Tutto Buono –

Hello from Rome

Began the day with a taxi to the Trastavere neighborhood. (Our hotel is pretty much outside of the center of town, and given the heat a taxi seemed like the logical choice, since we’d need to do a lot of walking once we got started..) The Trastavere area has very narrow cobblestone streets lined with medieval houses… The unique character has attracted artists, expats, and also many famous people to its midst. Today, the neighborhood is also filled with restaurants and cafes and is the home to several foreign academic institutions including the American University of Rome and the American Academy … and our own alma mater (Pratt Institute) also has some kind of study abroad program based in that area.

We started our walk at a little square and wound our way through scores of tiny and narrow streets that one could hardly believe a car could get through.. eventually winding up in the old Jewish Ghetto section — which for many centuries was the site of persecution and also indicative of the pride and solidarity of an unusually tight community. The neighborhood abuts the Tiber River which frequently flooded.. and was the forced home for Jews for more than 300 years. Most of the infrastructure of the old ghetto has been demolished, but still some reminders remain and in recent times the Ghetto has been yuppified a bit with restaurants, cafes and small shops. Still the area respects Jewish law and shops are closed on Saturdays.

We walked all through the area and then meandered our way to the Pantheon — built during the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome.. The building is circular and has large Corinthian columns.. but the real draw is the central opening to the sky… Today, about 2,000 years after its construction, it is said that the dome is still the worlds larges unreinforced concrete dome..  Since we’ve been to Rome before, we had seem most of the monuments but the Pantheon is worth seeing multiple times as is Piazza Navona which we also strolled to after the Pantheon. We stopped a little bar for salads.. and to replenish the water and fight off dehydration. It was in the 90s and humid… Somewhere near the Piazza Navona we hopped a taxi to immerse ourselves in contemporary Rome.

We headed to the Maxxi — a museum built in 2010 — which is sort of a building that is just all about itself as a building. Can’t complain since photographing in the building is lots of fun.. almost can’t find any way to shoot something that isn’t interesting.. but I don’t think it’s much of a museum and it was probably very expensive to build. From the looks of things, the people must not feel it’s worth going to as it was really empty — especially when compared to the throngs at the Pantheon (where you also cannot possible get a bad photograph!.. So maybe ordinary people really do have taste in that they opt for the Pantheon over the Maxxi??

From the Maxxi we walked to the 1960 sports dome built for the Olympics and on to the Renzo Piana Parco Della Musica which was a real gem… We meandered all through the first floor of the multi-function public music complex… about 1/2 mile from the Maxxi. The complex houses three really large concert halls. Each is structurally separate but joined together through a very large and very interesting lobby — in which the passageways are all graced with wonderful quotes and sayings in neon — some in English; some in Italian; some in French; some in German.  There is actually a fourth concert hall — an open air theater that reminds you of ancient Greek and Roman theaters.. This is all framing a central plaza where today kids were riding tricycles and skating and playing peewee soccer. The music hall structures look a little like blobs of beetles… or some say they look like computer mice.  During construction, many archaeological remains were found, and the story says that Piano redesigned the building to accommodate the remains and the ruins and created a small museum to house the artifacts from the site.. this added a year to the construction. The information sheets say that it is the world’s most visited music facility with more than one million people each year.

By now we were exhausted having walked a total of about five miles in awful heat.. so we got a taxi back to the hotel and jumped into the shower to freshen up before meeting up with Mike’s brother for dinner.

Dinner was at Settembrini… a twenty minute walk from the hotel. They serve very modern Italian fare.. like duck breast with carrots and a licorice sauce.. Cannot even remember the amazing dishes.. We ate outside (it was still in the 80s at midnight when we left the restaurant…)

I’m hoping it cools down a bit. Two more days in Rome, one day in London and I’m back.

Take care…

Fern

Saluti a Roma

Giorno 6. September 6, 2013. Greetings from Roma.. Arrivederci Palermo

Somehow we managed to sleep late and miss breakfast at the Excelsior Hotel in Palermo… could have been that we didn’t finish dinner last night until close to midnight; could be that we stayed up working until about 2 am.. Whatever. Anyway, we were up and out by around 10:15 but lax as the Italians are when it comes to packing up the breakfast at the hotel they could be the Swiss! So we meandered down the street to a tiny tiny café called “The Manhattan” where we were able to get pastries.. As usual they were totally confused when Mike ordered milk.. and then when they said “caldo” he thought that meant “cold” (as opposed to “freddo”) so he nodded yes.. so they made him hot (steamed milk) which then they must have thought was totally weird so they added some espresso!! Mike doesn’t drink coffee at all let alone espresso.

