Sicily

From Malta we jumped to Sicily, a massive 35 minutes away by plane. We really want to experience countries further afield, but alas for now, at least whilst this orange twit is causing flight issues long haul, we are going to keep to Europe and explore a few places of interest. I remembered far too late that Sicily belongs to Italy, slight glitch in the old memory bank there, but still, we love Italy, so why not visit its islands?

Sicily. We have only a short time here, just enough to sample its delights and decide whether or not it is an Island that requires further investigation. We flew into Catania, and first impressions were not good. From the bus, and only on the bus route I add, we saw a lot of graffiti, dirty streets, scruffy unkempt buildings, and a lot of derelict property. Not the best start. Saying that, as the bus continued, the scenery just got nicer and nicer. Normally we get from airport to accommodation by Uber or similar, but that`s not happening here with their crazy prices. From Airport to Taormina, around £200, bus £6 (ish). We could also have got there by train, but I am so glad we chose the bus. What we didn`t realise is that Taormina sits at the top of a huge hill. The train would have pulled into the station at the bottom, and we would still have faced either a crazy hike, expensive taxi, or local bus. The bus we were on climbed to the very top of this hill, wending its way up the hillside with a series of hairpin turns. Reaching such turns, if any car driver spotted the bus they automatically changed roads sides to allow the bus the extra road width. Such a neat effective road manoeuvre. On reaching the summit and the town, our little b&b was just a hop step and a jump away. Mr B was still feeling a little uncomfortable so the short walk was appreciated.

Taormina. A cruise port, hence our first thoughts that it was going to be a portside town, not a hilltop destination. Happy to say we were delighted that there were no cruise ships docked today as Taormina is just the prettiest little town, narrow streets, tiny shops, cobbled walkways, and peaceful coffee shops. The first evening we did not walk too far, as we are learning that travel days are just exhausting and we are at our best in a morning, not after a day of travel. Breakfast, provided by our host, such a lovely woman who wittered away constantly without taking a breath, all in Italian, but including the occasional word in English, followed lots of Si? Si ! Si?? We have no idea what she was saying, but she seemed happy enough with our limited positive responses. Other guests included a little boy and his dad, who were Italian/Spanish, and a Spanish Volcanologist who intimated that while she spoke broken English, she had clearly no desire to speak to us. Such a strange young woman, and the only person we have known to bring their own breakfast food to a dining room ignoring any provisions supplied by the host. We had every intention of visiting the ancient Amphitheatre of Taormina that morning, but as we got closer it appeared that every school year group from every school in the area had plans to go there as well. So many children! Not just children either, clearly whilst not cruise tourists, there were plenty of other tour groups. We gave it a swerve with the thoughts that it would probably be a lot quieter later in the day. At 4pm we tried again, and were rewarded by one of the best theatre views we have had in a long time. We sat for so long just looking down onto the town, from the ancient seating. What a spectacular setting for any modern outdoor show, with its new stage and wooden decks, this ancient theatre is clearly still being used to good effect. At the very top of the seating rows I spotted this bronze statue of a woman, nobody was paying it any attention, nobody standing around admiring it, it was just there, in an odd place. I failed to take its picture as well, nude women even stationary bronze ones don`t turn my head. Even Mr Bunny did not notice it. If you fancy reading a highly convoluted and exceptionally boring statement about this statue, google Taormina bronze statue. Download at bedtime for a sure fire way of sending yourself to sleep. Despite this naked woman having its old world tour, it now stands largely ignored at the top of the amphitheatre. What an odd concept. Taormina is a very pretty little town, a few hours is plenty, but avoid at all cost if a cruise liner is parked nearby.

Another magnificent sight from Taormina, is the volcano, Etna. Standing in the distance, covered in snow, this still active volcano is quite an impressive sight. With more time we may have ventured to take a trip for a closer look.

Cefalu, pronouncing the ch as the ch in cheese, a loo. ch ef a loo. From the top of the hill in Taormina we got an overpriced taxi to the train station, £12 for 10 minutes downhill, then caught a train to Messina, what a nice train ride that was, then another train from Messina to Cefalu. Whilst the train ride was so scenic, the fight to leave the train was an uncomfortable and scary process. We were mobbed, almost literally. The station on arrival was packed with people, the train slowed, the crowd surged towards the doors and onto the train the second the doors opened. Once more I was rather proud of Mr Bunny standing his ground, and facing off this aggressive, in your face Italian, as he tried to help not just the elderly woman with 2 small suitcases in front of him, but also Mrs Bunny with a chunky backpack of her own. The crowd were appallingly rude. Italians you should be ashamed of yourselves.

