Back to New York

It's the day of our long haul back to New York. After the previous long grueling day, we fell asleep early. Steve and I had to get up early to catch our bus to the airport in Catania, Sicily’s second largest city after Palermo. There were not too many days when we got up and out early before we wanted to do so, even to get the continental breakfasts provided by the hotels.  However, today we raced through breakfast, trudged down the hill to the bus terminal, then joined others who were waiting to board the bus to the airport. 

I was immediately drowsy once the bus was rolling, downhill and onward, and I dozed most of the hour and an half, except for bumps in the road, new people getting on the bus at other stops (some other early risers who were notably perfumed), and people getting off once we reached the center of Catania. The driver polled the remaining passengers to make sure each one was headed to the airport. Hmm, the voice of experience. With the frequent droop of my eyelids, I had missed the countryside, typically filled with orange trees (have I mentioned before the dark RED juicy, delicious oranges).

As mentioned before, the airport routine is necessary, stressful and patience the ultimate requirement -- no liquids or gels in the carryon luggage; ooh! my computer didn’t show up on the scan, send it through again. We can keep our shoes on, but here in this particular airport there were signs posted along the queue requesting that we remove our jackets and coats before reaching the container conveyer and screeners.

Catania to Rome; Sicily to mainland Italy and it was a race to catch our connecting flight within less than an hour. Not too much of a real challenge, though. Follow the overhead brightly color-coded signs to gate area “G” pass “C”, “D”, “E” and “F” (far too many fancy shops go by; but let‘s do get a newspaper), board a connection transport, then up an escalator to “G” gates to G09. Where is the nearest restroom; that one is closed? Once aboard and buckled in, the captain announces slight delays for departure.

I should have selected the other meal choice -- pasta instead of chicken. The coffee was good, however.