September 12 - 26, 2014 What's Cooking

September 12 - 26, 2014 What's Cooking

After returning from Sicily, I've had two wonderful weeks of settling in and getting a bit of routine.  Loving it.  Loving Bari.  Loving the simple pleasures of life and wonderful friends.  Still can't get over being amazed at all my good fortune... to have gotten to experience so much since March 5th, 2014 is almost more than I can take in.  Nice to have this blog (diary) to go back and 'relive' it.

A little of what that routine looks like:  Sleep until I awaken naturally (the best part of being retired), arise and make my herbal drinks, etc.,  Next, I love my morning devotion time.  After that, I do my floor exercises, then shower and get ready for the day.  Now 1-2 hours of language study... much needed breaks in between :) , especially for espresso!  Almost every afternoon, I try to go to the beach for a swim and a bit of sun, however, it has rained a few different days here, so fall is coming and won't get to do this as much as I have been.  I have loved the rain and thunder and lightening.  Interesting how different the thunder sounds bouncing off all these tall buildings that are so close together and you can hear it rumbling down the narrow streets.  Very interesting sound!  Wind kicking up the seas makes it harder to swim in.

And if the parking spot isn't big enough, angle parking works... :)

The rest of my days and evenings gets varied a lot and then of course, Wednesday and Sunday are church days, so I am gone ALL day on Sunday (8:30am to 8 or 9pm) and all afternoon and evening on Wednesdays.  The other days, I hang out either in person, on the phone/computer or at their home with Cristina and family, Liliana, Teresa and Luigi, Freda & Crengutsa, Mafalda, Mariano, etc.  Many lunchs, dinners, going visiting with Freda and Crengutsa, (Cristina going with me places to be my translator), me going with her to watch the kids so she can get something done :).  Of course school has started now for Aurora and Roberto, so her routine has also changed.  I also spend a good portion of time on my computer, typing up some notes that I have collected through the years.  All in all, I am quiet busy.  Some were worried, I would 'have nothing to do' here!!!... still waiting for that day :)  I had an offer to go to Australia for conventions with Freda, and would LOVE to go, however, I must stay where I am for now and study.  Next time...

 This tree at Caputo's has bloomed all spring, summer and now fall... it is so beautiful

 Cruise ships come and go daily

A walk along the sea behind Caputo's home, with Liliana, Marco, Aurora and Roberto after Sunday lunch on the 14th with all the family.  His folks, and sister, and so many others.

 Cristina is having some issues with her elbow, so has been taking some treatments for it.  I went to the doctors office with her one day.  Aurora (4) tried to tell me something in Italian.  She could see that I was not understanding her, so Cristina, said to Aurora to tell Carmen (said it in English what she should say to me).  Aurora spread both her hands in front of her, palms up and said, "she has had enough time... she needs to speak Italian"!  Oh my goodness, I love children... how funny is this!!

The children love to have me come over there and I love going and being with them.  Another day, Cristina was outside her home speaking in English, and she said both the children came running out saying "Carmen is here, Carmen is here", just because they heard her speak English.  They were so disappointed when they found out I wasn't. :(  I see them at least twice a week.

Planning a meal... well that was a unique challenge.  Spent several days going to the market and reading labels, as well as recipes.  Who knew cooking could be so complicated!   Conversions, conversions!  Grams, ml, liters, celsius. Oh my; but from the happy look on these faces, I think it turned out okay... or maybe it was just the wine talking :)  Anyway, I thought it was fantastic, enough that I will share the recipes as per Ms. Gail's request :)  They will be posted at the end Gail...  enjoy, or should I say. good luck!   One thing I've noticed here, are the tomatoes, lemons and olive oil taste soooo much better!  And also the fresh mozzarella!

 Entertaining in my 'new home' and cooking Italian style.  Luigi, Teresa and Alessandra.  What a fun evening.  Too bad about Luigi's motorcycle lock though, when he went to leave, the wheel lock would not open, so had to leave his motorbike outside on the walk all night.  That night, he said he searched the internet and sure enough... they showed exactly how to break the lock, so next morning he came and broke it.  Not a very restful night for them Teresa said...  He has now purchased a much more secure lock.

Nice to have a 'son' here.  Wonderful young man, enjoying and loving to see the new growth in him... great progress.  Italy needs more just like him and Mariano!

