Greater Greece and medusas attack

I spent 2 weeks there and that kind of explains why I didn't update the blog for a while. Internet is sort of hard to come by where I stay: The town where my mom emigrated from is called Marineo; my dad's is Alessandria della Rocca, both are on the western part of the island of Sicily, Marineo being a little south of Palermo and Alessandria being 1.25 hours south of Marineo.....(Oh, and somehow, both towns manage to have their own websites.)

Anyway, here is my big surpise...On August 20th, I was part of the annual traditional horse parade known as La Cunnutta in my mother's town, Marineo. Basically, the tradition goes back hundreds of years where people on donkeys, mules or horses offer wheat/grain to the Saint Ciro, the patron saint of Marineo (the ritual sounds kind of Pagan, doesn't it?) A friend of my cousin asked me if I wanted to ride his lovely white mare, Esmeralda. It's an honor to be part of this parade, and to be honest, I wish my mom was there to see me! Of course, the stupid city girl in me wears yellow, the color that attracts flies the most, ew:




I also went to see the Valley of the Temples, just outside Agrigento. I was utterly appalled when I read the information signs posted on the scaffolding that covered every single temple, explaining that they will soon be completely reconstructed to their former glory, including a blue/white paint job. I shit you not. I never thought it would be possible to ruin ruins, but oh, now I know it is. Of all the times Southern Italians decide to complete something, this is what they decide to do? Surely the wrath of the gods will strike down them, installing fear and unemployment in them once again, will they not?


Trying to climb up onto a small cove by the temples...

Well, other than that, most days were spent gaining back the weight I happily lost in July, going to the beach with my cousins and doing Litigare come Galline (Chicken Fights) and oh yea, getting stung by the motherload of all medusas (jellyfish in Italian.)

My cousin Claudia and me.

It looked like a film on fast forward as soon as that mofo got me, cuz I swam to shore at about 80mph while simultaneously screaming various profanities in 4 different languages. When I got out and looked at my legs, I saw a nice little present the jellyfish left for me: the tentacles wrapped around my calf. There were so many stings that in less than 40 minutes it swelled up into one huge welt, which kind of looked like a 5 inch cuff encompassing my lower calf...the pain was so bad that I thought my leg was going to explode when I walked. Went to the hospital-clinic nearby to get treated but all they do is put alcohol on it. That sucker burned for 2 days and I still have the signs of the tentacles on my legs.


About 3 minutes after I flew out of the water.



Now here, enjoy a sunset on me. :)