Et Cetera – Page 9 – Studio Josie

puppets, balconies, and an open market: downtown palermo {day two}

Today I’ll be sharing the final day we spent in downtown Palermo. This day was my favorite, and you’ll see why in a little bit…

I love this picture. It captures so much: the balconies, the flowers, the sleeping dog!

This building is gorgeous. I fell in love with the design here; more specifically, the balconies. Every. Single. Building. has them. They’re all different and so charming. I wish they were more common in US cities.

The first stop we made this day was to the Museo Internazionale di Marionette. No one in my group was particularly excited to go, but by the end, I think we all enjoyed it. The collection of marionettes was so impressive!

This is one of the very oldest puppets they had.

This room was filled with a million eyes staring right at you!

We got to hold one of the marionettes, and they are SO heavy! It blows my mind how people can put on entire performances holding them.

This piano-playing one is funny.

These puppets, made out of only recycled materials, were really cool.

The photos you’re seeing are just half of all of the photos I took. Everywhere was so picturesque, and I have about a million more! I love this one so much.

Apparently, this is one of the biggest ficus trees. We randomly came across it while wandering through a park.

This part of the day marks my favorite part of the entire trip.

We came across an open market down a long street. It was close to the downtown shopping area, but it felt like a million miles away as we were walking through. We had some free time after we had quickly walked through, so my aunt and I decided to go back and take our time exploring.

This was a little stand making freshly-squeezed juice from oranges, pomegranates, and lemons. They add it to ice and create the freshest-tasting granita you’ll ever try. There are no machines used here: only their hands, which never stopped to take a break.

I tried the orange…Oh, what I would do to have another cup!

The market was huge, and everything within it was so fresh and cheap!

I wish you could smell this picture.

Rows and rows and rows of produce. Some I had never even seen or heard of before, such as fragoline, or mini strawberries. My aunt and I got a little bucket of big strawberries for only two euro, and they were, by far, the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted.

I love this picture. The street was so narrow, but the people riding motorcycles didn’t let that bother them!

Also, look at the top of the picture. You can see more balconies (!!!), so imagine what it would be like living in one of those apartments. You could walk downstairs every few days and buy the freshest food for all of your meals. What a dream.

Have you ever seen oranges so perfect?

My aunt and I stopped at almost every stand, trying to converse with the locals and sample their items. Unlike the touristy areas and restaurants, barely anyone here spoke English. So, I had to use my beginner Italian skills to try and communicate. Thankfully, I knew my numbers (to negotiate a price) and how to ask for things!

Even though we were both English speakers who clearly didn’t belong there, everyone who we spoke to was so nice and friendly. I asked the man at the olive stand if I could try one, and he gave me a sample and a kind smile without hesitation. For the first time, I truly felt immersed in the Sicilian culture. I instantly fell in love with everything about it: the food, the people, the language. It was the most amazing feeling, and I will never forget it! There really are friendly people everywhere you go.

Now back to reality 🙂

After spending a while strolling down the marketplace, eating strawberries and buying goodies to bring back home (like this pistachio cream), we left the chaos and found ourselves with more time to kill before we had to meet up with the group. The second we walked out of the open market, it felt like we were in a completely different world: the cacophony of Sicilian men shouting at each other about fish and the sweet smell of strawberries and oranges slowly diminished.

We began to walk back to the main square, past rows of little tables set up with the most random antiques, and found my uncle and grandpa. We then decided to get some gelato. I went for the basic flavors in a fancy cone: chocolate and vanilla. If this trip taught me anything it’s that whenever I think I can’t eat anymore, I can. This gelato was huge, and I didn’t think I’d finish it, but I ate the whole thing and even ate some more later on!

From Palermo, we went to a surrounding town (I’ve no idea what the name is, if it even has one other than Palermo!) where we waited to take a tour of a gelateria. We had almost two hours to relax, so we all sat on the grass and bathed in the Italian sun across from the water.