OK… we left the little coffee shop.. and strolled a while and then headed back to pack and check out of the hotel.. Managed to do that in record time and were very proud to have made the decision to check our rollie bags and then just carry on the small computer bags (one each) and I would carry my purse and Mike would carry a small bag… with both of our Nikons. We left the bags at the hotel and walked around, eventually stopping for a light lunch.. We found a little deli style place a few blocks from the hotel which seemed very popular as it was totally crowded.. We finally figured out the system as there’s no table service.. and opted for a plate of mixed vegetables… saving room of course for some gelato.. I guess eating like a vegetarian is a little rare in Palermo but the guy was very sweet and all was well.. Really fresh, inexpensive and just what the doctor ordered. No one ever really wrote down what we ordered at the counter.. but somehow at the end they were able to figure out the cost.. no check, waiter shouted out what we ate and the gelato guy shouted similarly.. no records, nothing complicated.. mmmm.. wonder how they figure out the taxes.

We then took our bags and headed to the airport… opting for the express bus which stopped just around the corner from the hotel.. Was an easy and relaxing 30 minutes.. far better than the taxi option, and feeling a hairline better about our carbon footprints. Got to the Palermo Airport (which has been called Punta Raisa for many years but whose name has been changed to Falcone and Borsellino Airport…) It’s now named after two men — judges — who were murdered in 1992 who were leading Anti-Mafia campaigners and symbols of the struggles against organized crime.  Falcone was killed first.. and Borsellino was his best friend and fellow magistrate. Borsellino was the MC for Falcone’s funeral. Soon after that, Borsellino and his bodyguards were killed.  Both murders were the result of car bombs right in Palermo.

We were flying on EasyJet.. and we lined up to check in and check the two rollies. So, we then found out that because we had already checked in and had not noted on the check-in form that we would be checking any bags we would have to pay 30 EU per bag (as opposed to 11 EU had we noted this when we checked in)… or about $75. No amount of complaining and pleading ignorance would work… But then the next zinger… They only allow one bag per person on the plane as carry on.. so while we were going to check one bag each.. we then each had a computer bag and I had my purse and Mike had the bag with the Nikons (mine and his)… I’ll be damned if I was going to pay the equivalent of $150 to check baggage.. So we stepped aside and repacked… so that we only checked the rollies… I probably could have consolidated a bit more by extending the rollies, but it was already hard to do this all on the floor of the airport with crowds of people all around us.

Checked the two bags and off we went… to the gate, down a flight of stairs, onto the bus, and up a flight of stairs to the plane… Flight was short.. about an hour.. and when we landed in Rome decided to make our way to the Leonardo Express train to the Central Station (Termini) in Rome… about a 30 minute train ride… hoping to further reduce that carbon footprint (I’m a bit self-conscious about this because I recently took one of those carbon footprint tests and learned how bad I am — based heavily on all the flying) and then a taxi to the Hotel Lord Byron (strange name for a hotel in Rome?)… where we will meet up with family tomorrow night.

The Lord Byron Hotel is located near the Villa Borghese and the neighborhood feels a bit like the Presidio in San Francisco — definitely upscale, quiet area, expensive, and seems to have a lot of wealthy seniors living here. In prior trips to Rome we always stayed very central and also in areas with a lot more noise and activity; so this is a big change for us. Obviously, I’m already trying to figure out how I will get to all the hip neighborhoods and it looks like I’ll have to rely on taxis for at least part of the way.. but I’ll manage.

Our room has a framed enlarged picture of Audrey Hepburn a la Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There’s a quote in the lobby area from Noel Coward.. and I guess pictures and quotes from other noted artists are strewn throughout the hotel.. will explore a bit tomorrow.

We quickly unpacked and figured that since it was then 10 pm we should just eat close by… The desk recommended a small “neighborhood” place called Gulivia (sp?)… We assumed pricey, but this still made sense. Turns out that food was very good.. We shared an antipasti (steak tartare with a sort of marmalade that got stirred in) a pasta dish, and a main course of roast pork with Indian spices… all very good and cannot imagine how anyone eats a full dinner menu on their own. Since we were so good at sharing, we finished up with a shared chocolate mousse that was layered with some foamy stuff… looked great and tasted fantastic… Set everything off with a nice Italian wine.

