I voted NO to Scottish independence and I am angry

I voted NO to Scottish independence.

My side won - but I am angry

WHY  

For many reasons - most of them residing in England - in Westminster

The YES side so so nearly won. Latterly - It seemed it could have gone either way

Initially it was unthinkable, but as time went on and Salmond orchestrated a brilliant and terrifying YES campaign, it became obvious to all in Scotland that things were changing

Yet – the parties in Westminster either didn’t know or didn’t care.

Neither did the people of England

Even a family member of mine in England was reported as saying “Well who cares” when the subject of Scotland becoming independent was raised.

I know now how the people in The Falklands felt before Maggie Thatcher decided to come to their aid.

To live in part of The UK and to be afraid that your little corner of it may soon be separated from the rest is a horrible feeling. To realise that the rest of the country doesn’t really care about you is devastating.

Some English people took the line – well let them decide their own destiny.

Fair enough one might say. However what they did not realise was that we were being made to decide by a campaign of lies, bribes and intimidation.

Those with a certain level of education and experience could be immune from that. But a very large proportion of Scots are from disadvantaged areas where unemployment and poverty are rife and poor education is now the norm. They were ripe for the big con trick which was the SNP propaganda.

They were held in a form of hypnotic trance by Salmond, in which they moaned at not being given the facts, and yet when given the facts by independent experts, believed Salmond’s constant refrain – “it’s only  scaremongering”.

So here below is why I am angry – with all politicians and their games;-

First – the setting up of the referendum

Cameron did not pay attention - perhaps because he thought he couldn’t lose. It was apparently not put before parliament properly in any way, just pushed through by a nod and a wink.

Why did he more or less force Salmond to hold it?

And

WHY was it arranged that a mere 51% of the vote could break up our country – The United Kingdom.

Surely something as momentous as that should have required at least 75% of the vote.

Why did he allow Salmond to choose the question on the ballot paper in such a way that his campaign was the YES campaign?

Clever Mr Salmond understood the value of a positive YES campaign. Mr Cameron was perhaps either clueless or didn’t care.

Second – the NO Campaign in Scotland – The Better Together Campaign

They were not up to scratch.

Westminster did not help them in the way they needed it.

Labour is the party that should have fought off Salmond in Scotland.  Scotland is /was the Labour heartland in the UK. But Labour was in disarray after their defeat in the UK elections. The two big beasts Blair and Brown (both Scottish) were disgraced. Only the C team was left in Scotland to campaign against the biggest beast and most able politician of all – Salmond.

Their name Better Together became a parody, as all the different parties it comprised disagreed with each other and with Westminster.

The day was saved by the big beast Gordon Brown thundering back last minute and giving the best speech of his career in which he casually mentioned that – by the way – Westminster was going to definitely – cross your heart and hope to die – definitely going to give much more power to Scotland and it would be done by Burns Night (January).

Did he check this out first with Westminster one wonders, or was it part of a cunning Gordon Brown plan?

But – the day was saved. The NO campaign won – just

I personally feel as if I have been on death row and have been given a last minute stay of execution.

Now

Just one day later

The B…….ds are at it again.

Cameron now has a cunning plan of his own.

Cameron has announced that the extra powers for Scotland will be given by Burns Night, but that at the same time, extra power must be given to England in the form of denying Scottish MPs the right to vote in England on English matters

Fair enough you might say – this will at last address The West Lothian Question.

But it is a very clever plan because it will destroy Labour in England just as the Conservatives have been destroyed in Scotland.

The majority of Labour MPs are in Scotland and the majority or Conservative MPs are in England.

If Milliband can’t rely on the votes of his Scottish MPs he will not be able to get through much legislation

So Milliband and his Westminster Labour Party are now fighting this as hard as they can.

If they succeed in blocking it, then Sturgeon – the next fish in line in the SNP party, now that Salmond has swum away into deep waters – will announce that the referendum was invalid and demand that Westminster holds another one – and it might go the other way next time.

It is hard to see how this game can play out.

I feel so angry with all of them – as I think does the whole country.

We are all fed up with lying politicians and their petty games for power.

There is a part of me that wonders whether Cameron, all along, has been playing the ultimate game of games. He knew years ago that, if Scotland became independent, his party would have power for ever after in England. What a tempting thought for him to have! Do I believe all his protestations of love for Scotland? I am not sure.

Salmond convinced those who voted yes, that they would have change. That instead of the Westminster Parliament in London they would have the Holyrood Parliament in Edinburgh.

What made anyone think that swapping one lot of politician for another would improve anything?

 Ah – they would argue but at least Holyrood is in Scotland.

Well it feels just as far away and foreign to someone in the Highlands, in Orkney or Shetland as London feels to people in the Central belt.

Those in Glasgow should have known better having witnessed their own Glasgow council recently exposed as being a cesspit of corruption, far worse than anything found at Westminster. And as for Edinburgh Council – well the debacle over the trams tells its own story.

Yes- I would put all politicians in room 101

Pronounced Westminster in English

Pronounced Westminster in Scottish

Who cares?

How can Scotland heal itself?

So - Scotland will not be independent.

55 % will be deliriously happy and relieved

But

45% will feel hugely bitter and disappointed.

To understand how to heal, one needs to understand the problem - to have a diagnosis.

54% voted for the status quo

But - Why did 45% want independence.

Salmond very cleverly appealed to many different groups – all with different axes to grind.

1. He was attractive to all those who were anti the establishment - for whatever reason.

2. He was attractive to all those who had nothing to lose – or were too ignorant and blinkered to see otherwise.

3. He was attractive to drawing room/champagne socialists

4. He was attractive to those romantic few who have always wanted an independent Scotland

5. He was attractive to those who thought they could use him and his party to advance themselves

Etc

Of these groups the largest was

2. Those who had nothing to lose – or were too ignorant and blinkered to see otherwise.

This group comprises Scotland’s poor, uneducated, unemployed underclass as was demonstrated by the YES votes in Glasgow and Dundee. Similar populations are found in all big cities throughout the UK.