These blue boats are so picturesque. Even boats know how to color coordinate in Italy!

I told you about the balconies. Aghhh they’re so cute!

This is one of my very favorite photos which I actually took on my phone! I just feel like it captures Sicily so well: it’s perfectly imperfect.

My aunt wanted me to take this picture of a cool alleyway 🙂

We took a mini tour of a gelateria and got a sample cup. It was very delicious; I think I got the mango flavor.

We continued to wander while we waited for dinner. This day was full of wandering which is probably why I loved it so much.

A cool silhouette shot.

Balconies, balconies, and more balconies! I admire the European (and Italian) design so much more after this trip. I just love how much history is preserved even in a simple apartment building.

We went to a department store before dinner. This was the view from the top where some of the group sat and relaxed for a while. My friends and I wanted to explore the mall and check out the stores. Maybe it’s because they’re so different from American malls, but I was completely obsessed with everything I saw in there!

For example… an entire section of SMEG products! I have loved SMEG for so long and dream of owning a fridge one day. This, amongst many other things within the mall, made the day 10000x more awesome.

After that, we went to dinner. I don’t have any photos, but I’ll just tell you it was the strangest (and worst) meal we all ate while in Sicily! Despite that, the rest of the day and the good company made up for it. And besides, you can’t complain while in Italy!

I’ll share more tomorrow or Tuesday, but we’ve still got a ways to go! I hope you’re enjoying the series thus far. A presto.

downtown palermo {day one}

Welcome to the second post of my Sicily series. We spent two days in downtown Palermo, so I’ll be sharing the first day today. Andiamo!

Yesterday I mentioned the crazy driving we witnessed. Well, here’s just one example of it. The traffic was insane in the cities, and there are about five (invisible) lanes! It was very stressful, but the bus drivers we had were superheroes.

Visiting during the spring was just amazing. Everything was in full bloom, and the weather wasn’t too cold or too hot. I haven’t visited during any other seasons, but from what I’ve heard, April – July is the best time to come.

I love the design of this “Vota Me” poster. Not sure who made it or who it’s intended to represent, so if you find anything out please share!

These next few photos are of Capella Palatina, an ancient church in Palermo built in the twelfth century. It was one of the most phenomenal things I’ve ever seen. If you go to Sicily for one thing, go for the mosaics!

Each detail is made up of tiny pieces of naturally-colored glass. Our tour guide, Concetta — who was a very knowledgeable architect — explained the different styles that are seen within the church: the arches (and many of the mosaics, specifically the geometric-looking ones) are Arabic, and the pillars are Roman.

Sicily’s history is so interesting because it is made up of many different cultures; Arab, Greek, Roman, Norman, and Byzantine influence is seen throughout the region. I also learned that the Arabic language has many similarities to the Sicilian dialect which I find fascinating!

It was so hard to take pictures in here because of the lighting, but here’s a view of the beautiful dome with a mosaic Jesus sitting at the very top. I just can’t get over how much work it must have been to create such an intricate masterpiece.

Here’s an up-close shot of the mosaics on a little piece of the wall.

I’m not very religious, but I can’t exaggerate when I say I could have been in there all day. There’s a lot to learn and appreciate in regards to religion, and much of the art I’ve seen that’s religiously-inspired is the most incredible. I would totally come back just to tour the churches and admire their beauty. I’ve truly never seen anything like it!

One more shot. You can clearly see the blending of styles in this one, but somehow it all comes together perfectly.

This is the inside of the Parliament House. Another work of art, except this time with paintings, not mosaics.

I was surprised to see so many palm trees here. From this view (taken from a garden in Palermo), it kind of looks like California!

This was funny. We were in another church, looking for the bathroom, and we found this: a sign for the “toilette” in the strangest place ever! It was right behind those steps, and you had to pay 50 cents to use it (which, I learned, is not uncommon here).

This is Fontana Pretoria, and it was built in the sixteenth century in Florence. It is also known as the “Fountain of Shame.”

