Off to work I went. Had a lot to do before friday to earn the weekend's big payoff... SICILY!!! That's right, my first big intra-european voyage came in week 4. But I'll get to that later. I was returned my first historical methodology essay, and, to my delight, I got an 8 (roughly translating to an A-). Discussions went well, and I think my arguments were well received overall. My other classes went fine as well. Blah blah blah.
Chickaro is in town!! So nice to have an American friend to hang with. For all our "crass and uncultured" ways, state-siders certainly know how to take advantage of our opportunities. I took Chickaro to the Burcht and L.K.V. de Spartaan to do some working out on Wednesday and around the city to do sight seeing on Thursday. He headed to Bucharest, Hungary for the weekend to explore things further east and got back this morning with stories to tell.
On another front, my program organized its first real social event, a pub crawl through Leiden, on Thursday night. This was very fun because it was the first time I really got to see most of these people away from the classroom or the library. And, thank god, everyone likes to drink. We went to The North End (English pub), where they apparently serve the only good Guiness in Leiden. From there we went to Roubels, a Russian themed bar that was very cool and tucked away. Their specialty is some large shared concoction that is served in a cocktail shaker and split into shots. Then, we went on to de Brandery, a place right across from my apartment that I have frequented and enjoy. I feel like I spent time talking to every person in my program apart from the group for at least a drink or two, thus getting small insights into where they come from, where theyre going, what their interests are, etc. I now feel more like a part of a group than I member of a class.
However, I couldn't stay out too late with the crew because I had to catch a train and a flight to get myself to Palermo the next day. What an adventure this was...
I got off the plane, left the airport, and walked right into the arms of my grandmother, who was patiently trying to obtain information from the traffic director in very broken italian. We met my grandfather at the car just down the road and off we went.
The place we stayed was very cool, and very old world. Doubling as a farm, restaurant, and local cheese expert, this "resort" was amazingly well run. There were cottages for each family staying on the grounds, and a large patio and dining hall where we could all congregate. They also had a pool, tennis court, and made fresh bread every morning in a wood burning stove.
That first night, we went to Marsala to check out the salt flats where Sicilian men have been producing the same, pure, sea salt for hundreds of years without the help of any industrial machinery. This was waaay more interesting than it sounds. I have pictures to prove it. Afterwards we ate a nearby seaside restaurant. The food was phenomenal, and, as would be a consistent trend, endless in quantity and time for enjoyment. we didn't start eating til 8:30 and didn't leave until 10:20.
Saturday we went to Erice, a mountain town overlooking Trapani. This place is the real deal. We had to take a cable car to get there, because the mountain it's on top of is 3000 feet above the valley floor (I considered trying to run this, but thankfully thought better of it). We toured the city, which was full of ancient churches and temples, all made of stone, and ate lunch at a cool place in one of the piazzas. The castles that lined the cliffs were the best part of this day. They literally built them on the brink of disaster. The Palace of Venus looks like it's going to fall right off the edge. The views from the top were breathtaking, as you can expect. The landscape Sicily offers is so diverse and well blended, you really can only appreciate it from above.
Sunday we went to Segesta, site of the oldest intact Greek temple (so I was told). It was never fully completed, so it stands without a roof, but the pillars and the facade are in perfect condition. No rubble. No crumbling columns. Just beautifully sculpted stone and plaster painted by a few thousand years of sun and wind. Across the valley, atop a large outcropping is the Segestan amphitheater. Also in a classic Greek mold, this semicircular ancient auditorium was in great condition as well. In fact, they still hold performance there in the summer months. The view from the top is fantastic... definitely beats any AMC or Loews I've ever been to.
That afternoon, we drove to San Vito Lo Capo, which is a major Sicilian beach at the top Northwest corner of the island. My first steps into the Mediterranean Sea were sublime. The water was so warm and perfectly clear. I could've stayed in it all day long.
We made dinner at home the last night and prepared everything for my departure the next day. Leaving was a bummer, since I knew the weather in Leiden was about 20 degrees cooler and without sun. But hey, better to have loved and lost... right?
I managed to do some cool workouts while I was there. They're posted on the other blog: www.crossfitmobile.blogspot.com/
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