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| Typical looking Sicilian village |
After an uneventful sailing from Cagliari (Sardinia) to Palermo, I meet up with Berndt at the port. I had planned to cycle down to Ispica (350km away) but glad that he decided to collect me in his Citroen 2CV from 1954. We attach the bike onto the roof and head off into the hills for a brief car repair at his friend's place.
Travelling by car through the centre of Sicily gives me a sense of relief, as, although there are no monstrous mountains, it is very hilly terrain. My previous estimation of three days to reach Ispica looks doubtful in face of this new knowledge.
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| 2CV from 1964 (bicycle is an optional accessory) |
After one night on the farm and Berndt giving the knocked up jeep a needed face lift, using the most primitive of tools (inclined plane), we're on the road again; destination, Ispica, in the on the South east coast.
I am here to look after Berndt's menagerie of animals, his garden and home, which just so happens to be a series of caves. Seemed like a good arrangement - I get to take a break from the cycling whilst Berndt gets to visit Germany.
The specifics of such a troglodite existence are not new to me, as I've spent many months here previously.
After being reunited with the dogs and updated on new developments in the caves, I settle in to this more sedate pace of life. Waking up with sun has never been easy for me, but when that same sun blasts her first heat rays directly into your eyes as she likes over the horizon each morning, you tend to take a bit more notice of nature's rhythms and comply.
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| Thinkin' like MacGyver - using the inclined plane |
My tasks to look after the four dogs (Camilla, Ugo, Chico and Ara), feed the chickens, tortoises and canaries, water the garden and basically keep an eye on things. This early rising pattern and very light chore routine means there is plenty of time to do whatever the hell I want. This mostly comprises of reading, going to the nearby beach, watching movies, listening to music, audiobooks and podcasts and trying to beat Strava times. For those of you unfamiliar with Strava, it's an app that monitors your bike rides and ranks your performance against other users. Its like a time trial with strangers and fun you don't get too competitive.
The original plan was to stay here for weeks until the middle of May, but Berndt asks me to stay until the end of May. As it's a pretty good life here, no arm twisting is required for me to acquiesce to this request. I dare not stay longer than that though as the summer temperatures are creeping upwards and I want to be heading north come June.
Initially there is no WiFi in the caves and this means that the lack of things to do cannot be relieved by simply staring at the black mirror. My reading time during the day spikes to six hours - the kobo ebook reader proves a godsend - and gives me plenty of time to improve my Italian. All the daytime is spent in the garden overlooking the Cava di Ispica. This contrasts strongly with the hustle of the bubbling Berlin metropolis and is welcomed, at least initially.
Its the final two weeks where things start to drag. The daily routines, once providing charming simplicity, become like repetitive chores and I long for the diversity of Berlin or bike trekking, where there is a high chance of spontaneity. I want to be able to fall in step with the natural rhythms of nature, but I wish that someone stepped on my toes sometimes. A little disruption or at least more social interaction.
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| Easter proceedings in Ispica |
And so it is that I decide to join join a group of cyclists who are cycling the Eurovelo 6 (from western France to eastern Romania - 4500km). The tour aims to visit environmental and social projects en route. I plan to meet them near Basel (Switzerland) and then take it from there. To get me back to the mainland, I will take a ferry from Palermo to Genoa. The beauty about the ferries and handling on a bike is that you can make a booking any time.
After being reunited with the dogs and updated on new developments in the caves, I settle in to this more sedate pace of life. Waking up with sun has never been easy for me, but when that same sun blasts her first heat rays directly into your eyes as she likes over the horizon each morning, you tend to take a bit more notice of nature's rhythms and comply. 
Emi joins me for a week long stay and it is definitely more fun when you have someone with whom to share this experience. We visit the nearby catacombs, take long bike rides to Modica, ragusa, Noto, Pachino (who knew that you should pronounce Al Pacino as "Al Pakkino") and the nearby beach. Neither of us is convinced that the electric bike is a real cycling experience, but it is handy if someone gets tired on the hilly terrain. Disappointingly, the water temperatures in May do not exceed 17C, which means its only a toes-in affair. Also overdoing the pizza experience at Forno a Legna, a thing I barely thought possible, by hitting the pizzeria four times in a week.
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