Walked to hotel and here I sit.. reading emails and considering bedtime. Tomorrow we are off to explore Rome… Since we’ve been here several times, no real need for any of the “official touristy stuff”… so it should be fun to just walk and see all the changes… Oh and maybe it’s time for some shopping. Haven’t bought anything except the Erice jams and pestos.

By the way, whatever they are saying about the Euro weakening.. you’d never know it. The dollar is a joke and prices are extremely high. We’ve been coming to Europe (together and separately) nearly every year for the past 30 years… and not only has the dollar plummeted.. prices have also risen. It’s hard to even think about inexpensive ways to travel… Would I really date myself to say that I can remember when the book Europe on $5 a Day was really really popular.. At that time… maybe mid 1960s… I wasn’t yet traveling anywhere (except from Brooklyn to Manhattan). By the time I started to travel $25 a Day per person was probably very possible — especially traveling as a student..

Oh well… Buonanotte..

Tomorrow is another day..

By the way, for those who have asked… I’m back on Thursday.

Fern

PS — Obviously the Lord Byron doesn’t really expect people to be traveling and working; no desk in the room.. so I have to do everything on my lap in a chair.. You should see the two of us trying to balance computers and paperwork..

Una lunga giornata. A long day (two days)

Hi –

It’s about 6 pm here in Palermo (I’m writing before we head out to dinner in Mondello — to a recommended restaurant that serves meat! We have had so much fish I feel as if I am growing gills).

Woke up in the Not-So-Moderno-Hotel which is full of the family’s kitsch displayed everywhere (except in the rooms which are just stark and filled with mis-matched furniture… Not sure why hotels feel the need to fill rooms with furniture anyway, since people are not staying for any long period and unlikely to be putting lots of things into dresser drawers). Had simple breakfast and headed out to walk some more in the town — made it away from the hordes of tourists (mostly Italian) who seem to descend on the town in the morning and spend the day there… These tourists are in large groups brought to the town in huge buses for which we discovered a different access road was created a few years ago — a very different road than what we used to drive into town yesterday (the one with the 70+ hairpin turns and so narrow as to require pulling over if a car comes in the opposite direction).

Erice is one of those delightful (if the tourists and the shops that they support selling lots of trinkets, disappear — yes, yes, I am aware that we are tourists, too) hilltop walled towns that are distinct from the surrounding countryside where the heat is strong and where olive groves and vineyards abound. Here you end your day in a cool, foggy mist. Erice is a totally stone town… with narrow, winding cobbled streets and alleys edging stone houses, stone churches, and stone courtyards .. with small stone piazzas popping up periodically. The streets are all paved with stones which have been smoothed and polished with centuries of feet walking over them… It’s totally clean — no litter that I could see.

Stopped to photograph inside one old church and I thought I saw an apparition — a strange light showed up in the center of my shot, but when I put the camera down I couldn’t see the light or its source.. I showed Mike and he, too, laughed… Finally we could see a crack of sunlight coming between two pillars onto the floor of the church which was magnified somewhat by the angle of my shot.. OK.. I’m back to being a non-believer! All is explainable.

The Trapani region (of which Erice is a part) has some unique culinary touches — pistachio pesto on pasta (naturally they mix in olive oil and tomatoes and garlic.. but there is a distinct pistachio flavor); they also use a lot of sweet additions to fish.. and pastry reigns supreme (but we worked hard to ignore the dolci as the pastas are already more filling than we are accustomed to.) We purchased some pestos (including the pistachio one) and some Sicilian spreads for bruschetta… En route back we will check baggage (a rarity for us) so we have new freedom to purchase liquids!

Then we headed out of town — initially on the road the buses use so that the number of switchbacks was decreased significantly. We decided to head to San Vito lo Capo — sort of the north-western-most point of Sicily.. It was an interesting drive (a bit white knuckled as motorcycles darted around us and as cars crept up to bumper level.. ) going through many small villages.. eventually winding up on the beachfront of the “cape”… We strolled a bit and ended up having (of all things) pizza at some seaside resort — pizza with fish naturally. Then we headed toward Palermo on a very small road … that hugged the northern coast. Our goal was to get to Monreale by about 3 pm.. but the road we took was extremely winding and meandering.. and took about twice as long as we had planned. In any case we followed the signs to Monreale — no easy task as the signs and our GPS were not always in sync.  Then it started to drizzle and also traffic just swelled making finding the streets a bit more challenging. Eventually we climbed and went through many switchbacks again.. the whole drive one lane in each direction… and there was a sign to turn for Monreale (we were already in the town)… that we just missed. By then we decided that we had seen many many cathedrals in many countries in our time, and that even though this appears to be a gem and certainly the star of Sicily.. we just weren’t up for back tracking to get back to the road.. So we were in Monreale — or at least circled the town — but never saw it or the cathedral. I’ll put it on the bucket list for next time!

