Sicily

We weren’t sure we’d make it all the way to Sicily so we hadn’t planned even a tentative itinerary.  We ended up with 11 extra days and an island full of places we wanted to visit. The hardest part wasn’t winnowing down the list but figuring out how to use public transportation in addition to biking - which is what ultimately chose our places for us.

Every potential destination required a decision tree of logistics. Can we bike there (too far or too dangerous)? If yes, great. If no, is there a train? Yes / no. Is there a bus that allows bikes? Yes / no. Does it connect to our next destination? Yes / no. On and on and on! Life was so much simpler when we were just riding as far as we could. And as much as we’ve enjoyed Sicily at our blistering, logistically challenged pace, we prefer the simplicity of just riding our bikes. 

We almost made it all the way around the island! Felt a bit like Around the World in 80 Days. 

Sicily has always been equated with the birthplace of the mafia, so I was somewhat interested in finding any evidence of its presence. The only conclusion I arrived at is that they’re behind all the public toilet fees in Palermo. And the church fees. And the fountain fees. And the park fees. (After paying 15€ to see the palace, they had the audacity to charge for the toilets inside the venue.) Nothing is free in Palermo, which is in direct contrast to the rest of Italy’s public places. Palermo was also the only time Dennis has been offered street cocaine, so the mafia is probably behind that as well.

The entrance fee for the Palermo Duomo was worth it to get this picture of a priest sitting in a confessional browsing on his cellphone…direct line to God and all.

Another beautiful ride along the coast of southern Italy. We saw so much trash on our rides, especially as we headed south, which really detracts from the natural beauty surrounding you. Lots of bottles, housewares, construction materials, neatly tied bags of trash…it makes me wonder if it’s an infrastructure issue or a lack of education (or pride?) towards the environment.

Coastal routes along Sicily offered these upper views…

…and lots of these beachside views…

…and sometimes these views.

To escape the modern day invading hordes (of tourists), we spent a day riding up into the hills. It was one of my favorite rides in Sicily, enhanced by a curious cow. 

Sicily is literally littered (not just trash) with pre-Roman ruins. One day we were bushwhacking along a very rural “route” and stumbled through the back door of an archeological park in Selinunte. We had no idea where we were until we came upon these amazing temples from the 6th century bc (and were chased off by the guard because we didn’t have tickets).

Unwittingly sneaking into the archeological park. I was just happy we weren’t lost.

This was the shot right before the guard chased us off

The most annoying thing about Italy is the “sip and save” top attached to all bottles of water. In my opinion, this pea-brained attempt by the government to do good things is second only to HIPAA in its idiocy. 

Seems like a good idea until…

…you try to pour it and it all spills out. 

This is what you look like trying to drink from it

And I thought biking was difficult on Sicilian roads. Imagine hauling an olive tree on a trailer while avoiding hitting the balconies above!

Our only incident in 6 weeks was a bent derailleur, which happened when I forgot to secure the bikes in the train and they fell over. Amazingly in this tiny town, there was a bike repair guy who was able to fix it by sight alone (which I’m told is quite amazing).  The only minor scare was being nudged by a car’s side mirror in a tight road situation, but fortunately I stayed upright. 1,200 miles over 32 days and no falls or accidents = great trip!  

Thanks to this guy who promised my dad he would always take care of me - and continues to fill my world with wonder.

On to the next adventure!