Saturday brought us into Palermo after a 6 hour ride. Carol and Reed caught a cab for their hotel, and plans to view the city before their tour of Sicily started on Tuesday. Jim, Carolyn, Alexi, Tay and I start to walk to town center, then Lance, Tay and I split off and headed to find Tay something not pasta for dinner. Success! Grilled chicken at a popular spot (people lined up out the door) and meandering through local neighborhoods – which somehow led through a pasticciera- and back to the boat.
Sunday the Bondarovich’s headed out and the boat was so quiet and lovely! We cleaned and relaxed. Boys’ flight canceled, but then they hopped on an earlier one, so they were on the boat by 7:30. Hugs all around and then we took a cab to a hot place for pizza. Couldn’t get in until about 10, so we walked to the Sherbeth festival (stopping first at al Palle, which served about 19 varieties of the traditional Sicilian food of a aracine, fried rice/risotto balls stuffed with ragu, cheese or eggplants, curried chicken, etc etc).
At the festival, I purchased a ticket that gave us 3 taster mini-cups and 3 taster mini-cones. Artisanal gelato and sherbert makers from all over the world. My fav was balsamic vinegar.
Headed back to Frida pizzeria and sat down to enjoy the best pizza of the trip! My sausage and arugula:
Thoroughly sated, we hopped in a cab back to the marina and bedded down for an early departure.
Up and out at 7:30, still loving the quiet of the morning in the harbor. We motored and sailed for about 8 1/2 hours to reach the Egadi Islands, but before mooring in Favignana, we stopped for a swim in the middle of the sea.
With the 3 stooges on board, it was only a matter of time before there was running and leaping out into the air:
Will add back in later when can be properly sized!
Everyone cooled down and revived from the break, we continued on until stopping in a lovely little harbor. Everyone out for a walkabout, to make dinner reservations, and a big of cards and beer in a local cafe. Dinner recommendation from someone in the marina proved to be golden, as we all enjoyed an excellent meal with pasta that I wish I could eat once a week. Among the many traditional Sicilian foods, seafood, pistachios, arancine, sardines and anchovies, lemons and almonds. The boys had an antipasti sampler with some of the best eggplant I’ve ever eaten:
then came the goods. Spaghetti alla vongole with crushed pistachios:
My busiate with tuna roe and pistachio pesto:
I couldn’t finish mine and whined quite a bit about how I’d wish I had the leftovers for lunch the next day!
Up and a leisurely morning and set sail mid-morning. We headed out to circle the island of Levanzo, and anchored in a beautiful little bay for swimming. Sailing/motoring is so peaceful for just gazing out or reading or snoozing:
I had woken up with a headache and the feeling someone had slipped sleeping pills in my morning drink of water, so was merely a spectator and photographer for the day. Everyone jumped in (great movie here) with snorkel and fins and swam into the cove to see all the little fishies. Then anchor up, as we headed around and into one of the turquoise bays of Favignana. Before long, there were about 6 boats of tourists enjoying the beach, and we headed out. I am half in and out of sleep all this time. We anchored in the next bay and enjoyed a spectacular pasta lunch cooked by our skipper.
Mmm good! Sites seen, we headed across the channel to Trapani, and anchored in a serious marina. It was completely renovated a few years back for the America’s Cup.