Sicily And Malta.5 – Erice & Trapani

October 16 was our third and last night in Palermo. The tour schedule took us for a morning in Erice, a mountainside town East of Palermo, and we spent the afternoon poking around Trapani, visiting an area that produces sea salt before the a visit to a farm that produced olives and made wine.

I’d have preferred to spend an actual afternoon on my/our own in Palermo and had figured out how to get to its fine Marionette Museum and what our tour did in Trapani was disappointing, especially when I realized that we would not return to Palermo before the museum closed.

Tuesday October 16

Erice Morning:

We were warned that the walk up from the gate was steep and long, so I went on my own. Halfway up I realized that Anita could have done it. She spent her time near the gate but walked into Erice far enough to find a very nice Pinocchio marionette for our granddaughter. The long-nosed liar was a hit with her and the children of a friend of my daughter’s from her University of Toronto undergraduate days, who were at our place when Anita gave it to her. I had checked and adjusted the cords so that Pinocchio moved as he was supposed to.

We’ve traveled with Insight Vacations about 8 times since 1995. Insight’s specs call for fewer seats and more legroom. It also helps limit customer group size to about 37.

The group hadn’t yet split up into climbers and shoppers.

I, as usual, lag unnoticeably behind. This is the first trip I ever met a keener photographer. His name is David F.

A winding and beautiful climb. This was off the main drag.

An artistic ad in the park.

Don’t know if this was approved by the town…

Descending from the real castle I shot this tiny scary one.

Impressive deep, live splash of red on my descent. At east two contrasts came to mind as I paused here.

A little bit of sun 🙂

The hikers’ reward. An early bite of Michelle’s amazing cannoli Siciliani and a caffe. Barbara’s treat for the intrepid.

Still beautiful, but flatter 🙂

Lovely time so far. So much to see and do in Sicily.

Trapani Afternoon

Large piles of sea salt beside the lagoons near the old mill

The mill is clearly no longer wind-driven…

I’m thinking about that Marionette Museum. Also there was lots to see in Trapani, but…

I know, I know… Say it! “Wine for the whiner.”

After our wine and snack we stood here while some bought wine and olives and stuff.

 

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