Back to the Market

Today we open with a stunning cheesecake... It is almost time for our first charter so practise has been deemed necessary (?much to the delight of the marina staff me thinks?)
This 9 inch wonder is an American cheesecake that uses 2 POUNDS of cream cheese and demands that the twenty minutes of required whipping be done by hand. Although rated delicious by all, it has been struck from the charter list do to effort and ingredient requirements...

For all your provisioning needs we have the market, where you really can get everything...

When you look closely at this delightful butchery, just remember this is the type of store where most of the people in this 'first world country' buy their meat (Can you imagine the British accepting this???)

Their meat is delicious!

Yum yum yum.

This is the opening stall to the market. If it swims off the coast of Sicily, you will find it here.

Tuna is back in season and the Swordfish never left.

It is best to catch these guys on a not too busy day. That way, with a genuine smile (and the due respect) they might even give you an extra slice of Tuna...free... Or maybe even decide that there is no need to charge you for that bag of octopus you have just asked for.

Dont stand too near the tables though...that entire front row is alive...the least it will do is squirt some dirty water at you, the most...well, have you ever tried to disentangle yourself from an octopus desperately trying to escape...?

More about life in Palermo

Here we have yet another obstruction to traffic in Palermo. Yes, this is the main ring-road on the coastal side of the city centre but these two policemen are demonstrating their importance and power by blocking a lane of traffic during rush hour... They show three things that Sicilians deem important (by their own admission)

1) To be known to be in a position of power - thankfully this is usually shown by what you can do for someone

2) To be seen to be important - no matter who they are, Sicilians believe they are important. Even if they are penniless and jobless, they believe they are too important to ask for work (there are No dock walkers in Sicily)

3) Looking good. Apparently the most popular jobs here are those that entail the wearing of a uniform...that way you get paid to look good. (hmmm the Captain and I often fall very short on this one as we usually dont rank dressing well high on our priority list. oops)

This is a genuine two way street in the heart of Palermo. The streets are so narrow and the buildings so high that the gps doesnt work. Just when you have desperate need for it too (imagine a rabbit warren...)Some of the corners are so tight that you have to do a three point turn around them. A picture like this should leave no wonder as to the popularity of scooters here

Here we have the preparations for a demonstration. Um for what? hmmm no parla Italiano...no capito...

With the arrival of the summer sun, the fishermen have returned to their boats. We thought that some of them were definitely destined for the 'recycle bin' but lo and behold, out come the powertools, the pine planks

and the paint that someone's uncle can get for a very reasonable price off the back of someone else's truck. As usual it is a case of: one person to do the work and at least three to stand around and 'supervise'