Fern e Mike a Palermo – Giorno 2– September 2, 2013

Happy Labor Day (Buon Labor Day?). September 2 (currently in Palermo). Buonosera

Well, the lack of sleep after being awake for about 35 hours straight finally caught up with us; we woke up (without an alarm clock at about noon! which was body time about 3 am.. so we didn’t really hit the streets until about 1 pm… Decided to stroll (without any real direction) through the streets and eventually came upon the Ballaro District (a decidedly lower-end neighborhood that was very multiracial and multi-ethnic with Arabs, Africans, and others mixed in with Italians). We got there as the market was coming to an end but strolled through the stalls anyway.

Along the way we stopped at a few churches — mostly Baroque — with fantastic murals, some with mosaics — all with weddings taking place… We stopped for paninis in a little terrace café and couldn’t resist (a bit later in the walk) some incredible gelato. The Sicilians get these “ice cream burgers”… two scoops of gelato inside a brioche roll! We did not partake in this, preferring to just have our gelato in a little cup. But everyone else was getting the burger version and we must definitely have seemed like foreigners. Stumbled on another wedding that had just taken place; church mid-block, with wedding party in the street causing a traffic jam because the sidewalk in front of the church was only about 3 feet deep. (The other church only had a sidewalk of about 18”.)

We strolled about 6 miles during the walk… checking out little neighborhoods and hidden alleyways… eventually making it back to the hotel at about 7 pm to get some work done. Traffic is a mess but fortunately the average size car is about the size of a Mini and everyone is able to weave in and out easily (or so it seems)… For sure drivers are not too interested in pedestrians and the cars rule the road. I must say that my desire for that little Fiat 500 is growing what with seeing them everywhere here; they remain pretty cute.

After getting some work done, we decided it was time for dinner (at about 9:45 pm)… We wanted to go to a restaurant we had read about : Bellotoro, which appeared to be an easy walk from the hotel. We strolled over to find that it was closed. Mondays are not very active days and someone said that today was also a holiday (some Saint’s birthday I think). So we had heard of a second restaurant (a bit hip) in the Mondelo area near the beach — about 7 miles from the hotel. We got a taxi and asked if he knew if the restaurant was open and he nodded yes … so off we went through the city and through a big park and to the water’s edge to the Bye Bye Blues Restaurant… only to find that closed as well. The taxi driver seemed a little embarrassed and said he’d take us to another restaurant in the neighborhood.

Mondello is actually its own small town in the autonomous region of Sicily. It lies between two cliffs — Monte Gallo and Monte Pellegrino. It was originally a small fishing village, but at the end of the 19th Century it grew into a tourist destination. Apparently it is now the home of the World Windsurfing Festival, an annual event that brings together windsurfers, kites, beach volleyball, and other activities.) The area was alive and kicking at midnight (when we left).. with kids, families, motorcycles, honky tonk shops and restaurants.. and lots of gelato. We ate at a small family owned restaurant called something like Ristorante Sympaty.. We had fish, fish, and more fish… started with a mixed fish appetizer (octopus, clams, mussels, calamari, etc. sautéed in olive oil and garlic), a risotto with fish, followed by a skewer of swordfish rolled around a mixture of shrimp and tomatoes grilled.. and a small piece of grilled calamari… I’m going to swim home.

Just arrived back at the hotel.. It’s about 1 am now.. and time to hit the pillow.

I migliori auguri! (I think this means “best wishes”.. but not sure..)

Fern