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Today is our day to explore the extreme southern portion of Sicily. We retraced our steps with the smaller vans to pick up our larger touring van on the mainland where we began a “road trip” to several small towns in this part of Sicily. These are not particularly tourist towns so we will get to experience the “real” Sicily life.

Our first stop was in Noto, a town with a current population of 24,000, dates back to 283 BC. Like most Sicilian towns it has been occupied by the Greeks, the Romans and the Arabs before the Normans arrived in 1091. In 2002 the town and its 1776 Sicilian Baroque cathedral were named as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Our visit included a short walking tour through the city and some free time to explore on our own.

Back on the bus, our next stop was Ragusa, a hilltop (300 meter high) city of 73,288 people with a similar occupation history as was Noto. The Ragusa area was the location for the landing of Allied forces (Operation Husky) during the WWII invasion of Italy. Again a short walking tour of Ragusa-Ibla (the old town-which is always the most interesting part) followed by free time. But first we were taken to a private palace overlooking the main square, owned by the same family for over 200 years. We were met by the grandson of the owners who gave us a personal tour and then offered us Prosecco and snacks before we departed. He graciously answered our questions about the family and life living in such a magnificent home in this day and age. As is common with buildings of this size and age the costs to operate and maintain them requires the owners to open it to groups such as ourselves. It was a great opportunity to see how the “rich” people lived back then.

After the palace tour we were given time to explore further and/or have lunch on our own. We were looking for something light and in the shade as it was getting hot. We happened on a small panini/pizza shop with big umbrellas and a nice breeze so we stopped there for a bite to eat. We ordered what we thought would be on the light side as there was a group dinner scheduled for this evening. I had been craving a green salad, Yvonne wanted her Panini, Gerry wanted a hamburger and Sue simply wanted a small pizza. What arrived at our table brought laugher and groans as the dishes were simply HUGE! We could have fed a family of 4 or more with what we had on our plates. The food was very good but needless to say, we hardly put a dent into what was served. It was our laugh of the day. Spoiler alert: We found that most of the meals we had in Sicily involved very large portions and seldom were we able to clean our plate. The Sicilians must be large eaters!

The last stop was more of a photo stop overlooking the quaint town of Modica.  Modica is another hill town (296 meters high) with a population of  54,456. It dates back to around 1,000 BC. Its claim to fame are its chocolates, which are sold all over Sicily. We stopped for pictures and our driver brought out a bottle of a Marsala wine for us to share. We did not visit the town that made it famous but at least we got a taste of their well known product.

It was then back to Siracusa for some rest before meeting for a dinner at a local restaurant called “Peperosa Tratorria” where Yvonne and Sue won the prize with their selection of their main course-a deboned chicken leg stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach with a side of potatoes that were similar to potato skins.

Steps for the day: 6,739- a rest day!

We are continuing our journey south with the intent on reaching Siracusa (Syracuse) by the end of the day.

The main stop will be to visit a world heritage site: the Villa Romana del Casale, noted for its extensive mosaics that have survived since the 4th century AD. Because a landslide in the 16th century covered the area the 3,500 square meters of mosaics were saved and are considered to be the largest, richest and most varied display of Roman mosaics in the world. It was rediscovered in 1929 but most restoration took place between 1950-1960. The villa is in the middle of nowhere (about 3km from the town of Piazza Armerina) and not much is known about why it was built there and who occupied it. Current speculation is that a high level Roman senator or aristocrat was its owner.

We were met by a local guide who led us through the massive compound and brought to our attention the different rooms of the villa and the unique mosaics that each room had. Important rooms have more elegant designs then less important spaces. It is thought the mosaics in the home were all completed in less than ten years. We have never seen so many mosaics and in such marvelous condition. The villa included a large Roman bath facility so large that it is thought it was used by the general public living in the area. The villa is yet another example that “it is good to be king” class of person. If you want to read about these mosaics here is a website that presents a lot of information about them: https://sights.seindal.dk/italy/sicily/piazza-armerina/villa-romana-del-casale/.

The extensive tour made us hungry and we were transported to a local restaurant where I had the opportunity to try a local delicacy, rabbit, as my main dish. Like most other dishes it sort of “tastes like chicken”.

