I am so excited to be traveling with my sister Christine again. May 24, 2023 is just around the corner and the first stop is Greece! This is our Rick Steves Tour route.
I can't believe it's almost here! The semester is over and it's time to pack my bags. I'm sure Mary has been ready for weeks :) Good thing she plans ahead and figures out where we should go. I'm excited to go along for the ride.
Tuesday, March 20, 2025 (continued) As Alessandro expertly maneuvered our bus up the winding mountain road towards Erice, we looked back at an impressive view. But first, a lunch stop. We were going to experience true Sicilian hospitality at Maria's place. A simple country lunch. I tasted the almond (mandorla) wine. Definitely for dessert. After everyone ate their fill, it was time to learn the secrets of Maria's Pasticceria Grammatico. Michael was our British interpreter... ...while Maria showed us how to shape the traditional cookies. Maria's voice was incredibly quiet so we really couldn't understand her, Even if we could understand Italian, but Michael helped us out. This book is the story of Maria's life and includes recipes. She was a nun who left the convent and started her own business making and selling cookies using the nuns' secret recipes. Sc...
On Sunday May 18, we met our Rick Steves group mid afternoon, along with our guide Andrea (pictured above). I’m looking forward to having him as our guide because he was born and raised just outside Palermo. I’m sure he will have a ton of knowledge. After meeting everyone, we all took a walking tour around the neighborhood to get our bearings, learn the history and see unique things. You can see Christine and I are fresh and ready to tour! On the way to our first stop, we saw a fountain nicknamed “the fountain of shame”. Legends say it got that name because in the building in the background with the dome lived the monks, and a dome, not pictured, but in direct line of sight of the fountain and the monks dome, was the convent. Of course, the statues are naked…thus the nickname. We also saw a peaceful Pro Palestine parade march past us. Our guide told us Sicily is fearful of war, since they have been occupied and ...
Monday, May 26, 2025 Taormina, Sicily We entered lovely Taormina last evening. Andrea gave us a quick orientation to the town and then we had a free evening to stroll around or just gawk at the mountain. The stairways do help make Taormina beautiful, but the real beauty is in the views, like this one from our room's balcony right after we checked in. Mamma Etna in her full glory! Mamma is cooking. See the steam? The town was full of lovely shops offering higher-end clothing, souvenirs, and of course - food! Here's a giant cannolo in a colorful display for us tourists. The Godfather is popular here. A very narrow stretto. Someone had a private little teatro di pupi next to their front door. Monday morning Before breakfast, we all spent some time admiring Mamma Etna from the rooftop. The rooftop views were actually beautiful in all directions. While waiti...
I can't believe it's almost here! The semester is over and it's time to pack my bags. I'm sure Mary has been ready for weeks :) Good thing she plans ahead and figures out where we should go. I'm excited to go along for the ride.
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