Saturday 20th, AnnaMaria (Teresa's sister) came over and I got my first massage since I've been in Italy.  What luxury to have it done in my own home; how very relaxing and the "price was right"!!  Something I can afford :)

Sunday 21st, after church went to Teresa's and she made Beef Bolognese sauce over noodles and other yummy things for lunch, then we had our wonderful afternoon sietas before evening bible study.  Getting quite use to these siestas, and because everyone does it, it doesn't make me feel old. :)

Monday, did laundry, walked down town a bit.  Not much.  Then in the late afternoon, met with the landlord to inquire if they would let me put up a shelf... got my answer today 26th.. Yes!  Borrowing a drill this afternoon to do just that.  Damiano is a wonderful manager for my apartment.  He speaks excellent English, so makes communication enjoyable!  He said I looked 'relaxed'... nice to hear.  I know I sure am enjoying it here and love my little apartment.  It is just right!  Not too big, but suits my purposes perfectly right now!

  It is above these two white chairs that I want to put the shelf.

Added this picture later after I got the shelf up :)

On Wednesday the 24th, Freda, Crengutsa and I were invited to have 1 pm lunch and spend the afternoon with Mafalda until time for evening church.  Mafalda is a lovely elderly lady who is always doing all she can for everyone, has all her 'wits' about her and is vibrant and just adorable.  Lives in her own very large home and gets around like a much much younger woman.

Now, since I was unable to get a very good physical pictures, I will try to paint a word picture for you... I could hardly believe it and yet it felt and seemed so normal (and of course, it is normal here in Italy!!)  I am just loving 'stepping back in time'!!  A much simpler lifestyle, in so many ways...  Anyway, it tickled my funny bone and still makes me laugh when I think of it...

So picture this:  Mafalda is 82 years old and still drives this 2 door car.  It comes with 'character and personal touchs', reflecting a well used vehicle (keep in mind, no different than all the other cars here though), just not a comfortable feeling to know how close some of the calls were :)

This is my Sunday church group.  Mafalda is in white with hand on g'ma shoulder.

Anyway, Freda, Crengutsa and I rode the bus over to the area where she lives and she insisted on coming to pick us up at the bus stop (otherwise we would have walked... I like walking!!)  When we arrived at the bus stop, we saw this tiny 4 foot, 82 year old lady there to pick us in in this two door :).  Not only that, because there are so many undesirable types that get off at this particular stop, another lady who had gotten off when we did, asked Mafalda if she could please have a ride too.... Okay, that now makes five of us....

So we all pile in.  Freda and I ('fully grown women') and Crengutsa (a bit smaller) all pile in the back seat!!!  and then the other Italian lady is in front and Malfalda is driving.   Oh My!  We looked like pretzels in a tuna can packed in oil (those shocks will never be the same)!  This struck me as so funny, I started laughing and trying not too, as I did not want to offend anyone, but how to stop.  Dug up my camera from the folds and pits and tried to take some pictures, but as you can see, impossible to 'get back far enough'  (understatement!!)

 Crengutsa had to sit sideways... all you can see is her arm

 The only room left in the car was above Mafalda's head... she is only 4 foot!  What a big heart this small woman has!  She wanted to be as helpful as she could, always doing and giving her best.  Knowing people like her really humbles me.

 Crengutsa waiting to slither out :)  Loved it... could hardly believe I was doing this after owning a Lincoln Town Car... one of the biggest land yachts yet, and now this.  How do I say Love, Love, Love being here experiencing these things and who I am experiencing them with!

 Freda at Mafalda's

Lunch at Mafalda's with her grandson, Stefano.  Mafalda is an Awesome cook; everything has such excellent flavor.  Stefano is a very nice young man and such a help to Mafalda.

After lunch, we all took our afternoon 'siesta', then around 4pm I got up and walked over to Caputo's to pick up my mail and to get on the internet and take care of some banking business.  Just before 6 pm, Malfalda and the girls came over for Bible study.  After study, I caught a ride home with Giacinto and Freda & Crengutsa with Giuseppe.  All in all, what a lovely day.

And now, it is Friday again already... time seems to go just as fast as it ever did.  Two weeks gone already.  Two full consecutive weeks in my apartment and I have loved it.  What's really nice is how quiet my apartment is!!! I love quietness!!  Oh, How I love it!  So now, time for more studying....

