4th Day - Palermo

Today, the 'toe test' determined the course of the day. But before I tell you about today, let me briefly talk about yesterday: on the island of Mozia, I stupidly hit my right little toe on a stone. That's what happens when you look far beyond the water... and not at the rocky path. In any case, the toe was swollen and turned blue in the evening... hmm... let's see how it looks after a peaceful night.

This morning I was able to walk well, my foot fit into the shoe, so off to Palermo.

Now I have to digress a little:

Until now, traffic in Sicily has been very relaxed. Live and let live. Unlike us, but as long as the flow is right, it works well. You just can't think for too long, you just have to drive. Here, drivers are not reckless, they stop for older people in the middle of the road (and don't honk!) and even cyclists on the highway are not a serious problem.

Palermo, on the other hand, presents a challenge or brings back memories of the rest of driving in Italy: here, you share what you have... for example, two lanes for four rows of cars side by side. Here, people change lanes diligently if it brings a few meters advantage. Red lights and speed limits are optional, not mandatory. The turn signal is only used in emergency situations... But you get used to it, and in the end, you can't expect any consideration even with a local license plate :-)

In Palermo, I parked spontaneously (and quietly hoped that the car would still be there when I found it again...). On foot, I explored the city and stumbled directly into the Mercato di Ballarò:

I had read about the markets along the streets, but I was truly overwhelmed by the selection. They had everything edible you could desire.

I immediately took note of the fish stands for the return trip, as I was looking for vongole and spinaci... and there is plenty of swordfish here, for which Palermo is known.

But there was also a lot I had never seen before:

Does anyone know what this is?

For the return trip, I had already made a shopping list.

A few corners further, unexpectedly, I stood in front of the huge cathedral:

On the beautiful square in front of it, there were students. There was a lively atmosphere. There was a church service going on inside the cathedral:

I continued on through the city, along many streets. Palermo is truly Italian, no pedestrian zones... traffic roared everywhere, millions of Vespas and loud chatter on every corner. But no one gets upset, everything still runs quite orderly.

Somehow, the city was big and my toe demanded a break. So I spontaneously got on a "hop on hop off" bus, which I normally approach with a distant benevolence, and let myself be driven around Palermo. This way, the toe got some rest and I could orient myself a bit.

Okay. There was a lot of beautiful things to see! But it was probably not possible to relax and see everything in one day. So I chose Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cappella Palatina as the highlights. At the entrance, there was a tree with wonderful big blossoms. Does anyone know what kind of tree that could be?

The Cappella Palatina is truly a MUST when visiting Palermo!

The wonderful mosaics truly took my breath away. And that without a reservation and a line at the ticket counter... there were only 5 people inside. Even better if you want to look around in peace.

Back, I walked through the market with a quick snack of Sicilian antipasti. A really delicious caponata (which is eaten cold in Sicily), very delicious pumpkin, and interesting little balls with chicken, raisins, and a bit of fish. A daring combination, but tasty.

After that, I did some shopping for the upcoming dinners: a skewer of meat with cheese and bay leaves, vongole and spinaci. That's enough for a few days :-)

When I arrived home, I found the following on my terrace table:

If I understand correctly, there will be no electricity tonight? Let's see what happens. Fortunately, I have three tea lights as a backup.

So quickly put the groceries in the refrigerator, or rather the mussels in boiling water...

... and then off to enjoy the sun and some peace:

Best wishes to all of you and see you tomorrow!