Sicilia

I happily waved goodbye to the south of mainland Italy from Reggio  Calabria this morning on the ferry to Sicilia and learned a new italian word from my taxi driver. She drove me from the station the other day to my B & B in Reggio Calabria and I booked her to take me to the ferry this morning. Big air kisses as she dropped me off at the ferry.

The ferry from Reggio Calabria to Messina

I arrived in Messina 40 minutes later and walked up the road to the train station to catch the train to Palermo.

As you have seen in many of my pictures, the drivers of Italy park where and when they want, which makes it a bit difficult when you don't have a clue where you are or where you are going (I stopped and asked a guy on the street 'dove treno stazione per favour?' where is the train station please? On the left, it is a big building. Grazie!!) and the handle on your case has just snapped off so you dumped it in the gutter with the rest of the crap that is in the gutter and am now carrying my handbag strapped across the front of me - where it has been since I left Melbourne, small bag slung over my shoulder and dragging my case by the freaking handle along the road/footpath dodging cars, vespas, people and dog shit! Tomorrow I am going to start dumping crap, if I have to drag my case by the handle through Amalfi and Rome I am only dragging my case, not another bag as well!

I arrived in Palermo, Sicilia late this arv, the guy who owns the B &B picked me up from the station which was very gallant of him -his gallantry cost me 20 euro.

I am staying at a B & B in Palermo, near Teatro Massimo. Breakfast is a tad of a joke but so far I have been very lucky so I am just going to suck it up for these few days. I will find a supermarket tomorrow and stock up on a couple of things and get some fruit from the market in the morning.

I have been for a walk through Capo market this afternoon - and will have another quick look in the morning. I thought I was going to have the mafia after me at one stage already - the B & B doesnt have an iron and I went in search of a travel iron. I found a stall with a couple of irons on them. I picked them up to see how heavy they were, intending on buying the lightest - and the guy at the stall started ranting and raving and telling me with his hand (and Im sure his words) to put the 'ferro' (iron) down!!! He was NOT happy with me! I stuttered a few 'mi dispiace, mi dispiace, mi dispaces' and backed away very slowly! Spewin' because I really wanted an iron!! Will have another go tomorrow!

Capo market late this afternoon

The guy told me what they were called but I can't remember their name, I do remember you cook them in aqua like patata

Also tomorrow I will have a bit more of a look around the city and find the information centre, which according to my map isn't too far away. (But we know by now what I am like with a map) and find out about buses etc to different places. I have a list of places I want to see and I'm hoping to get to as many as I possibly can in the next few days before I move on to the Amalfi coast on the weekend.