Siracusa would be our location for the next three nights. We like the fact that we are not moving to a new hotel after a single night stay. Because Siracusa is an old city large vehicles are prevented from entering the old town (which is really an island called Ortigia) and we had to transfer our group to two smaller vans for transfer to our hotel. Logistics worked perfectly, the vans were waiting for us at the transfer point and we were quickly delivered to our new home, Hotel Roma, located right on the main square (Piazza Duomo) of the old city. It was a lovely site and our rooms were massive, and overlooked the square.

After settling in we met our guide, Guisi, for a brief orientation walk through the neighborhood before being allowed to wander off on our own for the rest of the evening. After the huge lunch we opted to simply grab a pizza but erred by ordering two of them, thinking that because of their inexpensive price they would be small. They were not!

Steps for the day: 10,056. Whew!

Happy birthday, Yvonne!  She turns 81 today and probably wishes she was languishing in her bed on Miller Bay rather than traipsing around Sicily, but she has been a good sport about our adventure.

We are leaving the “big city” of Palermo and heading south to start our exploration of the rest of the country. Our first stop, about an hour from Palermo, will be at the small famous (infamous?) town (population 11,158) of Corleone, Sicily, the birthplace of the Mafia. There we will met by a local resident who will give us a lecture on the history of the Mafia.

The scenery changed drastically as we left the coastal area of Palermo. Suddenly we were entering a mountainous region with more forests and eventually extensive fields growing durum wheat. This is the famous “breadbasket” region of the country, an area that has produced these grains from Roman times. It reminded me a bit of Eastern Washington but here the fields are smaller and the hillsides are more rugged. Surprisingly there was not much evidence of grazing animals.

When we reached the center plaza of Corleone we were met by Gino Felicetti, who led us to the nearby park where we sat in the shade and listened for one hour as he traced the history of the emergence and demise of the mafia. He had pictures of the famous figures of the organization to share and stories about how and why it became what it had. His family had some involvement which had forced them to leave the area for some time. The story behind Lucky Luciano was particularly intriguing as was the story of how the mafia worked with the US during WWII.

Leaving Corleone we drove another hour and stopped for a quick lunch at a road side stop where Yvonne had her favorite lunch – a ham and cheese Panini on the magnificent freshly made Italian bread!

After lunch we drove to our main attraction for the day-the Valley of Temples, located by the town of Agrigento where we will also spend the night. The Greeks colonized the east coast of Sicily in the 8th century BC. About 150 years later they migrated to this location, calling it Akragas, where they built 15 massive temples dedicated to their gods. Our walking tour (which Rick Steves calls “one of the great travel experiences in the Mediterranean”) with a local guide covered the 5 remaining temples in the area. Unfortunately it was hot (upper 80s). Yvonne was the smart one, noting that they offered a tour via a cart which she took while the rest of us walked! Two hours later we caught up to her resting comfortably in the shade of the trees while we all were hot and tired. Luckily there was a stand selling the famous lemon granita at the exit of the park so we had an opportunity to refresh our bodies.

Our hotel was only a short distance away and the cold showers awaiting us felt superb. The hotel, Baglio dell Luna, was magnificent. Formerly a private home it has been converted to one of the prettiest hotels we have stayed at modern rooms with awesome AC, verdant gardens with greenery and flowers and an outdoor patio overlooking the Valley of the Temples for dining. We had a marvelous dinner in that setting complete with the staff singing happy birthday (in Italian) to Yvonne with a candle in her dessert! I wished we could spend more time here but we move on in the morning.

Steps for the day:  11,567. No wonder I was tired!

We are taking a road trip west of Palermo to see some sights in the area including a Greek temple at Segesta, a medieval town (Erice) and the salt flats in Trapani. It will be a busy day.

Breakfast at the hotel is fairly extensive by European standards-hard to decide what to have.I leaned towards having the fresh fruit and croissants (of varying types) which were abundant here. The bacon offered is usually undercooked and the eggs are runny and not hot. Yvonne loves to make a breakfast sandwich of ham and cheese on a breakfast roll. The biggest problem was getting a large cup of coffee (an Americano) as they have automated machines to make your cup fresh, but there is no button for an Americano. The closest I could find was a “longo” which sounded promising, but wasn’t, as it simply doubled the normal expresso drunk by most of the locals. But I learned to outsmart it by requesting two longos in a single cup, resulting in almost the equivalent of an Americano- close enough!

