Arrived in Sicily!

Greetings from Catania! Although I left Florida last Thursday and arrived in Sicily on Friday, this is the first opportunity I actually have to post to my blog….I have been on the go almost every minute and have so much to write. Most of it is going to have to wait for my next book, My Love Affair with Sicily, since I will never catch up here otherwise.

I will spare you the details about the thirty-hour travel day, including four separate flights. A short taxi ride from Catania airport confirmed that I was indeed in Italy, reminding me again how crazy the drivers can be here.

True to form, we had dinner of pasta pomodoro and insalata mista at a small restaurant owned by two young brothers.

Naturally, everything was delicious, and afterward, I was happy to sleep in a comfortable bed.

Outside our hotel, a large film crew was set up and shooting was taking place across the street at the courthouse. Interesting. The movie is Stella Maris, and that's all I know. Breakfast on the outside terrace is relaxing and tasty, especially the cappuccino.

Went out for a walk and purchased a few items we needed. Then Rick and I walked to pick up the rental car, but he didn't bring his passport. "No passport, no car," the young Italian agent informed him. Luckily she was able to call our hotel, who had a copy of the passport, so all was good. We drove the Alpha Romeo Giulietta back to the hotel, and then walked down Corso Italia and ended up at the busy Caffe` Europa for something to drink.

Glad that I had my unlocked Blackberry and an Italian SIM card, I phoned Teresa and Angela to make arrangements to meet them. We will meet Angela tonight for dinner and meet Teresa tomorrow in Cesaro`.

On the spur of the moment we decided to drive to Taormina and to Castelmola, the hlll town above Taormina. We have been to Taormina many times, and as usual the streets are crowded. My agenda here was to find a particular jewelry shop that my daughter-in-law mentioned. I found the address, only to be informed that the shop moved out two years ago. This occurs frequently in Italia. So, when I visit Rome later this trip, I will try to find the shop of the same name; supposedly one exists there.

Next we drove up to Castelmola, but discovered that we actually were still in Taormina. So we opted to take a bus the remaining six kilometers up to this hilltop village, which is famous for vino alle mandorle, an almond dessert wine, at Bar Giorgio. Stay tuned for the adventure.