Heat and Humidity

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.

Sicilia la bella

We woke to a glorious sunrise across the Golfo di Catellmmare, which was a totally free show from our breakfast spot, looking across the verandah. Favoloso!

We breakfasted, did some washing and headed to the Riserva Naturale Orientata Dello Zingaro. It was the first such reserve created in Sicily. It was created in 1980 when some locals decided to protest the running of a road along this coastline. They had already dug a tunnel through the limestone cliffs to start just past Scopello, and metres past our villa.

It was humid work walking along the path cut into the steep drop from limestone cliffs to the Mediterranean. Apparently there is quite a bit of wildlife, specially bird life in the area. We did not see much, some very green skinks, some gulls and a small chirpy black and grey bird.....something line a thornbill.

Wherever you looked it was beautiful. Glorious cliffs dripping to a beautiful sea. There were a few pretty flowers, though we have been told spring is the time for a full display.

Some scenes were a picture...............the reserve information had dropped out......so I thought "Why Not?"

There were a few houses, some of which had been turned into museums/staff housing/information centre. There also appeared to be one private property on the water belonging to Massimo Amadeo. No idea about his story beyond his name on a gate.

About half way we dropped down to one of the many beaches and I had a swim. The water was glorious, though getting in and out on a pebbly beach is a bit of a struggle. We had chosen this spot in the hope of having the beach to ourselves, having split with a couple of young Australian girls for the other beach in the area. As it turns out we shared it with a couple of middle aged topless bathers. Well I say bathers, but really they both paddled their toes, had a smoke and got dressed again. Not sure if topless smoking is thing anywhere else but it is in Zingaro. By the way smoking is actually forbidden in the reserve, so I did not feel kindly about these women.

We probably did about 4-5 Km and Marjan was starting to feel the pinch, and we had not packed enough water for the humid conditions,  so we headed back.

It was embarrassing to be passed by a French couple and their son. He had an artificial leg and she was piggy backing the kid! There was lots of people on the path on the way back, and whilst mostly I got a 'Buon giorno!' back, there were some people who seemed to have smeared dog doodoo under their upper lip. Towards the end of the walk we actually passed a couple. Collective weight 215Kg and collective age only a little less.....still we passed someone...…

Our original plan had been to head straight to lunch, but we were both dripping wet, so we headed back to our villa for a shower. We got lost on the side roads...again.....and Marjan had to get out and help negotiate a particularly tricky bit where some one had left their car on a road exactly 90cm wide......OK 120cm.

Anyway we headed down into Scopello after a shower and change and found Bar Notturno in a charming little square. The bar had been recommended by Guglialmo, our host, who had particularly advised that we avoid eating anything, and especially the seafood, but the pizza from the pizzeria next door. The square was accessed via a gate and had four restaurants surrounding a magnificent eucalyptus. Not sure of what type but it starred.

Well it starred until the food arrived. Marjan had a local dry, astringent almost, white and I had a beer. The white was awesome (Grillo grapes). The beer was OK. I had the sea bass fillets wrapped around red prawns, Marjan had black pasta (ink from squid we believe) with fruit of the sea. Whilst my sea bass was awesome, it was put in the shade by Marjan's pasta. She likes a good marinara, but this was from a whole other planet. We enjoyed it so much we had some dessert to follow. A glorious meal.

We had a short walk around Scopello, without any climbing, and then headed to the supermarket to buy some dinner makings.

A brief rest at the villa, yes we managed to find it first time this time, though I did have to go into a side street to let another car pass. The roads are barely a car wide....and the bits that are not privately owned have been paved using a bunch of broken boulders, over which some cement has been haphazardly thrown before being jackhammered into attractive pieces. I have to drop to first to get up the start of the 'road'.

Then down to the beach that settles beneath us. We were too lazy to walk so took the car out again. We got lost getting to the beach. It is on some private roads and we took the wrong one. 2 hours of manoeuvring later we got to where we wanted to go. A much more crowded beach with life savers present. The life savers appear to go saving people in the sort of paddle boat they have in Silvan lake. Not very comforting. Lots of young Italian men disporting their bodies.....I kinda fancied the one in the white speedos.…...and lots of people with boat shoes for getting in and out of the pebble beach.  A glorious swim, yes Marjan too, and we felt the day was complete.

We are sitting back at the villa enjoying the continuous changing seascape of the Golfo. Marjan has been following a rainbow that seems to appear and disappear. Chilled.

Two postscripts:

1. Sorry Liz, today was not your kind of holiday. No museums, and in fact apart from our villa we only spent 10 minutes inside a building....the market.
2. I am withholding judgement......yes I am...…..but I am likely to have some stern words to say about rubbish

Ciao

Buon Giorno da Scopello

The part I like least about travel is the travel. We got up quite early to drive to Schiphol for a 9:30 flight to Rome. We waited around a little longer than expected because the fine Dutch weather broke into tears at our leaving. There was only one runway running and lots of cancelled an delayed flights. Our was not delayed by much.

We had good seats with a bit of room so we both snoozed our way across Europe. 

