What have I learned on this trip? Maybe I’m not the totally hot shit hiker that I used to be. I really didn’t do all of the Camino, and I am not into suffering for a badge of completion. And, I did most of the trail. Hiked over 90 miles, just in those 11 days. I saw amazing landscapes that most visitors to Sicily wouldn’t see. There are a lot of super nice people, wherever you go, maybe especially in Sicily where the hospitality and friendliness and level of helpfulness permeates the culture. Be aware of how you process the world around you. Expectations, anticipations and assumptions can cloud your awareness. They can bring you disappointments and dissatisfaction. And you can choose to turn that stuff around to appreciation and gratitude. Or by going into the world with an open attitude or positive intentions, you can maybe skip that outcome. I learned so many layers of eras and civilizations have passed through here. It’s beyond my comprehens...
Or something like that there! This was a most splendid day that almost didn’t happen. The transportation to this place seemed iffy, but thanks to three women from Colombia, one who lives in Palermo, it went fine. Overnight, it’s Fall here. Colder, windy, more rain last night. Met the three women at the bus stop and we were going to the same place, the UNESCO heritage site. We shared a taxi from Piazza Armerina to the site. Just a brief history: it was first built in the early 3rd century, meaning around 225 AD. It was added to along the way and was inhabited for about 150 years. There was a landslide that inundated the site which preserved the astonishing mosaics we saw today. It is the best and broadest example of Roman mosaics remaining. Cold plunges were a thing in 250 EC First was the spa complex. Certainly some nice rock ruins and mosaics. Next the inner bedrooms and hideaways. Spectacular. Then the grand hallway. The mythical phoenix bird ...
I left Corleone early. I had a bit of left over pizza, then stopped for one last coffee and a very sweet custard filled pastry before hitting the Camino. I left a Napa Valley Bike Tour T-shirt at SicilBike for Mario Orlando. He met my friend Joe B. in Sicily on some mountain, and Mario and I both work at a bike shops, so I thought that was the right thing to do since I was in town. This roadway must have some history. Who builds stuff with pavers that big. There is a lot of wide open space on the trail between Corleone and Prizzi. A lot of time to talk with myself and to try and sort out what I’m learning on a Camino. I can do amazing things, if I set my mind to it. I tend to underestimate my abilities, which limits my outcomes. I need to self talk more positively. I spent too much inner dialog on doubt. I have my limits and boundaries as I choose them. Rough trail cutting off part of a roadway. One of many water stops along the way. ( I have...
Buon Viaggio!
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