Our day road trip was to the west of Palermo where the landscape started to appear greener(read later that is because they get more rain). We all were surprised as to how hilly (mountainous?) the region is. But before I continue I must discuss driving in Palermo. It is both unbelievable and impressive. Drivers simply ignore lanes and normal driving rules. They make three lanes where there should be two. They will leave their lane, enter the opposite direction lane and come at you head on, only to merge back into their proper lane at the last moment. Motorcycles and scooters are always in the opposing lane if they see a gap in traffic. But what is most amazing is that there is no honking of horns, no finger salutes, and seemingly no accidents (I saw no dented cars). it just seems to work. Try that in the US. I was impressed.

Our first stop was at the ancient city of Segesta (seh-JESS-tah)where the remains of a Greek temple and theater are located. The Doric design temple was built around 420 BC (only about 25 years after the Parthenon in Athens) but was never completed (no roof or interior worship room-the cella) and no one knows why. There is a small theater at the same location but it was a steep walk up a hill to see it and it was already getting hot so we all skipped it as there will be others to see on this trip.

After a quick lemon granita and bathroom break at the complex we continued our journey to our next stop-the medieval town of Erice. Located high on a hill it dates back to 1200 BC but grew mostly after the Normans arrived in the Middle Ages. Guisi led us on a town walk using the “whisperers” as they are commonly called-a marvelous addition to touring that has emerged since we first started traveling years ago. It is you the freedom to hear what the tour leader is saying without having to be right next to her. We love them!

The walking tour ended and it was time for an included lunch at a small restaurant called “Gli Archi di San Carlo” in Erice. Normally the tour then proceeds to take a cable car down to the lower town of Trapani. However, the area is also noted for its winds and the cable car is often shut down because of the winds. Today was such a day and we had to return to our bus and be driven to Trapani to view the salt flats and learn how salt is mined in the area since the eighth century BC!

Salt was originally used to preserve the tuna caught here in abundance. Salt was more valuable than gold in ancient times. Trivia for the day: Romans paid their workers a “salario” which comes from the Latin word “sale” which means salt. Trapani is good for mining salt because of its sun, its winds, and its shallow, smooth, clay-lined sea beds. Antique windmills were used to pump sea water into the shallow ponds where evaporation eventually extracted the salt from the water. We visited an operating family owned facility that has a museum with implements used in the past to harvest the salt. They also gave us a short presentation on how they collect and harvest the salt from the sea water from the past to the present. It was back breaking work back then, done by hand; the process is pretty much mechanized today.

It was back to the Palermo where we were on our own for dinner.

Steps for the day: 10,367.

We met Guisi at 8:45AM (a civil time) to begin our tour of Palermo. Our hotel is located about 100 feet from the intersection of the two major streets of Palermo. As I mentioned both streets are pedestrian only in this part of the city so walking is easy. It is also at the intersection called “Quattro Canti” (four corners) which marks the division of the city into 4 neighborhoods. Each of the corners of the square contains a statue representing one of the four seasons and a water fountain. Guisi explained the meaning of the edifices before turning our attention to the famous “fountain of shame” located around the corner from the square. It is one of the few Renaissance works located in the city and dates back to 1555. When placed here it aroused the ire of the religious living in the nearby convent as many of the statues portrayed made figures. The nuns initially tired covering the statues with clothes and when that that did not work they damaged the statues with chisel and hammer. The city fathers had to erect a fence around the fountain, which still remains there today.

In the area around the fountain are three churches, one of which (Santa Caterina) we toured yesterday. Today we visited the La Martorana church which dates back to the 12th century. The church is famous for its Byzantine-Norman mosaics. There was a mass occurring so we could not go in as a group; we went in to see the mosaics a few people at a time. Guisi told us the nuns still make/sell cannoli from the nearby church but unfortunately not until later in the day. Bummer!

From here we had to walk a few blocks to exit the pedestrian zone to meet our driver and transportation van for the trip. It turned out to be a marvelous new Mercedes 19 passenger van so there would be plenty of room to move around. Andre is our driver and over the next few days his experience and expertise proved valuable. Surprisingly we were told we had to wear masks while on board. Prior to this we saw virtually no masks on people inside or outside. Oh well, when in Rome…

We were driven to a famous landmark, the Palantine Chapel in the Norman Palace. It is a mixture of Byzantine, Norman and Fatimid styles and was completed in 1143. What makes it so famous are the mosaics that covers its walls and ceiling. The ceiling is especially unique; it is made in the muqarnas style (three dimensional painted wood sections), which is Islamic in nature and style. I had never seen one like it in any of the many churches I had been in. The church elicits many oohs and aahs when viewed. The rest of the palace is now the home of the legislature.

