Palermo by sea, I think

Well, I am in Palermo, and the city and the weather are beautiful. I rode on my first sleeper train for 12 hours to get here, but I nearly got stuck in Naples with nowhere to stay. I actually missed an earlier train (one I had already purchased a ticket for) that was to leave Naples at 10:30 p.m.

After returning from Capri in the late afternoon, I had a few hours of sitting in the station to look forward to, so I called my friend Renato, and we took the metro to a coffee house. Later, when I tried to get back to the station, the metro was very late (I was really loving Naples’ metro system by this time), and I missed the train by two minutes! Needless to say, I was not a happy camper, especially since the train station is hardly a cozy place after dark.

With all the ticket vendors closed, I had to wait for a train leaving for Siracusa at midnight and hope that I could beg my way on board with the ticket for the other train. This meant talking, or at least attempting to talk, with several Trenitalia employees. I think they showed me a lot of patience and kindness because it was clear I wasn’t fluent in Italian though I let that play in my favor by appearing a little more clueless than I really was. Also, I was practically the only woman wandering around the station at midnight.

When the train to Siracusa finally arrived, I walked down the platform from car to car with an employee looking for an open seat, but each attendant we passed declared their car full and told us to continue on down the line.

Things looked grim at first, but at long last ? and I mean the last car ? I found an open seat. I ended up sharing a cabin for four with ? drum roll please ? a nun from Guatemala. I can’t seem to get away from them! She was very nice though, and I put my high school Spanish to work trying to talk with her. Thank goodness she was patient!

Before leaving Naples, I was told by several people that there is no bridge or land-based crossing between mainland Italy and Sicily. The only way to get across is by ferry. I assumed that this meant that halfway through the trip all passengers would have to get off the train and board a ferry to catch a connecting train on the other side. I kept waiting for this and, as early morning became late morning, I began to wonder how long this ride was going to be if we hadn’t reached Calabria yet. My helpful nun had gotten off at a little station not long after sunrise, leaving me alone to enjoy the beautiful ocean views and to wonder just when I would be reaching my own destination.

The train pulled into several small stations and finally one large one just before 11 in the morning. When I looked out the window, I was stunned to see a sign saying “Palermo.”

How could this be? What happened to the ferry? I turned to some other passengers who were gathering to disembark and asked, not trusting my own eyes, “Is this Palermo?”

“Yes,” they answered, chuckling slightly.

Perhaps there is more than one Palermo.

“Palermo, Sicily?” I asked and got many nods and smirks as my response.

Suddenly, I was in Palermo!

I realized then that the whole train must go onto a ferry, and I recalled how, in the night, the nun had talked of una barca, a boat. I knew she was referring to the ferry, but I had assumed, since I understood very little of what she was actually saying, that she was simply warning me about the crossing as I had been warned by others.

Since it was nighttime, and thus dark out, I had missed this transition. Anyway, I got here safe and sound, if not a little bit later than I had planned, and I have a room with a view and a bathroom for 40 euros a night ? I think Sicily may give me more for my money!

There is also a beautiful beach here called Mondello. I went there the other day to swim and sunbathe. (I’ve finally been in the Mediterranean Sea!) The water is crystal clear and there is barely an open inch of sand on the weekends.

One thing I have discovered about Italians is that if they aren’t born with a tan, it is easy for them to acquire one. I, however, have a lot of Irish blood in me, which means I was the whitest person on the beach ? and perhaps in all of Sicily.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to work on my tan some more in Strombolli, a little island off Sicily’s northern coast. I am heading there next, and I am looking forward to relaxing rather than running around from one historical place to another!

Until next time, ciao raggazzi!