The last few days have filled out quite well. I have adjusted to the Italian schedule. This usually means waking up later, taking the afternoon nap, and eating dinner no earlier than 10 PM.
Today's story begins at the meat market. No, not that one. To be more exact, the setting is more of a market where just about anything can be sold. Here are some tof the items you can purchase at the Palermo market:
Tuna
Swordfish
Drill Bits
Tomatoes
Earings
Mr. Incredible cell phone
Box wine
Fishing reels
Car stereos
Think of it as Wal-mart without the falling prices.
Here is how it's set up:
Local Sicilian men shout at the top of their lungs advertising their products.
Customers walk down the dirt paths, avoiding the scooters and try to bargain with vendors.
Little kids with overgrown mullets help out by bagging your purchases.
The most amazing thing I saw was the Tuna. After catching it early that morning, they somehow manage to transport it into the market. They then use butcher knives I only dream of having, and cut up squares of fish that are bigger than the human head.
Toby is taking pictures incessantly. Teresa, Christoph [an old friend of Toby's from Germany], and Lisa are holding fruit, while I get overwhelmed in the crowd. After swimming out of the chaos, we walk down the nearby alley and come across a man with 2 dogs: Paulina and Big Balls. Ok, so I don't know the name of the second dog. The owner did say that he had overgrown testicles. Maybe he was just pointing at my testicles - who knows.
We take in lunch at Frigatoria Gastronomia (aka. Fast Food Joint #1). Beware, this is not your everyday fast food. You can get roasted eggplant, fried fish, chicken, tomato sauce, and fresh pizza for roughly $6. It's a feast for the eys and stomach.
We meet Adiana. - She is the waitress most likely in her late 20's. She wears a white t-shirt, Italian jeans, and velcro sneakers. She resembles our friend Teresa. At one point, we even ask if they are related. She nods kindly as to say "OK, just take the picture of me and I'll just smile at whatever you say". Then, she goes back to work in the sauna otherwise known as the Sicilian kictchen.
We then go to a church and a cathedral to take in our fill of Jesus for the day. We happen to catch a wedding in progress. I am waiting for Don Corleone to grace our presence, but he never does.
Palermo is quite a fun city. It is a big city, but it feels much cleaner than Naples. It is split up int (at least) 2 areas: the new city and the old city. The new city has Bennetton. The old city has building much older than Bennetton. It's a city that is put together well. There is one intersection in town called the Quattro Canti. It's an intersection with the most ornate architecture I have ever seen. Most of the statues are an ode to Philip III who ruled sicily in the 1600s, although I'm not sre why. As you look up, it looks like you are actually in a tall room with a large ceiling of statues.
Some other things to note:
We meet a Greek/Sicilian lady that cooks some great meat off the barbie in the middle of town. We take a seat at the adjoining restaurant only to have a 11 year old take our wine order.
It's never too early to have a beer. Toby and Christoph set the pace as I try to desperately follow.
Travelling in Palermo in late June produces temperatures so high your shirt is drenched within seconds.
I have some of the best Pizza in Palermo. The restaurant is overlooked by huge Gothic Churches in the old city.
When you order a Pizza, Italians/Sicilians do not mess around. For $5, you get a Pizza that is deep, cheesy, big and delicioso.
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I am sitting here on a beach in Cefalu' at the moment. The beach is nice. The salt content in the water is high enough you could foat on your back for hours.
Cefalu's main backdrop is called La Rocca (rock). It was first discovered by the Arabs almost 1000 years ago. The Normans, however, kicked them out in the 11th century and moved the whole place down to the beach to catch more waves.
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Christoph decides he wants to go to dinner with an oceanfront view and the sunsetting. He is such the romantic I could cry. Seriously, I am getting in touch with my feminine side. We find a place called Cafe il Saracena. It is a feast for the eyes and stomach. We eat ceviche with mussels, tuna and salmon, local chardonay, and a swordfish pasta with mint. We get to the joint early, so the wait staff loads the juke box with American songs such as Mission Impossible, Elvis Presley theme songs and Jimi Hendrix. When the box set comes out, I will let you know.
(Christoph is on the right)
One thing to note about going out to dinner in Italy, as well as Southern Europe. You better not be in a hurry. For example, back home most restaurants seem to want to shove the bill in front of you right after your last shot of coffee or Jager Meister (depending on your evening). In Italy, you have to do cartwheels in front of them before a waiter thinks to bring you the bill. The only reason I say this is that time passes, and Lisa looks at her watch. We realize we have less than 15 minutes to catch a train miles away. At this point, the Mission Impossible theme music is over, the wait staff is a little more bitter, and I am starting to get a little more impatient. It's similar to when you wake up the next morning after having sexual relations, you are dying to leave but you don't know how to do it gracefully. We finally get the check and beeline it back to the station. Toby is insane as he breaks out in full sprint. Trying to keep up with him is useless as my buddah gut gets the best of me. Dying from exhaustion, we finally make it to the train station only to find out that the train is delayed for 45 minutes.
Toby Sleeps on train after running
What is the moral of the above story. If you are in Sicily and you are running late do not worry. Most likely everyone else on the island is running even later.
More to come.
Travelling Sherman
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