Blogs from Italy, Europe

It was sunny when we left our hotel. By the time we got to Palermo it was drizzling. We parked the car and then hopped on a horse drawn carriage. We had a tour of the area and then we were dropped near one of the two fish markets. The market had numerous stands and you requested the various selections of fish, shellfish and octopus. The variety was then lightly breaded and then deep fried. It was so fresh you could taste the ocean. After our lunch we wandered through the streets enjoying the sights of various churches and fountains. We made our way to the other fish market. This one was several blocks of various fish markets along with many side dishes. Most of the stands in this area were grilling the seafood and fish. ... read more

This morning we had breakfast at our hotel again. Fresh squeezed orange juice and a variety of eggs and breads and croissants and sweet treats along with some typical Italian meats. Cappuccino is also always a great way to start the day. After breakfast we headed to the archeological area in Naxos. We saw the tower that was built by the Greek about 300 to 200 B.C. And also a variety of anchors from the same time period. We walked to the port area. There was an Olympic torch monument there from the 1960 Olympics. After our morning walk we drove to Taormina. We drove to the hilltops and went to the church Madre Della Rocca. We had parked at the bottom so we had a hike up, but the view and the church built into ... read more

Arrived in Sicily today flying into the Catania airport via Rome departing initially from Chicago. We had one hour for our plane transfer in Rome. We did a quick walk through the airport and through immigration to get our passports stamped. We made it to our gate with about 25 minutes to spare. We checked in and then took a shuttle bus to the plane. Both flights were uneventful. Chicago to Rome was about 9 hours and then Rome to Catania was just over one hour. We landed in Catania and headed for the baggage claim area. Our suitcases were not there. This was not unexpected due to the short transfer time in Rome. We made our way to the missing bag/lost and found area and after waiting for several other groups of passengers submitting claims. ... read more

We’ve had a couple recent cab drivers try to get us to pay with cash. Last night’s ride to the cooking class actually sat in the square waiting after we said we didn’t have enough euro. So, we gave him a 10 euro and 3 american dollars. That showed him! After class, the tour guide, Lisa, called a cab for us and told him that we would be using a card. No argument. Today, we used FreeNow, which is already tied to a card. No option. That worked well. Another nice train ride, taxi driver quite chatty (wanted cash but I prevailed). His mother-in-law's sister was married to an American sailor and lived in Virginia Beach for 20 years! Small world. Sunny here but very windy! Checked into our airbnb but our colds are getting worse ... read more

We had breakfast at the American restaurant, Homebaked. Lots of bacon (real), pancakes, eggs, etc., on the menu. Lots of Americans eating that breakfast. Mike had avacado toast which he loved. Walked over to St. Peter’s Square for Angelus and blessing. Square was packed today, as opposed to yesterday afternoon. We had tickets for the Rome Hop On Hop Off bus but had to walk to the other side of the Tiber to get to a stop. Mike had picked up a cold and was feeling crumby, and it was raining off and on. We got on the bus and rode the full cycle. ‘Saw’ the coliseum and Circus Maximus but most of the sites were a walk after leaving the bus so we stayed on and listened to the narration. When we got off, we ... read more