After our morning guided tour, we had a few hours to eat lunch and roam around the touristy area of Palermo. I came across this piece of street art but have not been able to find anything about it online. Again, if you find anything… let me know!

I’m gonna be honest. I didn’t take as many photos of food as I would have liked to. But I did take a decent amount, so I’ll share what I have! This is an arancino, or a fried rice ball.

This picture is kinda gross, but I assume you’ll want to see what’s inside! I got mine with just rice and cheese. Yummm.

I also got an almond granita, which is like an Italian Ice but 1000x better. Apparently, granita and brioche (a sweet bread) is a classic Sicilian breakfast! Sign me up.

Sicilian Audrey Hepburn!

You can tell from the ground in this photo that it was pretty wet that day. There were showers on and off, meaning there were people trying to sell us cheap umbrellas all day long, but by the end of the day it had cleared up.

OK, I just had to share this photo. Look how close the cars are parked! Just thinking about getting out of that spot stresses me out.

This is a blurry photo taken from the bus, but look how pretty! I looooove hydrangeas.

After Palermo that day, we went to Monreale. I’ll share that soon, but tomorrow I’ll be sharing the second day spent in downtown Palermo, which just so happens to be my favorite day from the whole trip. A domani!

day one in sicily: isola delle femmine

I’m finally ready to share about my trip to Sicily! My post-trip sadness is (mostly) all gone, so I’ll be telling you all about it in my next few blog posts! (10 days is too long for one giant blog post, so this one will just be the first day.)

I went on the trip with my school, and my grandpa joined me. While we were in Sicily, my aunt and uncle, who live in London and are only a few hours flight from Italy, came down and spent the week with us, too. Not only was the trip an amazing cultural experience I will never ever forget, but it was also awesome to spend time with my family and make new friends. I’ll say more on this later, but I could not have asked for a better first trip abroad. I am so grateful I got to go. Here’s to many more! But for now…andiamo a Sicilia!

We left from Boston on April 13 and headed to Germany, which was an eight-hour flight. We flew on Lufthansa, a German airline, and I had my first ever dinner on a plane. I’ve been on plenty of planes but had never been served a full course meal. That was certainly an… experience!

From Germany, the flight was two hours to Palermo. We had been flying all night, so when we got to Palermo it was 10 or 11 in the morning, meaning we had a full (relaxing) day ahead of us.

This is the view from the plane as we got close to Palermo. Look at those clouds!

Once we got to the airport, we met up with our wonderful tour guide, Nicole. She was with us the whole trip and was the absolute best. By the time we left, everyone was so sad to say goodbye. 😦

We began to drive to our first hotel, Hotel Sirinetta. While on our tour bus, we each had mini heart attacks while witnessing the narrow roads and very wild drivers of Sicily! I’ll share more on that later. The hotel was in a small town called Isola Delle Femmine, which was a very strange area of Sicily. There wasn’t much to do, and there were not many people out during the day or night. However, we were in this hotel for the longest amount of time, and I grew to like the area.

My roommate and I definitely got the best view! We couldn’t figure out how to open the screen door to go onto the balcony, but once we did, we got SO excited about it. Every day I stepped outside and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. God, I miss it so so much!

Cute (and uncomfortable) chairs on the balcony.

After we got to the hotel, we all felt gross from the long travel day. We relaxed and showered and then went out to look for a spot for lunch.

Here’s an up close shot of the beach. It was swimming weather for us New Englanders, but the Italians wouldn’t dare to swim in 70-degree weather, which is why no one is out there!

The first of many gelato sightings! A cute little gelateria on wheels.

