Cefalu'..take 2!

view from half way up the Rocca

part of the castle ruins

more ruins!

nature's artistry

Cathedral in main piazza, path to Rocca on the right

Life's pretty good!

Saturday 26th March, Cefalu'

Italian trains make absolutely no sense…even to someone who understands the language!

This morning I checked the train schedule for Cefalu’ a pretty tourist town on the Palermo line that I wanted to revisit and I decided on the Regionale 8.22, a train that only stopped 3 times and arrived about 45 mins later.

I bought a return ticket from the ticket machine (11.20 euro) and waited on the platform.

A train pulled up at 8.21 but it was an IC (Intercity) that had night coaches, so I assumed it was not the right train, however I was told that the last 2 coaches were the Regionale and I would need to run or miss it.

I just made it in time, but when the ticket collector came around I realised it was not the right train. He wanted me to pay 2.30 euro more (a supplement as it was a faster train) BUT the train was actually arriving 40 minutes LATER than the Regionale that was following us? Go figure! Sometimes you just have to surrender to senselessness.

I seem to be spending a lot of time lately to avoid animal excrement.

Today it was sheep shit….deposited in copious quantities along the steep pathway to the Rocca, the ruins of a castle and temple to Diana, above Cefalu’ which was my destination.

On my first trip, I visited Cefalu’ and tried to get to the Rocca, but a rare migrainous headache prevented me from making the climb, so I was going back to try again.

The Rocca,  the remains of a castle and temple to Diana tower over the town and are accessible by taking a pathway from the right hand side of the cathedral on Corso Ruggiero the main street of Cefalu’. It winds to the right, climbing steadily up the hill behind all the local houses, eventually leading to a set of cobblestone stairs that marks the entrance to the Rocca.  

I buy a panino (cheese and salami) from a little shop near the Cathedral and find a spotless public toilet (worth every cent of the 50 euro cents charged) before heading up the path. An old local tells me the climb is worth it and will only take about half and hour.

As I start to climb, the view is spectacular. The silence broken only by the sound of birds calling to each other and what I later discover is the bells on the flock of sheep that are grazing on the steep slopes above me. My panino is quickly devoured and I relish each mouthful.

A German couple and I are the only people climbing up past the first ruins. We share the track reluctantly, but respectfully allowing each other privacy and solitude.

Another couple, French I think, pass me on their way down. We greet each other with a “Buon giorno “, then I push on  determinedly, trying to avoid the still fresh mounds of sheep shit that are strewn along the path. The pungent odour is not pleasant but does not detract from the awesome beauty of this place.

I turn around to look at the stupendous view and I see the young couple, locked in a loving embrace. Some things do make sense!

Heading back to the train station a few hours later, I need to go to the toilet again (the bane of my travelling existence).

I could write a guide to toilet availability and standard in the most of the world!

I spot a sign for hot chocolate-here in Europe hot chocolate is not a watery excuse for chocolate, but a rich, dense concoction that is warming and satisfying especially on a chilly day.

The café owner is a jovial chap who clearly loves his job. He chats amiably with a young couple who come in for a “crodino” (In Italy it is common to have an aperitif before a meal and a “digestivo” after a meal. Pranzo (lunch) is usually a big affair, consisting of at least three courses and coffee, necessitating a pisolino (siesta) afterwards.

The café owner deftly prepares a few complimentary nibbles (olives, sausage and bread) which the young couple say they will share and they enjoy their aperitif and each others company.

Just my luck that on the train back to Capo, I get the weirdo with the suspicious looking bulge in his pants who keeps trying to talk to me while leering AND picking his nose…yuk! Completely spoiled the mood.

I bury my head in my computer, mutter that “non comprendo” parlo Inglese and have to work and eventually weirdo takes himself, his bulge and his nose pickings elsewhere.

A presto

Mon x

Everywhere you go...always take the weather with you...Crowded House

on the way back from the farm, near San Gregorio-a beautiful day and view -high energy!

Calogero, one of my hosts and the wonderful "Panda"

Fresh Artichokes, another amazing meal at the B and B

Beach at Capo D'Orlando

Some of the rubbish I collected from the beach-energy shifted

the view from my "Qi Gong" spot- amazing energy!

