A Sicilian adventure - fast loud and Italian

  Cesaro, Italy
Thursday, November 10, 2005

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07 Nov, Monday
Start point: Paola
End point: Scaletta Superiore
Via: Reggio Di Calabria
Odom(Km): 20.00
Moving(hrs.mim):
Ave(Km/h):
Total Ascent(m):
Max Altitude(m):
Max Speed(Km/h):

Took the train to the big port town of Reggio Di Calabria with the aim of getting the front and back wheels replaced and a boat to Sicily. Took a 6.25 train and was there just before the shops opened. Then the next problem was to find a bike shop. I found one who insisted there was nothing wrong with it - I exited quickly, he was not someone who I wish to me to start disassembling it if thats what he thought. More aimless cycling around looking for either an Internet cafe, where I could search of one there or a decent bike shop. It was at this point I bumped into Callea Giuseppe, a road racer on a super lightweight bike. Help I said.. He kindly took me to a bike shop that had the expertise to do the job. Within hours I had two brand new high quality wheels and the original brand of brake pads I used prior to all my problems. The only draw back is that in Italy, people don't commute on bikes so hybrids are not that common and the shop was for road racing, with a few mountain bikes. As a result they could not reuse my rear cogs and had to replace them with a less favorable gear ratio - more suited to going fast down hill and not slow uphill with lots of weight. No problem, most of my mountains have been done with only mount Etna and a few more to go so I can put up with it for the next week or so. The whole bill came to 200 Euro - much cheaper than the same job in the UK.
I didn't feel like touring the town as it was noisy, busy and not very pretty. The only plus point is the sea view over to Sicily - which is where I headed for next.
Turned up at the ferry port not really knowing where to go or which boat to take. Unchallenged I simply wandered aboard one ferry that looked promising and sat up stairs. Nearly empty it set off and within 30 minutes we arrived in the port town of Messina. Took the minor roads out the town through decaying streets and dreadful traffic.
The whole day I had been looking for an Internet cafe and during 18Km of cycling a coast road lined with shops, houses, garages and everything else, not a single place with Internet access. I had the same problem in Italy which is why I have not updated my web page. It is partly to do with opening times too, when they open at 10.00 and close at 14.00 it's not very convenient. When they open after their 'Italian lunch break' it's getting dark and I have to find a camp spot. The one I found opened at 10.00 but when I came back at 10.15, I forgot about the 'flexi time' that shop keepers seem to keep in the mornings especially.
Then I had my spirits dashed - the first hill I came across I pedaled up in the lowest gear - and the chain kept on slipping. This is symptomatic of a worn chain ring - and this was the most important one when it came to climbing hills. I can use the next one up, but its much harder - and compounded by the fact I have gearing more suited to road racing. It has to be fixed and Palermo is the next destination that I can realistically find a shop with the required kit. I need a list of distributors for mountain bike companies and without Internet access its going to be very difficult.
The replacement break blocks work fine - no scoring of metal with spirals of wheel rim falling off and getting lodged in the break pad. I'm not looking forward to the mountains ahead with my newly restricted gear ratio though.. it will make it very hard work indeed.


Bike repair - new front and back wheels. Callea, the fellow cyclist who rescued me.


Crossing the Straights of Messina, view of Sicily

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08 Nov, Tuesday
Start point: Scaletta Superiore
End point: Linguaglossa
Via: Taormina
Odom(Km): 53.84
Moving(hrs.mim): 4.03
Ave(Km/h): 13.2
Total Ascent(m): 850
Max Altitude(m) 477
Max Speed(Km/h): 46.5

The Italians do like their cars. I was expecting this but the difficulty is the streets as so narrow and winedy that it make it difficult for me to share the roads with them. There are cyclists about, but mostly road racers. The traffic fluctuates greatly during the day and is quiet during the zombie hours of 14.00 - 17.00.
Today I got to see Mt. Etna. At first I thought for 3300 metres right next to the coast, it doesn't look that big. The sides slope very gently and I could see a sprinkling of snow on top. The closer I got the more I changed my opinion. Having spent most of the day in an Internet cafe renewing contacts, answering emails, renewing travel insurance, checking shares, bank balance, looking of bike repair dealers, updating maps on my GPS and a host of other tasks I started the gradual climb up the south side. At this point I revised my impression of its scale. Its huge. Clouds are nearly always a permanent feature on the down wind side of the volcano as the air is forced up to a high altitude where it condenses. Camped up in an abandoned house as rain was on the horizon.
Italy is another country that does not know what porridge or powdered milk is. Even the desperate fall back, coffee mate can't be found. Luckily in Greece I stocked up, but my supplies will only last two more days. After that I will have to learn to live without such decadent luxuries.


