I’ve wanted to come up with a good reason to use this line and I never really found one. The closest I got to “death” was being locked in the bathroom. It was a far stretch to death. I think I would have just lost a few pounds, which would have been good. However, in that moment, I had loads of help from Sicilians. Getting involved with them actually helped me.
I’m glad I spent the whole month in Sicily. It gave me a chance to really explore the entire area and see almost everything. I could have probably seen everything if I had my own transportation and a desire to race around. I wasn’t really sure my intention when I came down here. Sightsee, relax, a little of both? I wasn’t really streamlined for quickly getting around and seeing all the sights. I think that squashed my desire to see more places. Spending a week in Cefalu came out of being done with the whole sightseeing thing and just wanting to stay put and relax for a while. I really enjoyed that week. I saw some sights but I also did nothing on a few days. I loved Taromina and Agrigento. The two places are very different. Taromina is almost like Disneyland where everything is perfect, happy, and sunshine. I love Disneyland. Agrigento was a bit dirty and I was semi-stalked, but I loved the history and the cultural diversity there.
I’m not sure if being in Palermo last is a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t love this city. I’m definitely here too long but with day trips out of the city it helps to not feel overwhelmed by the chaos. I don’t know why I booked so many nights here. I had it in my head that I couldn’t return to Rome until May 1st. I’m not really sure why I was stuck on that idea. It didn’t even dawn on me that I could do something different until I was already here and committed to my lodging and plane ticket. It’s changeable, but for a fee, so how important is it to return to Rome a day earlier. I kept thinking be flexible, be flexible but I never saw how to be flexible. I thought I could change my trip plans but I didn’t know how to do it. How silly is that? What is that about?
During my time in Palermo, I have seen some sights in the city and also made two trips out of town.
Saturday was mostly aimless meandering followed by passiagiata with the owners of the B&B. The owner is from Catania (I left out how I feel about his town) and moved here two years ago. I don’t know why he is here so I might ask. This neighborhood, where the B&B is located, was formally the seedy underbelly of Palermo…probably one of many. However, I think it’s of some importance because I saw a whole beautiful coffee table book on the area at the bookstore. The book was filled with photos of people shooting up drugs, living in squalor, and other depressing images. The area hasn’t become this gorgeous shiny new neighborhood. It’s still pretty run down and dirty. Dirty is a relative term here though. It’s beat up. That’s probably more accurate. The education level of people here only goes to about the 7th grade according to my host. Why he chose to buy here and start a B&B, I don’t know. He’s very proud and is trying to change some little things in his building. Hopefully he does some good. I can’t really tell what he is all about or his intentions.
Anyway, our walk through the neighborhood was interesting and he pointed out lots of old buildings and gave me a few facts here and there. There is this one building that was bombed during WWII and what’s left of it still stands. It’s all boarded up and no one has ever done anything with it. It’s not a special memorial nor are there any signs telling you anything about this destroyed building. From what he told me I don’t have the impression that it was planned this way.
Sunday I went to a local outdoor market called Ballaro. There are a few of these here. Vendors sell packaged food, fresh fish, cheese, olives, bread, and a few household goods. The mix of cultures was fascinating and something I really wanted to capture with my camera but wasn’t able to accomplish. There is a big mix of cultures in this town, with people coming from all around Asia and Africa. The first image is of sea urchin. It's very popular here. The huge fish the man is cutting is Toro tuna.
Monday I took the bus out of town to Monreale. It is a hillside town with a beautiful church. It was peaceful up there too. Palermo really came alive on Monday after a holiday weekend, which felt good in one moment and stifling in another. Getting out of the city proved to be challenging as the bus fought it’s way through traffic. The bus itself was incredibly crowded, hot, and stuffy and I found myself yet again getting nauseous.
Tuesday was spent in the beach town of Mondello. I got one more beach fix before I return to Rome. It was a great beach and a cute little town.
I’m not sure what I’ll do for my final day in Palermo. I might venture out of town one more time to Monte Pellegrino. I hear it’s gorgeous up there. There is also one more tourist attraction in town that I haven’t been to yet and it’s supposed to be the top attraction here.
At this point I am really excited to return to Rome, which feels like a home away from home right now. When I first got there, I don’t think I thought I would feel that way about it. I’m excited to return to “my neighborhood” of Trastevere for three final nights. I’m excited to catch up with familiar faces. I’m thinking about places to eat and hang out for my final three days. There are sights that I put off for these three days too so hopefully I can see one or two of them. I’m definitely glad that I planned a last hurrah in Rome before returning to my other home.
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