Italy Day 6 - Palermo Day 2 (Mon., 9/9/13)

Today we had breakfast at the hotel and took a little walk a few blocks to the port. It was a short walk because I had put on the torture sneakers to give them another try. Big mistake. We went back to the hotel to change shoes and pick up our phones and maps. Then we picked up the car at the garage and set off on another adventure.

The day started out all right but soon turned to crap. We drove out to Trappeto because I insisted I wanted to see where my Grandmother on my father's side lived before she met her husband and emigrated to the United States. Trappeto is a small seaside village with the narrowest roads we'd ever seen. The iphone kept saying to turn down into the town, where we nearly got stuck maneuvering the car around curves on the tiny squished roads. Dennis lost his cool and so did I. I think the word, "divorce," was mentioned. We had no idea where my grandmother lived, specifically, but we got an image of the place anyway. It was a fine location, right by the water. We were happy to find our way out. Dennis did a great job, but I was still mad at him for most of the day.

After that fiasco, we drove on to Balestrate, where my grandfather on my father's side lived. It was just a short distance down the road and this time we only drove through the upper town and not down to the beach. Still mad, though.

I was ready to go back to the hotel or home if I could, but Dennis drove on to our third goal of the day, San Vito de Capo. I usually like to go to the end of things...like the end of Long Island or Maine or any other place that sticks out into the ocean. San Vito de Capo was such a place. This time the roads were really wide and easy to navigate, probably because it is a summer beach resort where families come to vacation and swim in the sea. We found a parking space (still at a premium here as it is everywhere in Italy) far from the Main Street, so we started walking again. 

On the Main Street we found restaurants and ice cream shops all up and down the street. I think we came at siesta time because many of the places were closed up. At the restaurant where we had lunch, Dennis asked where we could find a store to buy water to drink. The man who was perhaps the owner directed us to a grocery down the way but said it would be closed until 4 o'clock. I had been reading in "Stumbling through Italy" that stores open at 10 am until 1 p.m., then close for siesta until 4 pm. They they stay open until 8 or 9 in the evening. Seems it is true.

After spending some time in the town, we walked back to the car (Dennis saved me a couple of blocks of walking by retrieving the car and then picking me up.) We drove back to Palermo and, with me giving directions from my iphone and Dennis driving, we made it back to our hotel. What a trip driving in Palermo.

Dennis parked the car in the parking garage and I went to our room. Later he went out again and bought some bottles of water and goodies from the bakery. Somehow he was able to bring me a hot cup of cappuccino so I guess I forgive him for being mean to me.

Italy Day 5 - Rome Day 4/ Palermo Day 1 (Sun., 9/8/13)

On Sunday we had breakfast in the hotel then met our driver for the trip to the airport. Dennis had reserved a car even though everyone says driving in Palermo is hazardous to your health. We couldn't check in until 2 p.m., so we drove over to Trapani at the west tip of Sicily. We didn't look it up to see what Trapani has to offer tourists, so we missed the Museum of Salt and a few other sights. However, we did drive UP to Erice, an ancient stone castle that now houses quaint shops, bakeries and restaurants. If you look it up in Wikipedia, you'll find Erice has an ancient history and diverse culture. The road up to Erice was way scary. Poor Dennis--his first driving experience was twisty-turny narrow roads with a mountain on one side and steep cliffs on the other. We later found out that there is a tram from Trapani up to Erice. 

Erice was a fun and interesting place to visit. We did a little shopping and had lunch at the top. We also hit the bakery while we were at it. At one shop I asked the clerk about a jar of ficudinnia jam. Then we got into how it's pronounced. The previous is the spelling and pronunciation in Sicily. Figo da India is how they say it in mainland Italy. Dennis and I have a running argument about the way we say it and the way the girls in the shop said it. I say it's close enough. End of discussion.

We found out there is an easier road to take on the way down, so we took it. Whew! On the way home we drove through Valderice at the foothills of Erice. This was where my Uncle John grew up. We didn't know the address or location of his house, but we got a flavor of the place by driving through.

After that we drove back to Palermo and found our hotel, the Mercure Palermo Centro, the key being "Centro," right in the middle of everything. When we got there, I went in to see where the parking lot was for the hotel. Ha. They said it was closed for the night. What? They the clerk told us to find a parking space on the street for the night. Anywhere in the "blue lines." Dennis left me on the street and drove around looking for a parking space. Palermo parking is something else. We had to find a blue line space while everyone else in Palermo was parking every which way and wherever. Eventually, Dennis came rolling all our stuff by himself until I caught up with him. I still don't understand why he didn't leave the suitcases with me on the street or take me with him to help moving them to the hotel. Oh, well, it got done, but we were not happy. The parking lot reopened at 8 o'clock, so we Dennis went down (we're on the 7th floor) and moved the car to the parking lot. 