These people have nothing to lose (they think). Salmond offered them hope and change for the better. Who in their situation would not be attracted by that? When those with knowledge and intelligence tried to warn them of potential financial problems for Scotland, associated with independence, they instead believed Salmond’s outraged denials and cries of scaremongering.

How cynical of Salmond who, as an economist, must have known that his independence plans risked the money required to pay those people’s benefits.

So was the vote mainly between those in Scotland who had nothing to lose – the have nots  

And

Those who had much to lose – the haves

Perhaps

My family certainly would have lost a lot. Most of what we would have lost was not financial - it was about family; Children being forced to move with their job to England and thus we would lose contact with them and our grandchildren. My family would be split up and have to live in different countries. For our other children, the threat of job losses and the threat of property purchases falling through and for others the loss of essential funding for jobs. All on top of a fear of losing our pension

For us – a YES vote – would have meant very real anxiety and loss

However for someone living on a Glasgow estate, unemployed, on benefits and trying to survive -  today’s vote will mean the end of all hope of change and a better life. That also is a real loss.

Salmond – in his quest for power- has caused huge problems for Scotland.

He has caused massive disappointment amongst the poor with his unrealistic pipe dreams.

He has caused a huge divide between rich and poor and between the educated and the uneducated he has caused a huge divide between those who speak posh and those who don’t and

He has caused a huge divide between those who speak with an English accent and those who don’t

People are talking about the “Silent majority of NO voters”

Why were they silent?

1. Because of their accents and

2. Because of the aggressiveness of the opposition and

3. Because of the impossibility of having a rational argument with the opposition

I am Scottish through and through but I am educated and posh (or at least brought up posh)

It would have been quite impossible for me to enter the debate verbally because of my accent.

Scotland has many many people like me. All we could do was to watch in agony

We were many of the educated part of the community – the ones who should have been out there contradicting Salmond’s lies. We were powerless. Just as David Cameron didn’t dare intervene, neither did anyone else who didn’t have a broad enough Scottish accent to appear Scottish to the uneducated.

What is to happen now in Scotland?  Even well before the referendum we knew of one young man, who preferred to talk with a Spanish accent in the pub to disguise his English/posh accent, to avoid being beaten up.

I believe these 2 issues must be addressed

1. Hope and change must be offered, with a real outcome, to the poor in Glasgow and Dundee and elsewhere

2. The issue of Scotland’s anti English/ anti Toff racism must be brought out into the open and addressed

owHow

The Union Jack in crisis

Yesterday I took part in THE BIG AERIAL NO in which 5,000 NO supporters formed a human NO in Edinburgh. I held aloft the flag of my country – The Union Jack.

However - It was hung upside down.

When the Union jack is hung upside down, it is a sign of distress.

There has never been a time in its history, of more distress than this. If Scotland votes YES in 2 days’ time, this flag will be no more.

It will no longer be my flag because I will no longer be part of the UK

It will no longer be the flag of the rest of the UK because the Scottish cross of St Andrew will be taken from it – the blue part.

It will be a deceased flag – as deceased as Monty Python’s parrot.

I am full of despair and increasing anger

How dare these people with their crazy dreams of utopia take away from me so much which I hold dear.

They are taking away:-

Two thirds of MY country (England, Northern Ireland and Wales)

All my history from (England, Northern Ireland and Wales)

All my heritage from (England, Northern Ireland and Wales)

The BBC

Music heritage such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, The Who, Pink Floyd etc and instead be left with Lulu , Rod Stewart and The Bay City Rollers –

And let’s not go into Classical music!

Art heritage such as Constable, Gainsborough, Turner, Reynolds and Millais and instead be left with The Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow boys (actually I think they are great) but what of all those wonderful paintings in the London Galleries that will no longer be mine.

Architecture / places such as London and Bath and all those gorgeous little English villages and churches. I am left with all that is mostly grim and grey and Scottish and inferior and mostly not so old and historical.

The NHS. What will be left to us in Scotland will be inferior. Every year Scots are referred to England to specialised NHS units and expertise not available in Scotland.

The Bank of England - Oh how I will miss you and your financial security.

British Embassies – where will I go when I lose my passport abroad?

My British/UK Passport. When it expires it will be replaced with a lonely Scottish one.

My money which will be converted to a Scottish currency - which will devalue and devalue and devalue and devalue and devalue

Defence – who will protect me when Putin decides to push further into Europe?

Intelligence – who will find out about terrorist plots and stop them

My husband’s pension from a life spent working for The NHS and which at present is paid by a Scottish government pension department. It will be paid in the new Scottish currency for as long as the Scottish government remains solvent – How long will that be?????

Food which will cost more

All my relatives and friends in England Northern Ireland and Wales – we will no longer belong to the same country. We will be foreigners - unbelievable

Etc etc etc

It is all just unthinkable and yet it is going to happen – in just 2 days’ time – unless a miracle happens

Emperor Salmond's New Clothes

Do you know the story  about the Emperor's new clothes?
Alex Salmond is weaving a gorgeous cloth of lies.
In his independent Scotland there will be free this and free that and social justice will prevail.
It will all be paid for with oil money and life will be wonderful.
We will use the pound and we will not pay our share of the UK debt
It will be the ideal land and anyone who says anything different is scaremongering.
It is a such a beautiful cloth he is covering himself in.
It is clearly seen by all his supporters  - even some quite intelligent ones.
It is the powerful placebo effect know to all those who do medical research.
You can temporarily believe anything if you want it badly enough and it is catching. The more people who say they can see it, the more likely others are to see it too - mass hysteria.
You have to be brave to say that the Emperor has no clothes.
How long will it take before the shine comes off the cloth sufficiently for the huge and disastrous con-trick being played on the Scottish people to be revealed?
Will it come off in time?
I fear not

Scotland and Social Justice

Those wanting Scottish Independence say it is the only way that Scotland can have social justice.

