My time in Sicily...

Let me count you a bit, how i spent my time in Sicily.

1st of all, i have to correct my previous title of Article, as i met geologists there in Sicily, who told me that Sicily was like lots of areas in the Mediterranean place, a very small continental plake by itself... which is different from being part of the African plake, but also different from being on the European plake ;)

Then, the diary...

The last day i spent in Messina, I made a one day tour to Vulcano island, starting with taking the train very early, and finishing by getting a bus back to Robby's place quite late... but with the pleasure to visit an active vulcano, with sulfure emissions only, no lava as the Stromboli its neighbour, but anyway...
I did this visit with a German - Dutch couple from the smile house too.

Next day then, Friday, i went on the way to Catania.
It was nice and strange to see again Isola Bella, this place i visited with PM a few years ago. Still pretty place when the sun is around!
Nice 1st part of day up to Isola Bella, then clouds and rain arrived.

To finish this day, i bump into Ermanno, my host, as i was cycling the 'circonvolazione' of Catania to find his house!
In the evening we lived an historical moment : Catania FC won against Milan AC, 1st time in... 40 years maybe !

Next few days, i spent them with Ermanno and Laura and their children Sebastiano and Gessica.

On Saturday morning me and Ernesto had a tour out of the city to an organic market, then a tour in touwn. Then everyone was expected home for the birthday lunch of Laura's mother, with her brother and a cousin invited too.
The afternoon went... resting and digesting, then the same for the evening ! Word inversed... The parents went out to visit friends, the children and I staid at home...

On Sunday, i went for a Giro with Ermanno and Laura's brother, to Nicosia, inland Sicilia, on the 'mountains'. Nice tour with the missed visit of a church holding traces of some Juish paintings, but with the visit of a fountain with lots of columns, and the apparition of mount ETNA in the evening.

On Monday i went for a bus tour to the ETNA: Up to rifugio Sapienza for 5.9 E A/R.
On the bus there were 7 other tourists, Fransziska who i spent the day with, two Parisians, two British and a bulgaro roumanian couple.
The morning was fine with a bit of view down to the sea, but the afternoon got more and more cloudy and we did not even want to try to get into the forest for a walk in case we would not find our way back in the fog.

On Tuesday i left my family of Catania to go.... south to Siracusa ! Un casino como se dice! I had to go through an industrial zone then use some 3rd degree road and finally reach the normal road again, because a bridge is broken on the standard national road, and the replacement itinerary is... a motorway not allowed for bicycles !

Anyway on the 3rd degree road i met some retired guys cycling road bikes and rode with them and chatted a bit, at 28 km/h average speed, for around half an hour before they left to their village, and i could slow a bit before getting tired!

I finally arrived in Siracusa around 1pm, had a really quick tour in the city (close to the Greek part and then in the historical centre), and left around 3pm to go to Avola where Paolo expected me around 5pm.

I arrived in Avola and did not really visit the city, just rested and chatted with Paolo and Lorenzo his woofer friend who passed by and staid for diner.

Wednesday, i went on to Novo (really nice re built town in the barroque style), Modica (where i kind of got lost and visited the Alta part and Bassa part), then Ragusa ibea where Ersilia found me at the Duomo place right near to her flat.

We had an evening with student friends of hers, speaking lots of languages as they all study languages! I also tried to watch the 'Gommora' film but in Napolese i did not catch lots of words... just tried to understand from the pictures...


Thursday i took the way to Agrigento, that i had planned on 2 days.

I had some troubles to go out of Ragusa, finally found my beautiful ay down to Comiso, passed Vittoria and Gela, to reach a nice road along the coast and the castle of Falconara.
Then i fraught to find a good camping spot and realised next morning that i was on a private property (i knew it), but with people using it ! I had inspected in the evening and had stated this place would be un used... anyway, the guy i met in the morning just asked me 'A posto?' and went away when i replied 'A posto!' !

This makes us talk about Friday when i cycled Licata then Agrigento and cycled around the valley of the temples. Once again i did not go inside... Expensive and... old stone that i have seen and seen again and again...

Around 1pm i was ready to take a train from Agrigento Cle when i learned that the train was not direct to Palermo and that i had to take a replacement bus plus a train.... or another bus !

I finally took the direct bus option, had the chance to have a bus with lots of people but a driver who did not inspect the luggage so much, so i did put my bike and stuff under the bus than asked for a standard ticket without mentioning my bike! (.£ E as everyone, no extra fare for the bike, good ! Cheaper than the train !

In the afternoon i visited a bit the centre close to the train station, went for my ferry ticket, and learned that the ferry would leave on Sunday this week, not on Saturday as all the rest of the time ! Good to know...
Around 7pm i found Michele and Angela, after having this surrealistic conversation with the garage from the other side of the street where their falt is. He acts like a policeman and checks who gets in or out or... whatever...

In the evening we had pizza ! Then went for a passegiata with a friend of Angela's (and her ragazzo from Ivory Coast who is friend with Alpha Blondy ;) ), and went back home around midnight.

Saturday i went for a tour in the morning afternoon, then met my hosts around 4:30 and we joined a fiesta for la primavera at one of their friend's palce near Palermo. Lots of kids and mothers without fathers, lots of agitation but really good idea : plant seeds for flowers or vegetables to grow later on, and have a diner after the kids are tired.

Then (and actually before diner), Angela and Michele drove me to the Teatro Maximo where i attended to a ballet, the 1st of my life, as they had been given free tickets and di not really want to go... I went there with one of their friends, Danieal. And i enjoyed the place and the ballet really much. I cannot say who the music was from but i knew it, which helped to enjoy!

On Sunday, we wore us quite early and went to some other friends close to Isola deil femine, where we went to the fish market, bought lots of fish and also half a kilo of very very young fish (larvae ?) that the men prepared with pasta, or friend with a mix of egg and flour.
Then around 3pm we left the friends and i could take my stuff, go to the port and take the ferry to Cagliari.... End of Sicily time...


Pictures from Sicily here :

Catania,

Way to Palermo,

Palermo and way to Cagliari.