Ciao!

Recipes:  What's cooking

On the table to be eaten with or at any time:

Take fresh chopped garlic and place on a baking dish in the oven and dry toast until golden brown, but do not scorch.  Cool, spread out on a flat plate, sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt, then pour fresh olive oil over, just to cover the garlic.  Now slice very thin slices of your favorite bread and use these to 'dip' in the garlic/oil, making sure to press down to pick up the garlic pieces.... Yummy!  Actually something I learned in the US some years ago.

1st course: 

Italian Semolina Dumplings.   5 tablespoons semolina flour 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 egg 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pinch salt DIRECTIONS: 1. Bring to a boil in a medium pot, chicken broth, homemade or otherwise. 2. Stir together the semolina flour, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl; set aside. Whisk together the egg, olive oil, and salt in a larger bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in the semolina until a soft dough has formed, then leave rest for about 5 min. 3. Drop the dumpling dough by small teaspoonful into the boiling broth. Boil until the dumplings float to the surface, then reduce heat and cook on low until they have grown in size, more than double.  About 4 minutes. Serve hot soup.

2nd course: 

Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Salad. Ingredients 2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 fresh basil leaves Directions Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter or individual salad plates, overlapping the slices and fanning them out like a deck of cards. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Garnish with the basil: Cut it into very thin slices or tear into bits and sprinkle on top or leave the leaves whole and tuck them here and there between the mozzarella and tomato slices. Serve immediately. 3rd Course:  Chicken and Pasta in White Wine Garlic Sauce Ingredients 4 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup water 1 cup dry white wine 1 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 (6 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms 1 cup finely chopped white onion 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon rosemary 1/2 teaspoon basil 1 bay leaf 2 cloves crushed garlic or 2 cloves minced garlic 1 lb linguine or 1 lb other pastas salt and pepper Directions Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken in large skillet with water, olive oil, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and spices. Cook until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes while preparing pasta, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta al dente,place into serving dish and toss with olive oil. Pour chicken mixture over pasta. Serve with fresh salad and garlic toast. 9 I am very generous with my spices when i make this dish and usually add more than the recipe calls for, but it is quite delicious as written. 10.  Now, I did not want to have pasta this time, so I did not dice the chicken, but left them whole halves, braised them on each side before I put them in the pot, then I just thickened the sauce and used it directly over the chicken on the plate when I served it.   Served it with salad and zucchini. Vegetable and Salad.  Salad was just greens, diced bell pepper, salt & pepper, with olive oil and fresh lemon juice squeezed on just at time of serving. Baked Parmesan Zucchini Crisp, tender zucchini sticks oven-roasted to absolute perfection. It's healthy, nutritious and completely addictive! Ingredients - Always use organic ingredients. 4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired. Dessert:  Easy No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Ingredients  397 grams sweetened condensed milk 300 grams cream cheese 285 ml double cream 4 large lemons 12 digestive biscuits (crushed) 80 grams butter Method take 7inch loose bottomed cake tin, melt butter slowly on stove and add the crush digestive biscuits once the butter has been absorbed then turn into loose bottomed tin and pat down gently, refrigerate for the cheesecake mixture, place the soft cheese into a mixing bowl and start to soften with an electric mixer add the sweetened condensed milk slowly, this will ensure no lumps from the cheese remain then add the double cream roll the lemons on the work surface, don't know why but they give up more juice & then squeeze them * note husband's are particularly adept at this part if you have one handy! add the lemon juice to the bowl a bit at a time & you'll find the beautifully creamy mixture starts to thicken once all of the lemon juice has been added then transfer this to the biscuit base and refrigerate for an hour. Enjoy! TIP: If you like some texture and extra lemony tang then add some grated lemon rind Fresh watermelon slices also. THAT WAS SUPPER!!!!  AND OF COURSE, ESPRESSO

September 2 - 11, 2014 Sicily

September 2 - 11, 2014  Sicily

So much for staying put the month of September and starting my study of the Italian language.  Off to Sicily!  I found out from Liliana that no teachers were available until school starts on Sept. 15th, therefore, I couldn't do much until then, so when Freda Good said she was needing to move her things from Sicily to Bari, and invited me to go to the Island with her to meet the friends there,  I jumped at the opportunity!  So many privileges and opportunities I have had!  I rented a car 

and off we headed south to Taranto, then on to Villa San Giovanni where we caught the ferry over to Messina on Sicily.  From there we drove up to Giarre where she had a flat these last three years.