For many of them this goes very deep and is the main reason they want independence.

But - What do they mean by social justice?

They want a utopia where all are equal, where there are no “haves and have nots”.

Where there are no rich and poor

Where woman and men are equal

Where all races are equal

Where all children have equal opportunity

Etc etc etc

Being reasonable people they realise that a total utopia is not possible, but they want to strive towards one as far as is possible.

I don’t think anyone would disagree with this as an ideal – I certainly wouldn’t.

The Scottish Nationalists are a very idealistic lot. They themselves would agree that they are romantic dreamers, who think with their hearts and not with their heads.

So why do they believe that independence will enable them to achieve their utopia?

If there is a "yes for independence" vote next month, it will not give them power to do what they want.

The opposing factions will first have to come together. The main political parties in Scotland -SNP, Labour, LibDem, Green and Conservative will have to come together and negotiate a divorce settlement with the rest of the UK. 

Then there will be a general election in Scotland. 

The SNP might win this, in which case they will have a few years to try to implement some of their policies.

However – traditionally - Labour is the strongest party in Scotland, and it is quite likely that they may win and the SNP having achieved independence, will disappear.

This perhaps is the nub of the matter

For decades now – the majority of Scots have voted labour and the majority of English have voted Conservative. The small variations in this, decide which party governs Britain.

If the 2 countries split up - England will get successive Conservative governments and Scotland will get successive Labour governments.

Conservatism is a belief in Capitalism

Labour is a belief in Socialism

This is why many Scots want independence. They want Labour and socialism and social justice. The irony is that under Tony Blair, the Labour party came to accept that a certain level of Capitalism is essential to make the wheels go round, just as modern day Conservatives realise that it is essential to have a certain amount of socialism.

The 2 party’s beliefs are now so similar and middle ground that they keep stealing each other’s policies.

Yet the dreamers in Scotland still carry the old fashioned way of thinking.

They also feel that a great injustice is done to Labour-voting Scots when the Conservative party is in power, although the English do not seem to feel the same way when the Labour Party is in power.

Those wanting independence believe that if they get independence, there will never be another Conservative government in Scotland again. They are probably right.

They view the Conservative party as being an English party, a party of rich landowners and old aristocracy. The types who had their heads cut off during The French Revolution.

They would like to remove these perceived “rich English landowners” from Scotland.

They already have plans to cap the amount of land any one person can own.

This would perhaps be their first step towards social justice.

However – what the dreamers cannot see is that Scotland is no different to England.

People throughout the UK are all the same. There will always be those who do well, by fair means or foul, and those who don’t.

Those who will immediately do well in an independent Scotland will be in Government and related bureaucracy. They will have a field day awarding themselves high paid jobs, and the same corruption will occur as elsewhere.

There will be the same corruption between those in Scottish business and those in Government.

Scottish business will still behave the same as always – having battles with the workforce if necessary as recently happened at Grangemouth when the SNP Government was forced to side with industry to protect precious, Scottish jobs. Reality had to over-ride idealism.

Property developers such as Donald Trump will still get their way over the wishes of the people but with the support of Mr Salmond and The SNP Government

Scottish banks – the few that do not take their business immediately out of Scotland – will still behave in the same appalling way.

Landowners (in the cities and country) will still charge horrendous rents and behave badly.

Catholics and Protestants will still fight at football matches in Glasgow.

People will still be horrible to those with physical or mental disabilities.

There will still be a large Scottish debt which will require continued austerity.

It will still be necessary to target benefit cheats and cut back on the public sector bill

There will still be food banks.

But - The hated bedroom tax can be abolished and replaced with something less divisive.

Perhaps a mansion tax will be one of the first things that will be implemented – A real Robin Hood gesture

The SNP – like all dreamers - promise many things that will improve the lives of the less well-off.  However - they will not have the money to pay for it. We will be no better off after independence than we are now. In reality we may be worse off.

They claim that we will have North Sea Oil to pay for everything – but the oil is almost finished and what is left is increasingly expensive to get at.

At present we have The Barnett formula which gives every person in Scotland more than every person gets in England. That will end.

An independent Scotland will have to tax everyone in Scotland more than at present, and the government will still not be able to spend as much as they do at present.

The Labour party under Tony Blair governed the UK for about 10 years. Was there a noticeable improvement in social justice during those years?

Why will it be any different if we are independent?

Neither the Labour party in England or in Scotland back independence. 

The dreamers seem to think that independence will allow us somehow to avoid all the problems going on in the UK. But those problems are part of Scotland too and will be there after independence

However - A problem shared is a problem halved.

As part of the UK, Scotland can much better deal with whatever horrors the world and mankind may throw our way

Social justice is better fought for as part of The UK

The Scots should be grateful to Maggie Thatcher

The Scots should be grateful to Maggie Thatcher

Gosh - I feel brave writing that.

Saying anything positive about Maggie Thatcher or saying you might vote "No Thanks" to Independence, are 2 things designed to bring on the hate mail here in Scotland

Yesterday our wonderful Scottish nationalist government  won a vote to stop people buying their council houses (social housing). This was something started in 1980 by Maggie and because of it, approximately half a million people in Scotland now own their own home, having bought their council house. Scotland’s population is approximately 5 million - so that is about a tenth of the population.

