More Travel Adventure - Day 1

Just got back yesterday from a 2.5 week garden tour of Italy and France. Fortunately this year, I made a wise decision not to go back to work until next Tuesday, taking advantage of the Memorial Day holiday so I can be well rested before back to the grind. I'll never understand why a vacation can make you so tired. This wasn't exactly a vacation as it was a rigorous paced study abroad, but it sure wasn't work, so I consider it my version of a vacation. Over the next few posts, I'll revisit the highlights.

DAY 1 - MAY 10
Atlanta to Palermo

This year I decided to give myself a day's head start so I could refresh with a good night sleep before the group arrived and we hit the ground running. I remembered the wall of jetlag that I slammed into last year, and wanted to avoid that if I could. So boldly, I set out on my own, confident that I could handle it. Well, not completely confident. Atlanta was a breeze, but Rome was another story. My flight was delayed so that I missed my connecting flight to Palermo. Apparently, due to my inexperience in booking flights, no one would help to rebook me for the next flight, so I had to buy another ticket. Ouch - 100 Euros! Not a fun experience in the Rome airport, but I finally made it to Palermo. Tired and hungry, and still another short leg to get to the hotel. Got ripped off at a cafe in the Palermo airport when the cashier shorted me by 10 Euros. Ugh...if I can only get to the hotel! I'm losing money the more I go! Finally a nice helpful person was found in the bus driver from the airport to downtown, as he told me exactly where to get off the bus, and he was so nice he wouldn't even accept my tip. My belief in humanity is being restored! A brief 10 Euro taxi to the hotel (in the craziest traffic ever - more about Palermo traffic later) and I can finally let my guard down. How great to walk in the lobby and run into my professor Dr V using the hotel internet. An invite from him to join in with his local friends for dinner and the day is looking to end on a good note.

After 22 hours of travel, a shower and change of clothes works wonders for the energy level. Headed out with Dr V and two other students who also came over early, and we were picked up at the hotel by Dr V's Sicilian friend Julia. All 5 of us crammed into her tiny car and away we went. Apparently in Palermo (and most of southern Italy) designated lanes of travel and traffic lights are optional, and mostly ignored. It's like a free for all...just go where you can go and fit where you can fit. Scooters and motorcycles weave in and out, and pedestrians just step right out with confidence in a grand game of chicken. How there are no wrecks is a mystery to me. It's the wildest thing I've ever seen. I thought the taxi in NYC was crazy but this beats it by a mile. But Julia was a pro and showed us the town. We met up with her boyfriend Giorgio and another friend, and had a great dinner al fresco at a great restaurant. We dined in the courtyard of the remains of a 12th century church in old town Palermo, just a short walk from Quattro Canti or Four Corners. I had 4 cheese pizza, which by the way, they do not slice for you. I've heard that they consider it an insult if you ask them to slice it for you. I quite capably cut my own slices, and put that pizza away with a Coca-cola Light. Not quite Diet Coke, but close enough. With a full stomach, tired bones, and thankfully AC in the room, I slept good that night. So glad I came a day early, even though there were a few bumps along the way. It was a great travel-growing experience. Bring on the rest of the group!