Thanks to our GPS we drove practically the entire way through very curvy roads with enough space for 1 car. I’m convinced I’ll be on high blood pressure meds before this Italian adventure is over! We were starving, so after parking, we stopped at the first restaurant we came to; a quaint pizzeria and restaurant that surprisingly had a few other Americans dining. I suppose they were starving too! The waiter came to the table, we ordered our drinks, and I asked what the pasta of the day was. There were 2 choices, the one I wanted and one that had something to do with broccoli. I told him what I wanted and then I thought he asked if I wanted a side of broccoli. “No,” I said, to which he responded something about broccoli. Ok, fine. This guy likes his broccoli, so I’ll eat it. Greg ordered something completely different, and then the guy asks something about broccoli. Greg raises his hands (because he’s becoming more and more Italian) like “Ok, sure.” The next thing I know, out comes pasta with broccoli in it. This isn’t the pasta that Greg or I ordered. I’m thinking something got lost in translation! I’m up for it! I’ll give the broccoli pasta a go! Forkful #1. Nope. Don’t like it. It had a very strong “fishy” taste and that’s just not my thing. Forkful #2. Nope. Can’t do it. Greg didn’t like it either, but in true Greg fashion, he managed to eat a decent size portion. Our waiter came back to the table and after a brief interaction about my plate of pasta, I offered the information that I preferred not to have fish in my pasta. He replied (and repeated several times) that there was no fish in the pasta. Good job, Anna. Insult the guy with leaving my plate barely touched and then tell him it had fish. I couldn’t get out of there quick enough!
Moving along, we walked to the town’s Cathedral, and… it was closed for Riposo! Drinking a cappuccino, eating a pastry, and chatting with people around a fountain is a great way to kill time, and that’s exactly what we did. Finally, the church doors opened and it was well worth the wait! The ceiling was covered in gold tiles and mosaics depicting Bible stories. Truly breathtaking! The pictures don’t do any justice to the beauty. I can’t imagine the time that was invested in creating such a masterpiece. Today, a machine would do all of the design and connect the tiles, leaving a layer of grout as the only work necessary.
Heading back down towards Palermo (the GPS took us a different way back, thank goodness) we ventured back to the Catacombs. I got to the bottom of the steps, about to walk through the entry, and freaked out a little. It hit me that I was really about to see a whole lot of skeletons. Whatever happened to a date being dinner and a movie?! My nerves settled and on we went. I don’t have any pictures, we weren’t allowed to take any, and it would have been way too graphic to share. There were skeletons hanging on the walls, shoulder to shoulder. Different sections held specific groups like women, children, monks, and professionals. All were wearing traditional period style clothing. Some had remains of hair and teeth, some didn’t. One little girl was perfectly preserved, it looked like she was sleeping complete with bows in her hair. It was all very creepy and I must admit that I walked through some portions looking down.
In the States, Greg and I finished most of our dates with a meal at the Waffle House. With that option unavailable, we decided to create a Waffle House experience in our kitchen. It was great having a day to ourselves!
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