ROAD TRIP: EASTERN SICILY

We rented a car and left Palermo and went directly to Piazza Amerina. A town in the interior of the island. A very nice town with an Old City. So old, that one of the streets I drove down, I could not get through the narrow road. I was stuck. An Italian who was driving on the cross street stopped his car and helped me back all the way out to the next turn street. Lewis could not get out of the car, because he could not open his door. There was a parked car and steps that jotted out into the road that I had to avoid. Let me tell you, it was hair raising. Having made it out of the predicament I had found myself, the only smart thing was to leave the Old City and find a place to have a drink and some eats. But what I needed the most was something to drink to cut the edge. Which in fact we found drinks and some wonderful food.

Now on to Syracusa. A really big, gentrified city. We stayed on the Island, Ortigia. It is where the old town is located. It is a lovely town with a lot of good shopping. We went on a tour of Syracusa and went to the u. There you will find the Teatro Greco, a theatre that was built by the Greeks in the 5th Century BCE. The structure was fascinating because it was built out of one piece of rock. There was also Roman ruins in the same park and caves that were as residences.

We stayed on the Island of Ortigia and drove out to Scicily and Noto. Scicily was a very old town and was worth a short visit. Noto was a town worthy of a day or two. Noto had more castles that people still live in, then I have ever seen any where else. We took a small choochoo around town. Go figure.

We are now in Taormina, the Amalfi Coast of Sicily. The town is bigger and more ritzy than the Almalfi coast. But the beach is really far. So far that it has a Gondola to get you to the beach. So either you stay in the city or at the beach. We chose the beach. Our hotel is right on the beach, through a cave. A very large cave. They also supply a shuttle to the city. Best of both worlds. Especially, because we wanted to mellow out. How much site seeing and shopping can one person do?

Once we get back to Palermo we will have a couple of days to prepare to leave for Istanbul. I have no idea what it will be like there. All I know for sure is that it is going to be cold and I can finally use all my warm weather cloths that I have been dragging along with me all these months.

So onward ho I go. I am enjoying life and not overly worrying about my health. My health is what it is and any worrying that I do will not change the prognosis. If I feel something is not right health wise, I go home. I have done that 2 times already. But traveling is well worth the effort. Enjoy your life, make the most of it! Do something for yourself every day. Life is not merely surviving!!!!