicilians don't eat dinner until about 10pm, because I needed several hours to recuperate!

For dinner at Antica Focacceria San Francesco, we passed different plates around to try a variety of dishes from Palermo. There were a couple types of fried morsels, including a herbed mashed-potato stick that was breaded and fried, as well as a chick-pea mixture fried patty. We also tried a Sicilian pizza (which I liked SO much better than pizza anywhere else in Italy, because the crust was actually thick!), and the others shared a typical Sicilan sandwich of beef spleen. hum...

After dinner we went to a bar for caffe' and our host explained the story behind the Sicilian Cassata pastry. We also admired the cases of Frutta di Martorana and chocolate custard mini tarts, but didn't sample any as we were still full from dinner. The next morning, we had fun wandering around a couple of outdoor markets in the city. I wish I could do an entire photo study of the fish stands, because the stacks of fish, from swordfish, octopus, squid, neonati (just born octopi about 1/2" long in a big pile of silver goo), silver sardines lined in the crates is a feast for the eyes! It was so interesting to see the variety and I almost never even smelt a fishy stench because the seafood is so fresh that it only smells like saltwater.

fruit at the market • fish stand • octopi for sale
Our last day back in Trapani, we ate the gelato which is much fluffier than we're used to, but was flavorful. Chris had caffe' and zuppa inglese, and I had pistachio with a chocolate liquor and rum flavored mix. At the harbor-side, we later tried several treats from a bakery for our afternoon meal. We shared a couple types of arancini (fried rice balls with different ingredients) - one with spinach and cheese and the other with mushrooms. I also tried a rominella, which was like a yeast roll with spinach and cheese baked inside.

We just sat at the bar and kept pointing to different things in the case to try. For dessert we had a baba' (mushroom-shaped mini cake soaked in sticky rum, traditionally from the Naples area), a fresh cannolo which was piped with the chocolate-chip, ricotta filling when we ordered it, and caffe'.

There were several other treats we had on our Sicilian adventure...but this is the overview of our favorites. Next time we return, there are a handful of new things we still have yet to taste!

sicily pt 2 :: palermo

La Martorana • golden mosaics • red domes next to the church
Our arrival in Palermo was smooth after a 2 hr bus ride along the coast. We walked with our bags to the first stop: La Martorana. A friend of ours from the States has this family name from this area of Sicily and we promised to go and check out "his church" while we were there! It's a beautiful church with amazing mosaics and mixed styles of aesthetics from Byzantine to Islamic forms. By 1:00 we had arrived at the house of yet another CouchSurfing host who welcomed us with the legendary southern hospitality. Not only did he have an entire detached apartment for guests, but he introduced us to his parents who live in the main house. His mother quickly became our adopted mom, making us sit down to a traditional Sicilian lunch. We talked over the meal about their recommendations around the city and decided to meet back for dinner and an evening out.

Zisa Castle • castle gardens • Sicilian puppet shop
Chris and I spent the afternoon touring the Zisa Castle (one of the oldest examples of Moorish style remains in the area, and very much full of Arabic style modeling), dodging quick rain showers, and stopping in a few more churches, including the Cathedral and San Giuseppe dei Teatini. I'd read that a popular drink in Sicily was the salz, so we went to a small family cafe' to try it out. It talked to the young barista and he wasn't sure what I was asking for, so the mom came over and figured out that it was just gas water with lemon and salt - but she told me that this wasn't a traditionally Sicilian drink. We laughed and decided to try it anyway, along with a couple new treats from the pastry case. The mom asked us where we were from and we made general conversation. When we went to pay, she barely charged us anything at all and told us to enjoy Sicily.

our hosts explaining Sicilian pastries • Teatro Massimo • us with the policeman outside the restaurant (couldn't get a photo of the gun discreetly)
For dinner we met up with two other American travelers who were staying in the same apartment as us, plus our host and his fidanzata (fiance'). They drove us around the city and enjoyed telling us historical facts, as well as practicing some English phrases out with us. They took us to the restaurant, Antica Focacceria San Francesco, which is a fun, casual and basically "al-la-carte" place to get many tastes of typical local fare. A member of the Slow Food Movement (which we love to support), the worker and patrons were very lively and kind. At one point, as we were sitting "family style" the group next to us chimed in our conversation and we passed the food around for everyone to try.

We then noticed about six kitchen workers filing arm in arm out the door to go get more supplies from next door. They were also chanting/singing something as some of the customers cheered them on. We asked what was going on, and in a slightly hushed tone, our host explained that this restaurant is a member of an organization of establishments around Palermo that are refusing to pay the pizzo (protection money) to the mafia. He pointed out the sticker on the window announcing this fact ("Contro il Pizzo") and also the two heavily armed policemen outside the entrance which keep guard sempre (always). Also, the workers leave together for extra protection.

