May 2:  Palermo

Starting a little slow due to the jet lag but determined to see the city, a walk around the neighborhood for a couple of hours in the sunny warm (80 degrees) air refreshed the body and started the time adjustment period.  Of course the cappuccino and a chocolate croissant for breakfast helped also!  Oh there was the healthy yogurt, scrambled eggs and ham to keep the protein in check!!

First on the list of things to do was to find the telephone store and get the smartphone operating.  Next was to buy some bottled water – then it was on to the sightseeing.  The city of Palermo, like most large cities, has a sightseeing bus that twists and turns around the city with an interpreter explaining what one is looking at.  An ancient city with a great deal of its original city wall still intact, Palermo is a mixture of old beautiful Gothic and neoclassical villas, churches, convents, and government building along with the dull and drab Fascist period architecture.  It is also full of traffic and no one wants to be the last one through an intersection even if it means nudging a pedestrian to move a little faster across the street.  Bikes, scooters, cars and buses all vie for the right-a-way and that leaves no room for anyone on foot.  Safest method of crossing a busy street – follow the crowd.  They won’t hit a group!

After a busy morning of sightseeing an afternoon in the park people watching and resting seem like the Italian thing to do!  No need to over extend oneself on the first day. Besides, tomorrow late afternoon the rest of the group arrives from the US and Dario, our guide for the tour, will be “orientating” everyone as to what is to come over the next ten days.

As stated before -- restaurants don't open until the fashionable hour of 8 p.m. so one has to fill the time. The pictures at the bottom define the moment Italian style! Soaking up the local traditions is a must in a foreign country!!

NEXT DAY