Arrived — miraculously — at the Europcar office at the Notarbotare Train Station to return our Fiat Panda… (after filling up the tank — just half-tank for the equivalent of $50… ) and reunited with our friend who talks to himself constantly.. which he did the entire time we were filling out the paperwork. Then we hopped a taxi to the hotel.. did some work.. and taxied to the very elegant and very very hip Bye Bye Blues Ristorante in the Mondello section of Palermo. It was definitely pretty special. They initially brought out a little trio of bite-size antipasti (gratis — well not really if you look at the prices).. of tuna tartare; meet with some kind of mint and cheese; and a very yummy bite-size pizza. .. along with a platter of mini “stuffed” breads — with eggplant, with capers, with lemon, with pepper, with tomato, etc. Presentation of each dish was “over the top!”

We ordered a vegetarian appetizer with quinoa followed by (Mike) an incredibly tender pork sitting on a sort of caponata of vegetables and a mint sauce (Fern) an amber jack encrusted in pistachio sitting on a bed of vegetables.. followed by an amuse buche of berry yogurt.. and then an unbelievable dessert — a jasmine panna cotta sitting in a watermelon gel and fresh mint… and then they brought a gratis platter of teeny cookies, biscotti and assorted mini truffles… We rolled out of the restaurant which clearly was filled with yuppies and upscale Palermoites.. and us.

Taxied to the hotel.. and that’s it for the day. It’s a wrap! It’s about half past midnight…

A little time tomorrow to stroll (maybe to see the Anti-Mafia store?) and then it’s off to the airport (probably by public transit) to Rome to meet up with Mike’s brother and sister-in-law.

Ciao for now. Back in Oakland on Thursday.

More from Rome.

Fern

Buonserra — It’s close to 11 pm our time.. I think about 2 pm in California on Wednesday.

I’m writing from Erice — a wonderful town about 2,500 ft above sea level, with the fog rolling in and temperature about 60 degrees. It’s totally eerie at this moment as you cannot see very far beyond yourself. A far cry from the heat and humidity of Palermo and what we will probably find in Rome.. So I am in heaven (I hate hot weather.. thus I did miserably in Phoenix).

Started our day at about 9 am with breakfast at the Excelsior Hotel and then packed an overnight bag to head to Erice in the northwest corner of Sicily.  Since it is pretty cheap to stay in Erice, we opted to leave our room in tact at the Excelsior Hotel — which was a brilliant move… no fuss, no muss.. no packing and unpacking.

We took a taxi to the train station to get the rental car (Europcar) which I had reserved on line the night before. As we entered the cab we learned that the Europcar is not at the Centrale (the main station) but at a smaller station, which caused a lot of confusion with the driver.. but we got there and found the rental office. The sole guy at the desk was a total character. Talked the entire time — nonstop — in Italian; read every document out loud in Italian; talked between documents.. and then tried to explain to us that somehow we had multiple reservations and this was confusing… In the middle of it all, another customer who we realized was waiting for a larger car than what was ordered for him was joined by his wife and baby who were waiting outside… and the Europcar guy decided he had to see the cute baby… the little bambini… so he dropped our car rental paperwork to go outside (leave the office totally unstaffed) to goo goo with the baby… Then he returned — talking again nonstop — something about the cute baby, I think.. and then finished up with our car rental.

So, off we went — sort of — in our little Fiat Panda. Then we needed to find our way from the station to the highway; no easy task. But eventually (only one or two wrong turns) we were on our way.. on the AutoStrada initially where our little Fiat was going about 70 mph and being passed by low level Fords going about 85 mph and the occasional fancy car going close to 100. We eventually got off the Auto Strada onto a smaller road to make our way to Erice… which involved about 70 hairpin turns.. on a road that couldn’t accommodate an oncoming car without a lot of maneuvering. Before nausea set in we were in Erice at the top of the hill.. a town with roots dating back to Hellenic times (several hundred years BC)..

