A Weekend in Sicilia...

The adventure began friday at 5am. That's when I awoke...

By 5:20am, I was out the door and heading for the airport. In order to make the trip as affordable... ok as cheap as possible... I took two metros and a train to get there with my roommate and another fellow classmate. Amber escorted me as far as she could, and I greatly appreciated it. Once she left me, I was on my own.

I arrived in Sicily, in the Palermo airport, a whole hour later. haha Before I could turn my MP3 player on, I was already being told to turn it back off for landing. After waiting for the many delayed flights and mechanical difficulties to end, Blanche arrived... FOUR hours later!

It didn't matter though. We were together, and we were in Sicily! We jumped on the bus to the city of Palermo and made our way to the hotel. LUCKILY, it started to rain just as we got off the bus and began our walk to the hotel. :D

Our hotel was baller. Can you say Posh Review? haha It was the Hilton Excelsior... way out of my league. Lucky for me, it's not out of Blanche's. :)

After dropping off our stuff and taking a quick shower, we decided not to waste any time. And so, we began to explore the streets of Palermo. We walked down the main streets and through the piazzas. We even stopped for some cafe. There's nothing like exploring new cities with Blanche though. Before I knew it we were walking around some shady neighborhood... next to a prison. Good going big sister!

Blanche definitely made up for it with with the rest of the evening though. We began at the local wine bar. It was called Giufa. It was very classy, very sophisticated, very POSH! As if the hotel and wine bar wasn't baller enough, the restaurant we went to after SCREAMED Posh Review! I was thinking about my Luba Love the WHOLE time! It was called the Bellotero. It was absolutely incredible! We started out with insalata di mare as our anti-pasto. Then, I moved on to an orgasm in my mouth, otherwise known as heaven on earth... ok, ok, ok... it was Sea Urchin soup with prawn and other deliciousness. I was knocked unconscious from sheer pleasure and cannot recall the exact name. Meanwhile, Blanche had truffle tortellini... yes you heard right... truffle tortellini. For our entree we split the grilled fish. Though this may sound blande, let me elaborate. This dish consisted of grilled tuna and swordfish, grilled squid and shrimp. It also had a side of potatoes. It was magnificant. Unfortunately, I was already pretty full so I could not enjoy it quite the same. For desert, we shared some cookies with french vanilla gelato and a strawberry mouse. Mmmm... On the way home, we passed Giufa, which was packed and decided we would head over the following evening. :)

The next morning we woke up ready to see Palermo. Again we explored the main streets and back alleys. We saw the grand theater, and the piazzas, and even the famous market. Then, we hopped on a bus and went to the neighboring city of Monreale. The bus stopped in the center of town in Piazza V. Emanuele. In this piazza stood a grand church, Santa Maria la Nuova. Inside, it is covered in mosaic. It is simply remarkable! And of coarse, for the 3rd time this week, I climbed to the top of the duomo to see the spectacular view... but this time with sister, Blanche.

That evening, we made our way back to Giufa. Well... lets just say, I promised my sister... what happens in Sicily stays in Sicily...

The following morning, I was in desperate need of a beach, and so we made our way to the neighboring city of Mondello. The water was a clear blue green, and the mountainous background was simply breathtaking. Lunch was just as spectacular. We had octopus, raw oysters, and a plate of sea urchin served in the shell... amazing! And, of coarse, after lunch, we had gelato. It was a must! Blanche's weekend wouldn't be complete.

We then headed back to the hotel so I could shower and pack, before I had to leave for the airport. When I finally arrived back to Roma, it truly felt like I was home. That first trip really did make Rome feel like a home away from home.