The town of Cefalu would be best described as the locals beachside destination. We arrived on a weekend, and the beach and town were both very crowded. Not even that warm either. On a hot summers day I imagine this little town would be very, very busy. It is a medieval town with high walls, cobbled streets and quirky old stone buildings. In the centre the duomo sits proud. Whilst not overly interested in yet another church building, this time we had a genuine excuse for not going in. Shorts. Neither of us are crass enough to commit the faux pas of entering a religious building, on a Sunday, in shorts.

There were a lot of interesting people wandering the streets of Cefalu, tourists, locals, biker groups of both varieties, and even a young guy and his cockatoo. We did a double take when they walked passed us.

At the end of the day, there is obvious chaos at one particular junction. It must gridlock, and a very nice traffic policeman was there to guide the traffic. But the numpty who decided said traffic cop needed a whistle, wants shooting!!! Like a kid with a new toy, he blew that damn whistle for almost two hours, and our apartment? right above. So grateful that the most wonderful supermarket stood a stones throw away, giving us a reason to escape the noise, and source some alternative food options. Rotisserie chicken, roast potatoes with butter, sweet corn, and fresh bread. I know we are in Italy, and pasta rules, but you cant beat a good chicken with a frying pan....or can you?

Palermo

Another lovely train ride, not quite hugging the coast as much this time but still very scenic, we travelled to our last destination on Sicily, Palermo. The railway station at Palermo is a scene of bustle and chaos, with taxis hassling you for fares, buses everywhere, bikes, scooters and crazy traffic. We knew our room wasn`t too far out of town, but it was far enough to make a walk difficult and tiring. Get an Uber. Ha! That`s easier said than done. Whilst Uber is available, the drivers are just not interested in small fares. Now, choose Uber Black and it`s take your pick. Uber Black? Luxury vehicles, large Mercedes Vito type cars, smart drivers and equally smart prices. This wasn`t going to be our first time of experiencing these overpriced fares. This 10minute journey cost us around £20. Not for the first time we were grateful for the precise location drop off in a cab. Pitching the two bunnies out of his bunny buggy in front of a high rise building with its supermarker, at the bottom of a scruffy side street, the Italian driver called to a passer by, Hotel x? Si Si!! There ! if walking alone, these bunnies would have sworn our google map was wrong on every level. Mr Bunny with his highly developed waffly nose that only a bunny can have, quickly sniffed out the tiny little sign next to a door saying Aurora. That was us. Oh heavens, yet another tiny box type lift. Mrs Bunny is entirely grateful that her lifelong fear of lifts abated some time ago, as we were on floor 6, with a staircase that Led Zeppelin sang about. Two fat bunnies and two even fatter bags, and that tiny lift was stuffed. At the top, we alighted, and were given the keys to our best room yet. I have no idea why we were so happy in that particular room, but we were. Maybe its the fact that our previous bunny hutch, whilst perfectly lovely, did have the worst beds ever, and these new ones were deliciously comfortable. The room was simply decorated, we had a kettle, cups, air con, all the usual stuff, and a big window that looked out onto the communal terrace (but we were the only guests). The weather was glorious, the sun warm, the breeze pleasant, the view pretty decent, we both just sank into blissful relaxation mode, and the town of Palermo will be there for another day...or not. Did we ever make it into Palermo? No, we did didnt. Do we feel like we missed out on anything? No. Sometimes doing nothing, is doing something. From that 6th floor rooftop balcony, with its superbly organised and impeccably clean shared (ours) kitchen, we bought food from the supermarket, and relaxed with Mr Bunnies home cooked food like two bunnies should now and again.

Our last expensive taxi to town, a train to the airport, and it was goodbye Sicily.

Would we come back? Not entirely sure that we would. Whilst we only had a few interactions, we have spent enough time in Italy to get a feel of what we like and what we do not. I think my own personal opinion of Sicily, and writing this from Sardinia and hindsight, I think gritty is a word I would describe Sicily. We thank you for your hospitality, and bid good you Arrivederci!