TRAVEL WOES

Everyone has their stories about travel woes.  Well, today I have a woe.  I arrived at the airport in Catania in plenty of time for my 10 a.m. flight, only to discover that the airport was closed!!!!  Three days ago, I passed this airport on my way to Noto, and I saw a plane land here.  I guess they closed up shop yesterday.  They’re apparently doing some repair work on the runways, and they are bussing passengers to another airport for flight departures. 

I supposedly received an email advising me to arrive at the airport at 7 a.m. today, but I can’t find any such email.  And, of course, I got no refund and had to purchase a ticket for twice as much as I paid for the original.  If that isn’t woeful enough, I now had to fly through Rome to get to my destination, Bari, Puglia.  I had a direct, one hour flight and now I had one stop in Rome and 3 ½ hours of travel time, plus  4 ½ hours of waiting time at the terminal until I could catch the bus that took us to the military airport being temporarily used.

To top off this tale of travel woes, I finally arrived in Bari, but my luggage didn’t.  The only good news is that I had put my clean clothes and my medications in my carry-on, so I at least have something to wear, but, alas, no toothbrush! 

I’m sure many of you have travel stories that would make more tiny violins sing than this one does…..but it’s over and I move on. 

My Italian friends here have invited me to stay with them until I leave for Thailand.  They are extremely generous and gracious people, and I think I will accept their offer.  It will be wonderful to be with people rather than alone, and I will get lots of practice speaking Italian!

MODICA: TWEREN'T NO NOTO

I debated how to spend my last day in Sicily.  I thought about going back to Siracusa to see some things I had missed, or back to Noto just to enjoy its beauty once more, but some urge drew me to a drive through the Sicilian countryside.  I thought I’d take a quick look at a couple of other towns that are known for their Baroque architecture (like I didn’t get enough in Noto!).   So I drove around the countryside for a while, and I wish my mother could have been with me.  I think she would have really enjoyed this beautiful and varied landscape with its stone walls along the roadside and marking off territory, as well as seeing how farming is done here.  I saw my first cows today.  I haven’t seen many animal herds…..only a flock of sheep a few days ago.

I spent more time than I wanted to in an ugly seaside town, mostly trying to find my way out, and then wended my way to Modica, one of the eight towns in this area destroyed by that earthquake and rebuilt.  I had put the address of a museum I really didn’t want to visit in my navigator, because I thought it would take me to the area of town that I wanted to see.  When I thought I might be there, I took the first parking spot I could find and started walking.  And I got lucky.  The churches I wanted to see where close by, and there wasn’t really much else listed as sights to see.

Modica doesn’t hold a candle to Noto.  It has a totally different feel to it.  For example, here are the churches I saw…..

              Ho hum.

         

               Ditto.

This one was pretty impressive.  I tried to go in but the doors were locked.

There’s an upper Modica and a lower Modica, and, as you can see from this picture, I was in Modica Basso.

Some other shots I took will give you a feel for the difference between this place and the more elegant Noto.

      A pretty nice clock tower.

                                         A small palace.

Most of the buildings look like they could use a good washing.

And a few balconies had these amusing adornments below them.  

It was close to lunch time when I arrived, and I was checking out restaurants as I wandered the streets.  There really weren't many restaurants….mostly cafes and bars.  I saw a place called an osteria…..I wasn’t sure what an osteria was, but have since learned that it’s the equivalent of an American tavern.   .

       It was a pretty nice tavern.

               I ordered this dish from the menu.  (Yes, I ate a bunny!)

      

 And this is what was delivered to me. 

I hadn’t noticed that the potatoes in the dish were actually French fries, which I thought was kind of strange.  I think some roasted or boiled potatoes would have been a better fit for the dish, but I was delighted with the flavor combination.  It was really delicious.  

On the way back to my car, I noticed a museum and went to investigate.  There were some pretty neat things on display.  

At the entrance was this clock that was somehow run with water.

        This was a really beautiful sculpture at the bottom of the stairway.

And on the way up, more interesting pieces…

When I arrived at the top of the stairs and moved toward a room that seemed to have an exhibit, I was stopped by a man who advised me that they museum closed until 4 p.m.  They might want to consider closing the doors if they don’t want people wandering in.

I've seen this symbol all over Sicily.  It's called the triskelion and it's in the center of the flag of Sicily.  In the middle is the winged head of Medusa and three wheat ears.  The three bent legs allegedly represent the triangular shape of the island itself.

This road sign made me laugh....wouldn't you just love to live in Frigintini?!

When I got back to the hotel, I took a long walk along the beach and sat for a while just listening to the sound of the waves breaking on shore.  After 5 hours on the road, it eased the driving tension.  If my navigator were a real person, I’d be giving her a big hug for guiding me through the confusing streets of these Italian cities.  I would never have attempted it without her!