Unbelievable...

...yet interesting that there seems to be a revolution against the 'old ways'. I'd read recently of a large supermarket in Palermo that only sells "mafia-free" supplies, so that the customers can be sure that non of their money gets in the hands of criminals.

After dinner we made a couple stops - one at a cafe/bookstore (like an Italian version of Barnes&Noble), a very popular bar/pastry shop, and finally a walk through the university area to a neighborhood filled with bars, cafes, and alleys full of people hanging out and mingling. We met a group of about 10 other CouchSurfing hosts and guests before dodging the sudden rain and heading home.

Cathedral • zodiac sundial inside • next to San Giuseppe
The next morning, we quickly walked through a couple of markets, visited another two churches, and walked to the harbor before going to the bus station. On the way to the station, we were stopped by a guy about our age promoting a discount card program for a local bookstore. When we told him that we didn't live there - he got really close to us (as I mentioned yesterday :) ) and became so interested in where we were from, why we were traveling, etc. It's like he forgot that he was even trying to sell something, because he just wanted to converse!

It was amazing to meet this wonderful group of people - and the people of Sicily really made our trip. We enjoyed seeing the sites, but...

Seeing Moorish castle remains = €9,50
8 Cannoli, 4 slices of pizza, 2 gelati = €14
Bus tickets around the Sicilian coast = €38
Meeting all the AMAZING people = priceless
...Coming up next : Back to the Trapani area and lots about SICILIAN FOOD!

sicily pt 1 :: kindness, hitchhiking, & a temple

wildflowers in Sicily • heart keyhole •  cat in Erice
Our trip to Italy's triangular island was filled with fresh air, beautiful landscapes, some frustrations, and new friends. My draw to Sicily is attributed to the fact that so many types of sites and cultures are contained within one island - plus every Sicilian that we've met has been one of the friendliest people ever. The stereotype here in Italy is that the farther south you go, the nicer the people get.

As soon as we got off the plane in Trapani we were eager to test our theory to see if Sicily was full of kind individuals. I wasn't extremely tired although I'd only slept for 2 hours the night before as we had to wake up around 2:30am for the airport. We waited for the bus into town and were slightly amazed to find it arriving 45 minutes late (you see, this is also a stereotype - the more south you to, the slower things get). From the first person we talked to, it was so evident that the people were extra warm and that we'd be using our Italian more frequently and with less reservation (because English isn't common there and also because the people are easy to make conversation with).

The bus driver was sure to tell us where to go when we got off and after we stopped in a cafe for our first Sicilian pastry - we asked directions to the main square in town. The waitress even took us outside to point the way, asked where we were going exactly, and told us divertitevi (enjoy yourselves).

We reached our destination - a small farmhouse between Trapani and Erice, where we were hosted by a man we contacted through CouchSurfing.com. We'd hosted a girl through this site before in Florida, but this trip was our 1st as guests. He showed us around the house with mosaic walls, the garden with an outdoor bathroom, and to our camper in the olive grove.

We mentioned that we wanted to go up the mountain to the medieval city of Erice that afternoon and asked if there was a bus or something. He just flicked his wrist with a "uph" as he said that we should just hitchhike from the main road by this house as someone would surely take us.

our host house • walking towards Erice on the hill • we met on the road
We smiled and decided, "why not - this is Sicily - and it's full of nice people". So we grabbed our day-pack with water and headed up the dirt road, past the big pine and red villa which were landmarks to come back, then started up the main road with our thumbs out. After about 10-15minutes as we approached the small village of Valerice, a Smart Car went by on the other side of the road. The driver motioned asking if we were headed towards the town. I nodded and he smiled and told us to get in as he turned around. He introduced himself and we shook hands. He's a 25 yr-old sports store manager in Trapani. We headed to the town as he asked if we'd like to stop for a caffe'. He recommended a typical Sicilian pastry, and as we ate we chatted about where we were from, why we were traveling, etc. (all in Italian of course). We went to pay, but the barista told us that our new friend had already paid. Then back at the car, he asked where else we were going, and we said up to the top of the mountain to Erice. He laughed and said we'd been walking the wrong direction, but he'd accompagnarvi (accompany us). We arrived at a cable car station in Trapani, exchanged contact info, and said goodbye.

temple in a cloud • on a cloudy road • sun peaking out
Chris and I boarded the cable car and headed up on a 10 minute steep climb. After we got off, the entire town was in a cloud, but still in good spirits we asked the ticket booth operator which road went to the castle. He closed the booth, came out and pointed us towards the right way. We showed him the map in our guidebook and he flipped through the pages and asked where we were from. Almost all the people we met would ask this and would mention something or someone they knew from the States.

