Hotel Carmine Marsala

... day in Sicily has arrived. One last day bike riding with uncle Tommy while the ladies went shopping at a flea market in Alcamo. It was the hottest ofWe were visited by Aunt Suzy and Rose Marie, had a great lunch and an afternoon nap. Everyone sleeps here in the afternoon. I wonder if I can install a Murphy bed or hammock in my classroom and sneak in a quick nap during my off periods. They say a midday nap is very healthy.

At ...

... young age, but managed to become a very successful lawyer and is heavily involved in the Italian Association for the Blind. His wife, Giovanna, is equally as magnificent as she describes everything to him with such great detail that he could probably visualize the gift we got them.

Tonight we saw the most spectacular show in the Marina. It was the BIGGEST stage we have ever witnessed. They reenacted how the British were invading Castellammare and the townspeople ...

... was rough today. She went in the water with Aunty Jo and after going in too deep, got yelled at by a whistle blowing lifeguard in a pink speedo. "Don't you see the red flag?" he yelled in Italian. Uncle Tommy and I met up with them, had a small lunch and then it was off to mountain climbing. Unfortunately you can't wear just any sneakers and I had to borrow my cousins. By the way I am a size 11 and he is a 7. My toes are still curled and look like my grandpas did. I almost gave up ...

... is great not knowing if we are waking up at 9AM or 1PM. Wonder if this will fly once school starts in September.

We had a great and simple lunch consisting of cold cuts and tonight guess what we are eating....go ahead guess...

PIZZA!!!

Time for a nap again and maybe a little work out...nothing crazy...sit ups and push ups just to ofset the calories.

... and had Gelato!!! Yum! Nociolla! The best was that we had an uphill walk to burni it all off. Can we really leave Sicily the same weight or less? Hmmm....

They all have work today, so we are now going to have coffee with Grandma Giordano and then meet up with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Josephine and hopefully hit the beach. Ciao!

... at the concert as there wasn't any cover. Apparently the rest of western Sicily decided to head home at that time as well. We drove for 5 minutes and then we were bumper to bumper for the next 45 min until we made it back on the highway. Had my first pizza for dinner, a bit disappointing really too thick and too much topping & cheese, I might wait until Rome for my next one. Mandy had risotto which she enjoyed. I have ...

... and you can get to the airport at a much later time that is (without risking losing your flight) closest to the departure time. You walk through the security check with your hand luggage and after a few moments in the lounge, you are called to board the plane. Simple, efficient, fast.

Trapani is so close to Malta that by the time the plane gets to stop climbing after take-off, it starts to prepare for landing. Arriving at either destination is like ...

... at the airport at around 3:30 AM the next morning, we all just lived in the moment and enjoyed the hospitality. We ate several courses of traditional food for that area including cous cous (personal favorite! --I had Sicilian cous cous twice and I think I'm ruined for life!), ricotta, white fish cooked in tomato-based broth (heads and all!!), pizza, roasted lamb, and ...

... to the grotto, the smell of the ocean was unlike anything I had really experienced. - We made a quick stop in the small romantic village of Scopello to see a typical example of "Baglio" in front of Golfo di Castellamare. Baglio is a term used for a courtyard in the center of a village that was considered the center or 'hub' of the village. - Just down the road, we stopped ...

... z'n plaats. Het plaatsje ziet er goed uit met rechthoekige huizen, volgens ons boekje, beïnvloed door de Arabische overheersing. Op de fiets maken we een ronde over het eiland wat er erg dor uitziet, maar aan de kusten zijn overal tufplateaus waar mensen liggen te zonnen en een duik in het water nemen. Het is echt een fietseiland, hele slierten fietsers komen we tegen. Wij wisselen het fietsen af en toe af met een duik in zee om ons parcours bij 38 graden nog ...