Our first Sicilian meal was eaten at a restaurant by the sea. We had caponata and spaghetti with parsley. I really liked it, and this meal was fun since we got to practice using our Italian for the first time! Oh, and I can’t forget to tell you about my Coca-cola experience:

I never drink soda at home. I hate carbonation and I always have preferred water. But for some reason on this trip, I got addicted to Coca-cola! At almost every meal I ordered a Coke. Even at the hotels, my friends and I would get some to take to our rooms. I don’t know why — maybe Italian Coke is better than American Coke — but it just felt so natural to me while I was there. I haven’t had it since I got back, so I think I’m going to make Coca-cola an “only-in-Italy” thing so I don’t ruin the joy 😉

My first real gelato! There was an adorable gelateria right down the road from our hotel called Dolce Cono (Sweet Cone). I ordered ~un cono con due gusti: pistacchio e cioccolato ~ (a cone with two flavors: pistachio and chocolate). It did not disappoint. I’m still dreaming of gelato.

After we returned, I hung out by the pool for a little while, watching the crazy group of kids who were staying in the same hotel do “tricks.”

My roommate and I accidentally discovered the solarium that was on the roof of the building, and this is one of the views from the top.

Another view: this is a really cool hotel (and mountain).

Maybe this is TMI, but I’m gonna share it for those who may be curious about European bathrooms/design! This is the shower in our hotel room. It was very cramped, but I got used to it after a while. Every hotel bathroom also had a bidet which I had never seen or used before! When we ran out of toilet paper, the owner of the hotel made jokes about how obsessed we Americans are with TP and how “the bidet is there for a reason!”

It’s so random, but I’m obsessed with the “continental breakfast” hotels offer. Something about not eating breakfast in your own home makes me excited, I guess. This hotel’s spread was very nice. Every morning I ate a peach yogurt, a croissant, and sometimes an orange. Yum.

Ahhhh, the vending machine. I accidentally ordered sparkling water here and had one-too-many Kinder Buenos. 🙂

That was all of day one. It was quite uneventful, but I figured I’d share our one relaxing day before the craziness of the rest of the trip! I’m happy I’m writing this all down here because it’s letting me relive these memories through photos. I miss this trip so much!

Tomorrow I will post more photos and stories from our second/third day in downtown Palermo! Stay tuned…

meeting david sedaris!

HELLO! April has been crazy. It feels like it’s lasted a year but in a totally amazing and wonderful way! I got back from Sicily just two weeks ago, but before I share a bunch of posts related to that, I wanted to share something that, I think, is just as exciting.

I turned seventeen on April 7, and two days later, I went to a David Sedaris reading/book signing where I met him (!!!!!!!!). It’s been almost a month, but I’m still in total shock! Every time I think about that moment I get excited all over again.

I started reading his books only a year or so ago. The first one I read was Me Talk Pretty One Day, and since then, I’ve read almost his entire collection (I have yet to read Barrel Fever, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, and Squirrel Meets Chipmunk). My favorite thus far is Calypso. While still very funny, Calypso brings out a side of Sedaris that’s much more raw and emotional. The whole book was just a pleasure to read, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it many more times.

Anyway, I was on a Sedaris kick for a few months last year, slowly making my way through his collection. My mom, who introduced me to him and loaned her books to me, got tickets for Christmas/my birthday to a book signing and reading in Providence.

Leading up to that night, I really didn’t think I’d meet him. The show was at 7 p.m. and would last about an hour and a half, so it’d be 9 p.m. by the time the book signing started. It was a school night, and I didn’t think I’d be motivated to stay even later and wait in a huge line. I had accepted the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get my book signed, but I still was thrilled to hear him read. But, for some reason, I was really lucky that night! Here’s the whole story…

Once we got into the theater, I bought my own copy of Calypso in the venue’s lobby. The woman selling it told me he was doing a pre-show signing upstairs. I felt like I was part of a VIP list; did anyone know about this?! It was the first I had heard of it, and I didn’t see many people walking upstairs.

I ran downstairs and immediately told my mom. She told me I should get in line, so I ran back up the stairs. Once I got to the top floor, I scanned the room, looking for something that would indicate a line. I walked through a small crowd of people, and there it was: a red rope leading to a table reserved for the one and only David Sedaris.

