Piazza Armerina, Modica, Ragusa

Wednesday.
I am writing these notes on the ride to our next stops.

We are leaving Agrigento and are on our way to the town of Piazza Armerina. While we are enjoying the beautiful landscape of rolling hills full of planted vegetables (this place is eggplant heaven), grapevines, and olive trees, the tour guy gets a call from the hotel we just left. One of the people on our tour left their luggage and iPads behind. Jimmy. We are now on our way back to the hotel adding about an hour and a half to our trip. Oh well, glad it wasn't us that forgot our stuff.

Moving forward......it is a really pretty drive to our destination, the Villa Romana del Casale (a medieval Roman Villa with important mosaics in the center area of Sicily).

On another note, we are staying healthy...... although the woman sitting in front of me is hacking up a you know what and the tour guide has been honking away.....his nose, not the horn.

Maureen, you would be freaking out on how the drivers navigate the roads here.
JIMMY!

So we just finished our tour and are back on the bus off to lunch.

The mosaics were wonderful but I am a bit embarrassed to say that I enjoyed my lunch more. We were taken to a nearby charming place for lunch called La Triacrina. They grow their own produce and the food was amazing.
Now off to Modica. I think the ride will be very quiet after that meal.


Update: I am enjoying some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. I will show Mark the pictures when he wakes up.

Modica was fantastic. We arrived at dusk. Started off tasting chocolate and toured around after that.

Next stop was Ragusa were we had a night tour and then spent the night.

Tuesday: Selinunte and Agrigento

Tuesday

Fish market in Marsala

Selinunte

Agrigento

Monday's adventures

Internet slow at this hotel and pictures aren't downloading properly. Oh well!

Monday
Group tour in progress.
There are 16 in our group and we touring Palermo this am.
We stopped to see the Palazzo Reale, the Parliament. Beautiful chapel with amazing mosaics. Built in the 1200s.
Did a bit of a walking tour and ended up at a wonderful Sicilian focaccia place for lunch. They made the best arrinchini.
Next stop Monreale in the hills just right outside Palermo. Lovely square and a huge cathedral with even more impressive mosaics.
After all of our walking we sat at an outdoor cafe to have an afternoon cappuccino. Back on the bus now on our way to Marsala were we will do a wine tasting, have dinner and spend the night. So far it's a scenic drive. The hills are very green and we (I should say I as Mark is asleep again) are enjoying the vineyards, fields of vegetables, old stone house remains, mountains and soon we will be by the sea again.
So far the group thing has been okay. The guide knows his stuff and we are getting lots of information on the sights. There is a bit more waiting involved however......people walking slower than the group, stopping  to peek in a store, restroom visits, etc...  I will say, I am glad we are not driving. It would be too stressful.

Monday tour included:

Palermo
Parliament
Cathedral

Demonstration

Four corners
Saint Giuseppe Church
Next church (can't remember the name) we witnessed a wedding taking place.
Lunch at Antica Foccaceria de San Francesco
Piazza Garibaldi where there was a giant Banyan-like tree.
Monreale
Salt pans at sunset









Windmills
Marsala wine tasting
Dinner at hotel with after dinner walk around the square

Day trip to Cefalu and visit to Elena's

Sunday in Palermo and Cefalu

We had a nice day for Marks birthday yesterday.
We gained an hour with the time change and were up early to check out and catch a train to Cefalu, a medieval town about an hour outside Palermo.
We will explore, have lunch (can't miss a meal), and then head back to Palermo to meet up with our tour at our new hotel to begin our next adventure of traveling around Sicily seeing all the historic sights.
I am writing this on the train while Mark is snoozing again. It's like he is a baby in a car seat. You get him in a moving vehicle and he is out.
We are back on the train now, earlier than planned. Cefalu was really nice but a bit touristy. First bad meal I have had was tasted but not eaten here. Spinach lasagne. Yuck. But the square we sat in right outside the church was charming. We enjoyed walking around in this warm day. There were people in the beach and in the water. Cute little fishing boats and a small little town under a big mountain.
When we arrived, there was a big go cart race going on with all the locals lined up watching it. The town has a beautiful coastline and small winding cobblestone streets.
Train action: while checking tickets next to us the conductor came across a guy that didn't have a ticket. He blew right by him, past us, and locked himself in the bathroom.
The conductor stopped the train in the middle of the tracks and unlocked the bathroom door from the outside after the guy refused to come out.
The guy ended up paying and stayed on. Had to wake Mark up for this one.
Oh my, now another guy with a puppy locked himself in the bathroom. The conductor had to unlock the door again after the guy wouldn't open. He came out and paid his fare. Looked like he had a joint in his mouth. Feeling glad this is the only local train we are taking this trip. Oh wait, we will do one train in Paris going to Versailles.

So we get off the train and start on our next journey to see where Marks grandparents, mother and aunt lived during the war.
The area around the train station is pretty dirty and kind of scary. When we finally arrived at the area that was our destination we were rewarded with a pleasant walk in Vittori.
We stopped at the building where they used to live and the place were Mark's grandfather was stationed. Mark attempted to speak Italian to the officers guarding the place and they appeared to be amused but wouldn't let us in. Ya think?
From there our walk brought us by the Palermo Cathedral. I was disappointed we didn't have time to climb to the top for the view.
I find the Italians to be so social. Out with family and friends taking strolls and sitting at the cafes talking. They close off some of the street and turn them into pedestrian only. I had to laugh thinking of Ashley and Scott's description of how the groups don't move out of your way when walking 5 people wide. We found that to be true today.
Listening to music at an outdoor cafe now waiting to go retrieve our luggage and check into our new hotel.
Okay, at our new hotel now and getting settled before dinner
Ciao

I am writing this without proofing and I apologize for all the errors in advance ;)