 Heading south out of Bari

  Then heading Southeast all the way to the toe of Italy

This is where we caught the Ferry to go to Sicily.  Mainland Italy on the right and Sicily on the left and an cruise ship sailing along between them. 

Freda looking toward Sicily where she has been these last three years.   

First view if Messina, Sicily 

The flat here in Giarre is right at the base of Mt Etna.  Freda says it has small eruptions often and they have to deal with the black ash that falls.  Also, says you can see the lava flowing, glowing red at night.  Wish I could have seen that.  Quite often while we've been on the Island, it is completely under cloud and/or smoke cover.  

 This was my first views of Mt Etna as we were driving up the coast

From Wikipedia: Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, withvineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.^[4] In June 2013, it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.^[5]   Mount Etna (Italian: Etna, Sicilian: Mungibeddu or a Muntagna, Latin: Aetna) is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Catania, between Messina and Catania. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is the tallest active volcano on theEuropean continent, currently 3,329 m (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² (459 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km. This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. Only Mount Teide in Tenerife surpasses it in the whole of the European–North-African region.^[2] 

Taken from her kitchen window the morning after we arrived.

Taken from her kitchen window this morning of the 10th, however, as I am typing this, this afternoon, it is completely hidden from view by clouds and there is a really big rainstorm happening right now. Dumping rain with thunder and lightening and hail...  I'm loving it!!  So reminds me of Illinos.

This is how the mountain looked after the hail and rain!  It changed right before my eyes almost, from barren to white!  What a difference a few hours can make.

Sept. 4, 2014.  Next morning we headed to Palermo on the Northwest side of the island where we stayed in Albergo (Hotel) Cavour near the train station.  This is the same place many have stayed through the years first located by Hans several years ago.  The proprietor is very nice and considerate in pricing and loves having them come.  After we checked in and dropped our bags, we went for a bite to eat,

 First course is ceci (garbanzo beans) dried, made into flour, then cakes and fried.  Drizzled with lime juice they are very good!  Then pasta.

Then headed over to Bagheria to Antonella and Rosario's home for a bible study and then stayed with them for an evening meal.  This lady is all alone here, but is so gracious as well as her husband and so glad to have us come see them.  The Island is very dry at this time of the year.  Also, harvest is done, so lots of stubble fields.  They plant and farm every inch here in Italy.

 Hundreds of tunnels on the roads in Italy

 This was my first view of Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

We both had been pushing ourselves and I had only been getting about 3 hours of sleep for the last three nights, so when we arrived back at the hotel, we just crashed and slept in a bit next morning.  I finally had WIFI again, so was able to check my emails there as well.  

Sept 5, 2014, we checked out of the hotel and headed to Maria and Enzo's at Scoglitti.  We got off the main roads and did the scenic tour.  What a wonderful day to travel and the scenery was so awesome.

 Vicari, a wonderful little mountain town.  What a view from it!

 Of course, we had to stop along the way a few times for an espresso ☺   Just why we stopped at this little place, I really don't know.  Little town called Lercara Friddi.  When the man serving us 'caffe' found out I was from America, he immediately started singing "New York, New York".  I said Frank Sinatra and he was very proud that I knew!  Wanted to make sure I knew this was the town of Frank Sinatra's roots.  Frank's father was from Lercara Friddi.  

  Here's some harvested fields for you James G.  How does this compare to WA?

Agrigento skyline and the Roman Ruins there

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrigento

 

 

We then arrived in Scogletti.  Maria has three homes and one is on the Mediterranean Sea, which is where they are currently staying for the summer.  First thing I wanted to do when we arrived in the early afternoon was head to the sea and take a swim.  It was a bit choppy that day, but the water was so warm and wonderful.  I spent at least 2 hours there... didn't have my watch on, then when I returned to the house, they were ready to take a walk, so we walked along the Sea for a while as well.  I never get tired of the Seas!  

  Maria's home by the sea

  After my swim, we had a walk along the sea

  Gorgeous sunset

 We had dinner and breakfast on this balcony. Lovely!!

