3:30pm - back at the b&b for some R&R since this may be my last slower day of the whole trip. Took it easy this morning and had a relaxed breakfast. Wandered around town, which was very quiet in the morning. Then the tour groups arrived and they started filling everything up. However I think I was quite literally the only person in the Duomo museum, not that it is that impressive... Also, it looks like a lot of kids were possibly graduating from university today so lots of celebrating around town. The public gardens at the end of town are quite lovely with some good views.
Picked up a quick tomato and cheese scacca, a local kind of rolled up focaccia thing, followed by a strawberry granita, and caught the 11:55 bus 11 to the upper/modern part of town. It is decidedly less interesting than where I am staying, the smaller historical center. There is a nice church and some good pastry shops but not really a whole lot else. I skipped the archaeological museum because guides called it rundown. I stopped at a pastry shop and had my first arancina - a fried rice ball, and I use the term ball loosely because this was more like a football. It was filled with veggies and local cheese and I could only eat about a third of it, it was so heavy. One of the guys at the shop thought I did not like it! I bought a couple mini pastries to take back to the b&b. So I guess I just sort of snacked my way through lunch over a couple hour period.
Then I set out to descend the long stairs back to where I am staying. Some great views along the way - I could even pick out my b&b! Some people were inexplicably climbing UP. Why would anyone do that?! Read a guidebook, take a bus to the top for 1.20euros, and walk down! Anyway, the descent was easy and it let me out into a square not far below the b&b so I came back for a rest and to start packing for the next move since tomorrow will be an early one. Unfortunately, most of my clothes are still wet and silly me I did not see the drying rack they put in the wardrobe. There is also an iron and I am sadly seriously contemplating ironing my clothes later to help them dry. But the thought of ironing on vacation (or anytime for that matter) is making me a little naseous.
9:15pm - back at the b&b for an earlier night because I have to get up early tomorrow for my bus. I set out earlier around 4pm and just wandered the town more, finding cool alleys and viewpoints and photo ops. It rained a little then cleared out. After I while I returned to trusty Al Borgo and had another glass of wine and some snacks like the other night. There was a funeral coming out of the church so that was a downer.
Decided to eat at La Bettola, a little off the beaten track but tiny, as in 8 tables. I got there pretty much right after they opened and I am pretty sure I got the only non-reserved table they had as they started telling people to come back after 9pm after me. I had the local cheese fried on griddle as a starter, then steak for a main course and then I needed something light so I got fruit and they literally gave me two nectarines in a bowl to cut up. Then I had a chocolate and chili and cinnamon gelato. And my clothes are still rather wet so ironing may in fact be in the future this evening before bed.
Tomorrow it is back to Catania where I originally flew into - this time to actually stay a couple days and see the city!
Today: 24,905 steps, 9.9 miles, and by the way I have climbed about 70 flights of stairs or more basically every day.
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