Capo D’Orlando Friday 25^th March

Most of us have a certain energy that we bring to whatever situation we encounter. We may not be aware of how other people “feel” us, but we usually make a judgement about other people based on the energy we pick up from them.

Often we connect with people who are a similar fit to us, energetically speaking.

Some of us are thunderstorms waiting to unleash our lightning and thunder. Regardless of whether the situation calls for it or not, we adopt a defensive position, perceiving everything (and everyone) as a potential threat and so are poised to strike and defend just in case. Other people are by nature like a summer shower, eagerly awaited and refreshing. Some people are like a spring day, hopeful and inspiring and brimming with possibility. Winter energy can be bitterly cold and can also be felt as a kind of disconnection, while relentless heat and humidity can be exhausting. No energy is “bad” or “good” but its impact on the person receiving and generating it can vary.

I am not talking about “energy” in any esoteric way here. There is no question that we are energetic beings. Our very existence depends on it. When someone “flat lines” medically speaking life is extinct because there is no electrical impulse, no energy circulating in our physical body.

All emotions are a kind of energy state; consider the energy of love, curiosity, fear, greed, loss, excitement and anger. Imagine yourself in that state or being close to someone else in that state and then tell me that energy is not palpable!

Some of us are more aware of, and/or sensitive to our own and other’s energy. The more aware we are of our own energetic tendency, and what energy we are bringing into a particular situation, the more we can retain or regain equilibrium during challenging times and recognise what impact our own energy state can have on a situation and its outcome.

By nature I am optimistic, energetic and creative. However, I can also be gloomy, melancholic and introspective at times although I rarely stay in negative states for long.

I have learned that some things deplete my energy, and others increase it. I have also learned that my energy can be affected by physical, emotional, mental and spiritual factors and that equally I can affect my energy levels by making changes in any of these areas. For example physical energy can be affected by the type and quantity of food I eat, the exercise I do and the length and quality of sleep I get. Mental energy can be affected by the number and kind of thoughts I have each day and how often and how easily I can switch from thinking into my sensory world. My emotional energy is affected by doing things that make me feel good, (not just things that are temporarily pleasurable but that give me a sense of efficacy and connection) and are aligned and congruent with my core values, the things that are really important to me. My spiritual energy comes from a sense of connection with myself, with others, and particularly with nature. For other people spiritual connection may come from a connection with spirit, God or a higher being. 

Yesterday I was walking along the beach here at Capo as usual, listening to Italian music and looking out across the water to the Aeolian Islands.

Initially my energy was high. I felt happy and relaxed and was enjoying the music and the solitude. Then I noticed plastic bags, bottles, shoes and other rubbish littering the beach, the more I walked the more rubbish I saw. I became aware of my thoughts and feelings and that my energy was shifting. For a while I tried to ignore the situation, focusing on the music and the crystal clear water in the distance, but then after nearly stepping on yet another pile of dog shit that was left on the path, I got angry (Don’t these people realise they are shitting in their own bathtub?) then I felt impotent (what can I do about it?) Then I decided that I had to actually do something about it.

This morning, I got up early and walked along the waterfront to a small house that my sister and her husband will rent for a week in August. I decided that this would be my bit of the beach, the place I would adopt and clean up, and in doing so I can not only make a small contribution to this place but also do something that makes me feel good. As I started to sift through the various rubbish (plastic bags and bottles, cigarette packets, odd shoes, construction debris, syringes, plastic tops, cans etc into a pile for later collection, I noticed that my energy was high.

It is now late afternoon. The sun is starting to set. It has been a wonderful day. I have driven the fiat panda to a farm in the Nebrodi hills that was only accessible via a steep narrow track (the panda had to stay in first gear just to make it to the top!). There I met with a “client”, a young woman whose energy is sorely depleted after enduring a number of painful losses. She has had some symptoms of mental illness but my sense is that she has been feeling very isolated and disconnected in the home of her in-laws. She told me of her love of painting. It is the one time she feels good, confident and capable. Later we went for a walk to find wild asparagus and she proudly told me of her mushrooming skills as well. Her energy shifted noticeably as she described how she could find the mushrooms even when they were underground. She showed me what plants to look out for to find the wild asparagus and I was so excited when I eventually found just 1! We returned to the farm and had delicious home made pork and fennel sausages (I know, I know …I am a situational almost vegetarian at times) cooked on a small barbecue with home made bread, chillies and local sardines.

