We decided to travel an hour to the west to the ‘big city’ of Palermo in order to purchase something that would allow us to get online.  The challenge is caused by a weak cell signal at the house which does not allow for downloading files in a timely manner.   Traffic in the central portion of Palermo is controlled chaos.  There are almost no traffic signals to stem the flow of cars into and out of intersections that sometimes have three or four streets entering.  On top of that we spent an hour in the Vodafone store front, aided by the nicest guy who had lived in New York for 14 years and spoke perfect English and could act as an intermediary for us.  The store attendant was extremely helpful and try as she would, the VF folks would not accept our credit or debit cards for some unexplained reason.  As Laura wrestled with the internet monster I sat for the most part in the car, double parked along with many others on a very busy main street and watched the everyday interactions in this stream of life.  The first two images capture the total difference with how the typical city in the States works.  It is interesting that the traffic makeup is different than it was in Milan.  In Milan the number of motorcycles and bicycles make up a large portion of the commuting.  In Palermo the auto is king by far.

After throwing in the towel with regard to the internet we did walk a bit through a part of the city before we headed to the town of Monreale about 5 miles away.  The main attraction here is the Santa Maria la Nuova cathedral and its interior which is adorned with what is regarded as the world’s best preserved mosaic art works.  The cathedral was built between 1174 and 1189.  We will be visiting this building again in a week or so when my niece arrives to stay with us.

Motorized wheelchair out in traffic and moving along.

Delivering the beef to a shop from a truck parked out in the street.

Either Cabela’s is going to open a new store or they are useful for keeping the pigeons away.

These beautiful statuary were on each of the four corners of the intersection.

As always another church to step into and admire.

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This church was set in a large piazza in the city which gave it a bit of quiet in the hectic-ness that surrounded it.

The central nave was much less decorated.

The repeated domes on the side aisles let in some wonderful light.

These are made by Vespa! Maybe we could air condition them and import to Houston.

The following photos are of the cathedral in Monreale.

The mosaic artwork from the late 1100’s.

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Confessionals along the side wall.

The interior courtyard of the cloister.

The end of the building is narrower than the butt end of a smart car! And keep in mind that the walls are probably 10 inches thick on each side.