September 19 Upper Town Walk

 First a couple of shots of last nights sunset.  

As I have mentioned before - so far the sunsets and sunrises have not been fabulous.  These are OK.

I want to remember what a typical walk would be like.  I always enjoy discovering new things to explore.  I have been on this street before, but this time I wanted to notice what was actually there.

I started my walk on a different street than usual.  To the left by the white car is the location for us to drop off our recycling and trash.  Notice on the right there are a whole bunch of motorcycle parking places.  Sicily does not rival Vietnam or any other Asian country as far a motorcycle use, but there are a lot more here than other places in Italy.

At the top of this street there is a bend to the right.  There was a cafe on the left.  I could see people on the next level up, but how do I get there.  I could not see any steps - just outdoor tables for the cafe.  With my foot still causing all kinds of pain - I don't want to walk any extra steps.  Best thing is to wait and see what other people do in these cases.  So I did.  And sure enough a man enters the steps up to the cafe and disappears!  I'm going to assume there are steps - and sure enough - they were there.  Now I am on the main shopping street - Corso Rogerio - named after the Norman King whose castle ruins are on top of "The Rock" in Cefalu.

September 19 was the first day of school in Cefalu.  There were so many parents with children on the street.  The line above is made up of parents.  I peeked into the entrance and could see other parents near the school door.  So maybe this line of parent was waiting their turn to get closer to their child's classroom.

This is the same street I took a photo of a few days ago - just from the bottom of the street this time.

I walked down a side street and was intrigued by the wording on this sign.  Turns out it is tours of the Cathedral.

And across the street is the restaurant Michael has mentioned that he wanted to try.  

At the top of the street is this advertisement for the restaurant.  The only thing I recognize is the Arancini.  Sicilian Arancini are deliciously plump stuffed rice balls filled with ragu, peas, mozzarella and deep fried.  We enjoyed them when we were here last year, but have yet to have them this trip.  Michael says the top left square with topping is the thick breaded pizza popular here.  The sandwich sort of looks like the spleen sandwich Michael had last trip.  And the roll that looks like it has crackers in it might be the chickpea fritter sandwich.  

A street corner by the piazza G. Battista Spinola that contains the church below.

This is the Chiesa di S.Stefano Protomartire o del Purgatorio.  Or Church of Saint Stefens or Church of Purgatory.

There is a narrow stairway to the right of the church up to a higher street.  

Continuing on Corso Rogerio, we come to the Piazza del Duomo which contains the main cathedral or Duomo di Cefalu.  This is tourist central and has great cafes that sell the best pastries.  

Opposite the Cathedral is the II Municiplo di Cefalu or the Town Hall.

Further down the street is the Apothecary.  It was still closed or I would have gone in to investigate.

The street dead ends here.  I decided it was time to head for home so I turned left.

Almost immediately I came up to this building.  On my very first trip to Europe as a newly wed we stayed in a Zimmer in Switzerland.  It was not in a city like this, but a room next to the animals of a two story home.  The family lived above.  I remember that it rained a lot and our laundry never got dry in the three days we stayed there.

This seems like it would be a better experience - some rooms even have a view of the sea according to the advertisement.  But I am sure it is like most hostels when the bathroom is shared with many rooms and is way down the hall!

I have walked by this church many times to get to the viewpoint over the sea just beyond it.  It is called Cheisa Del' Itria.  It is actually two different churches that were made into one in 1961.

"The Frame on the Sea" was made by students at the Arts High School for "Hearth Day 2022 (I really think that should be Earth Day).  It is a portal into the earth and how we should be taking care of it.  The chairs are for us to sit on and contemplate nature's beauty.  They are red for energy.

This point is know as Bastionei Capo Marchiafava.  It was a defensive point in the city walls.

I have taken this view many times.  Just wanted to include it here to remember where I was when I took it.

Back to the beach - how calm the seas are today.  And notice how empty the beach is.  School has started!  Mostly we see people our age or young couples with babies.

And now and update on my foot.  Just a reminder to me how quickly I am healing.  My toes sure look dirty!  But I must have bent them backwards to cause all the black and blue.  So strange.  They don't really hurt.  Mostly the top and back side of my foot.