Cefalu and Karaoke Night at the Agriturismo

It was time to take this motley crew on the road! Next stop: the Northeast of Sicily with a stop off in Cefalu.

We got to see how beautifully mountainous the country is. On our drive later that afternoon from Cefalu, we went through tunnel after tunnel carved into the mountains.

Friends had recommended Cefalu, where we spent a lovely afternoon. The town was so charming, I would have loved more time there. But the heat was intense that day and it was super crowded (granted it was a Saturday).

The old medieval town is built at the base of the cliff right on the water and boasts a nice sandy beach right in the town. 

We had paninis and hamburgers on the beach, beating the heat under the shade of the umbrellas. Alya and Amine stayed with the kids while Pete and I went exploring in the town and then we switched off. 

Right as you enter town, there is a medieval laundry washing facility. So cool to see and reminded us of our tour of the ancient Jewish mikveh baths in Ortygia two years ago. 

The symbol of Sicily

Fisherman's Gate, opening onto another small sandy beach. 

Quiet streets

The Cathedral was really stunning. A similar gold mosaic altarpiece like the one in Monreal. 

So similar to Juliette's balcony tourist spot in Verona, but much more charming and no one around. 

Blood orange granita to beat the heat. 

We continued on to our home for the last 5 nights of the trip: Agritourism Santa Margherita. The kids instantly fell asleep in the car and slept a long time. Good thing because it was karaoke night and it was one loud, late night!

Views over the Aeolian islands from our little balcony. Really dreamy! 

We had half board so had most dinners here at night. The kids were always served pasta or schnitzel and french fries quickly while the four courses for the adults lasted hours. Our apartment was right above the restaurant, which meant loud nights, but was very convenient for sending the kids up to watch TV when they bored of late Italian style dinners. The food was overall pretty good, but almost everything had pork/bacon in it, which Amine doesn't eat. We kept reminding them, but they never remembered. Then we'd inquire if a specific dish had pork and we were always told no, only to find bacon pieces in it! It became a running joke. The Agriturismo also made three types of wine, Syrah, Nero d' Avola and a white wine. The Nero d' Avola I really liked, the Syrah not so much. So when they'd bring a bottle that had a Syrah label, I'd ask if we could have the Nero instead. A few waiters insisted that the wine was all the same, they were just reusing bottles, but we didn't know what to believe! 

The restaurant was packed that first night with Italians (and subsequent nights as well). We seemed to be the only foreigners there most nights. Giuseppe the owner tried really hard to convince us to join in the karaoke. We held back for a while, watching people belt out Italian songs. Then Amine volunteered and performed Dance Monkey with the kids.

You tell me who was having more fun singing karaoke ;) 

The loud music was too much for Maeve, but she found a friend to spend her time with instead before I took her to bed "early" around 11. Apparently, we missed the congo line. Between that and everyone sharing the same microphones, my COVID radar was on high alert. We had to sign contracts that we didn't have any illness symptoms when we arrived, but we all know how faulty that logic is.

Kids (and Pete) finally asleep just around 11:30

As I was trying to fall asleep over the noise below, fireworks started going off in the beach town below! A pretty sweet ending to a great day!