catching up on the weekend

My freakin computer's monitor broke down...so it's a bit hard for me to keep the blog updated...not to mention keeping my rising grumpiness under control. Anyways, a lil update on the weekend before last. We trekked over to Trapani, a idyllic town east of Palermo. The 3 hour train ride was slow, but very scenic with miles of ocean intermixed with miles of open fields. Well, according to Dan and Jess, it was very scenic; I would not know as I ended up passing out 10min into the train ride. In fact, I was so sleepy and determined to get my leg room that I kicked the guy who was sitting across from me. And when he left his seat to go to the bathroom, I thought he had gotten off the train...and proceeded to prop my legs on his seat. When the poor guy returned from the bathroom, I was dead asleep with half of my lower extremity in his seat. He gave up and went to go find another seat....

Me grumpily passed out...

While the local Palermitans were not enthused by Trapani, I found the small city to be quite charming and chic. It was certainly MUCH clearner than Palermo, albeit kind of deserted. We found a cute "hotel" to stay, which was basically a mom and daughter who converted their flat into a hotel. I'm glad that my Italian has improved to the level that I could atleast understand prices (but not much more sadly...) From Trapani, we headed towards Erice, which is a small fortress city above Trapani, accessible only by a 20 minute cable car. Erice had very much of the midieval feel, with its stone watch towers and windy alleyways. There was some magnificent, breathtaking views of the land! Absolutely worth the visit!!!

Me in all ninja black!

The next day, we took a ferry over to Favignana, a butterfly shaped island 20 minutes away from the main land of Sicily. We biked along the coast of the island, feasting on the emerald blue ocean views. Of course, we went for a swim in the Tyrrhenian sea. The only downfall for our day trip was the lack of water during our biking trip and the lack of shade; leaving the three bikers dehydrated and roasting hot.
All in all, great relaxing weekend :)
Gelato of the day: Otto Veli (a crazy combo of pistachio, hazelnut, fudge, and nutella...and by crazy I mean, the best thing ever!)