Then a short afternoon flight to Palermo, where it was sunny when we landed and grey by the time we got to our car and headed off. I asked Marjan what she should say, fully expecting her to pick up our European driving mantra "keep to the right....keep to the right.....", instead she immediately said " I don't want to die!". She has no faith in my driving.

Anyway we drove along a lovely autostrada heading west. Amazing mountains inland and the sea to our right. Countryside and village kind of melded into one another and the road was strewn with rubbish. We had booked a seaside villa in the summer resort of Scopello. As we left the autostrada the roads became quite rough and very narrow, but I think Marjan managed to keep the heart rate in check. Today is NOT the day she dies.

We stopped off at the Scopello Market for some basic supplies.....sausages, bread, salad, wine......just as the skies opened up for a small downpour. Our lovely clean SEAT Arona is now full of mud. We managed to miss our turn-off and ended up doing a lap of the nature reserve car park........not the best car park I have seen......back we went and yes it was the ridiculously steep and broken pavement we had to drive up........after several false tries we found our villa.

Vittorio the airBnB host's father was there to meet us and show us around. He only spoke Italian and my Italian is pretty average, but I think I managed to understand most of what he said.

We have not left the villa this evening. We settled in and enjoyed some nibbles ...artichokes, tea, wine, bread, alici (anchovies?)...... on the verandah and contemplated the beach below us.

The clouds were still looking threatening and there was moisture in the air.......the mountain to our east was generating its own weather.....

As the sun set we got a wonderful colour show

As we aired the bed we got another one.....

It's a hard life!

Vincent

So today we dedicated o visiting the Van Gogh Museum. I decided not to take my camera as I was sick of humping it around. As it turns out no photos are allowed in TVGM so I was right on the money.

We got there around 9:10 to a queue of a couple of hundred people, but it was moving briskly so no great delays.

Marjan is a VVG fan from way back so for her it was a treat and she knew quite a bit about his life and works. I knew him from a couple of his seminal pieces and bits and pieces picked up. So I learnt a lot and saw some interesting pieces that did not fit my preconceptions. He was certainly a thoughtful and hard working artist...even when he was suffering from whatever mental illness drove him to his death.

For me the journey as he learned his craft and the experimented to develop his own idiosyncratic style was fascinating. Some of the pieces are magical studies in colour be it monochromatic or one of his wonderful explosions of complimentary shades. Still you do not need an uneducated peasant rabbiting on. It was great, and the final pieces had the hint of madness clearly on display.

We then did our final walk through Amsterdam, back through the very beautiful art district with arts houses very second shop. Fewer Argentinian restaurants here.

I like Amsterdam very much. It is a city I could learn to live in and love. It has lots of lovely places and people, the pace of the city with the bikes is perfect and the services seem to keep a very civilized sheen on everything.

Off to the wilds of Sicily tomorrow. Will take us most of the day to get to our first Sicilian villa......hopefully compensated for by the view of the Mediterranean we have been promised.

Ciao

Molen

So what would you like to do on Wednesday I was asked. How about seeing some windmills and countryside.

So what I got was.......

The few remaining working mills near Amsterdam are on the Zaan River. It has been made into a bit of a Sovereign Hill, a little twee and commercial, but what are you going to do.

The houses on the other size of the river maintained some old Dutch character and were painted in Zaan Green.

We were celebrating out 37th wedding anniversary and were enjoying the day. Apart from visiting one of the mills (the pigment grinder) we visited several museumy displays (spices, coopers, clock makers, clog maker etc)

They have tried to recreate an old time dutch village with beautifully restored buildings all set on an actual polder that is 1m below sea level and very obviously below the river level. Apparently the water level dropped about 10m from 1600 as they harvested the peat.

Of course our eyes kept being drawn back to the molen spinning in the breeze.

and to listening to the gears grinding away.....

we finished up with a museum about the Zaans area. It was quite interesting. At its height the area had about 600 mills, in use for all sorts of things (chocolate, rice, timber, grains, nuts, pigments, spices etc etc etc) A sort of pre-industrial revolution industrial revolution.

Rijksmuseum

Off to the Rijksmuseum for us this morning. A train and a tram saw us arrive at about the 9AM opening. We had been warned that the queues can be quite long but we managed to get in relatively quickly and we headed straight to Rembrandt's The Night Watch. It is one of the famous pieces and of course for me a Terry Pratchett reminder. Obviously Vimes' later days, and Sybil had him wear the red sash.'

Lots of good stuff to look at. One of the highlights was some of the photorealism of those Dutch masters.

We also loved the library, later we entered on the ground floor to find people at work there.

The building is a grand old one with some modern touches....which make me want to get creative......

.......sorry I should leave the creativity to those with talent.

After about 3 and a half hours we had had enough art and headed out. We were confronted by these buskers doing a fine version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I love the triangular, three string bass.

We had some lunch at one of the very many Argentinian restaurants in Amsterdam (very, very very many) and then enjoyed the city again whilst Marie Anne did some shopping.

So nice.