Friday April 18, 2014
It was time for Jim & Jackie to move on to their next adventure. Jackie’s sister and her husband, Diane & Dennis, were arriving from the US northwest today. The 4 of them will spend the next 10 days exploring northern Sicily and tracing Jackie’s Sicilian family roots near Termini. We agreed to stop at the hill town of Enna on our way and were at the base of the 1000 meter pinnacle by 11:30. Enna is one of the oldest towns on the island and the story goes that the Arabs spent 20 years trying unsuccessfully to take the town before eventually,in 859,resorted to crawling in through the sewers. We followed the steep, switchback road into town and then began the equally formidable job of finding a parking spot. When a parallel spot appeared we just managed to wiggle in when a woman shopkeeper who owned the store we were in front of, complained we were blocking her door. We finally located a paid space, as someone else was leaving, but were completely unsure where to pay as there are no machines. The crew watched the car as Brian searched for a Tabachi store who sells parking tickets for 0.60 Euros per hour. They look like scratch & win tickets and you scratch off the date and time and leave them on the dash. Finally legal, we headed for the edge of town (it’s about 3 blocks wide) where we could get a look down and see the fortress at one end. Nearby there was a lovely restaurant with a welcoming proprietor, so in we went. All were happy to try the Zuppa, made with fava beans and excellent on a cool day. Rene & Jackie enjoyed a pasta with pistachio sauce, a Sicilian specialty while Brian had a spicy tomato penne & Jim had swordfish. The house wine was excellent. On our way back to the car we toured the large church (Duomo) richly decorated, but surprisingly empty on Good Friday.
Our next stop was the Canadian War Memorial Cemetery near Agira, where a well kept site was situated on a beautiful knoll overlooking one of the few lakes on the island. It is the permanent resting place of 490 brave Canadians killed in the campaign of 1943. It was a beautiful tribute to our heroes and a moving reminder of the price paid for our freedom.
As we drove the last way to the airport we were rewarded with a clear view of snow capped Mt. Etna and pulled off for a picture. Arriving in Catania we bid good bye to our crew. They had been easy going shipmates and fun travelling companions.
On the way back to Necessity we marveled again at the lush green landscape and the orderly farms laid out on the hills and valleys. The only blot being the huge amounts of litter that seemed to be everywhere you looked. It is definitely an issue that detracts from any tourist’s impression of Sicily. One other point to mention is the Italian drivers practice of passing on curves & crossing solid lines. Their impatience was demonstrated as we were very nearly hit head on as an Alfa Romeo came around a tight curve in our lane. I think we have had enough driving for one holiday!
Back aboard, the weather was warm enough that we could enjoy a drink in the cockpit as the sun set, an all too rare occurrence on this trip.
Brian on Board Necessity
Marina diCala delSole, Licata