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Sailing in Sicily (Part 5)

Sailing in Sicily (Part 5)

Author: Sandy Keil
Date: 2012-07-18
It has been such a sad week for us. First, it was the dreadful news of the murder of the son of one of my best friends in Ballito, a young man we had known since he was a toddler. Then we heard that my son's very good friend had passed away after a long battle with leukemia. Two young men with such potential, in the prime of their lives, taken away much too soon. We felt so helpless here on the other side of the world, being unable to offer any support to these devastated families.

On a happier note, my daughter Michelle and her husband Anthony arrived in Palermo on Friday and we were delighted to welcome them on board. We spent two days in Palermo, but were really disappointed. Power centre of the mafia in Sicily, our overwhelming impressions of Palermo were "grimy and smelly". Palermo is a centuries old city, founded by the Phoenicians, and there are some beautiful, albeit run down buildings and squares. But there is litter everywhere and the occasional whiff of sewage. A good clean up and scrub down will go a long way to making this an impressive city again.

We sailed back to Cefalu, a beautiful medieval city, perched under a huge rocky outcrop, on the north coast of Sicily. In contrast to Palermo, the city fathers here are obviously proud of their city, because everything is spotless. Cefalu is a city bound up with myth. Apparently the Giants, the first inhabitants of Sicily lived here and the biggest Giant of all, Hercules, built a temple here to Jupiter. Myth aside, Cefalu has existed since the 5th century BC and has seen many different occupiers. The Temple of Diana recalls ancient civilisations, while the Norman Cathedral Basilica (1131 AD) recalls diverse eras, styles and religions.

Fabulous restaurants, upmarket shops and gourmet food shops abound. What a fabulous place to spend a few days.