Road trip to Sicily

Yeah, September is nearly over and autum is here... This year the summer in Galway, literally, has passed us by :( We did not have that week of nice weather that we were all looking forward: high temperatures (with 22ºC we are more than happy), sunny days (when we look like plants doing the photosynthesis), when everyone is having fun and enjoying some drinks by the Spanish arch... But instead of talking of how depressing this can be, I would like to talk a little bit about the summer holidays we had in Sicily! We had a great time and more importantly, we enjoyed the lovely weather!!   

In this post I will tell you how we organized the trip (you can see the map below) and which places I would definitely recommend if you are planning to visit Sicily someday!! Also, I want to share with you some photos I took along the trip. Everything was so nice that I could not leave the camera at home for a moment!! Jon was not very happy about that...

1- Aeroporto di Palermo Falcone e Borsellino, 2- Scopello, 3- Trapani, 4- Isola di Favignana, 5- Erice, 6- Marsalla, 7- Sciacca, 8- Corleone, 9-  La Scala dei Turchi, 10- Agrigento 11- Enna, 12-Taormina, 13- Piano Provenzana (Mt. Etna), 14- Cefalú, 15- Modello

 

We arrived to Palermo's airport from Dublin. We planed to stay 7 nights, which we divided as following: 2 nights in Trapani, 2 nights in Sciacca, 2 nights in Taormina and the last night in Mondello, close to Palermo's airport. 

We decided to book our accommodation through AirB&B. We have never tried it before, but we had a good experience for very reasonable prices. We also rented a car for the week (a nice and small Fiat 500, which I loved). Then, I realized that we were not the only ones... absolutely EVERYONE in Sicily had one!!. Also, I was surprised to see so many old Fiat Panda, seriously, every 3rd car was a Fiat Panda! We used to have one at home when I was a child, but we can hardly see one in Spain anymore. Sicily must be like the paradise for the Fiat Pandas...

DAY 1

Directly from the airport, and from a really awful weather in Galway, the first thing we wanted to do was to GO FOR A SWIM!!! We stopped in Scopello on our way to Trapani. This was a really nice place, with crystalline waters perfect for snorkel, and a quiet enough place. Unfortunately, it is a private site and we had to pay 3€/person to get in, but it was totally worth it!

 

Scopello

Trapani

After a nice swim in Scopello we went to Trapani, where we collected the keys of our first apartment. Trapani is a nice town located on the west coast of Sicily. It has a beautiful ancient city center in a baroque style. It is also famous for its salt pans and the windmills, unfortunately, we couldn't visit them.

DAY 2

There are ferries that can bring you from Trapani to the Egadi Islands, including the island of Favignana or Levanzo. They leave Trapani every hour or so, and the trip cost 36€ return, and only lasts about 30-40 minutes. Also, you don't really need to spend the night over there, as there are ferries coming back as late as 7-8pm.
We decided to visit Favignana, the biggest island, which has a small and quaint fishing village. There, we rented bikes to explore the island for only 5€/day (we could also have rented motorbikes but we prefer to do a bit of exercise to burn all the pasta and pizza we were eating). To me, Favignana has the most beautiful beaches and coves of all Sicily. The colour of the water is amazingly blue and it was so transparent that we could see our own shadow. This was definitely one of my favourite places of the whole trip! I recommended it 100%!

Isola di Favignana

We came back from Favignana about 5.30pm and we decided to visit Erice, a small medieval town,  located on a mountaintop, quite close from Trapani. Indeed, there is a cable car from Trapani that brings you up to the top (for 9€ per person) but we decided to take our car instead. Erice is known for its traditional pastries and desserts, as well as the ceramic decorations.
Erice is located 750m above the see and it can be a bit cold at night even in summer (advice: don't forget to bring a jacket..!). We were walking through the cobbled streets of Erice when suddenly we were surrounded by this dense 'smoke', which, we initially thought it was a fire, but we were not able to smell anything... So, basically, it turned to be a sudden fog that surrounded the town, like in ghosts films!

DAY 3

The next day, we drove towards Sciacca through the east cost, passing through Marsala region, which is know for the vineyards and wine.
Sciacca (pronounced as Shack-a) is a historic town with a fishing port, situated on the southern coast of Sicily. Sciacca isn't a particularly touristy town, but this is the beauty about it. It has a historic centre with interesting churches and buildings which date to the sixteenth century, plenty of seafood restaurants and a nice panoramic piazza where we had a few beers viewing the sunset.
Sciacca is famous for its ceramic production. I was amazed at the beautiful streets and stairs of ceramic with different colours and motifs.

Sciacca

Corleone

From Sciacca, we decided to do a quick visit to Corleone. When I say quick it means quick! We went there, had a coffee and then we came back! Corleone has nothing very special, but we were happy to see a different landscape, more countryside, with lots of vineyard fields.

