A Week in Catania

The arches at Piazza Bellini lead away down a quiet street from the Opera House.

Our week in Sicily has flown by with a great mix of football and friends.  The weather has allowed me to get a week of throwing the football in with my former teammates (something not really practical in Edmonton this time of year!) before beginning official practices in Innsbruck on Tuesday, while the downtime has been filled with (what else?) long meals with great friends.

The adjacent patio to Malibu is filled with Palm Trees... perhaps Laurie can make such miracles happen when she arrives in March?  (I am sad to report that George and I collectively killed 74 plants last season by only watering them once.)

It has actually been interesting how easily we slipped into our old habits here, hitting up our favorite restaurants, working out, and keeping the house clean.  I forgot what Sicily was like without going to the beach everyday, as the weather has been sunny but 'brisk,' a positological term for 'not that warm.'  At the same time, I now know what George means by a GROUNDHOG'S DAY FEELING... as the second year in a city trades the excitement of being new for a comfortable home feeling -- hence only a few pics!   

Without 'fisheye technology,' I am left to create my panoramics digitally this year.  This photo stitches together three shots to give the full view from our patio at "Malibu."  To the left is Aci Trezza & its signature three rocks, to the right Aci Castello and its iconic Norman Castle.

I am tempted to say that just by spending a few days in Austria prior to our trip here gave me new insight into "uniqueness" of Italian culture.  While I don't think you will make such warm friends in other places, the general hilarious nature of everyday life here truly sets Italy apart.  In our short time in Austria, we were never pushed to the back of a McDonald's line (only 14 people cut in front of us yesterday, each with their own reason), nearly sandwiched between a bus, two scooters, and a wall (riding to practice yesterday with Luke on a two-lane road), or had the opportunity to deal with routine extortion attempts (so far, only 1 of 7 restaurant bills have charged us the correct amount.)  Yet this is what makes life here fun, as every day is like living in the video game Grand Theft Auto. 

This wall, plastered with event posters, has awesome texture, and reminds me of some places back in Tacoma & Seattle... the birthplace of grunge, indy-rock, and multi-colored posters!  Makes me want to be a STAR and have my own poster!

~ J. Twice