 Lovely Maria preparing food for us to take on our journey

 Maria and Enzo

 and with Freda

 Freda, myself and Maria

The next morning the sea was a calm as could be.  People were out just floating around.  Wish we had been here one more day and I would have loved spending more time in the sea.

Sept. 6, 2014.  Around noon, we left Maria's and head toward Vittoria in the south of the Island, where we visited another lady, Ellena.  Her husband recently had hip surgery, so we didn't stay too long, then we headed on to Ragusa where Dimartino's live.  

and it was a gorgeous day to travel with more beautiful scenery along the way. 

Marble!!!  It is so inexpensive here in Italy and all the home use it.  Lots of marble yards here.

First we stopped at Anna and Massimo's home to get the key to Domenico and Salvina's home, as they wouldn't be home for a few hours yet.  After we arrived there we had time for a bit of a walk and a rest.  

  Anna and Massimo and their lovely home.  Almost all homes in Italy do not have extravagant outsides, but they are gorgeous inside!

We stayed with Anna's folks in Ragusa until Monday morning.  They are such a lovely family and I certainly enjoyed my time with them all immensely!  Family is a really important thing here in Italy, so all the children who live close spent most of the day Sunday with them.  

L-R.  Back: Freda, Massimo, Paula, Gianni, Nuccio, Gabriele, Domenico, Cristina,  Front: Anna, Salvina, Venerina, Daniela, Francesca.  (They have another son in Venice and daughter in England)

After church, Freda and I went to Dina and Giorgio's for lunch, then returned to Dimartino's just before three.  Hung around the home for a couple hours showing them USA pictures, then  Davide, Daniela and Cristina wanted to show me Ibla, so we took a drive down there, shown in the pictures next.

  

 built right on the face of the rock wall

 This is what the men do all over Italy... sit around in the afternoons

 Davide (also called Gianni) and his twin Cristina and Daniela

What a lovely afternoon spent with these young people.  They are all about the ages of my children.  We had a Gelato on the walk down, then a bit of drive around before returning back at their folks for supper.  What a wonderful lovely day.  

 Just a couple pictures taken close to where Domenico and Salvina live.  I liked the New architecture of this apartment complex and the one below is the new Mormon church in Ragusa.

Sept. 8, 2014, Monday morning, Freda and I headed back toward Giarre, but again took the scenic route and it was something to see all the rock fences and buildings made from rock in this part where it is basically a 'rock pile', yet they still farm it as best they can.  Even an old milk cow wandered out in the road, so I rolled down my window and had a few words with her ☺

Then a city on the horizon...  Carlentini

Arrived back at the flat in Giarre about 1pm.  We stopped at the market to get something to prepare for dinner, as Ralf Wendt (from Switzerland who speaks German, French, English, Italian & Dutch) and Danny Kamper (age 29 from Holland) brought May Chamber's things down from Rome where she had been last year.  She will be coming down on Thursday.  Field changes here are a BIG thing!!  
Danny was sent to labor one year in Ireland where he was required to learn English before he went to labor in Germany.  He has most recently been back in Holland and now Italy.  He will study this year to learn Italian now along with his Dutch, German & English.  Also, Crengutsa from Romania who will be with Freda in Bari this year will be learning Italian.  She and I are hoping it will work out that we can study together.  There are many who come to labor here in Italy and vice versa who must learn the language of the country.  It is amazing to think every time you change fields, you may be having to learn a new language!!  Almost everyone who comes to Italy also speaks English.

 Dinner at the flat in Giarre.  Ralf, Danny, Freda

Ralf and Danny arrived about 7:30.  We had roast chicken, garlic fried potatoes, Arancini (rice balls), salad, then fruit and almond cookies.  

Arancini is a specialty of Sicily. 

Sept. 9, 2014.  No rush to get an early start this morning, however, didn't keep me from waking up at 6:30!  Freda then heard me moving around in my room, so she knocked on my door and brought me a cup of coffee!  She has been doing that all week, everywhere we were.  I should be getting her coffee!!!

She started our laundry, before I dropped her off at the Doctor this morning, then I returned to the flat and hung the laundry outside off the balcony to dry.  The wind was so warm and the sun bright, that it was dry very quickly!