We had made a last minute reservation at the Moderno Hotel online (which turns out to be not-so-moderno!)… We drove into town.. rather precipitously maneuvering impossible turns and right angle turns into streets barely wide enough for a little mini.. We kept following the signs for the Moderno… The entire town is stone… and quite fantastic… Finally we came to what we thought was the last street and last turn… only to find ourselves in a total traffic nightmare.  The road we were on was about 7 ft wide.. and just a few yards into the street sat a police car “parked” against the stone wall (building). We carefully negotiated around that car since we didn’t want to hit a police car.. and then when we thought we were in the clear… a large 5’wide oil truck was backing out of the street and we needed to back up in order to let him out of the street. By then several female cops arrived, along with half the town.. Everyone was into the action. I got out of the car to help guide Mike, while one cop scolded the truck driver… We had to back out into another street and then once the truck got out we were directed back onto the narrow street.

We reached the hotel; I took our bags and went to the hotel and then they explained that we needed to drive down another street and out an archway to a parking area where we would go into a police office to get a parking permit. Mike did that part while I checked into the “not-so-Moderno-Hotel”… When Mike caught up with me he said the Police were at lunch (everyone takes a lunch break from about 1:30 until 4).. so we would have to return to the police office to get the permit later.

We ate at the hotel and then split up to meander the town…. More on that tomorrow.. but just let me say that the plan of the town is an equilateral triangle; there are more than 60 churches in this hamlet of 25,000 people + several monasteries and convents (which I learned are not the same thing)… and there are streets/roads that are so narrow you can only walk single file (and not be too fat).

Post walk, I did some work needed by my office and then we headed to dinner at a very sweet place (a former convent).. called La Pentolaccia. Great food and very nice atmosphere.. and no Americans; mostly all Italians. A five-minute walk uphill from our hotel on those stone streets. Funny thing, we had a map but it was too dark to read.. so the trusty iPhone maps got us there door to door! Amazing!

By the time we left, the temperature had really dropped and the fog rolled in (a la Berkeley).. dropping all the way to the ground.

All my best

Fern

PS  Last night in Palermo, given that it was Rosh Hashanah.. we checked out the Jewish situation and learned that there are less than 50 Jews living in the city  — not enough to be considered a community and definitely no synagogue. So, I’ll have a little bread with honey (which they serve easily) by myself. Happy New Year to all.

Buonanotte. Hi All –

So the heat is beginning to get us. It’s in the high 80s and very humid; after about 3 hours walking around we feel as if we are going to die. I’m not very good after 70 degrees and the humidity just adds to the problem. Give me winter travel any time over summer travel. (Maybe I won’t say that in December when we are in Tibet in the snow, but honestly I’m happier in the cold when you can always bundle up.)

Began our day at around 9 am walking down the Via Marqueda (a broad street in the new section of Sicily), stopping at a small café where they are always dumbfounded that we don’t drink coffee and that Mike orders milk (which they then warm up as if they are going to add it to a latte.. and then they give him several packets of sugar for his non-coffee). Sat outside where we were quickly approached by a young family begging (there’s actually quite a bit of begging in the streets).

We then walked to Le Vucciria (supposedly the oldest market in town) but it was definitely not thriving. From there we walked to the water’s edge — taking our lives in our hands crossing traffic. As I said, pedestrians are for sure the lowest on the food chain in Italy — where motorcycles and cars reign supreme. We then meandered our way back to the hotel criss crossing the Loggia neighborhood and some other rather colorful areas; we stopped at two churches (no weddings today) including San Domenico and walked from piazza to piazza — eventually getting to the hotel at around 1:30 pm totally drenched in sweat and feeling pretty exhausted. We decided to have lunch at the hotel and to cool down in the air conditioned room before heading out again… a very good idea.

We headed out at about 4 when there was a slight breeze in the air. I had researched a list of craft places which became the goal. Naturally, no matter how good the map, we could never find these places which were all in tiny alleyways.. but the goal was good as it took us through a variety of neighborhoods – some upscale and some pretty marginal. I’d say there’s easily one church for every five people here in Sicily.. but most are in great need of repair, closed, with cars parked nearly on their stairways and markets at the entrances. The big grand churches all function, but these smaller ones are like remains from another era.

Not too many tourists this time of year.. or at least not very many Americans. We do hear Spanish being spoken so maybe the tourist base is heavily Spanish in September.

During our walk, somehow Mike and I got separated. which would be fine, except that Mike had decided to help me out by carrying my bag which had my wallet, my cell phone and one camera (as well as cosmetics)… so when we separated I couldn’t call him and he couldn’t find me. I headed toward where we were going and he decided to stay put.. So I walked about a mile before deciding to turn around. When we reconnected, he claimed that he thought I stopped at a store so he was waiting across the street. I had NOT stopped at any store.. but the humor of it all is that the store he was pretty sure I went into sold punk clothing!  Just my style! He’s still convinced that I went into that store.

