I took my last train today, to Cefalu', a lovely town on the coast which is dominated by a huge mountainous rock, called "la Rocca." The view from the train coming in is spectacular, with the old town hugging the sea, towered over by the Duomo, and backed by La Rocca. My first visit was to the Duomo, which, like Palermo & Monreale, is decorated with gold Byzantine mosaics, but only in the apse & area behind the alter. The church was set up for an afternoon wedding, luckily I made it in early! Next I walked down to one of the beaches, which was very calm & quiet & the water was so clear you could see down to the bottom. I walked through the little streets and found the stairway that leads up to La Rocca, stopped part of the way for views and my packed lunch, then continued up into the park area, which is scattered with ruins including fortress walls, cisterns, a church, a temple, and a castle on the very top. I wandered the area, mesmerized by the views of the town below, the mountains to the southwest, and the sea. The castle was very high up, & I debated whether or not i should hike up to it for a # of reasons, but in the end I decided to go for it. This is my last day in Italy, after all. It was quite hot, I was not wearing proper shoes, & the journey up was tiresome, but it was worth it. From the top you are able to look down on all sides of the town, which juts into the sea and is surrounded by water on 3 sides. So from one side you could look at the mountains & coast that stretch to Palermo, then down on the beaches & the old town with the duomo, then out to the incredibly blue sea, and then down to the port and more mountains. So incredibly beautiful. After soaking it in, I made my way slowly back down to the town, stopped for my last gelato, and took the train back to Palermo. Simone (Marjolein's friend) is cooking tonight, so I am joining them for dinner. I have an early flight and a long trip back tomorrow.