Next stop was a short walk away to the Ballaro street market, one of the three that dot the city. It is bigger than the one we walked through yesterday but with similar products. The purpose of our visit was to sample a Sicilian street food lunch. Sitting on plastic chairs around beat up tables in an alley we were treated to arancini (fried rice balls stuffed with meat), Sicilian pizza (thicker bread with tomato sauce), thin  fried chickpea bread, and potato coquettes. I liked the arancini the best.

After lunch we drove about thirty minutes to the nearby town on Monreale to see another church that would supposedly make the Palatine Chapel look rather mundane,    the Monreale Cathedral. The church is an exquisite example of Norman architecture and was consecrated in 1182. It is considered to be one of the most important attractions in Sicily. Again it is a combination of Byzantine, Norman and Arab elements in a Romanesque building. What is important to know is that in those times the “new” rulers of the land accepted and embraced the cultures of those who proceeded them in ruling the area-an uncommon practice. So we get the blending of cultures we see in churches such as this one.

By the time we returned to our hotel we had walked 12,136 steps and Yvonne cried “uncle” and proceeded to start her eventual 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep while Gerry, Sue and I went out for dinner. It was indeed a very busy first day!

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History lesson of the day (compliments of travel guru, Rick Steves): Palermo was founded in the 8th century BC by Phoenician traders. The Greeks called it “Panormus” and it became a critical trading center for them because of its excellent location and port. It was a small settlement until the Arabs arrived in 827AD and made Palermo the capital of the island. Palermo flourished and became the second largest city in Europe at the time with a population of 100,000 people. During Arab occupation there were over 300 mosques in the city. The Arabs introduced new crops to Sicily- citrus, cotton, sugar, nuts and dates. They were masters of urban planning, water engineering, mathematics, medicine and astronomy. Their knowledge drastically changed the culture of Palermo.

It has been warmer here then it should be this time of the year-probably for the same reason we are experiencing in the USA. High 80s predicted. This is a free day for us as we do not meet our fellow travelers until 6 PM tonight. We decided to take the Rick Steves walking tour of Palermo as we both had brought his Sicily guidebook with us (BTW-it is very good). Our hotel is beautifully located-right in the middle of the old section of town with pedestrian only streets around us. You do have to be careful as there are bicycles and electric scooters all over the place, weaving in and out of walking people.

Our first stop (a 7 minute stroll from our hotel) was at the Palermo Opera House (Teatro Massimo) which happens to be the 3rd largest opera house in Europe! It opened in 1897 after 22 years of construction. We happened to arrive right when they offered a 30 minute English tour of the facility which we decided to take. We were glad we did as it is a beautiful facility with magnificent acoustics which we got to hear when a single flautist started practicing for an upcoming concert.  We could clearly hear from a great distance. After hearing that Gerry wanted to attend a concert but none are available while we are in Palermo. From there we simply followed the narrative and directions from the Rick Steves guidebook.

One of the churches on this walk was the Church of San Domenico, the 3rd largest in the city. What makes it famous is that it houses the tomb of Giovanni Falcone, the hero of the fight against the Mafia. He was a judge and prosecutor who won a series of convictions against Mafia leaders. Because of his actions he (and his wife) were killed by a Mafia bomb in 1992. This caused public opinion to turn against the Mafia and led to its demise In Sicily.

Several hours later it was getting warmer and we were tired and thirsty so we found an outdoor eatery (they are everywhere) and had our first of one of Sicily’s famous drinks- a “lemon granita”- basically a frozen slushie. They can be purchased everywhere and come in several flavors but the most popular one is lemon.  They are often accompanied by a sweet brioche bun which we all ordered. It is certainly a refreshing drink and we resumed our walk reinvigorated.

There are three famous churches on a square right near our hotel and only one was slated to be seen on our Secret Italia tour. Rick Steves gave high ratings to the baroque church called Santa Caterina. As Rick Steves says “it is feast for the eyes”. It was truly amazing! Three dimensional art adorned the walls and the ceiling. I had never seen such decor. It was beautiful.

