Images: World Championship Motocross!; Our "Street" in Pantalemi; SL on our Balcony; Views on our Last Drive in in Sicily.Farewell Sicilia! Sabato May 14
Incredibly, Our two weeks in Sicily have come to an end.
We have walked on the surface of the moon courtesy of Etna, with the charcoal popcorn crunching beneath our feet like the crackle of Rice Krispies. We gazed into her craters. We learned to make macaroni pasta with Mama Rosario. We ate the best pizza in the valley. We hiked mountains. We actually finished an Italian Sunday lunch. We conquered the phone system, and hooked up with the Internet. We learned how to shop. We washed our laundry and hung it in the Sicilian sun to dry, hoping it didn't sail embarrassingly into a farmers field on the sinewy Sirocco wind. We awoke to the sound of orange pickers, and feel asleep to the smell of lemons, jasmine, orange blossoms, and roses.
Last night we went to people-watch at a “bar” in Francovilla. Unbeknownst to us, Francovilla was hosting the 2011 World Championship Moto Cross the next day, so the town was full of competitors from all over the world, as well as thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts come to spectate. SL had a Campari and soda, and I had a Birra Moretti. Our bill? $2.70.
We sat for an hour and watched the hundreds of motorcyclists mingle (sometimes less than amicably) with the locals. It was fascinating. Pete Judge and Brian Layfield would have loved it - bikes of every description imaginable. Today, we took the long drive to Novara di Sicilia. Long drives in the Sicilian countryside are what SL loves to do best. I love to make SL happy, so we set off today for another drive.
It is not that I do not enjoy driving, and I love the scenery, but the challenges inherent in navigating the narrow mountain roads sometimes take priority over soaking in the beautiful countryside. Today, we did it right. We slowed down and stopped often, sometimes just to sit at the edge of the roadway, overlooking mountainsides embroidered with the stitches of the terracing that embraced olive groves or vineyards. Cotton balls of sheep dotted the hills, and of course, Etna presided over all. We wandered through ancient villages that looked like they had not changed in hundreds of years. We found a bar and had a gellato.
I have probably said this about other lands, but SL and I were standing with our arms around each other, and I said, “I think this may be the most beautiful country in the world.”
I have finished “Oh Etna”, my tribute to our volcano. Tonight I sang it for the last time in Sicily and recorded it to send to JB, Sandy, and Klaude, who has challenged me to write a song for every two weeks I am away. Tonight I take my guitar apart and fold it into my suitcase.
We are truly sad to be leaving Sicily.
Oh, Etna, I know you've seen a lot.
Some things make you blue and some things made you hot.
It's sunny in Sicilia, but soon I'm going back,
So tomorrow when I look at you, please don't you be wearing black.
Incredibly, Our two weeks in Sicily have come to an end.
We have walked on the surface of the moon courtesy of Etna, with the charcoal popcorn crunching beneath our feet like the crackle of Rice Krispies. We gazed into her craters. We learned to make macaroni pasta with Mama Rosario. We ate the best pizza in the valley. We hiked mountains. We actually finished an Italian Sunday lunch. We conquered the phone system, and hooked up with the Internet. We learned how to shop. We washed our laundry and hung it in the Sicilian sun to dry, hoping it didn't sail embarrassingly into a farmers field on the sinewy Sirocco wind. We awoke to the sound of orange pickers, and feel asleep to the smell of lemons, jasmine, orange blossoms, and roses.
Last night we went to people-watch at a “bar” in Francovilla. Unbeknownst to us, Francovilla was hosting the 2011 World Championship Moto Cross the next day, so the town was full of competitors from all over the world, as well as thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts come to spectate. SL had a Campari and soda, and I had a Birra Moretti. Our bill? $2.70.
We sat for an hour and watched the hundreds of motorcyclists mingle (sometimes less than amicably) with the locals. It was fascinating. Pete Judge and Brian Layfield would have loved it - bikes of every description imaginable. Today, we took the long drive to Novara di Sicilia. Long drives in the Sicilian countryside are what SL loves to do best. I love to make SL happy, so we set off today for another drive.
It is not that I do not enjoy driving, and I love the scenery, but the challenges inherent in navigating the narrow mountain roads sometimes take priority over soaking in the beautiful countryside. Today, we did it right. We slowed down and stopped often, sometimes just to sit at the edge of the roadway, overlooking mountainsides embroidered with the stitches of the terracing that embraced olive groves or vineyards. Cotton balls of sheep dotted the hills, and of course, Etna presided over all. We wandered through ancient villages that looked like they had not changed in hundreds of years. We found a bar and had a gellato.
I have probably said this about other lands, but SL and I were standing with our arms around each other, and I said, “I think this may be the most beautiful country in the world.”
I have finished “Oh Etna”, my tribute to our volcano. Tonight I sang it for the last time in Sicily and recorded it to send to JB, Sandy, and Klaude, who has challenged me to write a song for every two weeks I am away. Tonight I take my guitar apart and fold it into my suitcase.
We are truly sad to be leaving Sicily.
Oh, Etna, I know you've seen a lot.
Some things make you blue and some things made you hot.
It's sunny in Sicilia, but soon I'm going back,
So tomorrow when I look at you, please don't you be wearing black.
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