Ciao Palermo!

Palermo

After a long and grueling trip, including two long layovers, we have finally arrived in Palermo. As the airplane taxied down the runway to the arrival gate, a young boy several rows of us in the back of the plane shouted 'Ciao Palermo!' Our initial view of the city was stunning -- sheer, smooth stone cliffs meet the deep, dark blue Mediterranean.

After our tiring travels we were hoping to have an early dinner before heading to bed. But walking around Palermo's crowded yet beautiful streets, we soon realized that most restaurants don't even open until 8 p.m. Once the time came, we must have been the first ones at the restaurant. It was clear from the first meal that Sicilians take their food quite seriously. Although the language barrier is often significant, it is obviously important to the entire restaurant staff that you enjoy the preparation and ingredients that went into the meal. That night I had veal stuffed with ham and cheese, and Alison and Becca made the great faux pas (!) of ordering two pasta dishes (the tradition is to order a pasta as the primi piati, and a meat or fish dish as a secondo). Aside from the overly fishy small octopus in spicy sauce that David had, the food has been nothing short of spectacular. A particularly good restaurant was Cucina Popoff (yes, the name is Bulgarian, as were the family the opened the restaurant, but the food is 100% Sicilian).

Erice

About a 1 1/2 hour drive from Palermo, Erice is a beautiful hilltop town. With narrow cobblestone streets and beautiful views, it is a place right our of the movies. Arriving in the afternoon we walked around, enjoying the beautiful castle ruins and sunset.