Palermo

Wednesday 29.03.

PALERMO Good morning :-)

From the campsite, Camping degli ulivi, it is really optimal to get to the city. We don't have to walk for 15 minutes to get to the metro station. From here, the trains to the city center depart every hour. The ticket prices for the journey cannot be compared to Germany. For 2 people with a dog, 3.80€ is really a joke. The metro journey takes about 30 minutes and suddenly we are in the middle of the action. It takes us a few minutes to acclimatize and adjust to the many people. Let's go into the hustle and bustle. We pass by the first major historical buildings and we are really impressed. Horse-drawn carriages pass us by and in the next moment a Porsche driver lets us cross the street. Crazy world.

Hundi is definitely just as excited as we are. We absorb everything and try to see as much as possible. Among all the tourists, there are also countless school classes who are allowed or must improve their knowledge of history here. In addition to all the historical sights, there are also numerous souvenir shops and of course restaurants. We definitely won't starve here! Rather, the question is what we should indulge in first. But before we get to that, let's explore the cathedral. Taking the dog to the cathedral. Will that work. Let's just try it and see, a short time later, we are in the catacombs of the institution with the dog. However, we have to realize that we have entered here somewhat unprepared. We have no idea what we are looking at here and what historical or holy background we have in front of us. No time to do extensive research, we have to be back at the entrance at 13:25, then it's 100 steps up to the roof. Wow WOW Wow, what a view. This is already the absolute highlight. It is really something special to stand up here. The trip has already been more than worth it. After 100 steps down, we leave the cathedral to continue our journey through the city. Past various fountains, churches, and other important buildings, we find ourselves again in narrow old alleys that have nothing to do with what was dominant just a minute ago. But now we need a refreshment, the selected bakery closes right in front of our eyes. Lunch break until 4 pm. Of course, why should it be different here in Palermo. Well, then let's at least use the chairs for a sip of water and take a short breather.

But now let's get up with our tired bones, let's continue. There are still a few sights to visit and a few districts to traverse. Mathennsi finds a mega cool shop in a small side street. The owner tells us that there is a new initiative in Palermo that promotes local artists and creatives. He explains that the shops are marked with a yellow symbol and the products are not mass-produced, but only in small quantities. So the t-shirt we actually want to buy is no longer available in our size. Too bad, but we have learned something else interesting.

We continue to stroll through the various streets and alleys and slowly hunger sets in. Google suggests several options in the area, but none of them really appeal to us. In order to get to where we feel comfortable, we probably have to leave the area we are currently in. After a few minutes, we find ourselves far away from the tourist flow, in the middle of small workshops and shops with all sorts of items on display. There we see a small bar that suits our preferences and we head straight to it. We start with something savory, Arancini (1x spinach and cheese, 1x minced meat and peas), course two is celebrated with a traditional cake from Palermo and small pastries with wild strawberries, course 3 complements the whole thing with 2 extremely delicious espressos. It all tastes so damn good. We have to restrain ourselves from indulging in a little feast, everything here is so delicious. But we still want to go to the botanical garden. No more indulging and feasting, we need some exercise. When we arrive at the botanical garden, we are informed that Hundi is not allowed in under any circumstances. Unless he is a guide dog and we are blind. Neither of these is true. Although, Mathennsi might already be considered blind with his -5 diopters. It doesn't help now, if that's the rule, then that's the way it is. Let's just conquer a neighboring park with a few trees and bushes. It's similar to the botanical garden, let's make ourselves believe that :-)

At the harbor, we slowly make our way back to the metro station. The time is also quite advanced and we have to decide where else we want to go before heading back. We take a walk past the theater, where there is a really good atmosphere. Many people hang out here and enjoy the late afternoon sun with various drinks and nice songs and music from various street musicians. We too are inspired by the flair and linger here until time is running out. So let's move on, through the alternative district of Palermo, past various nightclubs and bars, to the historical buildings and many restaurants where the scent of delicious food is starting to fill the air.

The day in Palermo is coming to an end for us. Arriving at the metro station, we all sit next to each other and review the last few hours. What excitement, impressions, and that feeling of life this city has. It becomes more than clear why Palermo is praised and recommended so often. We also agree with that!

Back in our neighborhood, we storm a pizzeria and the half liter of house wine with the pizza makes us feel good. We stumble back to the motorhome in a slight wobble. We just fall into bed here.

Mathennsi's birthday is tomorrow, we want to be fit for that! :-)