Sitting there in the company of those simple, hardworking , hospitable people, with a belly full of delicious food, looking out across a fertile valley to the distant sea, the sound of my hosts laughing and telling stories and a few forests birds calling out to each other, having spent some time in the company of a young woman in need of acknowledgment and kindness and feeling proud of my solitary wild asparagus find, I felt privileged ,  and a deep sense of connection and that energy stayed with me for the rest of the day

A presto

Mon x

  

Capo D'Orlando and getting there....

sunrise from the Santuario

the view from the Santuario

with Pina at Sant'Agatha di Militello, a nearby town

my home at Le Terrazze

This is not my first time in Sicily. A few years ago I spent a wonderful month travelling down the East Coast of Italy, to Siderno Marina in Calabria, the pretty seaside town that was my father’s birthplace and on across the straights of Messina to Capo D’Orlando where I stayed in a lovely B and B called Le Terrazze with Pina and Calogero, its hospitable owners.

I went to Sicily initially because of a picture I saw in a calendar.

Some years ago I was a medical receptionist, working with the elderly patients in the old money Sydney suburb of Mosman.

One day a drug company rep dropped off a calendar with photos of beautiful scenery. One photo in particular captured my attention. It was of a stunning sunset from the top of a cliff overlooking a picturesque town perched along a stunning coastline. The caption simply said Cefalu’. I thought it might be in Greece, but when I looked it up it was in Sicily. I decided right then, that I would find a way to get to that place one day, and eventually I did. 

I also wanted to go to Sicily because I have always been drawn to islands, and because I knew that there was less tourism there than in the overcrowded north. I had heard of her beauty, history and wonderful food. The South of Sicily has always fascinated me. Since I read Carlo Levi’s book “Cristo si e’ fermato a Eboli” (Christ stopped at Eboli) where the South is portrayed as a place so backward and desolate that Christ did not even go there! and I picked up the not so subtle cues from my Northern grandparents and mother that the Southerners were less refined, intelligent and controlled, I wanted to see and experience for myself the land that was part of my heritage.

I chose Capo D’Orlando as a place to base myself as I thought it would be less expensive and a more real local experience than well known Taormina in the east or the capital Palermo. It also had the same name as my Dad, (Orlando) which I took to be a good omen, it was on the train line to Cefalu’ and it was on the water, and close to the Aeolian islands and Etna, all appealing attributes.

That first trip to Sicily was idyllic. There were so many highlights. Among them seeing the Doric temple at Segesta and the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, visiting Syracusa, the baroque towns of  Noto, Ragusa and Modica (where I visited a chocolate shop that I had read about in Vogue Traveller), driving into San Vito lo Capo, a stunning town on the Western Coast at sunset, going to the Opera in the ampitheatre at Taormina and staying on beautiful Panarea.  

  

The hospitality of her people, stunning natural beauty and history make Sicily a fascinating and rewarding place to visit, notwithstanding its lack of accurate signage, little public transport, limited internet and phone coverage and not yet making the environment a priority. (avoiding dog shit and walking past a beach strewn with plastic bottles is still sadly a common occurrence)

That said, I chose to return to Sicily, and Capo D’Orlando in particular as a place to start my mid life gap year. I wanted to base myself for a couple of months in a place where I could immerse myself in the Italian language and culture. Pina and Calogero and their neighbours and family Nuccio and Mariella welcomed me back warmly into their home.

I have now been at Capo D’Orlando one week. I feel like I am already a part of the community. I have my favourite bars (cafes) to go and have a coffee and cornetto with crema (pastry with custard). I am driving Calogero’s old fiat panda which I love in spite of its age and lack of power steering, it just goes and goes on the smell of an oily rag and is so easy to park! I go for a long walk (passegiata) every morning to the santuario overlooking the town or along the beach (lungomare). I am tutoring my hosts and a neighbours’ daughter in English and as an outsider and a counsellor I am seen as someone people can confide safely in so I am privy to all the local gossip and people often stop to tell me their and others problems!  