NOTO: BIG ON BAROQUE

Noto is one of the most beautiful Italian cities I’ve seen so far.  It’s not very big—the population is only around 25,000.  Noto was totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt on a different site about 10 kilometers away.  The architects who planned the new city want to create a linear, perfectly proportioned urban center with parallel lines.  The city was divided into three parts by three roads, running east to west, ensuring the constant attention of the sun.  The nobility lived at the top (of course), the clergy in the middle, and the commoners at the bottom.  It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  As you’ll see, Noto is big on baroque, the architectural style popular at the time of its rebuilding.

Noto is close to the sea.  Here’s a shot I took from the end of town where you park and leave your car.  My hotel, which is by the sea, is about 8 kilometers from the city of Noto.

The three main roads that run through Noto are for foot traffic only.  When you enter from the east, you first walk through a park under the umbrella of these dozens of trees that shade the park benches.

Then you go through this arch into the town.

There must be more churches per capita in Noto than anywhere I’ve been so far.  This is the first one I encountered.

Even though it was Sunday morning, there was no service in this church, so I went in and was allowed to take pictures.  Here''s the beautiful altar.

        And one of the side altars.

Several of the buildings on this primary road through Noto had long flights of steps leading up to them.  It gives the city a very regal air.

Across the street from the church was Palazzo Ducezio, which housed a small theater that was quite lovely.  

The ceiling frescos were beautiful.

And I wouldn't mind sitting on that red velvet divan listening to one of the piano concerts which often take place in this elegant setting.

I passed several more churches on my walk down the primary road of Noto, but this cathedral was the most majestic.  There was a service taking place, so I wasn't able to take any pictures inside.

I went up a side street to the Palazzo Nicolacio and took the 4 euro tour.  This palace was built by a Sicilian family that pretty much bought its royal title with lire made from tuna fishing.   My favorite room was the ballroom, where there were some beautiful frescoes.  

This one was on the ceiling in the center of the room.

And I especially liked this violin.

T

he wall panels all around the room looked like this.  It was a very colorful room.

And here's a sampling of the creatures that decorate the bottoms of the balconies of the palace.

After knocking around town for a couple of hours, I decided to stop at a popular café known for its granita and gelato.  I hadn’t seen granita anywhere else, so decided to try it.  If you’ve never had it, it’s basically flavored ice, shaved very fine.  I ordered lemon, and the waiter asked if I would like it with or without brioche.  What an odd pairing—granita and brioche.  I said yes, of course....delicioso!

On the way back to my car, I passed some street entertainers.

          Playing with fire.

         

            Above it all.

And women in white.  I've seen this often in Italy....people who dress in costume and sit or stand like statues.  It's usually a one-person act.  This is the first time I've seen a group doing this.  Of course, they accept donations.

There are apparently seven other Baroque towns in this area...all rebuilt after that big quake, but Noto is the best known.  And it's very photogenic.  I took 75 shots today.  

One thing I found very strange.....today it's 75 degrees, but everyone was dressed like we do during fall in Michigan.  Blacks, browns, dark blues...sweaters, jackets, boots.  I felt very out of place wearing capri pants and a blouse.  But I wasn't cold at all.  It gets as hot as 120 degrees here in August, so maybe 75 feels like winter to these Sicilians.    

Tomorrow, I might go in search of the ruins of the original Noto, or maybe back to Siracusa to see more of what's there.

THE AGONY AND ECSTACY

You're likely aware that gas costs more here than in the U.S., but the first time you top your tank, you really FEEL the difference.  I still had a quarter of a tank left in the little Peugeot I’ve been driving, and it cost me 70 euro—that’s $90 U.S—to fill up.  Yikes!  That means a full tank would be about $120!  Make sure you consider that if you plan a driving trip around Europe. 

For the last two days, I couldn’t connect to the Internet.  I haven’t been able to listen to NPR or stream a movie through Youtube or check out apartments in Thailand.  I can access my email through my Smartphone, but since my Smartphone only writes in Italian, I can’t answer emails to U.S. friends and family.  

 I didn’t know whether the connectivity problem was with my computer or with my mobile internet device.  So I went back to the café I had found in Linguaglossa to see if I could get the Internet through their Wifi.  Then I at least would know which one needed fixing--maybe.   I wanted to call my computer genius consultant, Ethan, because he can fix anything, but I didn’t think he would be able to  remotely access of my computer from Washington, D.C.   

