A Long Journey into a Rich Past

 

Buon giorno,

Well. I'm here, and the room and location are terrific. The photo is the view from my balcony. I also have a helpful new friend named Greta. I'd booked a taxi to get me here from Palermo Airport, but there was a mix up. The driver was waiting for me at an earlier flight. When I didn't show, he got mad and left. I ended up taking another taxi into town, but my new pal Greta will try to get me a refund. As annoying as that was it wasn't as bad as the plight of the young Polish woman (who doesn't either Italian or English). She has a reservation here, but no sign of the guy in charge of it. More work for Greta!

When I was working and people knew I had a trip plan the most frequent question I got was why I was going where I was going. Have you been before? No. Do you have family there? No. The explanation that I was after history did not seem to register.  But history is indeed why I chose to come to Palermo--layer upon layer of history! I hope you will share it with me.

I flew non-stop to Rome--a very long flight. I'd checked out reviews of the airline and was not encouraged, but the flight was fine. The seats were comfortable and the food decent although they were stingy with the excellent wine on offer.  The only problem was a big group of my fellow citizens who seemed bound and determined to fulfill every cliche about American tourists ever.  They were LOUD, and they took up a lot of space. I prayed they wouldn't be in my cabin, but there they were needing to talk at the top of their lungs.

I didn't sleep, but I sort of dozed. So far the Italian lessons I've been doing on line have done me no good at all. Oh well. Rome's airport is very bustling but easy to get around. I squirted myself with the latest Hermes perfume (which I don't care for) at duty free. There are the usual luxury labels, which hold no interest for me, but also they have foods on offer. Hmm. Maybe I'd like to bring something home.

The flight here was quick and easy. Until I got my bags and realized no one was waiting for me. I am a wreck. I found a mini market so I'm not going to starve. I got some interesting Sicilian white wine and a meh sandwich,  but I need to get some sleep and have an easy day tomorrow getting to know the city.