Time for a nap before meeting our tour director and the rest of our fellow travelers at 6PM for cocktails, then out to a local restaurant for a group dinner. Our tour director, Giusi (Josephine) Mandreucci, is a true local, living in Palermo her whole life. She has been a tour guide since 1998, so we are sure we will be in good hands as she leads us through Sicily. There are 13 in our group-3 Australians, 2 Canadians and 8

Americans. All appear to be seasoned travelers and surprisingly this is their (and our) first experience with Secret Italia tours. We are hoping that they will be as good as previous travelers had reported.

Dinner was at a small local bistro (Osteria Ballaro) near the restaurant we ate at last night. We were served a starter plate of local delicacies (mostly raw fish) and we had a choice of 3 entrees and 2 desserts to complete the meal. Local wine was served in abundance.

Thus ended our first official event of the tour. Tomorrow begins a lengthy tour of the sights of Palermo and Monreale.

6AM:  Walking to the Frankfurt airport terminal to get checked in for our flights to Palermo. Sleep last night was good….until 2 AM when we both awoke ready for the day. Refusing to accept that we dosed fitfully until 5:30 when we admitted defeat and got up, figuring we would get additional sleep time on our flights.

The airport was surprisingly busy at 6AM; even the shops were already open for business. Check in and security clearance went smoothly and we soon found ourselves in one of the many Lufthansa business lounges where we had a nice breakfast. The lounge itself is radically different than most lounges. There are a series of rooms with couches, chairs, small tables, etc. almost like being in a home. There is even a sleep room with long lounges to stretch out on. Never have seen this setup before.

History lesson for the day:  Sicily history dates back 3,000 years. Originally three tribes occupied it; then around 734 BC the Phoenicians showed up followed by the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Arabs. The Greeks ruled from 734-264BC. Ancient Syracuse (now Siracusa) became more important then Athens at the time. Plato and Archimedes lived there. The Romans ruled Sicily from 264BC until 410AD. Barbarians came next. The Arabs arrived in 827 and changed the culture as they ruled until 1060. Their considerable influence on Sicily remains today. The Normans arrived in 1060 and prevailed until 1189 when the French showed up. They were quickly displaced by the Spanish who prevailed from 1282-1860 when Italy was unified. But then Sicily got ignored by the powers on the mainland, allowing the emergence of what began known as the Mafia and the dictators of Italy. The culture of Sicily today reflects elements of all the previous occupiers of the country. End of lesson!

You have to be impressed with German efficiency!  Our Lufthansa flight to Zurich takes only 35 minutes. There were 36 passengers in the business class section of the plane. The flight attendants served us a breakfast basket (apple, cucumber/ cream cheese sandwich on a nutty bread, and a breakfast bar) and drinks in that 35 minutes!  US flight attendants complain when they have to do it in 1 hour! Needless to say we were impressed.

Almost no face masks seen in the Frankfurt airport; however, once you are on board a Lufthansa aircraft you are required to be masked up. The same story at the Zurich airport but when we boarded our Swiss Air flight to Palermo we were not required to wear masks. Swiss airlines is owned by the Lufthansa group but mask rules are different, possibly due to different government rules (German vs Switzerland). Scheduled flight time to Palermo is 1.5 hours.

All went well. We arrived on time, our luggage was there and so was our driver! Our hotel in Palermo was once a palace. It is delightful. Lots of public rooms decorated with antique furniture and our sleeping rooms are huge. The best part is that the AC works and is able to keep the rooms as cold as we desire.

Still fighting jet lag a bit we grabbed a hour nap before proceeding to the delightful roof top deck for cocktails where we met up with our travel companions, Gerry & Sue Bishop, who had arrived several hours before us. The bartender was friendly and maintained that he makes the best Manhattans in the city so we put him to the test. Yvonne was tempted by his suggestion and enjoyed a lemoncello spritzer. We quickly caught up with Gerry & Sue over drinks and then walked about ten minutes to the restaurant where I had made 7:30 (their opening time)  reservations for dinner. Every restaurant we saw along the way featured al fresco dining; it is the what they do in Sicily! We were treated to an excellent meal in a wonderful evening setting.

This ended our first evening in Palermo, Sicily. Tomorrow we will do a bit of local sightseeing on our own and will meet our local tour guide at 6PM.