I also noticed that the Siciliani touch a lot more and stand quite close when they talk, which just shows more of the warm spirit. When we were riding in the Smart Car, Chris said something funny and the driver reached over and grabbed Chris' knee as he laughed. Also, the cable car operator got right in our faces interested in where we were from and amused that we were visiting. Also, even though cheek-kissing is common throughout Italy, here it seems even more so, especially between guys in their 20s.

Erice, founded in the 7th century B.C., sits on a mountaintop that seems to rise out of nowhere since all around it is plains, small hills, and the sea. In the years of the Norman period, a temple to the goddess Venus was constructed here since it seems to be a natural "lookout" over the dominion. When we reached this ancient temple, the cloud was so thick that we could barely see, but we walked back through town and found a place for lunch while we waited for the weather to change. During our 2nd loop around the town, the cloud had moved and we took in the beautiful view. It's said that one can see from Africa to the south and Mt. Etna to the east on a super clear day.

sunny temple • view from top • ancient step • cablecar ride
After the ride back down the cableway, we got on a bus that would connect us in the center piazza with another bus back to the outskirts where we were staying. I told the driver where our final destination was and when we got to the plaza, he got out and asked a fellow driver if he could make an extra stop for us so that we wouldn't have to wait for the bus that we'd normally have taken. "Vabe'" (sure, that's good) - and we were off.

For dinner we ate an Indonesian meal prepared by our host's friends from Amsterdam who were also visiting, and the next morning we were headed to Palermo...

...stay tuned for cannoli, markets, and a restaurant guarded by automatic weapons...

random outings & sicily preparations

China exhibition • jets over the city • italian colors
This week so far has been one of slight recovery, breathing, catching up on work, and trying to fit in some caffe' dates before we head out again...

This time we're headed to Sicily - and we leave EEEAARRRRLLLY on Thursday. Our flight from Pisa is at 6:15, which means catching the first airport shuttle bus from outside the train station at 3:45am, traveling one hour to the Pisa airport, and checking in. The good thing is that we arrive in Trapani, Sicily at 7:40 so we have the WHOLE day and didn't really waste a day traveling. I've been trying to slowly rearrange my morning schedule to get up a little earlier each morning so I'm better acclimated for the full day on Thursday, but since we changed clocks this past Saturday I'm still an hour off (in the wrong direction).

Daylight savings time has never hit me like this before, but I find that I'm not even looking for lunch until about 3, then forcing myself to eat dinner by 9, and finally falling asleep around 1...which leaves me waking up later and later. Not good. I can't help it though, because the sun and spring weather is finally in full swing and the days are absolutely beautiful - so now that they last longer, I just want to make the most of it.

For the sheer fact of trying to enjoy the outdoors (and this city) more, we've taken some random outings this week. On Sunday we wandered over to the Palazzo Strozzi and into the courtyard to sit for a while where there was a China exhibition (we didnt' go inside to the actual show, but the courtyard had some interesting pieces). Yesterday morning after we walked to the market, we went to the river and sat on the ledge by the sidewalk as we waited for the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Air Force. It was commemorated by a ceremony at Piazzale Michelangelo with the President of Italy and a colorful "fly over" by the Air Force jets. The bridges and sidewalks near the river were crowded with spectators and all of a sudden, the jets ripped through the sky trailing red, white, and green smoke behind them symbolizing the colors of the Italian flag.

...oh, and look at what I did today :)
imagine I'm smiling more :) but this was the best for the hair shot
...Chris said I look even more European with this cut...and I felt it on my way home from the salon on my bike with that silk scarf blowing in the wind and my big sunglasses on! Ha.

Tomorrow I'll wrap up the last minute things to do before we leave. We've decided to stick on the west side of the Sicilian island, and not try to cram too many sites in...instead, we'll concentrate on Erice (the medieval mountaintop town above Trapani and the harbor), Segesta (with one of the largest intact Greek temple stands), Palermo (the bustling capital city with lots of churches, gelati, lemon soda, and crazy traffic), and the Egadi Islands (the three more remote islands off the west coast near Trapani, filled with grottos, diving caves, and turquoise water). If anyone has any specific suggestions that you think we can't miss in this area - please leave me a comment! But hurry, because Wednesday evening is the last time we'll be on the Internet until we get back!

a presto...