I walked over quickly to get behind the rope and was only behind six or seven people. Holding my new copy of Calypso and my previously-owned copy of Theft by Finding, I stood there, excited and very anxious. There was a man giving out sticky notes, asking people to write their names out so David would know how to spell them. It was that moment that it hit me: I was about to meet DAVID SEDARIS. What?!?!?!

I had never really met anyone famous before that day, so I had no idea how I’d act which made me 10x more nervous. I stood in line for about ten minutes until I was almost at the front. The woman ahead of me got three books signed, and in each of them, David wrote a small note about her supposed alcoholism (she was drinking a beer and had said something he didn’t understand). “Sober up!” and “Admit you have a problem” were the two I saw him write. I laughed as I watched from behind, anxious to find out what he’d write in my books.

When I got to the table, we exchanged hellos and he asked me how old I was. I said I was seventeen, and he asked me who I was with. I told him, “My mom, but she’s downstairs. She’s met you before.”

Apparently, the first time I said this, he didn’t quite hear me. Looking back, though, I think he heard me just fine 🙂 I repeated myself two or three times: “She’s met you before.” He finally responded with, “Ohhhh, I thought you said she’s my evil whore!” And that, my friends, is why he wrote this in my copy of Calypso:

I can’t think of anything more memorable to be written in this lovely book for the rest of my life. Oh, and a disclaimer: My mom isn’t an evil whore 😉 but she thinks it’s hilarious.

He then took the second book I brought with me, Theft By Finding, and began to pick up a couple of Sharpies. While beginning to draw, he asked me if I had a job, and I told him I did. Then he asked where I worked, and I replied, “I work at a farm stand near my house.” He asked what kinds of things we sell, and I said, “Oh, you know… snacks, milk, ice cream…” We conversed about ice cream for a while (he said, “it’s my one weakness.”) as he drew a pretty blue flower:

He handed me my two books, and as I was about to say goodbye, he pulled out a bag from underneath the table. He said, “Now because you’re a teenager, you get a present.”

He placed a small box on the table which contained a little fox-shaped brooch. Then he took out an Obama-in-Hawaii bottle opener he had gotten in Honolulu. He let me choose which of the two I wanted, and I, naturally, took the bottle opener (lol). I thought it was the weirder and more memorable gift, although anything from David Sedaris — even just a signed book — would have been unforgettable. I took the bottle opener, and he, knowing I was seventeen, told me, “Don’t forget, now: you have to wait to use it ’til next year!”

I’m still not sure how I was even formulating sentences at this point. David Sedaris and I just had a five-minute conversation AND he gave me a gift? What just happened!? I was so happy, and as I left, I told him how great it was to meet him. I thanked him for the books and for the present, and he responded with a sincere, “you’re welcome!” and smiled at me as I took my books and walked away.

That night was, by far, one of the best nights ever. (The reading itself was, of course, hysterical and so much fun, too!) David is such a genuine, kind-hearted, and hilarious person who truly loves meeting his readers. I’ll never forget it!

I doubt he’ll ever read this, but thank you so much, David! I will treasure my books and Obama forever. ❤

the last day of winter in pictures

My aunt got me a new camera for my birthday and for the Sicily trip. I wanted to bring something less bulky and much easier to carry around for my first trip abroad. (My Nikon camera is not too nice on my neck, and I’ve learned that the hard way!) Plus, I know I’ll be more satisfied with the photos since I don’t have to worry about settings as much! So, after spending the weekend learning how to use it, I took it out today to snap some pictures of the final sunset of the season…

I don’t mean to turn into a tech blogger, but I’m quite impressed with the quality considering it’s a point-and-shoot camera! I’m so excited to take more photos with it. Thanks, Aunt Rosanne!

I hope your last day of winter was lovely and not too chilly (or in my Arizona family’s case… not too hot!). Hooray for spring!