Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Not much tonight. I am tireder and weaker than ever. And there’s a new episode of Fruity Knitting, with which I and my iPad can go to bed. Again, no knitting.

Palermo: I left you as Archie and I were leaving the Catacombe dei Cappuccini on Saturday morning. I think there are several other places in Italy where you can see skulls and bones piled up in church, but Palermo may be unique in offering mummies in their Sunday best.

Since it is in the same quadrant of town, we went on to see the Royal Palace – which contains the Cappella Palatina, No. 2 on the mosaic list. Unfortunately, just as we arrived, they were launching into a baptism (you’d think it was a Roman Catholic church or something), and there was a good deal of standing around on the part of the tourists before we were allowed in. And I was feeling pretty feeble by the time that happened. And the seats were roped off – one could but lean on a pillar.

And the crowd which had gathered behind us, once admitted to the chapel, was of Sistine Chapel dimensions.

So I don’t have very happy memories of the Cappella Palatina. Archie dispatched some pictures to his mosaicist mother.


I reported every evening while we were there to friends and family back in Blighty, and the reaction from London, at least, was that we must take Sunday off. So we did – except for going (by taxi) back to the restaurant Jamie Oliver mentions in his Italy book. I asked our young, intelligent waitress about him. “Celebrity chef” was beyond my Italian vocabulary. I settled for “English writer” and told her that it was because of him that we were there. She had never heard of him. The restaurant is small and very Italian – clearly, despite Jamie, not yet on the tourist trail. Da Pippo la Gondola, should you find yourself there.

8 comments:

  1. A relaxing day with a lovely meal sounds perfect. Did you let Archie wander off on his own? I looked at the restaurants facebook page and saw"Pesto of eggplant, curls and smoked provolone water" which I imagine is not a very good translation of what appeared to be an attractive dish!

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  2. Archie was ever free to wander off during my naps, but mostly he didn’t. What on earth could “smoked provalone water” be?

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  3. I have just the thing for your next adventure with Archie. It's a folding chair/walking stick. Folded, it's a stick, unfolded, it's a chair - weighs two pounds! On Amazon.com

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  4. How are the kitties now you're back? How were they while you were gone?

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  6. Hope you can visit your doctor soon to help with your symptoms. It was a lot of activity on that trip and new places are always stimulating but your weakness seems to have dragged on longer.

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  7. I seem to recall prolonged, unexplained weakness on your part before your pulmonary embolism was diagnosed. I think you may be on a blood thinner now, but that would be the first thing I'd check if you were my mum. That, and your hemoglobin.

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  8. Anonymous10:24 PM

    Oops I think my comment was lost.
    I look forward to hearing more about the foods you enjoyed in Palermo. I am taking notes! (I saw Palazzo Sambuca in Wednesday's post.)
    I agree with the other commenters that if the general weariness continues it is a good idea to visit your doctor.
    Keep well!
    LisaRR

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