If you consider that the average household is more than one person then that percentage becomes 20 to 25%
In other words a possible 25% - one quarter of households - now own their own home because of Maggie

In Scotland, owning your home is a big thing – perhaps because of the history of the Clearances or perhaps because the Scots are a fiercely proud race who resent being beholden to anyone.

What Maggie did was to give hard working people on low incomes a chance. That chance has now been taken away. Those people will now be forever trapped in rental accommodation or in social housing.

The nationalists say – quite rightly  - that there is a shortage of social housing stock, and that to continue selling it off is making the matter worse. This is true.

Maggie’s plan was to allow tenants to buy their council house (social housing)  but  -for every house sold another was to be built. No government after Maggie’s has done this.
This is the problem

Many thinkers and philanthropist and social reformers over the years have agonised as to the best means to improve the lot of those in lower socio-economic groups.

When much of Scotland was mainly rural /agricultural, tied housing was provided on the farm/estate. There was no security – the family could be evicted at a moment’s notice.

Rented properties in urban areas were often in the hands of unscrupulous landlords who charged extortionate rents for poor quality properties with no security of tenure.

Now -

Those who own their property – perhaps with the help of a mortgage – also pay each month – but at the end - they own their property – there is security  -and the money they pay goes towards something for themselves

Whereas -

Those living in rented properties (social, rental or private) pay rent all their lives and have nothing to show for it at the end - and they have no security.

Maggie Thatcher – a grocer’s daughter – knew this. She understood that buying your own property was a way out of the poverty trap – a way of moving up the socio-economic ladder and improving things for you and your family.

The policies of the nationalists will keep those at the bottom of the socio-economic pile in that position forever.

I hope that at least those 500,000 Scots and their families, who now own their own homes, will be grateful to Maggie

Wind farm Scandal

Overseas buyers are particularly interested in buying rural Scottish estates  - when they see a possibility of making money by building wind farms.

So says an estate agent having just sold a beautiful looking estate in Perthshire, Scotland - to a foreigner.
Landowners make small fortunes by allowing wind farms to be built on their estates. The fact that they ruin the place doesn't bother them  - as most of them live somewhere else. They don't care about the locals or the scenery.

The locals protest and are overruled by the faceless bureaucracy of the nationalist party at present controlling the Scottish government.The nationalist leader Alex Salmond, has decreed that wind farms are a good thing.

But his government have also set-up an investigation into land use in Scotland. This review - with streaks of pure communism - has announced that no one person should be allowed to own too much land. This is how he plans to attack the big traditional landowners such as The Duke of Buccleuch - the hated toffs.

And yet - being SNP  - they want the Scots to own their own land.Yet they are encouraging every tin pot foreigner with a bit of money to buy up the beautiful wild countryside and make their fortune building wind farms on it.  He is effectively giving away the most beautiful parts of Scotland to foreigners, who will desecrate the land and with no benefit to the locals. In fact - it is the locals who have to pay for it with increased bills for their electricity.

Perhaps in a few years - after they have got their independent Scotland and brought it to its financial knees, the nationalists will behave like Portugal and decree that all land bought less than 150 years ago now belongs to the Scottish government.
Hey- watch out all you foreign buyers

Sicily in four weeks

Sicily in four weeks

We have just had 4 glorious weeks in Sicily  - 24 April to 22 May 2014
This blog is to help anyone trying to organise a similar venture

The Sicilian flag - which has the triskelion (trinacria) in its middle, the (winged) head of medusa  and three wheat ears. The three bent legs allegedly represent the three points of the triangular shape of the island of Sicily itself.

My husband did all the planning and I was quite happy to leave him to it - as he is an expert at such things.

We decided on the dates/the time of year, because we hoped it would be just hot enough to be nice, there would be spring flowers, it would not yet be busy and it would still be cheapish (off season). I was taken by surprise by the weather in the first couple of weeks. It was colder than I expected and I found myself wearing warmish long trousers and a fleece most of the time. Then it suddenly became very hot.
We found everywhere (that we went) safe to travel except Palermo. Some parts of that are not nice and not safe for a woman on her own.

Overall there were several “must dos” that my husband  identified

Byzantine/Norman Mosaics at –

1. The Capella Palatina in Palermo

2. La Motorana in Palermo

3. Monreale just outside Palermo

4. Cefalu

Greek Ruins

5. Segesta

6. Selinunte

7. The valley of The Temples at Agrigento

8. Syracuse

9. Catania

Norman castles

Erice

Roman Mosaics

Villa (Romana) del Casale at Piazza Armerina

Roman Ruins – amphitheatre

At Syracuse

Other

Mount Etna

My only “must do” was an island called Marettimo which my brother had visited several times and which I hoped would be somewhere to rest and do nothing.

So - the basic plan was to fly in to Palermo on the North Coast, move in a rough circle going west, finishing and flying out from Catania on the east coast.

We hired a car at the airport once we had left Palermo. My husband didn't fancy driving in Palermo, where the driving is rumoured to be even more anarchic than Naples - which it proved to be.

He therefore planned this trip ;-

Starting in Palermo, - (4 nights)

Making a quick divert east to see Cefalu (2 nights)

Then back North West to see Segesta and Erice and south west to see Selinunte (4 nights)

Then further west to the island Marettimo (3 nights)

Then south east to Agrigento (2 nights)

Then further east to Piazza Armerina (3 nights)

Further east to Ragusa (via Caltagirone) (2 nights)

Further east to Syracuse (via Modica and Noto) (3 nights)

Then north to Zafferana Etna

Then east to Catania

 The Trip

We flew Easy jet from Gatwick to Palermo on 24 April 2014. At Palermo Airport we ignored the many people vying to provide transport into town - we had been warned about them - and got the highly efficient and cheap shuttle bus. It let people off at various different places in town but we decided it was easier to stay on to the bitter end – the station. Our B&B was in walking distance of the station. Despite a recent injury (a pulled calf muscle) I found the walk to our B&B, pulling my suitcase on wheels, – Ok.  It took about half an hour. I would not have liked to do it on my own. I would not visit Palermo as a female on my own. The area around the station and the walk to our hotel was through seedy, run down, graffiti covered streets – oozing poverty and deprivation. It felt unsafe. We followed advice. I had a zipped handbag with a broad strap across my body, over which I had a small backpack, and I walked on the inside of the pavement, out of reach of passing muggers on motorbikes.

