Cefalù

We awoke and were getting ready to head out when there was a message from the Airbnb host that the downstairs neighbours were complaining about water coming from a balcony. We searched - and took photos - of every balcony and they were all dry. A bit of back and forth and it was determined a leaking washing machine may be to blame. I guess we won’t be washing and the host will need to fix before the next guests. I am not sure we really wanted it.

We were later than we wanted to arrive at the station and, this time, we couldn’t figure out how to buy 5 tickets to Cefalù. In the end we stood in a long ticket line that would, by the skin of our teeth, have allowed us to bard the 10:15 train we were aiming for had it not been full. As a result we got tickets for the train over an hour later and tried to think of ways to kill time. We thought we could use the time at the No Mafia exhibition and walked there. On arrival we discovered it did not open to 11am and plans were thwarted. But we did then walk on to the Cathedral which was very impressive. We chose not to pay for any add-on locations and just vitiated the church. Afterwards, we sat in park before walking back to the station for the train.

The train was packed and we were lucky to get seats together. There were a number of people standing. But, just over an hour later we were in Cefalù and we disembarked (along with most of the other people) and walked down towards the sea front.  The immediate area we arrived at was a mixture of bars and restaurants and we opted to settle in for a beer while we decided where to eat.  In the end, we decided to stay in the same restaurant - although we made a booking while we were sat at the table so we could qualify for a discount.  Almost everybody had a pizza. 

After lunch we took a walk into Cefalù, through the narrow winding streets to the Cathedral of Cefalù, which is another impressive building and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The mosaics hidden away behind screens as they are in the process of being restored. In the end we did not spend too much time there. 

Afterwards there was a bit of a discussion about ice cream. It was one of those situations where everybody seemed to want one but nobody wanted to be the person to declare they were going to get one. So I did. And it was delicious. PY had the ice cream in a brioche bun - that is common on the island - I stuck with chocolate ice cream, We carried on walking through the shaded, narrow streets. We visited the Lavatoio Medievale, which we initially thought was a bath house but was, in fact, a laundry and was built after the previous laundry was demolish in 1514.

PY found a bar with a view of the sea. It was very set back and the little terrace could only accommodate about ten people and we were five. But we squeezed in  for an over-priced limoncello spritz, which was new to me (the drink not the pricing). 

We walked back along the beach with the aim of making a train just after 6pm.  We got to the station really early. It looked like we would have a long wait but, it turned out, the  previous train was delayed and we ended up on that which got us bak to Palermo by 6:40pm.

I am not sure if it was the delayed start, which out a bit of a downer on the day, but Cefalù wasn’t quite as seaside lovely as I’d been hoping. We did not do the walk up the hill nor spend time in any of the beach bars - both activities seems to be the main tourist attractions - so, maybe, it’s our fault.  Still, nice to have been. 

PY and I put together a large sale and a selection of other items which we ate on the roof terrace. It was a pleasant end to the day.