Sicily is like a separate country from Italy!
I left for the island on Saturday night to arrive in PALERMO the next afternoon. The train ride was long, but I talked to some Sicilians who were returning to their "terra." They said that Sicily has been conquered by 20 different groups, like the Romans, Normans, and Arabs, so the culture is very mixed - even the language is its own dialect.
Palermo is dirtier and shadier than Napoli, but just as fascinating! Some parts remind me of LA though.
I went to Sicily with Nancy, and the first thing we did was walk to a bar recommended by our hostel owner for ARANCINI and CANNOLI, and GRANITA by the Palermo harbor.
We also walked around to see some sights, like the Palermo CATHEDRAL and THEATER.
Other places we went to were the CATACOMBE dei CAPPUCINI. It was really eerie - there were thousands of bodies lined up on the walls - some still had hair and skin! But it was interesting to see so much death presented in front of me, and to think about the fleeting nature of life, and how we should really cherish the time we have.
There was also the MARKETS; we stopped by VUCCIRIA with lots of clothes, seafood, and antiques, where we had a mixed plate of seafood and grilled and fried eggplants.
We also made it to CEFALU', a cute town by the beach. It was a little cloudy that day so not many people were at the beach but we hung out there anyway, with BRIOCHE FILLED WITH GELATO, MARZIPAN, and CANNOLI. We tried climbing up the ROCCA, where there is a Temple and Castle but it was closed off. We got a nice view of Cefalu' anyway! Later we had pizza at a restaurant by the shore.
The next day was an Italian holiday, but the museums were open! We went to the GALERIA di ARTE MODERNA di Palermo, which was really beautiful. They had a collection of Sicilian art from Neo-Classicism and Romanticism to the "Novecento." We stopped afterwards for Macedonia and Frullati (fruit dishes) and then a final cannolo and a cassata before heading back to the hostel.
After an exciting but nerve-racking episode in which we were locked out of the hostel (unable to pick up our backpacks) and barely made it to the train on time, we were on our way home.
And on the train ride home, I got my purse STOLEN!
...but I got everything back.
It was about 5 AM and the 3 of us in our compartment were all sleeping. I half woke up, to see a man leaving our compartment. I thought it was weird, and then I thought, "WAIT A SECOND!" I looked down to see that my purse was gone. I ran down the hallway, (still half asleep) and at the end saw 3 dudes just standing around. When we told them that someone had taken my purse, one of them seemed to remember something. He looked in the bathroom for a bit then came out with my purse. Luckily I had no money on me, and he didn't even take my camera or Ipod.
It was weird because the entire trip Nancy and I kept talking about how lucky we were to be in Sicily, and to experience living and studying in a place so different; being able to grow in such a different way than we would have if we had stayed at home. We knew we had to always be thankful for life, after seeing the Catacombs, we knew how lucky we were to have caught our train on time, we knew we were lucky to be able to study abroad...and the whole episode of getting my purse stolen and then getting everything back just emphasized all those things...somehow. I don't know if it makes sense. Maybe I'm just thinking this way because I only have 32 days left.
SHUTTERFLY ALBUM di SICILIA
Other things that have been happening:
I took the EXAMS for my Painting and Etching classes. For painting I got a 30 and Etching a 28! I'm relieved now that those are out of the way but I still have Anatomy left!
There was also a SCAVENGER HUNT last week. It was fun to run around Florence looking for things and realizing that I knew where most of them were.
Yesterday was our final Art Advising. Everyone has done such amazing work this year! I'm going to miss Marsha but I'm looking forward to seeing her in LA in August!
Palermo is dirtier and shadier than Napoli, but just as fascinating! Some parts remind me of LA though.
I went to Sicily with Nancy, and the first thing we did was walk to a bar recommended by our hostel owner for ARANCINI and CANNOLI, and GRANITA by the Palermo harbor.
We also walked around to see some sights, like the Palermo CATHEDRAL and THEATER.Other places we went to were the CATACOMBE dei CAPPUCINI. It was really eerie - there were thousands of bodies lined up on the walls - some still had hair and skin! But it was interesting to see so much death presented in front of me, and to think about the fleeting nature of life, and how we should really cherish the time we have.
There was also the MARKETS; we stopped by VUCCIRIA with lots of clothes, seafood, and antiques, where we had a mixed plate of seafood and grilled and fried eggplants.
We also made it to CEFALU', a cute town by the beach. It was a little cloudy that day so not many people were at the beach but we hung out there anyway, with BRIOCHE FILLED WITH GELATO, MARZIPAN, and CANNOLI. We tried climbing up the ROCCA, where there is a Temple and Castle but it was closed off. We got a nice view of Cefalu' anyway! Later we had pizza at a restaurant by the shore.
The next day was an Italian holiday, but the museums were open! We went to the GALERIA di ARTE MODERNA di Palermo, which was really beautiful. They had a collection of Sicilian art from Neo-Classicism and Romanticism to the "Novecento." We stopped afterwards for Macedonia and Frullati (fruit dishes) and then a final cannolo and a cassata before heading back to the hostel.After an exciting but nerve-racking episode in which we were locked out of the hostel (unable to pick up our backpacks) and barely made it to the train on time, we were on our way home.
And on the train ride home, I got my purse STOLEN!
...but I got everything back.
It was about 5 AM and the 3 of us in our compartment were all sleeping. I half woke up, to see a man leaving our compartment. I thought it was weird, and then I thought, "WAIT A SECOND!" I looked down to see that my purse was gone. I ran down the hallway, (still half asleep) and at the end saw 3 dudes just standing around. When we told them that someone had taken my purse, one of them seemed to remember something. He looked in the bathroom for a bit then came out with my purse. Luckily I had no money on me, and he didn't even take my camera or Ipod.
It was weird because the entire trip Nancy and I kept talking about how lucky we were to be in Sicily, and to experience living and studying in a place so different; being able to grow in such a different way than we would have if we had stayed at home. We knew we had to always be thankful for life, after seeing the Catacombs, we knew how lucky we were to have caught our train on time, we knew we were lucky to be able to study abroad...and the whole episode of getting my purse stolen and then getting everything back just emphasized all those things...somehow. I don't know if it makes sense. Maybe I'm just thinking this way because I only have 32 days left.
SHUTTERFLY ALBUM di SICILIA
Other things that have been happening:
I took the EXAMS for my Painting and Etching classes. For painting I got a 30 and Etching a 28! I'm relieved now that those are out of the way but I still have Anatomy left!
There was also a SCAVENGER HUNT last week. It was fun to run around Florence looking for things and realizing that I knew where most of them were.
Yesterday was our final Art Advising. Everyone has done such amazing work this year! I'm going to miss Marsha but I'm looking forward to seeing her in LA in August!
1 comment:
Yea dude Taiwan and Indonesia for missions..I be gone from July 8-28
but other than that..unless I get a job. I should be free the rest of summer..or what's left of it.
haha
are your italy firends live in lb too??
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