The street up to our B&B was one of the worst.

The B&B Residenza Nuvole is an old palazzo / town house behind a massive wooden door. Once through that door it was wonderful – a safe oasis. It is also an art gallery. We very much enjoyed our stay with them

My husband had earmarked several “must dos” in Palermo

Byzantine/Norman Mosaics at –

1. The Capella Palatina

2. La Motorana

3.  Monreale

Along with the cathedral at Cefalu, these are considered to be the best in the world  - and we love mosaics of any kind

Other than that –

4. The Cathedral

5. San Cataldo

We had booked the B&B for 4 nights – in retrospect - 3 would have been enough

Day 1 Palermo

AM

The Capella Palatina and The Apartment

I am still a bit confused about this. It is listed with the Palazzo dei Normanni. We arrived in front of what we thought was the Palazzo dei Normanni - which was all closed - and we almost went away. Then by chance we noticed – on the far left – a small sign saying something like  - "To the Capella" – which it turns out, is right around the back – accessed from the road at the left side. There we found a short queue to pay and get in. I imagine that later in the season this would be long queue. There were signs saying no backpacks etc but no-one said anything about our small ruck sacks. We didn't really understand what our ticket was giving us access to. It turned out that it allowed us to visit The Cappella and The Apartments by which they meant the part of the Palazzo dei Normanni one is allowed to see and in which the Capella is situated.

The Capella Palatina is just magnificent. A beautiful church covered in beautiful mosaics and tiles.

It was perhaps the best experience of the 4 weeks.

The Apartment is worth visiting just to see King Rogers’s hall  -which is again covered in magnificent mosaics (non-religious ones)

Lunch

We had excellent pasta at a very nice restaurant nearby – down a narrow alley.

PM

The Cathedral

We were not too inspired by this although it has a wonderful meridian line. This is a line on the floor, on which a beam of sunlight (from a hole in the roof) moves and identifies the time of year (I think). It has delightful pictures of the signs of the zodiac along its way.

Chiesa Gesu

This was not on our list of must dos but we popped in and were entranced. Every inch is covered in very beautiful baroque marble with inlay. A delightful and enthusiastic volunteer explained it’s history. It is was for much of its time and still is - a Jesuit Church. ie there was lots of money.

As we wandered we found ourselves in a food market recommended to tourists. It was finished and clearing up. A police car stopped me and advised me to be very very careful and to guard my bag. The area was very seedy; we were scared and left quickly

San Cataldo

A very old Arabian/Norman Church – beautiful for it’s simplicity.

Supper

A picnic in our room. It was our normal routine to economise by eating out only once at day

Day 2 Palermo

AM

La Martorana Church.

This was no 2. on our list of “must see” mosaics. It was in easy walking distance of our B&B and it was fantastic. It is right beside San Cataldo and the helpful tourist office

We then set off to see Monreale Cathedral – no 3. on our list of mosaic places.

Monreale is in the outskirts of Palermo and requires an intelligence test to get there. My husband had read the blogs and discovered what bus to get and where to get it. He recommends this excellent blog
An ever increasing gaggle of confused tourists gathered at what we thought might possibly be the correct place and eventually –  half an hour late – the AST bus arrived – with standing room only. Apart from that it was a cheap and efficient service, taking about 20 minutes or so, with a helpful driver who showed us where and when to meet him for the return journey.

It was a short walk to the cathedral which was just closing for lunch. So we found a pizza place nearby and had lunch too.

If you visit Monreale be sure to walk around the outside of it – particularly around the back – which is beautiful.

The inside is quite glorious. It is huge and there are mosaics or tiles on every surface. It would have been nice to have had binoculars.  It is worth having some sort of guide to tell you the stories that are being told in the mosaics. There is the story of the building of The Arc. The story of Adam and Eve - which finishes by showing life after they been thrown out of paradise - with a wonderfully disgruntled Eve -watching poor  Adam - who now has to do hard manual labour - . It shows Jesus curing the lepers – people covered with lots of spots.

Do not miss the cloisters – they are lovely - with many columns ornamented still with coloured tiles and topped with fascinating carvings. Watch out for Adam and Eve shown below

Day 3 Palermo

AM

This was a Sunday and by chance we found ourselves at the excellent market in Piazza Marina down near the sea

Lunch was nearby at the excellent Trattoria del Pesce Fresco

We had the set fish menu for 20 euro

Starter – mussels

Pasta – Spaghetti Sarde

Vegetable - salad

Main – grilled sword fish

Pudding – sliced fresh orange and strawberry

Coffee

With wine and fizzy water

PM

We wandered around the old historical area

We didn't really like it – too poor and too frightening - much worse than Naples

Day 4 Cefalu

We got a train to Cefalu

This was easy to do and cost 8 euro.

It was an easy walk from Cefalu station into the village/town  - which is wonderful.  It is on a beautiful beach with a mountain behind and with - The cathedral  - which was no 4. on our mosaic list.

