Stories from the road

Stories from the Road

October 3, 2016

Siracusa, Sicily

After walking through some colorful markets teeming with fresh fish, fruit, cheese, and Pike’s Market type guys yelling about their products, we made our way to the local bus stop to head out to some ruins.  The bus was confusing in terms of how to pay, and the driver didn’t help much as he was impatient. I gave a Dutch couple a Euro so they could stay on the bus. The woman called me a “doll”

and repaid me at the ticket booth of the ruins.

There was a young Italian guy on the bus, and he was friendly and trying to be helpful. Once a Brit asked him how many more stops and the young man hit the stop signal, thinking the Brit wanted to get off the bus. I thought, Oh, Oh, here we go with the bus driver again, but he didn’t get upset.

After the ruins, we took a cab back to the hotel and rested, before walking into the Old Town for lunch. We split an Insalata mista and a dish of pasta vongole, which was delicious. Later we stopped for pistachio and hazelnut gelato. Tonight we’ll dine in our hotel, which has a terrific looking restaurant.

Over the years I have learned not to order martinis in Europe.  What you typically get is a glass of Vermouth. At the hotel bar, I noticed a martini shaker and a martini glass, so I thought I would give it another try. Mistake. The Bartender reached for a bottle of Vermouth and a cocktail glass before I stopped him. I tried to get him to give me the shaker, but it was not to be. The martini was ok, not great, but at dinner, the bartender, now a waiter, came alive, and Evan and I ended up doing some Italian bonding. This morning at breakfast he brought us cannolis with fresh, sweet, Ricotta cheese.