Palermo continued …

We are bound and determined to loose any weight we might have gained on the cruise. On October 4th I think I mentioned that we walked 23,172 steps. Yesterday we walked 17,725 and today our total was 13,707. So much to see!! We awoke to the mewing of cats outside our window. After coffee and croissants we decided to go to Monreale, a cathedral with outstanding mosaic work. We set out GPS at hand to reach the stop where Bus 389 stops. After repelling the pleas of a taxi driver to let him take us up as the church was set to close due to a church holiday, we called our landlord who confirmed that there was no holiday in Palermo that day. Nice try, taxi man. Eventually the bus arrived and the long line of people proceeded to cram themselves on. Standing room only! We were packed like sardines. Due to heavy traffic the bus took 45 minutes.

The cathedral was breathtaking. The entire story of creation could be seen on the walls between the windows. The life of Christ was on another layer. Old Testament saints also appeared. It was almost too much to take in. We walked across the square and had lunch at a local restaurant. While we were eating the skies opened up and a huge amount of water came down. We were under a tent structure and were dry. In a few moments the whole restaurant was full of people dodging the rain.

On the way back we were able to get in the back door of the bus and after a few stops we were able to get seats. Our afternoon target was the Prima Circoscrizione - it was a castle fortress built during Muslim occupation. Again, a wonderful church with amazing mosaics. Half of the sanctuary is under renovation but it was still worth the visit. The remainder of the building was a palace and was decorated appropriately.

As part of the ticket we were able to visit a photography show dedicated to the works of Elliot Everett, an important U.S. photographer. Although we did not recognize his name, we did recognize many of the photos, particularly the one of a car and train racing across the desert, and also Marilyn Monroe with the skirt blowing.

We then walked out through the garden and on to the main pedestrian street where walkers are constantly intermingling with taxis, scooters and bicycles. G.P.S. Record - 18,740 steps! After another delicious meal we decided to return to our place and pack our cases as we are heading to the airport and the final leg of our trip - Rome!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Athens - Day 1

Image
Yesterday was busy. We had a delicious breakfast at a quaint restaurant directly across from our hotel. It looks small, but there was seating inside, outside and around the corner. The street looked like a lane, but every so often a car or motorcycle would barrel down the street! We then headed off to the Acropolis where we purchased tickets for 5:00 p.m. Everyone wants to go there but it is better to wait til later as it is 31 degrees! We elected to go to the Acropolis Museum - air conditioned of course. Lots to see! Many of the pieces were collected and reconstructed. The Acropolis itself was built as a place of worship and, in fact, the entire hill was filled with temples. In 1867, the Turks bombed it and it was virtually destroyed. Later Lord Byron spent time in Greece and took some pieces back to the British Museum. Although they were lying on the ground, for some reason the Greeks are still upset. The building above is the museum. After the museum we went back to ou...
Read more

The First Days

Image
We drove to Calgary on Saturday morning with a short diversion to the family farm near Pine Lake. On the way we passed a large poster with the family name! We took a picture of the family to enjoy. Then we stopped at the grave of Tim’s parents. In Calgary we visited with old friends - TIm has known them for 70 years, when they all attended a private kindergarten in Medicine Hat. On Sunday morning Bob delivered us safely to the airport. The long flight transported us to Paris and we are now in the middle of a 7 hour layover which we are spending in a lounge. At 7:00 p.m. the flight leaves for Athens where a driver will be waiting to deliver us to our hotel. It’s hard to believe Tim, Bob and Anne are all 75 and that next year we will celebrate 50 years of marriage! How time flies!
Read more

Athens - Day 2

Image
Our second day in Athens began at a delightful restaurant named “Picky”. It spills out onto the shared walkway and road! All the lovely people seem to be there. The staff and food are lovely. We then headed off to explore the Agora or ancient market where the Apostle Paul would have preached to the Greeks! The two story building has been turned into the Museum of the Agora and stands under the shadow of the Acropolis. We passed some very extravagant baking in a coffee shop but resisted! We went back to the hotel for a shower and rest and then had an ice cream as we explored the shops. Planning a bus tour we went out for a “quick” dinner - gyro for Marija and gyro dinner for Tim! By the time we finished we had missed the last bus! Oh well, a wander in the shade of the evening through the busy Flea Market, and passing by more eateries with live music. Finally, we retired for an early night only to be awoken by a phone call at about 12:30 a.m. which one of you called?
Read more