My Bucket List Includes Sicily

 I have wanted to go to Sicily since I first learned about Italy and its various cultures.  We're flying down to Sicily on Thursday to see Etna, the world's most active volcano. I opted for full insurance for our rental car in case it melts at the crater.

The cost for a round trip train ticket from Rome to Sicily is 180 euros each for me and Robyn; and it takes 11 hours each way.  We found out we can fly for 145 euros total--an hour each way.  I think part of the reason for the high cost is the train has to be loaded on a ferry for the trip to the island--but I'm not sure.

Robyn knows a lot more about this trip than I do because she spent a long time reading about it in the stairwell yesterday.  I had an appointment with the temple president and so rode my bike to the temple grounds.  Shortly after I left, the guy from Amazon rang our citofono--an early version of Ring doorbells. Visitors have to ring twice: once from the street and then again at our stairwell door. When we answer the phone, we can see who's there; but mostly it's just a nose or a jacket. The first time I took the call it was perplexing. I said, "Pronto" (in Italian you don't say "hello" you say, "ready!") and the guy at the gate said, "Sono (I am) Ah-mah-zone." My mind was racing to think of who I knew named "Ah-mah-zone." It's harder for me to understand Italian over the phone and even more difficult over the doorbell phone.  When I'm on it, I'm in translate/panic mode trying not to waste their time because I don't always know what they're saying.  Suddenly it dawned on me that "Ah-mah-zone" was "Amazon." 

Once we know who's there, we hit the button that allows them inside the first security gate. About 150 feet after that, is the second doorbell/camera.  We generally have to meet them at the bottom of the stairs, so I run as fast as I can to see if I can get there before they ring the second time.

Yesterday, Ahmahzone brought our tour book on Sicily while I was away.  Robyn was still in her jammies, and she tried to replicate my dash down the stairs.  She did very well except for two things: She was in her jammies, and the door closes and locks automatically. Robyn has no pockets in her jammies and hence had no key to get back inside.  She was very happy to see me a couple of hours later. 

I think these messages are more interesting with photos. Robyn wouldn't let me include one of her in yesterday's jammies, so here are a couple of pictures from a medieval village that was mostly ruined by an earthquake. People still live there but many of the buildings are on their way out of this stage of existence. The village of Calcata (pronounced like the Indian Calcutta) is about a 20 minute drive outside of Rome. It's mostly famous for something I won't go in to here; but here are a couple of views I snapped from inside the village.