Eventually we made it back to the hotel at around 8 pm… and at 9 we walked to the restaurant that was closed last night.. BellOtore. A really good local place filled with upscale Sicilians. We shared: marinated shrimp with mint and ginger; whole wheat pasta with assorted fish and vegetables; tuna “tartare” (although it wasn’t raw as expected) composed with tomatoes and potatoes sitting in a basil cream, and homemade pistachio ice cream.. By the way, lots of pistachios cooked in everything.

Tomorrow we are renting a car and headed to Erice overnight.. We’ll be back in Palermo on Thursday night and head to Rome on Friday afternoon.

All is well. Still eying those Fiats although the Citroens look pretty good (but not sold in US).

Will stay in touch.

Arrivederci alPalermoper nessun-

Fern

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

Saluti da Palermo. September 1, 2013 (midnight in Italia)

As many of you know we make an annual summer trip to Europe to visit Mike’s brother and sister-in-law who live in Geneva and France. It’s not our complex trip which happens in December (wait til you hear our plans for this coming December)… The location for the visit has changed in recent years with only rare meet-ups in either of the cities in which they live. This year we meet in Rome. It’s always a short trip — 3 or 4 days together, and Mike and I generally add on a few days in another place to make the trip about 7 or 8 days.. (sometimes about 10 if we can link onto an American holiday). We often also catch up with Mike’s nieces who live in Geneva and London.

Anyway for all of you who have gotten these daily missives over the years, this should be a fairly calm trip – nothing exotic planned (or at least that’s what we think).. nowhere near the chaotic and challenging December trips (so these notes might be really boring– if so, feel free to toss!).. But still, since so many of you seem to enjoy hearing our travel notes, I’m documenting this one as I have in the last decade or so — with a daily email. (By the way, there really is a blog site that has about 300 of the daily reports from countries as far flung as Honduras, Tunisia, China, Morocco, Iceland, Panama, Estonia, etc. etc. — it’s not really launched because of the tens of thousands of images from these places, I haven’t yet been able to decide which to post to complement the stories. But in my spare time.. this too will happen.)

So now.. short and sweet –

We took a taxi to West Oakland BART and then BART to SFO (for those of you not in the Bay Area — the Bay Bridge is down as the new one opens on Tuesday; construction of the east span linking to the west span is taking place this weekend and demolition of the old bridge is happening too which was pretty uneventful and quite efficient once the crowds thinned out around Civic Center.

We lucked out at the very last minute and were upgraded to Business Class (which even with my two-million-miler status has not been a sure thing since United’s merger with Continental) — the flight was also uneventful (except that every single seat was taken). Arrived on time in Frankfurt, quickly changed planes to head to Palermo (which is where we will be for 5 days before we meet Mike’s brother in Rome). Naturally we couldn’t take our American-size carry-on rollies on the second flight so we checked them at the foot of the stairs to the plane… after carrying them down and up several flights to reach the plane (jetways in Europe are not all that common except for large planes). No matter how frequently we travel overseas, we always forget to check bags since we are so accustomed to carrying everything on and then being able to dash right out of the airport, bypassing the baggage section.

Arrived at the Hotel Excelsior which is a bit tired and could use a little bit of attention, but otherwise fine, and we think fairly well located. We’d been up about 27 hours by the time we got here (at 7:30 pm)… checked in, showered, put stuff away — and then walked about 5 blocks to a small ristorante recommended by the hotel… I think it was called Le Volte. Food was fine.. we couldn’t really read the menu and it was a local place so no translated versions.. but we did fine (especially since we are big devotees of Italian food) except for those parts of the menu that were very descriptive and who knows what that said…

We over-ate (but no dessert) — clams and muscle appetizer; pasta with tomatoes, eggplant and clams, eggplant tart, and veal with asparagus and mushrooms — and then headed back to the hotel (now awake for about 32 hours). We didn’t do too much planning or reading up on Palermo, given that we were both working up until the last minute before departure and even some work time on the flight… so we’ll wing it and see where it takes us. Supposedly this is a post-Mafia period for Sicily — with repaired streets, renovated buildings, and businesses that have pledged not to pay Mafia protection fees.

Most likely we’ll just walk the streets tomorrow — assessing the scene; hopefully it will be a bit overcast which would make it less hot than what the typical temperature is. Tonight when we walked to the restaurant there was a nice breeze and the temperature was probably high 70s.

Take care

Happy Labor Day-

Buonanotte.. Tutto e buono

Fern