The car didn’t move from its parking spot for our entire time in Catania. We quickly realized that we didn’t need a car in Catania. In fact, it was more of a pain than useful. If we had used it for a day trip, we knew there was a very real chance we couldn’t be able to find a parking spot when we returned. Zero … none … nada. Alas, it is clear that the situation in this part of Palermo is even worse. So the car has been safely parked for the four days we will be in Palermo. Lesson learned. But I think (hope) the car will be important for the rest of Sicily.

As usual, Jan found a lovely place right in the heart of historic Palermo. Of course, that’s why driving is such a challenge, but it’s also the thing that will make the next few days so interesting. We love wandering the ancient streets.

We have cooking facilities here, so at a minimum we will be eating breakfast in our room. That means we need to take a trip to the grocery store. Walking, of course. Just outside the store, Jan took this picture of the street, with a woman leaning on her balcony watching the street below.

On our way into town, some of the streets were blocked off by unhappy looking people. Nothing like what is happening in Paris, but clearly something is going on. Inside the grocery store, we saw our first hint…

There is a trucker’s strike, protesting high fuel prices. It could be an interesting few days. Fortunately, the shelves weren’t completely empty, and we managed to get the important supplies … and some food too.

I’ll close with a picture of Jan enjoying a glass of rose wine (quelle suprise) in our spacious accommodation. She scored another home run with this place.