We checked in to our excellent B&B called - B&B L&B

The afternoon was spent admiring the cathedral and its mosaics. I did not find the mosaics as impressive as the others we had seen already although the purists say they are more special. There are not so many and they restrict access.
But it is well worth going to Cefalu just to see the place  - a really nice, clean, little, medieval seaside town

Day 5 Cefalu

AM

We visited the cathedral again. A lady showed us round to see the back of it and we also went into the cloisters

Lunch was a delicious Pasta Sarde at Il Covo del Pirata - an excellent restaurant beside the interesting medieval lavatoro

PM

My husband went up the hill behind the town where you get a good view of the town

After that we explored the beach and walked part way along the little coast path linking the old and new harbours

Day 6 Fulgatory

We got a bus to Palermo. From there we got the airport shuttle bus to the airport, where we had arranged to pick up a rental car from Hertz. This is much cheaper booked in advance online from home. It is also cheaper (we found for us) to take out insurance for the car at home.

It was then an easy, non stressful drive along the north coast to our next stop/base near Erice

We stayed at B&B Borgo di Pietro Bianca in a semi-rural area with it its own parking. We thought it would be a good base for the next few days.The nearest habitation was Fulgatory which had an excellent supermarket. There were no nearby places to eat.

Day 7 Fulgatory

AM

Segesta – Greek Ruins

This was within easy driving distance from our B&B

The Theatre is up the hill and the Temple is just above the level of the car park

We did it wrong. We walked up the hill to see the Theatre and got the shuttle bus back. It would have been better the other way around – or even getting the shuttle bus both ways. However - The walk was lovely because the wild flowers were at their best and they were gorgeous

The Segesta Theatre 3^rd century BC is beautiful and the view from it is wonderful

The Segesta Temple 5th century BC a beautiful Greek Temple

We then drove south to Selinunte grabbing a lunch of pasta Sarde in a restaurant as we got near. Two Sicilian pasta dishes are pasta sarde (fennel and sardine) and pasta alla norma (aubergine and tomatoe).
Pastta alla norma was named after an opera by Bellini called norma. We fell in love with both.

PM

Selinunte - 7th century BC overlooking the Mediterranean on the south coast of Sicily. It consists of several amazing Greek Temple ruins in a large area of land which was carpeted in wild flowers when we visited.

Week 2

Day 8 - Fulgatory

Erice – this was an easy drive up a road with lots of hair pin bends. It consists of a pretty medieval village perched on top of Mount Erice, where there are many churches and a fine Norman castle and amazing views. Well worth the visit

I was amazed to find Norman castles etc in Sicily. I associate Norman castles and Churches with England.   So I did a small bit of historical research

The Normans – (according to me)

Originally they were Vikings from Scandinavia, who came south to France - raping and pillaging. They settled in North France which therefore became known as Normandy. They settled, integrated and became friendly with the King of France and converted to Christianity

After a while they grew restless and William the Conqueror went off and conquered England. Meanwhile his brother Roger went south and conquered Sicily

These Normans were very good at managing the places they conquered. They were adept at blending in with the best of what they found there and adding to it the best of what they had to offer.

Roger rather liked what he found in Sicily and went native.
He found a country that had been invaded and lived in by many people before him – The Greeks – the Romans and most recently Arab/Moor/Muslim. This was reflected in the architecture he found - similar to the beautiful Moorish Alhambra in Spain and the mosaics of Istanbul.

The Pope made a deal with him that if he brought Catholicism to Sicily he could call himself the King of Sicily. So he did – he built beautiful Christian churches and cathedrals, adorned with mosaics telling Christian stories. But much of the style was Moorish/ Arabian  and much was Norman and it was rumoured that he himself retained the Muslim faith. He sounds a very pragmatic man. Actually two men - because he was followed by Roger the second

He also built Norman castles all over the place - one of which is in Erice

This mosaic (In La Mortorana) shows Roger the first being crowned.

Day 9 - Marettimo

AM

Fulgatory to Marettimo

We drove to Trapani on the West Coast to get the ferry to Marettimo which is the smallest and furthest away of the Aegadi Islands.

Trapani is not very interesting in itself and there is no guidance to help find the ferries and on where to park.

Our problem was leaving the car somewhere safe for 3 nights.

The person at the kiosk selling our ferry tickets advised this;-

Antonio Burgarella

Autoparcheggio – deposito bagagli

Via cap.S.Poma(trav.via Virgilio)

P.zza G.C. Monalto, 24/25

Via Trento, 31-91100 Trapani

P.IVA:00302340815

Cell.320.4171154

burgarellaantonio@gmail.com

It was an excellent solution and I highly recommend it. He took our car (which was driven away to a safe lock up) and he drove us back to the ferry. If I remember correctly it cost about 10 euro a day

Due to bad weather our ferry could not go until the evening. It was an easy crossing on the hydrofoil - about 1 hour.

At Marettimo our B&B owner Diego came looking for us and helped with our cases

We stayed at B&B La Tartaruga which was excellent.

Day 10- Marettimo

There are not many places to walk if you don’t like going uphill. The island is/was a steep volcano.

AM

We walked around the coast a short way in one direction which takes you past the cemetery to a nice tiny beach of black shingle. The island is not a place for the bucket and spade brigade

Lunch was excellent at La Vinere in town

Day 11- Marettimo

AM

We walked gently part way up the mountain to an old Roman ruin and old Byzantine church.

Lunch was a picnic

PM

We walked along the coast in the other direction towards a little sticking out bit of land with an old fort on it. After a bit the path goes steeply up hill and I stopped and came back

We had Dinner back at the same restaurant because it was so good

Day 12- Marettimo

Marettimo to Agrigento

AM

We got the big ferry back to Trapani and it took ages – about 3 hours – but it was very restful.
It stopped at at the other islands on the way and it was interesting to have a quick look at Levanzo. Someone we met had told us that it was even nicer than Marettimo. It certainly looked beautiful.
Back at Trapani my husband walked around to the car place. Our car was brought back from the safe lock up and he came and picked me up

We then drove to Agrigento arriving about 7pm

We stayed at B&B Via dei Templi. This turned out to be at a busy junction and hard to find. I would not recommend it. It was below the standard of all the others we stayed at.

