Sicily: the good, the bad, and the ugly (Part Two)

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Domenica (Sunday) 17 Agosto

When I awoke on Sunday morning, I went to the kitchen, rested and refreshed, to find only Nonna- no aunt or uncle (Tonietta and Franco). She spent some talking with me, or at me, rather, as I could not understand one out of fifty words she spoke. Despite the fact that she punctuated her paragraph long sentences with "Capisce?", I learned quickly that it didn't matter, and she was just happy to have someone new to speak with. She told me stories, we laughed, she cried, I mirrored her expressions and let her talk her heart out. She was a sweet woman. After awhile, I excused myself to go to the beach, as it was a beautiful day, and I had no idea when the boys would be returning.

The beach was magnificent, and I stayed until my flesh was visibly red even in the daylight. I was mad not to be able to stay longer; the water was absolutely perfect, although for some reason I wasn't expecting saltwater. Silly me. But the clear water, the view of the mountains- unbelievable.

When I reluctantly returned to the house, after an unsuccessful attempt to find a payphone to call home with my last phone card, I noticed a change in the apartment. Although Nonna was in the kitchen alone, the cooking smells mingled with something new. Men's cologne. I peered into the living room and saw two tan male legs sticking out from the sofa. I ran to the back bedroom, and along the way saw more bodies. The guys were back! Joey, Antonio, Chris and Tony were all sleeping. I was so happy and relieved.

I took a shower and then laid down between my guy friends and we discussed the difficulties of our trip and our miscommunications. It was very nice to be speaking English again, and see my friend from home. We ate some food, and I listened to their stories, and the boys translated for me with their relatives. At nine o'clock, the apartment became very lively with their cousins, their children, and their aunt, uncle, and grandma. The food, the homemade wine (too strong for my blood!), the loud talking- it was just what you would imagine. We were finally alone after 11, when we had a some beers, played some cards, and all was right.

The next day was an average day in Sicily- we awoke, went to the beach, ate some great local food, took a siesta, visited the guys' relatives in the mountains to say goodbye, entertained the family over a late dinner, went out go-karting, then stayed up late until it was time for the two hour hike to the Catania airport.

I saw the boys off this morning in a rush to catch their plane, and afterwards their cousin Nichola dropped me off at my bed and breakfast. It's a charming little place in Catania. I finished another book while the innkeeper cleaned my room, ate some breakfast, had an espresso, took a little nap, took a hot shower, and then went exploring for a bit. Now I'm back at the B&B for the evening, preparing for my early flight tomorrow.

Pretty soon I'll be home. 😊

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Photos

Mountain road
The view from Joey and Antonio's uncle's home in the mountains of Gioiosa Marea.

Mare
A view of the beach...

Via Liguria
The street in Gioiosa Marea where we stayed.

A view of Etna
The local volcano...:)

Don Creole B&B
A view of my bed and breakfast in Catania. Shockingly enough, the taxi ride to the airport cost more than my one night stay. And the airport is like 10 minutes away. Sheesh. Of course, they jack up the price because it's "Ferie" (August holiday).