If you keep hearing . . .

. . . the theme from The Godfather chances are, you've arrived in Sicily!  (And we have . . . )

So, this was another very long trip.  Six hours to Denver (dropping Illy off at what we are calling Lonetree University -- actually the location of her off-leash trainer, Guillame Goulin).  Is it any coincidence, really, that Munro is being looked after by another dog-friendly native of France, Jean-Phillipe Mul, in Santa Fe? C'est la vie!  It's the "pup way" of experiencing the international flavor without the long flights!

Munich Airport

From Denver it was nine-hours to Munich (during which poor Cliff was literally locked in place with his knees wedged against the seat in front of him).  And yes I did watch most of the movies I missed last year (Lufthansa has an amazing line up).  What I didn't catch, I'll get on the return (every Oscar winner except The Greenbook is available -- and sleeping on the plane was just not going to happen).

After a short layover in Munich (quite possibly the cleanest airport I ever have seen), it was on to Rome (and another short layover), before finally heading to Catania, Sicily. short before
7:00 last evening.  All total (including the drive to Denver) this was nineteen hours of travel (not counting stay/layovers).

Street mural of Aetna

But ah Sicily . . . we arrived to clear night skies and a temp of 59F.  After a quick check in at Il Principe Hotel in the heart of Catania, we joined the rest of Team ABCD, and headed for dinner with Axel and Bettina, who arrived a couple of hours before us.  With two city strolls sandwiching dinner (yes, every food-related adjective and metaphor you can dream of may quite spontaneously spring to my blogging mind, because, after all, we are back in Eat-aly), we finally -- after 36 sleepless hours (and generous pourings of wine) -- collapsed into our windowless (no kidding) room to sleep the sleep of the dead (and still wake with jet-lag) this morning.  Revived after many cappuccinos and macchiatos, we set out to explore Catania just a bit before catching the train to Siracusa (we have to pick up our bikes today, as the shop is closed tomorrow).

Too precious not to include

First let me say, one day is not enough to explore Catania.  Sicily's second major city (to Palermo), Catania is nestled at the foot of Mount Etna (Aetna), and was largely rebuilt following a major volcanic (Aetna)  eruption in 1669, followed closely by a serious earthquake in 1693.  It is a lovely coastal city (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with a large port and all of the beauty of the Baroque period embraced by the color, culture and design that sing the aria of Italy for me.

Spatola fish

On the recommendation of locals, we hit the fish market at it's busiest time this morning.  To try to describe the beauty of the glistening fish, cephalopods and crustaceans may defy description -- as does the aroma of a fully-fresh fish market (not fishy at all).  The presence of the daily markets in Italy always makes me long to live in a place where each day the food is collected from the source, purchased and prepared -- each and every day!  Add to that the abundance of water, sea air and the general sense of happiness and community, and Sicily may turn out to be just about perfect.

Train tix to Siracusa

Soon out of time in Catania, we caught a taxi to the train station, and headed down the coast to the town that launches the first leg of our ride, Siracusa.  It was a quick check in at Hotel Gutowski, and yes, time to eat again! 

As I type this evening's blog the sound of the water crashing on the breakers just outside of our window is the perfect lullaby to end the day.  And so I will close the first day of the Sicily blog -- Bikes at the ready, tomorrow we'll cycle along the Sicilian Coast to Noto.

We'll be back in Siracusa at the end of our trip, so I'll write about this amazing city then.  This first blog is to get us landed and caught up -- and to steal a line from Camelot, "Tomorrow we ride . . .."

More color from Catania

The view from our terrace in Siracusa

Lunch at the Fish market