Ralf Wendt and Danny Kamper left about 10am to go see the Dimartino's.  Freda worked on her packing business, we stopped at some point for a bite of lunch and a long nap, and then I continued working on my blog until 5:30pm, at which time we went to visit some ladies she knew and wanted to say goodbye to

 Gratiella (not sure if correct name), Freda, Grandma, Marie, Me

We left there at 7:15, a bit later than intended, then still had to stop by the Supermercati to pick up a few things to make a pot of stew.  (Felt kind of nice to do some cooking, since I haven't really done any since I left US a month ago).  Also, was glad the boys had texted earlier and said they would be a little late, so we hurried inside and got started cooking  to at least make it smell like they were going to get something to eat.☺  Ended up not eating until almost 9pm, however, that is not so uncommon here in Italy.  Danny found a keyboard here in the flat and started playing it, then while the food was simmering, he and I sang a few hymns together.  

He is Dutch, but speaks German and English also and now studying Italian, so we sang in English...  the accents made it quite fun actually!!!  Ralf (Switzerland) was enjoying having a bit of time to get some computer work done.  Danny's brother (age 27) is laboring in Suriname in South America.  (Freda also has a neice and nephew in South America.)  After dinner, Danny washed the dishes and then we sang a bit more, before retiring.  All in all, it was a lovely day here at the bach in Giarre.  

This is just under the balcony here at the flat.

Sept. 10, 2014.  Arose fairly early and after breakfast, the boys left for Cosenza and other places, and Freda and I went to the La Rosa's (the landlady) to say goodbye.  She is a lovely lady and has a very very nice place!  She no longer wants to rent this flat, so will try to sell it after all get moved out. 

After I dropped Freda back at the flat, I then washed the car and headed for Taormina.  I have been wanting to make sure I get to see it before I left the Island and as we want to leave early in the morning and catch the Ferry back to the mainland, so as not to get back to Bari too late, there will not be time to do it tomorrow.  Freda was glad for the time to get her packing finished I'm sure and has been there many times, so off I headed to Taormina.  I am so glad I did... MAGNIFICO!  

Then I arrived back in Giarre about 1:30 and Freda and I had a bite to eat.  Only a few hours later, we were hungry again!  So guess what?  We ate some more ☺  Around 7pm we headed to the market to get some water and few supplies.  Off to bed now, as we want to get a very early start in the morning. 

Sept. 11, 2014, up at 5am.  Freda and I had breakfast and she made sure the flat was all in order for Esther and May when they arrived there this evening.  We then started moving all her things down (20 steps) to the car, got all loaded up and were on our way at 6:40am.  Off to catch the Ferry back to the mainland.

Goodbye Giarre, goodbye Sicily.. see you another time.

Cannoli's are also special to Sicily, so had to have one this morning just as we were leaving Sicily.

We did not have to wait for the Ferry, so were across back to the mainland in about 30 mintues.  A few more pictures as we returned to Bari.  I was on four different seas this week.  Started on the Adriatic, then the Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Mediterranean.

Everything shares the roads here in Italy

We arrived back in Bari about 1:30 and went immediately to the flat where Freda and Crengutsa will be staying.  No parking as usual, so I double parked (like so many others already there had) and started unloading Freda's things.  Just as I was taking the second load out of the car, who just arrived and walked across the street but AnnaMaria and Crengutsa, so the move went very quickly after that.  

Then I headed over to my apartment and got lucky.. parking right in front!  Brought my things up, spent about 30 minutes here, then back down to take the car to the Airport where I had rented it from. Caught the bus back downtown from the Airport and walked 30 minutes from there back to my apartment.  Stopped along the way and purchased something for dinner, so now sitting here all 'fed up' and relaxing... feels good to be 'home', but had a wonderful trip to Sicily and all went perfectly.  Early bed for me tonight and I have much to do tomorrow.   

I'm sure I've misspelled names (please forgive me), forgotten some things, mixed up some others, but here is the 'jist' of my time in Sicily.  

While I was there, I had a wonderful email from a very special Moses Lake friend this week and here is what she had to say:  Would it be wrong for you to let the dear Friends there know how much we (me) over here appreciate all the wonderful care they're showering our friend Carmen with?  Really, my heart is touched!

So Gail, now it has been shared!!!  Thank you for your wonderful email and can't wait for you to come see 'us' here in Italy.

Arrivederci e augurando a tutti potrebbe avere una tale esperienza!