Sicily

I was pleased to find that there are ferries from Tunisia to Sicily, as it is a place I had wanted to see. The timing was good too, as with the May Day long weekend, Stefanie was able to fly down for a few days. The ferry was almost empty - just seven cars, and one of those was lucky to make it on board, as Tunisian Customs had the driver unpack everything on the ground. I don't know why they had a problem with him exporting 100 pairs of sneakers. Trapani is fine town for a return to Europe. I turned off the ferry ramp directly onto the street, parked and went exploring. While I like Africa, and really enjoyed the travelling there, the cuisine is not the world's finest, so arriving in Sicily is going to the other extreme, it is food heaven.

 

Moon Rise Over Palermo

A torrential downpour delayed Stefanie's flight and filled the streets of Palermo with water. On the first night we stayed at a B&B in Cinisi, close to the airport. The prices are a nice surprise - an excellent pizza at €5, coffee is 70c, cappuciono is €1 - why are we paying €2-3 in Ireland? The best luxury of all is the icecream, and it might be a Sicilian thing, but you can have it served in a brioche or sweet bun. Worth trying - once.

We spent the next couple of nights near the slopes of Mt Etna, which kindly provided a spectacular eruption one night - apparently there had been several already in April. We drove close enough to hear the explosions and could clearly see the flow of lava.

The Trikeles B&B in Giardini Naxos was very good, but hard to find, and the owner had to come and show us the way. €40 included a big breakfast buffet with fruit juices and cold meats. Unfortunately he was full the next night and we moved to the Hotel Astoria in the hilltop town of Taormina - old fashioned and well located, but with the grumpiest owner ever. We were constantly made to feel as if we'd run over their dog on arrival.