Day 13- Agrigento

Am and PM

Vallei dei Templi – Greek Ruins

There is no guidance as to where to park to see the temples. Agrigento is a horrible industrial modern city on one side of a ridge. Just south of that is a valley and then further south on the other side is another ridge with this amazing line of Greek temples. So the name is wrong – they are not in the valley. We drove from Agrigento down into the valley and we missed what is probably the main car park on the right because a coach was parked in front of the sign. However we carried on to the big roundabout where we saw directions to another car park on the other side of the temple ridge. We drove along a pretty little road with the temples just up on our right hand side – a lovely view of them. The car park was just along there - quiet and easy. From there a path took us a short walk up to the ridge and the temples – but at the far end of them. In retrospect this was the nicest place to start. We wandered along the ridge looking at the temples which are really worth seeing. The flowers where lovely and we had brought a picnic lunch. By mid-afternoon we had finished and we walked up the hill back towards Agrigento to see the museum, which was excellent - although quite a hike up the road in the hot sun. 

Agrigeto in the distance and a ruined temple in front

We had dinner at Trattoria dei Temple next door to the B&B. It was grossly overpriced and snooty – I would not recommend

Day 14 – Piazza Armerina

Agrigento to Piazza Armerina         via lunch at Enna/ Calascibetta

Enna proved too hard to find for my map reading skills and we ended up in nearby Calascibetta. This was an excellent mistake. It proved to be a delightful, little medieval town (built 951 by The Saracens when they were attacking Enna) perched atop a hill – quite off the tourist path. From the top there was a wonderful view (our first) of a distant, snow clad Mount Etna - with some smoke coming from it

We had an excellent, simple, cheap lunch – rustled up for us at a café bar in the main square further down the hill.

We then drove on to the pretty town of Piazza Armerina and the excellent B&B Kimera

Week 3

Day 15 – Piazza Armerina

AM

Villa Romane Casale – Roman mosaics

This was an easy short drive out of the town into the country where it is.

The mosaics are quite, quite wonderful and amazing. It is extra-ordinary to think of them lying buried under mud for such a long time and to then emerge so recently in such good condition.
The floor with the mosaics of girls in bikinis has become famous as the first depiction of women wearing such things. They also have body piercings!

There is one huge, huge corridor where the mosaics tell the story of hunting for animals. The left side tells the story of normal hunting in Europe - for deer and wild boar etc. the right side tells the story of hunting animals in far away countries such a lions and tigers. These were brought back alive if possible - no easy feat. They were used for public sport in the roman amphitheaters. People who misbehaved were "thrown to the lions" or any other available wild animal. I cannot imagine how anyone could have found pleasure in watching such sport but they did - brutal times.

Lunch – was an ok  light snack at the eating facility at Villa Romane.

PM

In the afternoon we went to see the ancient Greek ruins at nearby Morgantina. It was almost deserted, awash with flowers and rather nice. The ruined Greek theatre had a sweet spot in the middle where – when you spoke- your voice was taken up and sounded weird

Dinner was at Amica Mei just off the main square (Piazza Garibaldi) in Piazza Armerina

Day 16 – Piazza  Armerina

We spent this wandering around Piazza Armerina – a nice little place. It is another little medieval town on a hill.
It has a small but charming art gallery, which had the frescoe below (from one of the old churches there)

Day 17 – Ragusa

Piazza Armerina to Ragusa        via  Caltagirone

AM

We drove to Caltagirone a pretty small town famous for its ceramics which it has made and exported for centuries.

The main tourist sight is the staircase where every stair is faced with tiles - everyone different

It is worth seeing

Lunch - was excellent at Non Solo Vino

PM

We drove to Ragusa Superiore and B&B Giumbabulla (wonderful - quite the best care we have ever had in a B&B)

Day 18 - Ragusa

We walked “the walk down the steps” from Ragusa Superiore to Ragusa Ibla.

Ragusa Superiore has been done up and has slightly lost its quaintness. Ragusa Ibla still has it all and the walk down those steps is a must  -as the views are wonderful.

This is all Inspector Montalbano country and both the Cathedral in Superiore and Ibla were used in filming. Ragusa Ibla is quite charming.

We had lunch there and later climbed back up the stair to Superiore

Day 19 - Ragusa

Ragusa to Syracuse         via 1. Modica    2.Cava D’Ispica      3.Noto

AM

Drove to Modica where we stopped for a moment to see the cathedral

Then

Drove to Cava D’Ispica which are at Ispica

These are caves in a cliff where people lived and where buried. They were well worth the stop

We then Drove to Noto where we had a very very late lunch – an excellent pizza near the cathedral

It was in Noto that we first came across a parking scam. You are helped to park somewhere that may or not be official by someone who may or not be official who you are then expected to pay. You get the feeling that what you are paying is protection money! We didn’t like to argue.
Noto had some fine examples of balconies held up by weird and wonderful characters

We then drove to the outskirts of Syracuse to our B&B Al Palmento Cruillas. This proved very hard to find. A new motorway was being built near it and our satnav kept telling us that we had arrived when we were on the new road. Most confusing

Day 20 - Syracuse

AM

Greek Ruins of Syracuse – the Neapolis Archaeological Zone

We again had to pay protection money for the car parking

My husband was greatly disappointed by the Greek theatre because it is actually being used as a theatre and most of it is covered in wood seating and staging. However it is still interesting.

