Sorry for the delay in getting new posts on the blog.  The challenges of establishing internet connectivity has been a bit difficult to say the least.

Off the ferry and onto the island of Sicily.  I had been told and had read of the horrors of driving through Messina once you arrived here.  Huh???  It was a piece of cake.  No crowds.  No traffic.  No problems.  We entered the autostrad which parallels the northern coast of Sicily and in just under 2 hours arrived in the small town of Cefalu.  This is to be our home for the next couple weeks thanks to the wonderful generosity of our friend Jerry in Houston.  Thanks!  The wonderful caretaker, Anna, introduced us to the house, the function of the shuttered windows and doors, and how to work the heaters.  Quick, empty the car and find a bottle of wine to open so we can watch the sunset over the Mediterranean from the patio in the front yard.

The large part of the adventure of this trip, since we are not “hoteling” it, is getting to know each new location or town.   Each one presents new challenges with how to get up to speed with the necessities of everyday life.  Where is the grocery store?  How do I get there?  Where do I park the car??  After the stint in the north on the shore of Lake Como the change to Cefalu has left a great part of ‘tourist Italy’ behind.  This is some of the experience we are looking for.  What is really like to live in Italy?  Each day presents a new hurdle and the enjoyment/frustration of trying to solve it.

Cefalu is divided into two distinctly different portions; the older historic town and the more modern part of town.  The overriding control on everyday life is the auto and what to do with it when you get into town.  You have to understand that this town was not built for automobile ownership.  The old part of town predates cars by 500 years at least.  Now that many people own cars there is little that was built to accommodate parking them.  As a result, the resident population and everybody who comes into town must park somewhere along the narrow streets.  First job upon entering town is finding a parking spot and then walking to where you want to go.

Here are some tastes of our resident town, the historic fortress just outside of town and a visit to a neighboring town of Castelbuono higher up in the beautiful scenic land further inland.

The night scene in the historic portion of Cefalu.

A nice quiet little piazza

This was happy hour munchies. We will be passing on dinner as a result.

We have never seen this tree before and have no idea what species it is. Sure has pretty flowers though. Also comes in white and yellow.

Fresh fish available on the street corner. Now that is handy!

The late afternoon and early evening relaxation in town.

Apparently my youngest daughter, Alessandra Grace, has been here before me.

Views of the Mediterranean from atop the fortress rock.

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Goats instead of lawn mowers.

Looking down onto town from the fortress.

Has his scarf and hat. So fashionable.

Wash day in old town.

Is it just me or is the pink watch band too much??

The Cefalu cathedral interior.

The side altar.

Bartering for eggplant at the street market.

Markets are very popular businesses.

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Different town. Same afternoon scene.

We found some extremely old olive groves on the drive back to the house.

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Some of the geology scenery just south of our town.

You can see the walls and the fortress on the right side and Cefalu down below to the left.