The car, by the way, is a Citroen Diesel. It has served very well so far, even though Dennis had to learn how to use a six-shift manual transmission.

Italy Day 4 - Rome Day 3 (Sat., 9/7/13)

We ate breakfast at the hotel again, then walked over to the Collesium. Turns out it is only about 10 minutes away from the hotel. Uphill, of course. We walked around and took pictures on an unofficial self-guided tour. We bought some souvenirs in the gift shop for our people back home. 

Afterward we took the Metro to Termini to shop for shoes and walk around awhile. I bought some sneakers at the Footlocker so I could give my feet a break. Turned out, however, the shoes were not good for my feet. I got hot spots that burned my toes. Woe. I wished I had brought my own sneakers from home. They are very good for my feet and never "bite." A word about that, too. Before taking this trip I researched what to wear in Italy. All the blogs I saw said, "Don't wear sneakers; don't wear Levi's." And what am I seeing all over the place? Sneakers and Levi's. Not only on Ugly Americans, but they are selling them in the Stores, too! So much for looking good.

Because my shoes didn't hurt yet, we took the Metro over to the Spanish Steps.I took pictures of Dennis as he ran up the steps to the very top!

Then we walked over to Via del Corso, the major shopping district in the center of Rome. Then we walked back by the ruins near the Colosseum and had lunch at a very nice restaurant. We walked back to the hotel (we thought we were lost, but Dennis found a way back that happened to go right by the gelato shop. We bought some and took it down to the fountain to eat it sitting on the steps. There is always a crowd there.

We went back to the hotel to rest for another foray later in the evening. That night we searched for another dessert place, but ended up going back to the same place as the night before. We ate outside again and struck up a conversation with a mature (like us)  gentleman sitting next to us. Turns out he was previously CEO of Shell Oil and had some interesting stories to tell. We visited for quite a while and then said our goodbyes and went to the hotel for our last night there.

Italy Day 3 - Rome Day 2 (Fri., 9/6/13)

We started the day with the hotel's continental breakfast. Afterward, we met the tour bus and were transported to meet our day's guide, an Italian woman holding a flower-topped stick. She said we should always find our way back to the flower. It turned out this was a walking tour (more walking!). We first walked to the Opera House building where we had views of the Italian Government buildings. We saw where the Prime Minister's office was and where the Legislature convenes. Then we walked to the Fontana di Trevi where you are supposed to throw a coin in the fountain so you will be sure to return to Rome. (Remember the movie, 3 Coins in a Fountain?) Like that. We only had Euros, so first Dennis threw a coin, then I threw mine in for Betty.

After that, we walked to the Pantheon, which is a replica of the Parthenon in Greece. Then we walked through the Piazza Navone on the way to the Ponte Umberto I, a walking bridge over the Tiber River that winds through Rome. On the other side of the bridge is the  Piazza del Tribunali, the palace of justice or the Supreme Court. Turning left, we walked past the walking bridge that was in the Angels and Demons movie, sequel to the Da Vinci Code. The bridge, called Pointe Sant' Angelo, is across from the Castel Sant' Angelo, built as the tomb for Emperor Hadrian, but now used as a museum. Emperor Hadrian built Hadrian's Wall across Great Britain in 122 AD. Shows you how far was Rome's reach in those days. From there, we walked over the threshold (a line) that separates Rome from Vatican City. We walked around the right edge of St. Peter's Square and into St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo spent much of his long life working on the Dome, which was not yet finished at his death. We didn't see the Sistine Chapel however, which was another 15-20 minute walk. That pretty much ended the tour and the tread on my feet.

We caught a taxi back to the hotel for a much deserved rest. Did I mention it was HOT?

While I rested, Dennis walked to Termini (the train station) to find me someplace to buy shoes and do some shopping. When he got back, we went to lunch at "Wanted," a nice Italian restaurant. We were seated at an open window, which gave us a nice breeze. After lunch we walked up the hill for gelato. We walked back down and ate our gelato on the steps around a fountain where people seem to gather. Then we went back to the hotel for awhile. Later in the evening we went out again for some dessert at a nice outdoor restaurant a few blocks away. 

We walked back to our hotel for the rest of the night.