Sicilia è Tranquillo

So, even though this happened like a million years ago, I feel obliged to update you on my trip to Sicily because of how awesome it was. I went the weekend before spring break and then the week before break was midterms (which are actually taken pretty seriously here), so there wasn’t much time for writing. However, here we are: back from break; rested (kind of); cappuccino next to me and ready to write.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about going on the Sicily trip at first. It was a study trip with the school, so I would be going with 45 of my classmates. None of my friends were going with me, so it was all about meeting new people and hoping that they didn’t mind a neKw buddy infringing on their group. However, it worked out perfectly as there were several of us who didn’t come with a group of friends and we all banded together.

Katie and I enjoying our cannoli.

My weekend started out with a bang at the airport. Due to flight issues, I spent the entire night in the Palermo airport. Don’t worry, I was prepared! I had my blankets and pillow, so I was all set for the uncomfortable benches. It wasn’t too bad and the fact that I was actually in Sicily was worth it. It was just a relief to see the rest of our group the next morning. Needless to say, I was ready to get going.

First, let me just take a brief moment to mention the weather. It was perfect. Beyond perfect. We couldn’t have asked for any better and it just made the entire weekend amazing. Also, I was basically in history nerd heaven because of all the ancient sites we visited. The first two days were filled with ancient Greek ruins (yes, Greek. In Italy). I had the best time just wandering around and getting my fill of history. I know, I’m a nerd.

See, this is how much I love ruins. =P

The last day was by far my favorite. There wasn’t much on my itinerary, but that was the beauty of it. We started off the morning in an ancient Greco-Roman theater where we were treated to the most glorious view of Mt. Etna. I have seen a lot of mountains and I can’t say I’ve seen one like that before. It was breathtaking. Then, we were given the day to wander the small town of Taormina. It was the most perfect day. The sun was shining, the volcano was overlooking the town and I had great company. Two of my new friends and I just wandered about, having the laziest of days. It was the perfect ending to a great trip! Given the chance, I would go back to Sicily in a heartbeat.