For now, this is my home and I am enjoying the simple daily rituals and the opportunity to "press the pause button on the remote control"

a presto 


mon x

About Capo D’Orlando

Getting there:

I flew from Perth to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and then on to Rome (FCO) to Palermo (PMO) a 55 minute flight on Alitalia. Cost approximately 250 AUD (I had to pay 44 euro extra for a piece of luggage). You can also take a train all the way from Rome to Capo D'Orlando.

I took a bus from outside the airport to Palermo Centrale the main train station which took approx 1 hour which cost abpout 6 euro (usually you can also take a train but the day I arrived there was some track work being done). This was an unexpected bonus as the bus took you through the port and centre of Palermo past many monuments and buildings. I then caught a train directly to Capo D’Orlando (8.10 euro) which took approximately 2 hours.

Travel Tips

You can buy tickets in advance from Trenitalia or directly at the train station. Tickets MUST be validated by punching in on machines before boarding train or a fine may be applied.

The fastest trains are IC (intercity trains) Local trains that stop at every station may have deceiving names like "rapido" implying fast but may in fact be the slowest. 

Things to do:

Get up early and walk to the Santuario –its a good aerobic work out!

Go to a local cafe (Bar Tentazioni along the waterfront, la Conchilia or Delicious Cafe')  and have a coffee and cornetto (this delicious pastry comes in custard, marmalade or chocolate) for breakfast

Cost approx 2 euro

Nearby –drive/train to the city of Sant’ Agatha di Militello with its restored castle

Walk to nearby San Gregorio –a small fishing community

Take the train to Cefalu'
Visit San Stefano where you can buy beautiful ceramics directly from the artisans.

Local Delicacies

If you are lucky enough to eat with locals – try fritella di neonata (whitebait fritters), or risotto con gamberi e asparagi selvaticchi (prawn and wild asparagus risotto)

Local wines

Red- Try Nero D’Avola Rapitala' 2009 approx 6 euro or Planeta 2006 Merlot 23 euro
White-Try Corvo Glicine

Every beginning is a new ending!

fritters of whitebait

typical local breakfast coffee (usually short black) and cornetti (custard, marmalade or chocolate filled pastry)

a baker at work

the results!

very drinkable and affordable local wine

23^rd March 2011 Capo D’Orlando
Today I wrote for 2 hours. The writing flowed. I described this place, the people and my feelings

I put it all in context…told you how I came to be here, described my first time in Sicily and told you of her history and treasures. I even told you how to get here, things to see and do and shared some hard earned wisdom and tips on travelling

I told you of the local customs, (explained rituals for greeting others at a “bar” (café) described delicious food I have already tried (fritters of whitebait and risotto with wild asparagus and prawns) and mentioned local wines (A very drinkable affordable red Rapitala’ Nero D’Avola 2009 for about 6 euro or Planeta 2006 Merlot 23 euro, and a good white Corvo Glicine).

I described my excursions to the hills nearby visiting local farmers for fresh ricotta and wood fired bread with my host Calogero and his mate. I even attached photos so you see just how rustic and beautiful this place is.  

I confided that I felt strangely sad and flat and mused as to the reasons why; perhaps the weather (grey, cold and wet) the many memories I have here (of friendships ended and sorely missed) or a realisation that as much as I feel connected to this place, it is not my home and the day will soon come when I will leave. Maybe it is a combination of all these things.  

I did all this …and was feeling such a sense of achievement, when everything I had written inexplicably disappeared from the computer screen.

I tried for ages to recover the document but stupidly I had been working directly on the blog site and it was nowhere to be found.

The title of this blog was “every beginning is a new ending”

Perhaps what happened was just an illustration of this point.

Nothing stays the same.

Everything that happens, positive and negative is just a temporary state

It is just as senseless to try to hold on to the “good as to avoid the “bad”

If that is true what’s the point of it all ….I hear you ask

Carpe Diem (Seize the day)    

Simply accept and appreciate that this moment is all we have

Savour it

Make it count

But don’t hold on to it

Surrender as gracefully as you can to as many moments as you can …

And when you can’t, accept that too

And then focus on something that makes you feel good

Excuse me….A glass of Rapitala’ Nero D’Avola is waiting for me

A presto

Mon x

Every ending is a new beginning...

Machu picchu with Waynu Picchu in the background

the view from Waynu pichu!

on the train to capo D'orlando, passing Cefalu' on of the many beautiful seaside towns

view of capo D'orlando from Santuario

ruins of 13th century castle with 1600 Santuario in background

17^th March 2011

Life is full of opportunities.

