It is a truth fervidly imagined that a Spanish man in possession of a large body must be in want of a drink.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering into Sicily, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding businesses, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their beverages.
But back to the beginning.....
Another glorious sunrise. I will not bore you with more sunrise photos. Here is one from our previous evening of romantic mosquito feeding.
We had a minor crisis. Marjan's phone appears to be giving up the ghost. It is our major local communication tool so we had to do a bit of swapping around. After a little googling we have the phone in a bowl of rice, in the hope it is a humidity thing......humidity is the theme.
After breakfast and a load of washing we were off to Segesta. Never heard of it? Well, it was a while ago. We are not 100% certain who founded the city. Well, they were the Elymian people, but were these people fugitive Trojans, runaway Phoenicians or just some local yokels with no proper Greek acknowledged heritage? We may never know. Soon enough though Greeks came along and helped out, as they do. There are some historical grounds for believing the Elymians got involved in some Athenian-Spartan negotiations. At any rate they managed to build a very Greek city on the top of a hill with walls protecting the more gentle slopes to keep uninvited guests at bay. The Agora is a bit of a mess, but the theater is lovely. There were walls that were described as a mosque and a Norman castle, both of which got destroyed by later folks, Muslim and Christian. Down below is also a lovely Doric temple. Apparently it is important that it is 6 by 14 columns. You probably know enough now.....
The drive was relatively uneventful, though Italian drivers are interesting. I particularly love the guys who pass while having a wheel in my lane, also the guys who merge on the assumption that you are doing 180kph and will be well past by the time they push in. My favourite though was the guy flashing his lights and getting close to ramming me......the cause....I was doing the speed limit in a tunnel where he could not pass me.
We aimed to get there by opening time, we were about 15 minutes late, mostly because we arrived at the archaeological park site only to be told that parking was a mile away and cost $5 ....can't be bothered finding the euro sign......and we could get a bus into the park. So we did that only to arrive behind a bus full of Spaniards who had flooded the ticket office.......I mean seriously- busloads of tourists arrive and they have one man servicing the ticket office. Glorious location.
Anyway we got our tickets after a while and decided that main site (theater, Agora, church, castle) was the place to go. We also decided NOT to join the Spaniards in catching a bus up the 1.2K and 150m elevation to the site. Heat and humidity and bloody steep climbs.......we were both a bit red and dripping wet by the top. Whilst the blokes in the vineyard just kept working.
The Agora and the various buildings were mostly rubble and walls. The theater however was magnificent, with an awesome view behind out to the golfo.
There was an interesting hill with a couple of mansions on it and the autostrada tunnel through it. Marjan's theory is that the mansions belonged to the Mafia so rather than spoil their view they made the government tunnel under their hill.
We found a shady spot under the back of the theater and spent some time changing back to normal colours in company with some tour guides who had escaped their charges for a natter under the tree. They criticised my choice of apparel as the cause of my sweatiness rather than the heat and humidity...every one is a critic.
On the way back down the hill we were able to look around a little more to see the flowers and plants. The place is awash with herbs....wild rosemary, mint and a bunch of other aromatic stuff we did not recognise but which the snails loved.
We decided to reward ourselves after the walk up....and down.....with an ice cream......Marjan had sour cherry, I had pistachio....pretty nice......they say Sicilian ice cream is the best......we are trying to prove that.
The temple was also lovely in an amazing setting. I found it interesting that quite a few people seemed to be taking their dogs for a walk around it. We ran into an American woman, and new Italian citizen, who took our picture. I offered to take hers and she immediately went into a yoga pose with one leg up in the air. People are strange.
Anyway back to our digs, via the supermarket, with a short test drive by Marjan. We bought some more fruit- which by the way is very nice. Best peaches I have had in a while. We had a couple of sangers and Marjan read whilst I napped.
The weather was closing in, or at least becoming overcast, so we headed down for a swim before anything bad happened. We both enjoyed a swim but again hated walking on pebbles to get in and out.
I decided to go in for a second swim. This is where I could have titled this blog "A victim of global warming". I was paddling 50-100 metres off shore when I felt something on my chest, I was looking when I felt it across my neck and back......yes I was being eaten by a jelly fish. Apparently sightings are becoming more common in Italian waters and they believe it to be caused by global warming.....finally I believe it! I was obviously too juicy a morsel to pass up.
I swam out quickly and had visible welts. I wandered over to the life guards- yes the ones with the paddle boats- a young non-english speaker assured me that there was nothing in the water. I could however have a shower to wash that nothing off, if I wished. As I reached for the handle he asked for a euro. As I walked away in disgust his older colleague noticed the welts and said "medusa" with an inquisitive look. "Sure" I said to which I got a shrug. Fucking tourists deserve it. No sympathy there.
Anyway we came back to our digs and checked the source of all knowledge and wisdom ...... google.....and tried its suggested solutions of a hot shower. Apparently I must now keep the welts under cover or could end up with darkened skin patches. Any one fancy a dalmatian, Spanish wello?
Once my life was out of danger, Marjan offered some comforting words "That'll teach you to go back for a second swim!"
On that note I leave you for another day on the road with Mrs Sympathy, who is currently quaffing bread and oil and a very nice Grillo. Can you quaff bread? My anxieties about jelly fish poison and stinging pain is as of nothing to a good G
rillo.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering into Sicily, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding businesses, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their beverages.
