To say the opportunity to be a tour leader at the end of three
seasons, in a place as wild and amazing as Sicily was Absolutely
FANTASTIC would be a terrible understatement. Sicily was not only life
changing but Life Affirming. 10 days in the wilds, scrambling to learn
as much as I could, help as much as I was able, and to ride almost every
day and I am back at the Farm feeling charged, excited and refreshed
for something maybe a little different next year. On we go...for now
here are just a handful of the 820 pictures I took...
Here is the big Picture...minus the drive to the ferry boat in Napoli
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| cruise ship to the right Ferry boat to the left...and the differences dont stop there. |
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| dock side aperativo |
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| 6am in Palermo |
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| real gold in the mosaics |
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| southern fruit, prickly pears, persimmons, citrus... |
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| "welcome drink" |
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| take note of the large bowl of sangria in the background... |
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| first dinner |
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| late nite stolen left over sangria |
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| sangria in bed makes a fella happy... OCCHIO LA TENDA! |
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| Castellammare Del Golfo |
The Cast of Characters
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| Enrico Del Sant Antonio |
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| Marco "The Local" |
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| Eliza GreenCloud Meherigirgi |
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| the monuments of Segesta |
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| ergonomic seating |
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| the hardcore 5 lead by Lisa followed by Me..."and a little rain never hurt no one" |
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| leaving hell... |
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| Ladies and Gentlemen, San Vito Lo Capo |
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| the first of many many many squid salads. |
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| the Ron Jeremys of canolo... |
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| San Vito lo Capo at night... |
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| and the very FIRST thing in the morning... |
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| abandoned quarry |
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| tuna fishery hotel and museum |
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| yeah... |
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| Sicilian barbed wire... |
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| Trapani waterfront |
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| two nights in Trapani mean a few things, laundry, a good night sleep, a meal alone, and a loop ride up this friggen mountain Erice. |
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| from almost the top |
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| from the top. This mountain is so big and alone we could see it for the next days ride, a distant reminder of the hill echoing through legs |
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| dinner alone with the locals |
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| fishy couscous is the local fav... |
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| tour of a 500 year old Arab built (and still run by the descendants of) salt drying facility, still harvested out by hand, dries under clay tiles, and pumped out with the wind. |
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| a perfect place to wash bikes in Marsala |
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| more food! this is just the appetizers! |
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| last dinner for the short version of the tour |
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| and a random grandpa birthday |
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| OCCHIO! |
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| waiting for clients at an impromptu carnival |
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| I could not believe how much Sicily looks like southern California. Parts of the coast for sure, but even inland where valleys looked like San Barnadino in the 40's with olives and oranges, cactus and dry chaparral as far as you could see. |
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| abandoned site in Selinunte where rocks were carved out to build the nearby temples. In the 6th century BC! |
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| the acropolis at Selinunte |
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| off alone marking the days route |
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| stolen persimmons... |
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| Sciacca (pronounced Shakka) |
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| we climbed up and over that mountain |
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| along the ridge |
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| made some encouraging new friends |
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| had another big lunch in Caltabellotta, roast pork leg, after the pasta and apps of course! |
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| way down below after lunch, zoom in you can see the city we ate lunch at... |
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| last nite in Sciacca |
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| last ride into Agrigento |
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| tell me that's not LA in the 30's and 40's |
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| one big twisty ride over and we coast to the final dinner... |
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| bikes loaded as they came in... |
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| more squid! |
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| and pasta, and fish, and desert...it was a fabulous meal! |
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| then someone had the idea to get in the bumper cars at the carnival across the street |
The end of the tour found us after a huge dinner, a few glasses of vino and across the street from a carnival. Tokens were bought by a client with an amazing hearty laugh and we all climbed aboard, some two up, and roared through 20 minutes of giggles, cackles, and slamming into one another in undersized bumper cars. Unfortunately blogger is having a hard time adding my video, so you will just have to imagine it...
We parted ways and Lisa and Enrico and I headed out to check out some smaller towns, a secluded beach to swim, and stay again at the Agritourismo we had such a good time at. Peaceful does not describe how amazing it was. Rested we headed out the next day, after dinner with the owner of the place and started to head towards Palermo to catch the ferry back to Napoli overnight and drive to the Farm. It was a long couple days of travel at the end but well worth it to be back at "home" and rested for the last week of the season.
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| found road porn and DJ Eric |
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| a lazy afternoon with Tobias... |
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| evening passagiatta with the doggies |
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| Corleone, home of the mafia |
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| Palermo drivers, the worst in the world! |
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Excerpt from my journal while sitting at the agritourismo with Tobias on my feet, Enrico asleep and Lisa writing post cards in the quiet:
wind flicker silver green leaves
sleeping dogs strewn about
smile of memory
jasmine blossoms close on vine
last hour of light
coming low through olive trees
birds dart quick for supper
stretch and yawn sunday
at the very tail end of summer
whisper wind through pine and palm
is it luck?
is there a plan?
who do I thank for this opportunity? and can I send a postcard?
the coast reaches inland
hills darken, shadows long
dogs stretch out again
and move to warmer ground
cats emerge from a cracked door
closure? on a day like this?
after a summer like this?
slowing down for a day
reflections of a Sicilian sunday.
Thats all she wrote for a while folks....see you soon.
S.