 

We have been to Italy at least five times, but had never spent any time in Sicily (except for a one day visit when we were on a cruise in 1995). Thus, in 2020 we had planned a trip to explore Sicily in a more in-depth way. And since we were in the neighborhood we  planned to also visit the nearby country of Malta, thus adding it to my “Countries Visited” list. Well, we all know what happened.  Naively, we moved the trip to 2021, again a no-go, so it became “2022 or bust”!  The good news is that the cost of our trip has decreased because the Euro has dropped 15% since we first made our reservations. Our travel companions will once again be my brother, Gerry and wife, Sue. Luckily he has the same travel bug that I have contracted and we enjoy their company.

Lately we have traveled with smaller group tours and thus chose to go with Secret Italia (based out of Malta) who I discovered when searching the internet for companies that had extensive experience and presence in Sicily/Malta. It will be our first experience with them but previous travelers speak highly of them.

Getting to Palermo from Seattle would have taken 3 flights so I opted to break up the flight by spending the night in Frankfurt before traveling to Palermo, Sicily, our first stop on the tour. It will also allow our bodies to adjust somewhat to the new time zone before we begin touring. I use several glasses of wine with dinner to help me sleep on the plane but Yvonne always has problems getting any decent hours of sleep on the plane so this extra layover will help her catch up on the missed sleep.

We chose to fly Condor Airlines from Seattle to Frankfurt because we have flown them before, and their prices were much better than the competition. There are also several Marriott hotels right at the airport terminal so it is convenient for our arrival and departure.

We always make sure we arrive early at the airport in case some glitch occurs. Today one did-we actually arrived so early (4 hours before departure) that the check-in counter had not yet opened!  We had to wait for 45 minutes before we were able to check our luggage and get our boarding passes.  We had a good laugh.

Flying business class gives us access to their lounge so we had a pleasant location to await our flight. The lounge was not as elegant as others we have been in but the seating was plentiful and adequate, and there were decent snacks to occupy our time while we waited for our flight departure, which turned out to be delayed 55 minutes.

The boarding process was a bit unorganized but once we were on board we were impressed. The seating arrangement in business class was radically different from others we have experienced. It was well laid out, with plenty of storage space and convenient places to keep things. Yvonne really loved it. Oh, by the way, we were asked to wear masks when on board.

As expected the German flight crew was organized and efficient. Preflight drinks were offered, followed by a menu of the meals to be served, a hot towel to freshen up and pre-dinner drinks and snacks once we were in the air. The meal was excellent, one of the better ones we have had over the years.

Entertainment options were so-so. Movies and TV show selection were somewhat dated. We both started watching “The Lost City” but I lost interest about 2/3 of the way through it and decided to try to grab some sleep as it was now almost 9PM. My two glasses of wine with dinner did its trick and I managed to get almost five hours of rest before awaking in time to be served breakfast. Surprisingly, Yvonne who always seems to have trouble sleeping on planes said she slept 3-4 hours.  Flying Condor is now her preferred mode of travel since our business class seats had pulsating massage feature in every seat!

Although we left late we arrived on time in Frankfurt. I had forgotten how big the Frankfurt airport is and we wandered around a bit before we found how to find our way to baggage claim (signage was not up to what I had expected). No lines at passport control and our luggage arrived within 5 minutes of us arriving at baggage claim.

We are staying at the Sheraton hotel here at the airport, which is attached to the terminal so getting there only involves a fairly short indoor walk to reach it. Because Bill Marriott gave me “lifetime platinum” status (while I was still working) we try to stay at their chain whenever we can as I am usually granted upgrades and other perks when staying there. Indeed we were upgraded to the club level floor, given access to the club lounge (free food and drinks). The fellow at check in was super nice and even walked us to the elevators, pointing out where the club was located.

We crashed for three hours and then visited the lounge where we were offered “bento” boxes as a dinner snack. It was a delightful change of pace and we really enjoyed them.

Sending Yvonne back to the room I decided to return to the airport lobby to determine how/where we need to go in the morning to catch our plane to Zurich and then to Palermo Sicily, our ultimate destination. It took a few stops and questiong local staff to learn how to do it and I am glad I went through the effort as I do not want to wander around lugging luggage in the morning trying to maneuver the airport.

So far, so good. I have even managed to upload pictures and issue this blog entry before we call it a day! Hopefully things continue running smoothly for us.