2/7/2020
Quick-note: Today was quite long, so grammar may be somewhat lacking.
(Above: An extra non-hourly image that I captured of Mount Etna. My brother and I were both surprised by how much snow had accumulated on the volcano’s slopes during our week’s stay at Agrigento.)
Active Summary: This morning I awoke a 6AM so I could write and perform calisthenics before departing on a full travel day. After my brother awoke, we ate a small breakfast of blood oranges (one for the each of us) before heading down to the train station. There we boarded the train, and ‘Travel day, 1 of 2’ ensued.
Four hours of train time were followed by a taxi ride to Catania airport, and there we spent two and half more hours before boarding the jet to Paris CDG airport. A three hour flight was ensued by about hour’s more travel between disembarking the plane to arriving at our hotel.
There, we unpacked computers, I cleaned up, and then we ate a dinner at the hotel’s wok & sushi bar. Now my brother and I are back in the room for the rest of evening where a lengthy rest is about to take place.
TIL: Today I learned that when catching a cab ride to/from the Catania airport it is very beneficial to find a driver who provides an upfront price. For example, when we arrived in Catania and took a taxi to our first Airbnb, the price was 39 euros (including a somewhat small tip, because we had an idea he was swindling us). However, our cab driver today took us from the train station to the airport – an identical if not longer distance – for an upfront price of 20 euros. I gave the fellow today a larger 7 euro tip in appreciation for his honesty and his ability to accept credit cards as payment.
Commentary: It was an easy albeit lengthy travel day with a flight that was less-than-optimal. Indeed, on that flight, I had negative legroom, there was a motion sick man sitting directly next to me, and there was a woman who either did not know how to or simply refused to lower the sun shade despite that solar orb baking the whole row alive* for almost the entire duration of our flight. We all survived, though, and now I’m about to rest.
I did my best to capture each of the following images at hourly intervals throughout our day. This was kept up quite well until we boarded our plane:
Preparing to leave our Airbnb stay in Agrigento. 
One hour later we were on the train heading to Palermo. 
Another hour later we had almost made it to Palermo. 
Another hour later found me waiting to enter the next train’s toilet (on our way to Catania). 
The next hour found us still on our way to Catania. 
Another hour found us very close to Catania. 
Food acquired at the Catania airport almost exactly one hour after the prior image was taken. 
One more hour and we were on our way to board the plane. 
Easyjet. Not so easy on long-legged folks. 
Boarding the jet. 
And almost 5 hours later, we were in front of our hotel. 
Dinner ensued. This was my brother’s starter: Miso Soup. 
My starter was a truly delectable cabbage salad. 
My main course was sashimi – raw tuna and salmon – served atop a bed of sticky rice. 
My brother’s wok consisted of beef, vegetables, and noodles. 
A 5 euro cheesecake. Somewhat of a step down from our favorite bakery in Agrigento, but delectable all the same. 
Complimentary beverages. I asked for a glass of red wine and my brother procured a ginger-ale of superior quality. 
A close-up of my brother’s botanical brew. 
Our room for the night. My bed, tomorrow night.
Final Note: Tomorrow morning there will be a continental breakfast at about 9:30 AM, and this will be followed by our departing at 11 AM to catch our plane back to Florida at 2:00 PM. Despite the flight lasting 10 hours, we will arrive in Florida at 6:00 PM.
*That was perhaps the most ludicrous sun-angle I have ever experienced. I don’t know how it was possible, but the blazing, fiery ball seemed to be situated directly in that window for the entire flight’s duration. I think my brother would agree with me in regard to the ridiculousness, for he was getting a fair share of the glare and heat in the row across from mine.
There’s no way I can put into words how much I enjoy reading this blog each night. Your description of the fiery orb, ridiculous, still laughing. Only partially because it wasn’t me having the experienc…I liked the hourly pictures a lot, I think that was a great idea, but best of all is the idea of having dinner with you guys in less than 24 hrs.