You have to be on the look out for them, because sometimes they are hard to see. They can show up unexpectedly, even in the midst of the deepest despair.

Two years ago on my 50^th birthday, I was in Peru. For years I had dreamed about visiting the ruins at Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Inca’s and that morning just as I had envisioned earlier, I was there. I remember feeling a wave of gratitude. I was with my best friend, in a place I had always dreamed of being, I was healthy and happy and I was looking forward to a future filled with love and travel, continued good health and adventures.

The climb to the top of the hill overlooking the ruins was steep, but I was so excited that I barely noticed. The view from the top was spectacular and even better than I had imagined. All of a sudden I understood why people climb mountains. It is not just about the view. It is about perspective. It is only from the top, that you can see the big picture.

Two months later my best friend was gone, my Mum was dying and menopause started messing with my mind and body. Outwardly I coped. Internally it was very messy. One day I started crying and a well of sadness emptied. It took a while and it felt like climbing many mountains. It was not in any way exhilarating, nor joyous and there were countless moments of darkness and self doubt. 

This morning I got up early and walked along the beach and then climbed a steep hill to the ruins of a 13^th Century castle and an almost abandoned “Santuario” to the Virgin Mary overlooking the seaside town of Capo D’Orlando in Sicily.

The sunlight danced across the water and the view to the Aeolian Islands was breathtaking. Below me the town was still asleep and I chose a spot framed by cactus plants where I could see across the rooftops and all the way along the coast to Palermo to do my qigong and meditate.

As I breathed in the energy and beauty of what I was experiencing, I was grateful and happy and I remembered Machu Picchu.

I knew that for me to be happy now, everything that had happened to date needed to have happened exactly the way it did, including ALL THE MOMENTS OF SELF DOUBT AND DESPAIR. 

There is something about having a birds’ eye view that is exhilarating.

You can climb up to the same place each day and look at the view, and each day, it would be a different experience.

It is now 5pm and the sun is slipping away. I am sitting in my b & b looking out into a garden just starting to shake off the colourless energy of winter, a bit like me.

It is time to reflect, to look back and to see what I have learned. 

Which brings me to my mid life gap year.

  

During the last two years there were moments when I wanted to run away.  The feelings of loss were so painful that I was scared I would be immobilised by them.  Intuitively though, I knew that before I could “move on” (as many people gently and less gently pointed out that I should be doing) I would need to “move through”.

My sense was that I would need to acknowledge and make space for my feelings, and that to regain equilibrium I would need to accept what I could not control. In other words, I knew that I would need to be “present” to and accept everything that I was experiencing, rather than avoiding it.  

So in spite of my fears, I was “present” and I found that by acknowledging and making room for my feelings, they did not overwhelm and disempower me. On the contrary, by giving my feelings a voice, they eventually became less intense.    

I would like to tell you that it was easy, or that there is one way to get through tough times, but it wasn’t, and there isn’t.

We are all very different and what works for one person may not for someone else.

That said, a few things really made a difference and I would like to share those with you. I have often been challenged, inspired and helped by something I have read or heard and I offer this information in the hope that it may be helpful to someone else.

Some time ago I made a decision to take a “mid life gap year”. 

The more I thought about it the more excited I became. It would be a way to reflect on and put into practice what I have learned to date from reading, the people I have met and the experiences I have had in my personal and professional life. It would also be an opportunity to test and record the distilled wisdom that I have collected along the way.

I did not want to embark on this journey until I had regained my equilibrium. This was not about “finding myself” or “searching for answers” I did not want to be running away from or running towards anything. I wanted in essence to embark on this journey, only when I had already arrived. When I was already where I wanted to be.

It would be a kind of sabbatical, and involve travelling, writing, studying and working. I wanted few fixed plans but had a long wish-list of possibilities.

I also want to share this experience with as many of you as are interested. (There are at least a couple of you who have asked me to let you know where I am, and what I am seeing, doing, eating, feeling and experiencing!) Not everyone has the ability or wish to go gallivanting on their own seeking adventures but some of you at least may be interested in what to do or see in certain places and who knows you may even be inspired to go there one day!

So here it goes…Let the mid life gap year begin! 

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW! What a Ride!” anon