23rd May - To Palermo

As we depart Agrigento the Oleander in all it colours line the suburban roadway and as we entry the countryside we find gums and pines lining the road with olives and almonds in the paddocks 

The road is very good making it's way through rugged, rocky country with patches of olives and grapes somehow being tended on it's rough slopes. Still the road alignment is overseem by gum trees.

We pass into  flatter valleys - their - hills rolling rather than jagged - there are drip irrigated vines, new olives and more new olives. The paddocks drying as the country flattens and the agriculture intensifys.

As we reach Sciacca there are speed signs and more signs - they are universally ignored.

We turn inland and head towards Trapani -  a wide flat valley bordered by rocky hills - a patch of lavender - lots of broom - olives - oranges - olenander and wind farms - Over a huge huge bridge over fields of flowering lupins. 

The Gum trees are back - they are clearly the. favourite verge tree of the siscilian road building authorities!

As we progress Harry seems to be still at home though Kevin is out and about.

We follow two fellows cruising along - both have their arms out the window - their arms move up and down - their hands twist and turn - what are they doing? - we slide past them - ah - they are just two Italians having a chat! - having their hands out the window just gives increased scope for expressiveness!!!!

Towards Castelvetrano the country is flat - some rolling hills - signs of agriculture everywhere but still no livestock.

The broom is glorious against the gums - the olenander stunning - the vineyards huge - still there are olives and verges of dense gum highlighted by yellow broom and pink oleander. This land is also being worked hard!

The road bridges are extensive and expensive. 

I swear I saw a cow! - I was mistaken!

The mountains start to appear on the horizon and we pass fields overgrown with gorse while the Gums remain dominating a weedy verge.

We head towards the mountains in the distance - there are daisy - vines - rocky hills that remind us of Scotland.

We bear off to Trapani.

Kevin's sister demands to control the road and the speed of the traffic there-on.

We are 25k from Trapani and we feel like we are briefly back in Australia.

Past vines and rolling hills - huge Bridges along a great freeway - a long Tunnel - 1800m - then - Vines - Olives - rolling hills - wind farms - huge vineyards - lupins and solar farms.

We travel along the freeway - everyone "traveling at their own chosen speed".

We reach Trapani and make our way through its narrow streets to the cable car station - we are going to look at the mountain town of Erice.

The cable car amazing - the town pretty - the path ways steep - we don't stay long.

Then back towards Palermo - neat medians return but Harry and his family are out of bed and causing chaos.

As we approach Palermo we have the sea on our left - steep mountains in front. Picturesque!

We approach the airport to drop off the car! - thank God! - no more negotiating of narrow passages past parked cars - no more fear of scaping wheel trim against kerb - no more searching for parking places - never again! - at least not in Italy! 

The car guy? - pleasant - good English - he checks the car - Bernie is assertive - "no damage" says she - he smiles - he has heard that before - "he looks at à scratch on a wheel trim - "it is not on my form - do you have a picture" - I produce my photos - my heart sinks - I cannot see a scratch on the wheel trim - he takes the phone -"ah there it is - I can see it" says he .

We head into town - there are harsh mountains meeting the sea - we pass through tunnels into the city

Seas to the left of us - mountains to the right of us

We argue with the taxi driver over the fare - an argument we were a always going to lose - "cash only" says he.

We find the apartment - more bloody stairs!

Out to dinner - a drink first! - we order a gin and tonic - the strongest we can ever remember - seemed like they gave us the bottle and only charged for a shot!.

We sit looking out on to the square - there are police everywhere - there are dignatories everywhere - there will be a demonstration against mafia influence tonight - it is the anniversary of the death in 1992 of Giovanni Falcone - girl wanders past - her tee-shirt says "no maffia"

We turn down the lane behind us - it becomes a walk way between restaurants - we stop and take a table - the atmosphere a delight - the food approaching perfection - the wandering entertainers justify the funds Bernie was pleased to direct to them!

We smile - people stop to take photographs of their partners - the female partners inevitably find it necessary to pose in some stance taught to them by their favorite influencer! - to an old man like me they look rediculous!

We smile again - a elegant, partially dressed young lady wanders towards us - she draws on her vape bottle and gently emits a controlled fluff of smoke into the air - "she is cool and sophisticated" thinks I - "not like those who insist on getting attention by emitting huge clouds of smoke rings" - as she lowers the bottle it ignites its array of bright led lights and proceeds to put on a brief light show - she doesn't have to blow big smoke rings to get attention! - "not so sophisticated" thinks I.

Then I reflect - "that could be a very useful device" thinks l - if  I was wandering along the beach and came across someone who looked like they had drowned - I could use the light to check the dilation of their eyes and if that provef positive I could use the vape to blow smoke up their arse!