April 10, 2023
Day 54: Rest Day in Palermo
A Lazy day
Not much to report about today, we have our breakfast in the hotel and take it easy. The location of the hotel is centered perfect to walk to nearby attractions in any direction and close to the street market.
Midmorning we go to the Cataldo Church and the large fountain nearby it. There are a lot of churches and palaces in Palermo that tourists can visit. Many tourists and groups seem to be on a circuit trying to hit them all. Every one of them has a curtain across the entry door and a person at a little desk next to it taking your money. Why should a catholic boy have to pay to get into a catholic church….? Anyway, we decide we really so want to see the Cataldo Church, and even though it is small it is a very interesting structure.
We walk again back and forth down the main pedestrian shopping street checking out restaurants for tonight. Most are a little too swanky for us, plus the (sometimes hidden) “coperto” charge to sit down rubs us a little wrong. We end up back at the market near our hotel and have spaghetti with clams and mussels. Patrick must have rubbed the waiter wrong because he only has about half the seafood Rachel gets on her plate. Fortunately for Patrick, Rachel shares.
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Next we walk to the Palace to see its beautiful painted interior. After walking all around it we find that the old entrance at the back side is no longer used. There is now a “new entrance” on the opposite side. We already walked past the ticket kiosk but didn’t notice because today is a holiday and the palace is closed…..So much for that.
Palermo has a lot to offer being an old Italian city of course it is going to have beautiful buildings, statues, fountains and such. It also has narrow alleys where people live four or five high in little apartments, windows that never get direct sunlight and laundry hanging from every balcony. Makes for some nice photos, but we could not imagine living in a dwelling like that. The alleys are full of trash, traffic noise and funky odors. People seem to have mastered the art of never-ever making eye contact and walking as if you are going to roll over anything in your way without even seeing it, then at the last moment change course to avoid the collision if the other party plays the same game.
We are ready to move on.
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I miss seeing you at Genesis. Trish
1 year ago
Tell everyone hello!
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