Buona Pasquetta

Pasquetta, the Monday after Easter is a holiday here.  Palermo was very quiet on this, my last day.  I did journey to the sea, where if you dip your feet in the water, your sins of the past year are washed away.  Just on the very slim chance that I might have committed one or possibly two, I gave it a try.  It was not easy as I wasn't really on a beach.






I decided to treat myself that night to a good final dinner in Palermo.  I went to Al Cancelletto Verdi, advertised as typical Siciliano cuisine.  (Thanks again Caternina for the recommendation.)  It was good.  Started with bucatini con sarde (sardines) followed by pesce spada. I splurged on a good bottle of vino rosso rather than the house wine.  When I had arrived, the waiter said the place was booked. But, he made a place for me at a table outside.  I then was able to watch him turn away party after party due to fact they had no reservations.



The waiter insisted on a little desert and of course a taste of grappa.  I did manage to find my way back home.

This morning (Tuesday), I packed up, grabbed a taxi to the bus station, planning on taking a bus to Selinunte.  The cab driver wasn't encouraging when I told him what I was up to, and he offered to drive me to Selinunte for a mere 150 euro.  I declined, saying I'd take my chances with the bus.  Big mistake.  I got there, and there must have been more than half a dozen bus companies, with buses lined up all over.  After asking several how I could get to Selinunte, and not figuring out what the answers were, I grabbed another taxi to go to a car rental agency.  The driver knew of one, and when we got there, we found it had relocated.  He took me to the new spot which was an Avis, and dropped me off.  Unfortunately, they were out of cars.  So, I took my bags and walked down to a place I had remembered passing in the last couple days.  They did have a car, and so I rented it for 2 days, and off I went.  It was a good day for driving as it  rained pretty much the whole way to Selinunte.  Well, here I am, and you can pick up the story in the next post.  Ciao

Comments

  1. RoaminForumApril 26, 2011 at 1:47 PM

    Even without beaches, the sea is beautiful from Palermo. I think you might have a "get out of X free" card on any future sin, for all the work you did in getting those feet dipped into the sea on Pasquetta! I also think there is serious risk of grappa withdrawal over that long flight. You may want to make sure someone has an IV drip packed with the stuff as you deboard. Goderti siciliana sud!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LauraApril 26, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    I've seen how those crazy Italians drive over there, and I know how you drive...are we sure it's a good idea for you to be renting a car, unless it comes with a driver. And don't they drive on the wrong side on the road on that side of the world? I'm worried about you behind the wheel of a car. Be very careful and don't focus too hard on your gps. Also, I was thinking, you may want to stop back and dip your feet in the sea one more time just for good measure, maybe even take a whole bath...can never hurt and it may cover you for any sins for the next year too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. NicoApril 27, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    I think you should stay a bit longer . . . of course for selfish reasons, I've been living vicariously through you. I need a couple more courses of food I am having a hard time pronouncing.

    ReplyDelete

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