We both loved the adjacent caves – the Orecchio di Dioniso   - very interesting

And also the ruined Roman Amphitheatre

We then drove into Syracuse Ortigia – very difficult to find parking

We had an excellent lunch there at Restaurant Syraka

PM

We wandered around Syracuse Ortigia (an island) which is lovely. The Duomo in particular is interesting because the church has been built around an old Greek temple without removing the temple which is still there to be seen inside. It also had a collection of gifts made to the church. Saint Lucia is the saint of eyesight so lots of people with visual problems would leave her (the church) lavish eye related gifts
I Googled her story and apparently she was being courted by some man she didn't fancy - so she blinded herself to put him off and so that she could worship God without distraction

Day 21 Syracuse

AM and PM

Vendicari Nature Reserve

This was lovely because we saw flamingos feeding in the old salt flats near the sea. The sea itself is ringed with beautiful beaches and coves and there is a nice walk along the coast.  There is also a little Norman Castle. Take your own picnic and water

 Week 4

Day 22 – Zafferana Etnae

Syracuse to Zafferana Etnae on the slopes of Mount Etna

We drove there in the morning (skirting Catania) to our B&B Villa Rosa and the wonderful Alberto

We had lunch near the B&B at Gli Aragona – a place we kept going back to it was so good

Then we met Alberto the owner of our B&B and the most wonderful, delightful, helpful man who helped us plan our visit to Etna

Day 23 – Zafferana Etnae

Mount Etna - refuge Citelli and a walk the Sartorius mounts

AM

Alberto told us to drive to Refuge Citelli and to find there his friend Giuseppe who would tell us where to go from there. Giuseppe turned out to be most helpful and gave us instructions on how to see and walk the Sartorius Mounts. These are ancient craters that originated during the 1865 lava flow.  They are not covered in hard lava as one imagines but in black ash/sand. They are fascinating.

We took a picnic for lunch and we ate there

PM

We drove further along that road to a small town called Linguaglossa

Day 24 – Zafferana Etnae

AM

We had a paid guided tour with a friend of Alberto’s called Sergio. He said that it was nice to avoid the scrum of tourists at Rifugio Sapienza and that the gondola up was an expensive rip off. He took us around lovely quiet places and showed us old craters and different lava flows and lava caves. 

What we had not realised is that Mount Etna is not just a mountain/volcano with a crater at the summit which erupts. It is a huge area of erupting cones. (The area is so big - it would fit into greater Birmingham) and they keep erupting – most recently last year

Lunch – was recommended by Alberto at Café Donna Peppina. This is where the famous Sicilian Pizza was invented and still made. This is a cheese, anchovies and black pepper pizza folded over and then deep fried. A quite delicious fat ball.

Day 25 – Zafferana Etnae

We drove a short distance out of the upper part of Zafferana Etnae to Piano de’Acqua (see map below) to see where the lava of 1991 stopped. It stopped just short of a house and there is a small shrine to give thanks.

We walked up along the right side of the lava flow along a pretty paved path lined with flowering broom. There was signpost pointing to Monte Caldana and Ilici di Carinu but we had no idea where we were. It is all very vague but quite fascinating

A few things we learnt about Mount Etna and Volcanoes
Certainly the people of Zafferana don't fear Etna. They call her the gentle giant. They explain that this is because she is not like other volcanoes such as Mount Vesuvius which covered Pompeii and Herculaneum killing all the inhabitants. Etna erupts very very slowly and there is always time for everyone to be safe. She last erupted very recently - last year - an ash eruption. But we were told that no-one was hurt except a few people who were near the crater at the wrong time.
When lava pours down the hill it often travels through caves and tunnels and channels made within lava from previous old lava flows. When this happens the lava flow is faster.
The most recent big lava flow eruption in 1992 was towards the town of Zafferana where we were staying

"1992 Lava Flow diversion

During the 1992 eruption of Etna earth barriers were used to save the town of Zafferana Etnea from lava flows. In January 1992 an earth barrier 234 m long and 21 m high was constructed. The embankment contained the lava for about a month but finally, it overflowed, on 9th April 1992. 

Three additional smaller earth barriers (length: 90-160 m; height: 6-12 m ) were then built in April, to gain time, while the lava front continued  to descend  towards Zafferana, from the overflowing first embankment.

 The main intervention point was located in Valle del Bove at an elevation of 2000 m, at 8 km from Zafferana.  Initial interventions called for attempts at plugging a tunnel by dumping into it linked concrete blocks etc.  Each intervention caused the partial obstruction of the tunnel, which caused major increases of lava overflow into  Valle del Bove and the consequent halt of the most advanced front to Zafferana.

The intervention gave, at the most, two weeks of respite before new lava fronts approached the outskirts of Zafferana.

The final successful intervention was carried out on May 27-29, 1992. An artificial channel was dug, departing from the natural one. The solid separation levee was thinned to 3 m and blasted by 7000 kg of explosives. After the explosion, 2/3 of the lava flowed spontaneously in the artificial channel. As a consequence of the intervention, the active natural lava front, that on May 27 was only 850 m from Zafferana  - stopped."

 For the first time -  man had tamed, controlled and beaten the volcanoe - Amazing

Day 26 - Catania

Zafferana Etnae to Catania

AM

We drove to Catania Airport to get rid of the hire car

Then we got the Airport bus into Catania station. This all proved to be very easy and we walked to the B&B XX Meigle.

We had a late lunch

PM

We wandered around Catania
Many of the building are partially built with lava - which  makes sense for a town built at the foot of Mount Etna. In the middle of the main square is  a gorgeous elephant made of lava (below)

Day 27- Catania

AM

We wandered around the wonderful fish market

PM

We found the Old Greek Ruins – a Theatre – well worth a visit

Day 28 - Home

We got the airport bus back out to the airport and got our flight back to Gatwick