After 3 slow, but windy days in Stromboli where I spent a lot of time walking around wondering what to do with myself, I caught a ferry to Millazzo in Sicily. Booked myself into a hotel near the port and made sure the TV there was showing the AFL Grand Final the following morning. Glad I got up and watched every second of it, shame about the Cats winning though, I have a soft spot for the Saints. It was the first time I have watched a football match in a foreign language before. The names Montagna and Dal Santo rolled off the commentator's tongues beautifully. The rest of the time I was not sure what they were talking about. Caught a train to Palermo later that day and stayed in a hostel situated in the loudest street in Sicily. It was a case of "if you can't beat them, join them", so I spent those 3 nights staying up to the wee hours trying to enjoy what Palermo's nightlife had to offer. I won't be waiting 30 minutes for a terrible Mojito again, that's for sure. A dirty but interesting city, Palermo had a lot of similarities to Naples. I also would like to spend some more time in Sicily's capital. Had a hankering for a physical challenge so I decided to do some riding in central Sicily. Quite a mountainous place Sicily, had my work cut out for 3 days before catching a bus to Siracusa. Nice spot, as was Taormina.
The villages south of Messina were devastated recently by a mudslide that took many lives. The mudslide stood inbetween me and my boat out of Sicily, so unfortunately, I had to ride through them. Police forced me onto the beach with my bike and I had to carry the bike and bags 5kms through the mud, sand and sea until I found a path suitable to ride on. Probably the worst day with my bike so far this trip, with the beaches filled with mud, rubbish and dead animals. I had plenty of time to spare some thoughts for the people of the affected villages though. At one point, some men cleaning up the mess in the streets stopped me with my bike and made me eat one of their beef rolls and finish one of their beers. I must have looked like I needed it! I accepted their offer with gratitude and eventually caught my ferry back to mainland Italy.
The villages south of Messina were devastated recently by a mudslide that took many lives. The mudslide stood inbetween me and my boat out of Sicily, so unfortunately, I had to ride through them. Police forced me onto the beach with my bike and I had to carry the bike and bags 5kms through the mud, sand and sea until I found a path suitable to ride on. Probably the worst day with my bike so far this trip, with the beaches filled with mud, rubbish and dead animals. I had plenty of time to spare some thoughts for the people of the affected villages though. At one point, some men cleaning up the mess in the streets stopped me with my bike and made me eat one of their beef rolls and finish one of their beers. I must have looked like I needed it! I accepted their offer with gratitude and eventually caught my ferry back to mainland Italy.
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