Cabin on the ferry.
I am so glad that I am a positive person. What a good time to get strep throat! I decided in Naples that I was so exhausted and could not carry on leaving a city only after a few days to go to another. I wanted to plant myself in one place for a while and really take it all in. I decided the southern region of Italy, Sicily was the best place for me. Right when I first arrived at my B&B, I dropped of my bags, took a nap and when it was a decent hour in the day, I went to the pharmacist. They told me I had strep and gave me drugs with no problem. In the States, I would of had to go to the doctors and get tested first. Thank you Italy!
I can't lie and say I did a lot in Sicily because I did not. I really needed to rest and that is what I did. I really enjoyed feeling like a local, being a regular at some restaurants and just wandering around at my leisure. It was much needed! Palermo is not the cleanest place in the world and the men are very forward, but I enjoyed seeing another part of Italy with a different culture despite these reasons. My Sicilian goal was food and I ate A LOT of it!
My Greek/ocean themed room at my B&B.
Botanical Garden
I love bruschetta!
Best lasagna I have ever had!
Lightening storm one night in Palermo.
Maximus Theatre
I was lucky enough to meet Andrea who stayed at the same B&B that I did. Great guy from Milan that was in town for a wedding. We bonded over football of course and he told me that I had the knowledge and enthusiasm of an Italian. Big compliment for me! We had a nice time chatting, comparing our different cultures and stereotypes and wandering around Palermo a bit. Great friend that I look forward to staying in touch with!
Andrea and I
The highlight of my time in Palermo was definitely my cooking class on August 23, 2013! I found it by contacting visitPalermo.it. I arrived to this beautiful flat and was greeted by two Sicilian sisters, Antonia and Linda. Their kitchen is stunning! Both girls have careers but run a B&B and do Sicilian cooking classes for fun in their spare time. Shortly after, we were joined by 3 people from Ireland on holiday. We all got along very well and had a lot of fun cooking and chatting. I learned how to make fresh ravioli and pasta, tomato sauce and a sardine and onion dish that is typical Sicilian. Such a wonderful morning and lunch. Our food was so delicious! If you are ever in Sicily, do this!
Pistachio dessert for breakfast.
Making pasta!
Hardest part of cooking for me, dismembering sardines... YUCK!
Simple but delicious tomato sauce.
Eggplant, potato and ricotta salata stuffing for our raviolis.
The finished raviolis!
Frying up the sardines.
Sardine and onion dish.
Wine with every Italian meal!
My 2 favorite Sicilian sisters and chefs!
After my cooking class, I met up with Meg, a new friend from Australia. I was walking back to my B&B and she looked very lost, so I stopped to try to help her a previous night. I was of no help at all, but we did run into each other another time in the day and decided to hang out. She met up with me at the train station on this day and we went to Cefalú which is a city about an hour away from Palermo. It was a very beautiful place and I wish I had stayed there instead of Palermo! We really enjoyed walking around, having a nice lunch, gelato and sitting by the water. It was really great to make a friend and do this together. We met up the day after as well for more pasta and gelato. When in Italy...
Meg and I
I enjoyed my time in Palermo, but I was definitely ready to get going. Great experience and a lot of good memories! Great food, new friends... Perfetto!
Cannoli for breakfast at the airport!
Freshened up and proud to be an American with a passport that can get me into a lot of countries!
Goodbye Sicily!
"I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians".
-Elton John
No comments:
Post a Comment