But back to the beginning.....
Another glorious sunrise. I will not bore you with more sunrise photos. Here is one from our previous evening of romantic mosquito feeding.
We had a minor crisis. Marjan's phone appears to be giving up the ghost. It is our major local communication tool so we had to do a bit of swapping around. After a little googling we have the phone in a bowl of rice, in the hope it is a humidity thing......humidity is the theme.
After breakfast and a load of washing we were off to Segesta. Never heard of it? Well, it was a while ago. We are not 100% certain who founded the city. Well, they were the Elymian people, but were these people fugitive Trojans, runaway Phoenicians or just some local yokels with no proper Greek acknowledged heritage? We may never know. Soon enough though Greeks came along and helped out, as they do. There are some historical grounds for believing the Elymians got involved in some Athenian-Spartan negotiations. At any rate they managed to build a very Greek city on the top of a hill with walls protecting the more gentle slopes to keep uninvited guests at bay. The Agora is a bit of a mess, but the theater is lovely. There were walls that were described as a mosque and a Norman castle, both of which got destroyed by later folks, Muslim and Christian. Down below is also a lovely Doric temple. Apparently it is important that it is 6 by 14 columns. You probably know enough now.....
The drive was relatively uneventful, though Italian drivers are interesting. I particularly love the guys who pass while having a wheel in my lane, also the guys who merge on the assumption that you are doing 180kph and will be well past by the time they push in. My favourite though was the guy flashing his lights and getting close to ramming me......the cause....I was doing the speed limit in a tunnel where he could not pass me.
We aimed to get there by opening time, we were about 15 minutes late, mostly because we arrived at the archaeological park site only to be told that parking was a mile away and cost $5 ....can't be bothered finding the euro sign......and we could get a bus into the park. So we did that only to arrive behind a bus full of Spaniards who had flooded the ticket office.......I mean seriously- busloads of tourists arrive and they have one man servicing the ticket office. Glorious location.
Anyway we got our tickets after a while and decided that main site (theater, Agora, church, castle) was the place to go. We also decided NOT to join the Spaniards in catching a bus up the 1.2K and 150m elevation to the site. Heat and humidity and bloody steep climbs.......we were both a bit red and dripping wet by the top. Whilst the blokes in the vineyard just kept working.
The Agora and the various buildings were mostly rubble and walls. The theater however was magnificent, with an awesome view behind out to the golfo.
There was an interesting hill with a couple of mansions on it and the autostrada tunnel through it. Marjan's theory is that the mansions belonged to the Mafia so rather than spoil their view they made the government tunnel under their hill.
We found a shady spot under the back of the theater and spent some time changing back to normal colours in company with some tour guides who had escaped their charges for a natter under the tree. They criticised my choice of apparel as the cause of my sweatiness rather than the heat and humidity...every one is a critic.
On the way back down the hill we were able to look around a little more to see the flowers and plants. The place is awash with herbs....wild rosemary, mint and a bunch of other aromatic stuff we did not recognise but which the snails loved.
We decided to reward ourselves after the walk up....and down.....with an ice cream......Marjan had sour cherry, I had pistachio....pretty nice......they say Sicilian ice cream is the best......we are trying to prove that.
The temple was also lovely in an amazing setting. I found it interesting that quite a few people seemed to be taking their dogs for a walk around it. We ran into an American woman, and new Italian citizen, who took our picture. I offered to take hers and she immediately went into a yoga pose with one leg up in the air. People are strange.
Anyway back to our digs, via the supermarket, with a short test drive by Marjan. We bought some more fruit- which by the way is very nice. Best peaches I have had in a while. We had a couple of sangers and Marjan read whilst I napped.
The weather was closing in, or at least becoming overcast, so we headed down for a swim before anything bad happened. We both enjoyed a swim but again hated walking on pebbles to get in and out.
I decided to go in for a second swim. This is where I could have titled this blog "A victim of global warming". I was paddling 50-100 metres off shore when I felt something on my chest, I was looking when I felt it across my neck and back......yes I was being eaten by a jelly fish. Apparently sightings are becoming more common in Italian waters and they believe it to be caused by global warming.....finally I believe it! I was obviously too juicy a morsel to pass up.
I swam out quickly and had visible welts. I wandered over to the life guards- yes the ones with the paddle boats- a young non-english speaker assured me that there was nothing in the water. I could however have a shower to wash that nothing off, if I wished. As I reached for the handle he asked for a euro. As I walked away in disgust his older colleague noticed the welts and said "medusa" with an inquisitive look. "Sure" I said to which I got a shrug. Fucking tourists deserve it. No sympathy there.
Anyway we came back to our digs and checked the source of all knowledge and wisdom ...... google.....and tried its suggested solutions of a hot shower. Apparently I must now keep the welts under cover or could end up with darkened skin patches. Any one fancy a dalmatian, Spanish wello?
Once my life was out of danger, Marjan offered some comforting words "That'll teach you to go back for a second swim!"
On that note I leave you for another day on the road with Mrs Sympathy, who is currently quaffing bread and oil and a very nice Grillo. Can you quaff bread? My anxieties about jelly fish poison and stinging pain is as of nothing to a good G
rillo.
2 comments:
Spectacular ruins, and I love the pic of the apples. Sorry to hear about your brush with death though.
Yeah I was very brave!
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