There was a slew of traffic going into Linguaglossa, and I wondered why.  On the edge of town, there is a flower shop, and business was booming there.  I got lucky and found a parking place near the café, and over a cup of wonderful cappuccino, I learned that the problem was with the mobile internet device, not my computer.  I was happy about that.  I saw an electric shop that had the name of my internet/phone carrier on its sign, so I headed there to see if anyone could troubleshoot my device.  The store owner spoke no English, but I used my two forms of Italian—elementary speech and gestures—and we were able to communicate.  He couldn’t help me, but directed me to a store where he thought I might get assistance.  That store was closed.  As I was standing there looking for a sign with the store hours on it, an elderly (older than me) man came up to me and started talking to me in Italian.  Again, basic communication occurred.  He wanted to tell me that the shop was closed because it was a holiday—All Saints Day.  I couldn’t get beyond that with him to find out the significance of the day.  But I did understand that the shop wouldn’t open that day.  Domani.

So I headed back to my car, which was parked across the street from the electric shop.  The owner of the shop was standing outside on the sidewalk with another man, who started yelling “hello” at me, in English, and gesturing for me to come across the street.  I didn’t know who this man was and never really found out.  He spoke  English quite well and told me that the store owner told him that I was having computer problems, and he wondered if he could help me.  He wasn’t able to, but what a Good Samaritan.  There are angels everywhere.  I was able to learn from him that All Saints Day is a day for honoring the dead—that’s why people were buying all those flowers—to put them on graves in the cemetery.

I left town and headed for Piedimonte Etneo to pick up a few groceries before everything closed down for the day.  I have been going to this particular fruit and vegetable vendor since I’ve been here.  He is such a sweet guy.  When I start to check out anything in particular, he comes over and picks out the best of the lot for me.  I saw some really good looking strawberries, so I picked up a box.  He put the one I picked out back, then went over to check all the boxes and brought another one back that he had heaped up with extra strawberries.  He always throws something extra in my bag—usually apples—each time I go there.  The first time I stopped there, the day I arrived—I asked his wife where I could find a grocery store.  She was trying to give me directions, but I couldn’t understand.  So she got in the car with me and showed me where it was, a few blocks away, and then walked back to their shop.  What a nice couple.   I told her husband I was leaving in a couple of days, and he gave me a big hug, kissed both my cheeks, European style, and told me he hoped I would return. 

When I got back to my apartment, I called my internet carrier to see if they could tell me where I could go to get some help with my mobile device.  I learned that the problem was that I didn’t have enough money in my account to cover the next month.  So I went back into town to the Tabacci (that store where you buy bus and train tickets, add money to your phone or internet accounts, buy cigarettes, etc.) and added money to my account.  I had done this with my phone a couple of weeks ago, and I received a message shortly afterward on my phone and it was reactivated quickly.  That didn’t happen with my internet service.  So I called again.  This is a painful process, because I hate phone menus anyway, but when they’re in Italian, it’s just a roll of the dice whether I get to the right department, and sometimes you get someone who can speak English and sometimes you don’t.  And this time I got someone who said she could speak English, but she didn’t understand it very well.  After a very frustrating 15 minutes, I understood that I wasn’t going to get internet service until November 6.  It has something to do with the promotion I apparently signed up for (without being told I was), and even if I was willing to pay some extra euro, I can’t get service.  At least, that’s what I think the woman said.  I’m not sure she understood anything I said. 

Fortunately, I moved to Noto today, where I’m staying in a small hotel across from the beach, and they have free Wifi.  So I’m okay until next Tuesday, when I’ll be able to use my mobile device again.  For the first time since I’ve been here, I got on the autostrade and didn’t lose it.  It brought me almost all the way to my hotel.  I discovered that my very Smart Phone has a talking navigator.  While this phone can’t write in English, it can speak in English.  Sometimes things work out better than you expect!  It’s a good thing I made that discovery today, because once I got off the autostrade, I’m very sure I couldn’t have found this hotel on my own.  

After I got here, I had lunch at a restaurant right in front of my hotel.  I had the most deliciously simple salad with shrimp, arugula, artichokes and shavings of parmesan cheese.  I didn’t even mind paying the extra 4 euro for water and my table service!

I thought I was going to have a view of the sea here, but instead this is what I see out my window….

Sometimes things don’t work out the way you expect them to.

But, when I walk across the street, here’s what I see….

 I took a walk along the beach road just to see what was around.  I could find only two restaurants within walking distance.  I had eaten my lunch at one, so I went into the other one to check out their menu.  I've been wanting to try this sardine dish that my friend Maria told me about.  There weren't any sardine dishes listed in the fish section, but the gentleman who was showing me the menu got on the phone, and next thing I know he's ordering sardines so that they can make this dish for me.  I'm telling you, these Sicilians are angels.  They extend themselves so generously to help you or to make your stay here more enjoyable.  Even if I don't love the sardine dish, I'll love it.