Spring Break-

Well we tried- thats what I can say at least! Ya win some, you dont win some- I wont call it a loss necessarily…. Our whole crew was itching to get off Base for the Holiday week, but with Covid Restrictions still in place for the un-vaccinated, that meant staying on Island… So we got on Booking.com and Air BNB and decided to get away to the other side of Sicily for some R & R and a bit of exploration- A country stay seemed just right, and within what we could do!

The first house we rented through Air BNB was more modern. Set in the center of the rolling hills by Erice, looking idyllic- We paid the mondo fee of about 1k for 3 nights and convinced ourselves it would be totally worth the $$ to get out of housing for a bit- 2 days before we would drive over, we received the fine print voucher- NO Amenities or linens or wifi or towels or even toilet paper would be provided (not how the pictures look or described)- Sicily. Grrr. Our car barely fits us with the dog, and this should be a vacation, not a Weekend PCS! We cancelled those reservations, loosing about $350 of it on the cancel fee, and searched for something else. We thought we found it- An older, rustic home, complete with comfy outdoor lounge furniture overlooking a small town, the mountains, and the sea in the distance- (the pictures online were beautiful!)

Here is my punch line’ Please pass the Toilet Paper’ —- thats about how this went… womp womp womp.

The house was not THAT bad- Outdoor furniture? Metal with no cushions (according to agent upon arrival, being re-upholstered) so un-usable…. Charming porch swing?? Wonky to say the least. Garden? Well that was nice ;) When entering the house we were hit with the lovely smell of dampy old, not a biggie- we tried to just air it out- but it was freezing… The house hadnt been opened up since the previous summer, and there is no central air of any kind- add that with rock walls, well——- We started the radiators, yet it took a full 24 hrs to warm up above 15 celcius- Cold. Windy. Wet (it was raining)- Yum. The ceiling in the living and dining room were falling down, and upon entering the bedrooms and bathrooms we found only hand towels and old robes- I mean, the Sicilians deck every place out here in Ikea stuff, and we have towels bought from our local Store the size of small blankets! So what is the deal?? Just basic comfort of toweles and heat could have saved this- maybe?? At least we had wifi ;) Notes to take for our own, hopefully, Air BNB- GOALS!

Husband and I- ‘Lets start drinking”- It made it more, well at least, laughable! It wasnt all bad, just uncomfortable to say the least- Especially for what we paid :(

I brought a bunch of food to cook in the house during this trip (as we still couldnt eat out at all) but didnt bring paper towels- I knew it was going to be an issue as soon as we were on the road (because Mom packs EVERYTHING and there would be something I forgot to think of!)- 1st night there, made mexican- while sitting around the table, watching lime rice and black beans and salsa spill out all over from the messy littles, Andrew asks me to “Please pass the toilet paper?” I bout fell out the chair laughing- It was a perfect sum up of our experience of this house in one sentence- Probably a “had to be there” kinda funny, but it was hysterical!

We really didnt sleep well at all, allergies and headaches from the ‘must’ maybe? So getting up with the rooster crowing next door (I loved that part tho!!) and seeing the town of Cerda come alive was nice- At least we didnt forget the coffee and french press! Everything is better with coffee….

There were Cherry Blossoms and oranges and olives and lemons growing in the small side Garden, that was also a bonus for me!

Our first full day we took a trip to Cefalu- We honestly found the perfect parking here with the Beach steps away and easy access into the old streets of town… Little patisseries and restaurants are trickled in everywhere- we stopped at a Granita/Gelato Shop just across for the Water, get the Pistachio- ALWAYS get the Pistachio!

Cefalu dates back to 395 BC and sits along the Tyrrhenian Sea- The crystal blue waters, colorful wooden fishing boats, cathedrals, and cobblestone alleys are just beautiful- Just people watching is enough for a fun day in Cefalu! The Castello Di Cefalu was not accessible on the day we went, so its a must return spot for sure this Summer ;)

The little Town of Cerda- Not much here, but it was nice and quiet! You can see our Rental in the photo below- The white one, dead center up on the hill ;)

After a Long day in town, we picked up some amazing Bakery Bread, extra wine, and headed back to the Air BNB… We watched “Ferris Bueller” with the kids, its a past time flick they needed to experience and loved! The next morning we checked out early (2 nights of the 3 we had booked was enough! ate more money….) and headed to the Madonie Mts (which was amazing! my next post!) before the drive back home….

It wasnt a bad trip, but interesting, and a bit uncomfortable- We will not be doing any more Air BNB’s here in Sicily- But ready to explore more of the beauty this island does have to offer…

Till next time- xoxoxox

"Pass the Toilet Paper"- Our Spring Break- Part 1.