Miles of this type of road follows the cost


After many Km, I finally got a view worth a photo, Taormina

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09 Nov, Wednesday
Start point: Linguaglossa
End point: Cesaro
Via: Mt Etna
Odom(Km): 86.91
Moving(hrs.mim): 7.00
Ave(Km/h): 12.4
Total Ascent(m): 2042
Max Altitude(m) 1814
Max Speed(Km/h): 50.3

Mt Etna rises from the sea and peaks at 3323 metres. The highest point accessible by road is 1814 metres and this is was the goal for today. Starting off I climbed through forests of sweet chestnut trees - the fruit already dropped and scavenged. It is a good job otherwise I would have been greatly destracted filling up on these delicious treats. Then came the pine forests and suddenly black rocks that could be traced up the side of the slopes until the clouds obscured my view. The road ended, buried under the stones and a new on constructed on a higher level. The sign informed me this is the damage caused by the 2002 eruption where molten hot lava crept at walking pace down the hill consuming anything in its path. I carried on upwards where there is much more evidence of the 2002 eruption. At the top I abandoned the bike and walked up to a near by ancient crater. The whole volcano is peppered with them, some small, like the one I visited and some very large indeed.
If you get to see the top you are very lucky indeed as the air forced up condenses into a continuous stream of clouds. It looked as though it was going to clear, but it never did so I free wheeled back the way I came and a drop of 1000 metres from 1800 to 800. My the time I reached the bottom I was shivering with cold. Waterproofs, gloves and thermal top were not enough. Then in the shadow of the mountain I followed the road that skirts the north face until time to camp. A glance back reveiled the full size of the cone shortly before I stopped, see picture.


2002 lava flow






Small crater on the top, the cloud obscures the cone that towers a further 1500 meters. After 8.30am cloud is an ever present feature.


An earlier lava flow


See how they threaten some sizable towns established at the foot of the volcano

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10 Nov, Thursday
Start point: Cesaro
End point: Trapiani
Via:
Odom(Km): 75
Moving(hrs.mim): 3.50
Ave(Km/h): 17.3
Total Ascent(m): 528
Max Altitude(m) 1525
Max Speed(Km/h): 49.2

To speed progress along I decided to finish off Sicily by train. The reasons are as follows:
Shop opening times - 10am to 2pm is not enough to keep provisions stocked up. When in national parks, the chances of finding somewhere where I can buy bread are slim. Most places I see are closed. Despite attempts to pre-empt such situations I keep getting caught out. Morning opening times are often 'flexible'. When they open after lunch, its is completely dark and I should be camped by then.
Traffic - Roads that go anywhere are well made and the traffic is quite heavy and fast. Lots of corners reduce visibility. They give more room when overtaking than in the UK but much much less to the oncoming cars!
Gears - With the restricted range of gears since my wheel replacement and the fact I can't use the lowest gear on hills means on even gentle slopes I have to lift my bum out the saddle and start putting quite a force on the pedal. I didn't have to do this before.
Hill top towns are quaint, I have detoured to visit many of them with a vague hope of finding an open shop. They have no commercial centre and somehow no soul.
No porridge or powered milk.
Language - with all my problems, ahem.. I often need help. It is very rare that anyone can speak English or French. It always a leads to confusion and often the same thing is repeated slower and more deliberately in the hope I will understand, luckily, unlike Romania, they resist from saying it LOUDER.
Tunisia is somewhere I wish to explore and time is ticking. I aim to be back in the UK by the 17th December, all things considered this will now give me 3 weeks in Tunisia, a suitable length of time.
Camping has been difficult at times, lots of fences and dogs.
Food is expensive, supermarkets don't seem to sell the low cost brands. It just doesn't feel right to spend 2 pounds on a tin of hotdog sausages or Spam.
Getting water can be a problem, asking of it is difficult as all the houses have big electric gates with intercoms, long drives and unfriendly dogs. The say people are like their dogs and these are people I do not wish to meet.
So, off I set for the coast to pick up a train to Palermo. After an early start I climbed the rest of the way up the mountain ridge that separate Cesaro from the coast. At 1524 metres I donned my waterproofs, gloves and jumper for what has to be the most enjoyable descent I have ever done. The Parco Nebrodi is thick with damp oak forests and a diverse range of wild life. At such an early time in the morning there was little traffic and lots of animals - and these ones were very much alive.
I rolled for an hour and a half losing all of the 1524 metres in altitude with only light touches on the breaks. Unlike many of the mountain passes I have done before which are just a whole series of hair pin bends where brakes are more on than off, this route cleverly followed the contours of the landscape right to the coast. The wild pigs were funny. They are shy animals and the silent approach of me gliding quickly downhill takes them by surprise. Seeing a pig bolt into the forest up near vertical banks is an amusing sight. When I arrived at Sant Agate di Militello the next train that could take bikes was in 5 hours time. I lunched in the port, updated my journal and played on the internet trying to find cheap accommodation in Palermo. Caught the train and decided as time was running out to get my rear chain rings looked at as soon as possible as the weekend starts soon and the chances of get anything done are slim. When I arrived at Palermo, a train left almost immediately for Trapani, the location of a shop that stocks the parts I needed. Tomorrow morning should set the wheels in motion to get the bike in a usable state.


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11 Nov, Friday
Start point: Trapiani
End point: Trapiani
Via:

Turned up at the bike shop and explained my predicament. Some of the rear chain rings were worn and I asked for them all to be replaced. This and a bit of retuning, two new water bottles and oil bottle came to a very reasonable 25 Euro. They expressed concern that the shop before mixed a shimarno rear derailleur with Campagnolo chain rings and hub. Still, you learn. Updated my website and camped on the beach. Tomorrow, Palermo.

