Bella Sicilia

It's been an interesting experience for me. Travelling on my own (which had not happened for a long time!) and in a country which language I did not really speak.
Of course, I did not have too many problems with italian as spanish is quite similar, so with my italospanish, I still got people to understand me. I was happy to try but it was hard not to fall in the trap of just using my spanish instead of trying proper italian. I realized how right my friends were when they were telling me how lucky I was to speak other languages, as communication is made harder when you don't, even if with the gestures you can pretty much sort yourself out!

I really had a good time. But still, It reminded me how lonely you can feel sometimes when travelling by yourself. Having meals alone in a restaurant is one of the hardest thing for me: I always associate restaurants with eating with friends and sharing my passion for food with them. I had a good book as a substitute but I missed having a good friend with me. I don't know if you already had this experience but food and wine taste even better when you share them with someone you feel good with, friends, family, partner. Oh well, we can't have everything, can we?

My first contact with the locals has been pretty good. I hopped on a bus to try to find the B&B I had found on internet. I told the driver the name of the street and when he answered 'Dove',which means 'where', I had the feeling that it would not be a piece of cake to find it. I did not mind a bit of 'adventure' and found the situation funny... He dropped me at the next stop and while waiting for another bus, a lady came by and we started chatting. The second driver took me on board whereas he did not have a clue... never mind, he was willing to help and asked another passenger who just got on. They made a phone call then got the anwer. Sweet as bro! I was given directions and found my way.

At the B&B, Giuseppe was amazing, giving me a map, tips, and even offering me a plate of pasta and red wine for lunch as they just had finished theirs and there was leftovers! So nice. Then I had my first experience on an electric push bike. I had a lot of fun: you cycle but you reach the speed of a motorbike, I felt like a teenager again!

I discovered a nice city. Trapani has a nice old center, beautiful building and churches.

Fish market

I had my first delicious italian coffee with a typical pastry made of ricotta and chocolate... yummy!

Then I think I coincided with teenagers finishing school. There were hundreds of them in the streets, boys with their hair like Billy Idol, girls either super sexy with high heels or snickers. They all looked like the same, as if cloned or moulded... I guess this is how it works now, we are encouraged to fit in a norm, a standard...

I did not have a first good night... I think all the teenagers of the town gathered nearby to speed up on their motorbikes..., then at 6am, the neighbours decided to open their binders (what the f.... on a sunday morning!!!) so I decided I was out of here and would go to the smallest Egadi island and find a place to stay there for the following night, changing my initial plan which was to stay in Trapani as a base for day trips.

What a good decision it was! I loved the Levanzo island!

Exactly the kind of place I was hoping to find, isolated, no tourists at all, a lovely village with white houses and blue shutters; a place where time stopped. People on the ferry were visiting for the day or week end, carrying cakes or coolers. All the kids of the island were gathered, playing around, their families chatting and enjoying this amazing day at the(only) coffee place.

I just walked randomly, discovering lovely houses, old rusty bikes or cars, quiet paved streets, clothes drying out in the sun.

I was over the moon and kept walking, finding a track along the coast. I saw a man who seemed to be picking something in a distance but kept on going up the moutain. I thought I could maybe walk around the island but then, reaching an old ruined house, and no sign whatsoever after that with different paths, plus having not much water left nor food, I thought I'd rather go back the same way.

I seized the opportunity to go and see the old guy. He was still there, wearing gum boots, had a lovely smile and a face burnt by the sun. He gave me one shell to taste: it was delicious then he told me he had to hurry with the tide rising so I left him, happy as to have had a little chat and leaving with a bit of warmth in my heart for sharing this moment with him. That's what I love when travelling, creating contacts with local people and one of the advantages of being on your own is that you are definitely more open to this kind of encounter than if you were travelling with friends.

Find a place to stay and to eat was not hard... only 2 hotel / restaurants were opened so I dropped my bag, had a nice salad with tomatoes having a real taste (!), and resumed my hiking, this time on the other side of the island. I finally made it up a hill to find a stunning looking valley, very green

with some cool abandonned old buildings

goats staring at me,

a gentle donkey accepting a cuddle,

and dogs barking not far away... so I went back, just happy to read my book in the sun, getting some tan, looking from time to time at the sea, listening to the sound of waves breaking... a short nap, and I was back to the village... not much to do there, apart from watching people, ferries coming in and out, have a coffee with yummy bikies made of almond paste, read my book...

Being the only guest at the hotel, I had been told dinner would be served at 8pm. I had the best pesto pasta of my life, nothing to do with what I knew: garlic and basil finely chopped with fresh tomato... served with a good grilled squid... in the dining room, with the TV in the background... even in this remote place, it was part of people's life, always on... and looked as crap as it is in Spain or anywhere else... Damned civilisation...

The day after, after a good night, but short as I was now used to get up early (!), I took the 1st ferry to go back to Trapani, then the bus to reach San Vito lo Capo, at the very north west of the island, famous for its beautiful beach

and nearby a Natural Reserve. My plan was to try to hike but it was not meant to be. Too far away to reach the entrance of the Park and the weather pretty unstable, so I just took it easy, having a coffee at a 'pasticceria' like other people in town. It was pretty quiet there, the beach was nice indeed but the grey day did not show her at her best. It was still the low season so many were taking advantage of it to do up or paint buildings.

Again, not much to do so I was off to Trapani again, had an exquisite 'fish couscous' the specialty of the place, then took the bus to Erice, a medieval place up a hill only 30mn from Trapani.
The drive was pretty cool, rising above the sea level and having a fantastic panorama of the shore... but the best was to come. The look out from Erice was simply fantastic.

The day had cleared (lucky me!) and you could see the Egadi islands... I wandered again in the village, enjoying the paved streets, castles and towers spread in the village.

I was balancing with staying there for the night and going back to Trapani. I loved it so much I decided to stay, watched an amazing sunset above the sea,

slowly getting more yellow,

then orange and breathtaking...

I found a cheap place to stay (I did study for a long time the idea of having a treat and stay in a 3 star hotel... but this was just not me...) and found an excellent restaurant, recommended by a local guy whom I had asked advice to.

Italian usually have appetizers called 'antipasti' then a first dish, a second dish with sides, then desserts... Man it was hard to choose. I finally went for the 'spinach and ricotta ravioli' as a first dish... it was exquisite, then it was followed by swordfish in a Marsala sauce (local liquor) all this served with a nice white wine... I was full but wanted to have some dessert so I read my book until I was ready to take some food in again and had a really good almond ice cream topped with hot chocolate and peanuts... you know the kind of Mc Donald´s Sundae but homemade and 100 times better?!!!

Another quiet night (streets were deserted at 9:30pm when I walked back from the restaurant), then I enjoyed the panoramic view over the shore in the morning with a sea of clouds masking the scenery,

pretty cool sight, hey bro?!

Only 3 full days is not enough to see much, but still enough to enjoy it and recommend it! Che bella Sicilia!