05.25.25

We were in Sicily for about 35 days, mostly on the very small island of Ortigia, which is adjacent to the southern city of Siracusa, also known as Syracuse. Our stay was much more lively, more crowded than our first stay in 2019, but still tolerable. Since 2019 the very crowded island of Ortigia got very restrictive on parking, and residents needed permits and stickers, plus the island was NOT able to be accessed on Sunday afternoons and after certain hours of the day! One Sunday afternoon we had to park Hermes, our bike, on the Siracusa side, and walk home!

We did a few side trips, one to Catania, which impressed us more than we expected. It’s a crowded port city, so they normally have their “bad” areas, but we walked along the marina area, and enjoyed the crowds and food. Kat’s friend, Elaine, came to visit us for a week, so that was a novel experience, since we’d never done that before! It was cool showing someone around and introducing her to new things that we take for granted! She’d never been to Europe, so this was a great intro for her, and she and Kat got to reconnect.

 

A few observations about Sicily, and maybe Italy in general:

• They have the most amazing red peppers, oranges, and lemons!! Fresh, fresh, fresh, and due to small refrigerators, it makes no sense to stock up.
• They like to drive FAST! Their highways (they have several) top out at 130 kph, and they push that. That’s still only 80 mph (US), which is not really fast at all, but at 90-100 kph, they breezed by us.

This summer experience in Europe is proving to be eye opening for us. After 17 months in Asia, my “plan” was to compare the two areas to see where I felt the most comfortable and at home. I’m still trying to weigh the two, but, aside from the significantly higher prices in Europe, I still love the vibe and unique energy of Europe. Finally, we left Siracusa, went to Palermo, where we planned to stay for three days, then take the ferry to Sardinia for a week.

But, things happened, as the next blog will reveal.