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12 Nov, Saturday
Start point: Trapiani
End point: Palermo

As I left batteries recharging at the internet cafe, an early entry into Palermo was out the question. I had a train time in mind, but soon learned that 'Festivi' is does not just mean bank / public holiday, but weekend too. The train I wanted to get was not going to today. Waited till 11.40 and started the very long train ride. At 3.00 I arrived at Palermo, a distance of 120Km. With light fading I cycled around to find a hotel as all the ones I had got from the internet turned out to be impossible to find. I also kept on getting distracted as there were so many interesting side roads and things happening. Stumbled upon the Hotel Olympic with singles for 25 Euro a night.
Made a trip into to town on foot and discovered a very lively street market that went on late into the late evening. Back to the hotel to consume and drink a number of my finds.


Fish, served up be none other than Benny from ABBA




Sheep heads anyone?

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13 Nov, Sunday
Start point: Palermo City tour

Initially undecided about this city, today it has grown on me. True, the Italians have a love affair with the car but somehow the place would be different without the buzz of the lambrettas up the narrow stone slab streets. Most journeys within the city are unnecessary and fast with destination 'fun' being the primary goal. Sunday is always the best time to tour by bike and at times I found it quite enjoyable. Bike was the means of transport and the following destinations were penned on my objectives list. Firstly, Palazo dei Norman (The Norman Palace). This is a mix of building styles and currently houses the seat of the Sicilian assembly. The guided tour was informative, interesting and comprehensive. The only problem for me is it was given in Italian, still I got to see the remarkable 12C Palatine Chapel decorated in the 'Moorish Norman' style - if you can imagine semicircular arches decorated with mosaics containing lots of stars - similar to the tiles in the Istanbul Ottoman Palace.
Next was a tour of the town squares, or piazzas. Of interest was Piazza Pretoria, with its 16C marble statues.
Then to a rather gruesome sight, the Cappuccini Catacombs.
http://members.tripod.com/~Motomom/index-3.html
Imagine 8000 dead people fully clothed, some lying down, some standing in alcoves. They range from bleached skeletons (again, fully clothed) to others that resemble wax works. They mostly died between 1840-1880 and as you would imagine, the clothing is from this period. Neck ties, stiff colours and smart suits were the most popular. Most were in the stage between wax work and skeleton - i.e, leathery shrunken skin. many still had hair - and hats. All rather peculiar, but just the sort of thing I like.
Then as evening approached I extended my tour further from the centre to explore more of the outer suburbs.
The town obviously had its heyday in the baroque period and many of the buildings reflect this. The war has damaged large sections of the city and bomb damage is still evident in many parts. Buildings have not been maintained and are literally crumbling away. I get the feeling that some of the areas are very poor - houses are propped up with wooden scaffolding, rooms small but homely. No matter how poor the area is, there is always a fight for a parking space. If there is one thing that is an everyday necessity in Italy, that's some sort of fast car - even if its just a Nissan Micra, its still driven fast! One of the most interesting areas is a market area that runs parallel on the west side of Via Roma. The area has the African community and a bustling daily market. Its should not be forgotten that North Africa is only 150Km away from Sicily. Went to the harbour side where I saw an interesting BBQ set-up. Strung up were what looked like continuous sausages. The lady skewered them and put them on a BBQ. I just had to try. I soon realised as I tucked in I was eating stuffed intestine. What its was stuffed with I don't know, but it was watery, pink and tasted like liquidised liver mixed with engine oil. 3/4 of the way through I decided I didn't like it and binned the rest. I have a preference for mint flavoured chewing gum and not liver. Found a bookshop with the Michelin map and lonely planet guide to Tunisia. I'm getting very excited reading about the places to visit. The gateway to the Sahara desert, the food, people, prices and the open road.


Palermo backstreets






Grand buildings


Norman Palace


12C Palatine Chapel in the Norman Palace




Piazza Pretoria


Cappuccini Catacombs - a place filled with real dead people


Backstreet artist


Stuffed intestine anyone?


Night life

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14 Nov, Monday
Start point: Palermo City tour

Travelling by ferry is always difficult. Each Ferry company publishes lists of times and dates for their ships and flatly deny there is any other way of getting there. All I had was a date and time - but no evidence. The next crossing is on Saturday at 10.00am. I went back to the hotel and retrieved the piece of paper with times and information. "This is a different company, you can't buy a ticket here". After a lot cycling around I tracked down the correct office which was closed - and had no published opening times. Back into town for more touring, food, rests in piazzas, soaking up the plentiful sun, dodging death wish scooter drivers and being buffeted by the cobbled roads. I returned to the ferry office and was told I had old information. The time has now changed from Monday midnight to Tuesday at 10.00am. I was issued the information sheet in Trapiani only a few days before. I returned back to my hotel, paid another 25 Euro and got ready for another night in Palermo.


Each trade has a street. Guess which this one is?




Cathedral