4:06 pm or whatever time it is as things keep changing as we journey east.
Buongiorno,
We are 700 miles from Turkey and 2,300 miles from London. That’s not how the crow flies, it’s how we planned our stops along the way. We only have 90 days total in the combined European Union countries and we want to be in London by September 1st. So along the way we are picking and choosing and seeing some things and missing others. We spent one lovely afternoon in Siracusa when ssiceveral days wouldn’t have been too many. We are now anchored in Porto Palo for the afternoon and overnight. Tomorrow we’ll have a very long 64 mile day to Licatta where we plan to leave DoraMac at the newly opened Marina di Cala del Sole, rent a car and see some of Sicily. Places on our list are Palermo, S.Stephano di Camastra, Messina, Mt. Etna, and Enna. Volcanoes, women travel writers, General Patton, Jewish history and Sicilian pottery are some of the reasons for the stops we chose. I’ll write more about each when we actually visit.
As for Siracusa, or Syracuse as we know it, we spent some lovely hours. We were anchored out so took our brand new, never been used dinghy to shore for our official check-in to Italy/Sicily, find some lunch with internet access, and hopefully find a shop that sold SIM cards for our computer dongle. We were successful on all counts, though we had to wait out the 4 hours many “not tourist related” shops are closed in the afternoons before we could purchase our SIM card. That gave Randal more café-computer time and me exploring time and then both of us time to get lost during a lovely walk. Thankfully the shop was open when we found our way back to it. Since the clerk couldn’t promise us our Turkish dongle would work, we now have an Italian dongle to add to our collection. But after an hour or so for registration to take effect, the dongle works like a charm.
Our anchorage was quiet and peaceful and I slept really well until a 5:45 am dream (short version here) where I lost my pocketbook and had to replace driver’s license, credit cards, etc woke me. I made myself wake up so I wouldn’t have to deal with any of that stuff.
Our passage from Siracusa to Porto Palo, other than the rolly first bit, was smooth and comfortable. We covered the 28 miles easily and were anchored before noon. It was so calm and quite that I cooked up the bacon we’d bought back in Ios and Randal had a bacon and tomato sandwich. I nibbled on some bacon along with my daily dosage of cucumber and tomato. I’d actually done a load of laundry along the way and even washed my hair. It was that CALM! When the weather’s good, it’s very very good; but when it’s bad it’s horrid.
So here are some photos from our afternoon in Siracusa. I’ve been to Rome and Florence but I’m thinking that Sicily will have its own personality.
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Coast Guard building where we had to go to check into Sicily/Italy |
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We wondered what it had been once upon a time when it was built. Randal asked the official checking us in, but his English was limited and he was unable to answer our question. |
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Getting the restaurant wifi code which was more important than the food. So far Turkey has the best salads and DEKS (N. Cyprus) and our anniversary meal dinner in Herzliya have the best calamari. |
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Burlington, Vermonters. These folks were already having lunch when we arrived but we started to chat. We didn’t ask names but they have our card and hopefully will keep in touch. She teaches in the School of Nursing at the University. It’s a program that takes in multi-disciplined people whose focus is work with the mentally impaired. I hope that’s a correct description. He has his own business and rental property. They were traveling around Italy and Sicily for 3 weeks. |
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We’d just eaten lunch and had too many hours before we’d return to DoraMac so we weren’t tempted. But the woman who owned? Managed? was able to tell us where to buy our SIM card. It was she who broke the news to us that shops close at 1:30 and reopen at 4 or 4:30 or 5. We wanted the SIM so decided to wait, hoping the phone card shop would reopen earlier rather than later. |
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Our next stop was somewhere for a drink and more time to compute. I asked if they had wifi and one fellow said yes and one no; but the yes guy was correct |
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I’m not sure how he got it to work; but it did. Randal had a beer, I had a cappuccino. Then I went off in search of a Sicily map and some info. |
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Great small alleyways with what looked like homes on either side. |
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I liked the doorway |
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Randal right here I’d left him. We still had another hour before shops reopened so walked around the area in an out of the small streets and alleys, many with boutique shops and enticing restaurants. |
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Everything Olive Oil |
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Bow of a small bot used as a planter |
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A fantastically painted ceramic plate
Sicilian Triskelion I love this 3 legged thing. You see it everywhere and I might have to have one. “If you venture to Italy’s unique little nugget, Sicily, you will be sure to see a three-legged symbol with a gorgon’s face in the central crotch region staring at you from every manner of tourist trinket. If you want to impress your travel mates, read on to learn the origin on this interesting Sicilian symbol. The Triskelion (from the Greek for "three-legged") emblem appears on the Sicilian flag and fanciful versions pop up on everything from bottle-openers to lingerie throughout the island. The face of Medusa typically is seen in the center of the graphic, representing the protection of the war goddess Athena, Sicily’s patron. Most of us only know Medusa as the snake-haired demon slain by Perseus, but she originated as an aspect of Athena’s persona. So, never fear, the graphic is not a curse meant to turn tourists to stone! Also called the Trinacria, the triangular image is said to represent the geographic shape of the island. The image was seen on Sicilian coins at least as early as the 4th century B.C., and it is not likely to fade away any time soon. Now you’re ready to impress your crew on your next Italian adventure! |
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The lady in the straw hat caught my eye |
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So did this small “Max-like” dog |
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Very pensive. These ladies, just sitting and being part of everything going by. |
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Piazza del Senato home to City Hall on the left. |
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Piazza Duomo….we just “stumbled” across it in our wanderings. “The building par excellence which demonstrates Baroque influence in Sicily is the Duomo, built in the 7th century with the transformation of the Tempio di Athena which contains the massive columns that once encircled the cella and today constitute the central nave. The current Baroque façade of the Duomo is decorated with statues of the Saints and in the centre the statue of the Madonna del Pilar to whom the church is dedicated. The statues of St. Paul and St. Peter by Marabitti flank the splendid stairway leading to the Duomo.” Sicily : Art, History, Culture and Folklore http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art423.htm tells more and shows more. |
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Noise and food were prohibited but not cameras so I used the “no flash” museum setting |
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There were many small chapels but where people were praying I didn’t take photos. |
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An accordion serenade in the piazza just across from the church. |
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Looking back towards Siracusa from DoraMac |