Those that like the film 'The Godfather' will know why we went there... Well, Corleone is the birthplace of the fictional character Vito Andolini (Corleone). However, we were surprised to see that Corleone it's a quite developed town, nothing to do with the film. Indeed, most of the scenes from 'The Godfather' were filmed in the villages of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò, located in the province of Messina, because Corleone was too developed at that time and would not be suitable for the purposes of the story of the film. Nevertheless, Corleone is known as one of the hotbeds for the Mafia and the Corleonesi clan.  

DAY 4  

The next day we drove towards the Valle dei Templi, in Agrigento (The Valley of the Temples). This is an archaeological site with one of the most outstanding site of Greek architecture and art (don't get confused, it is not Roman architecture!). The Valle dei Templi is one of the main attractions of Sicily, as it is included in the UNESCO Heritage List. The entrance costs 10€, and also you can pay 3€ to visit a 'mediterranean garden', with lemon and orange trees, tomatoes, medlar trees, olive trees, etc. (It wasn't very special for me since we can find all of that in Valencia).
On the way back from Agrigento we stopped in 'La scala dei Turchi' (or 'Stair of the Turks'). Really impressive place! It is a rocky cliff with the shape of a staircase formed by marl, a sedimentary rock composed mainly by calcite and clays, which gives a characteristic white color. This place is also included in the UNESCO Heritage List. A must seen!

 
Agrigento & La Scala dei Turchi
DAY 5

Early in the morning we left Sciacca and drove towards Taormina. We took the road that passes through the middle of the Island. This trip is about 3.30h, so we stopped in Enna for a break.
Taormina is a beautifull small town at the province of Messina. It is located at about 200m above the see, settled on the hill of the Monte Tauro. From the 19th, Taormina has become one of the most turistic destinations of Sicily. As soon as you arrive, you feel surrounded by a charming atmosphere, where the past and the present co-exist at the same moment. Walking through the streets of Taormina, you can find many Sicilian memories, including palazzos, churches and the splendid Greek Theatre, with amazing views to the bay of Naxos and Mount Etna. I really liked this place!
For those that would like to try the Sicilian cuisine, you can find plenty of restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias, pastry-shops, bars and gelaterias. I recommended you to visiting the Bam-bar, famous for its tasty granite made of many different fruits.

Taormina

Taormina is also popular for its natural beaches, such as Isola Bella. As its name suggest, it is a small and beautiful island (today a natural heritage site) situated just below Taormina. You can access the beach by funicular for 6€, enjoying the views down the hill.
The island connects with the rocky beach through a narrow path that often is covered in water, specially when there is high tide (advice: keep your shoes far away from the shore or when you come back after a swim you won't be able to find them...). The water is really clean and transparent and you feel like you are swimming in the middle of the nature! Another beauty of Sicily! 

Isola Bella 

DAY 6

From the beautiful beaches from Taormina we went to a place with a landscape that looked like from another planet. Mt. Etna (3,350m) is the most active volcano in Europe, and it is still in an almost constant state of activity. Mt. Etna also turns into a no-frills ski resort during the winter months.
There are two ways to get around Mt. Etna:

• From Rifugio Sapienza (Etna south). You can pay for a trip on a cable car (up to 2500m) and then take a 4x4 vehicle which brings you close to the summit crater (all about 63€).  
• From Piano Provenzana (Etna north) you can take a 4x4 vehicle until 2900m and then walk to the summit crater at 3,300m (for 60€). 

We decided to visit Mt. Etna from Piano Provenzana (the north side) because it brings you closer to the main crater. Unfortunately, when we where in the summit crater, everything was covered by fog so we couldn't see much... I advice you to bring warm clothes because it's freezing over there! (There is a possibility to rent clothes and boots if you don't have).

From the top you can observe stunning views of the valley, the forest and the impressive solidified rivers of lava formed after the eruption of 2002, which gulped most of the Piano Provenzana region. We also stopped in other craters where we could feel the steam and heat coming from from vents. 
Overall the trip is a bit expensive, but I guess we won't be visiting the most active volcano in Europe, many times in our life...

Mt. Etna

DAY 7

In our last day, we drove towards Palermo. It's a trip of about 3.30h so we stopped in Cefalú for a swim. It looked like a really nice place, but we didn't have time to visit the town.

Rather than spending our last day in the busy Palermo, we prefered to spend our last night in a quieter place, where we could enjoy our last swim and the last hours of sun (totally Irish style).

Modello, was convenient because it was really close to the airport. However, when we arrived there, we found that it was a really busy place during the day. Most people from Palermo to Mondello to spend the day in the beach. I didn't particularly like Mondello. Only in the evening, when everything quieted down, we could enjoy a bit of peace and a nice sunset.

Mondello
DAY 8

After a really nice week in Sicily, we went back to Ireland, :( at least well rested and with higher vitamin D levels! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and if you have any questions or want some advice do not hesitate to contact me, I will be happy to help!

See you soon! 
Claris ♥

The treasure hunt

La búsqueda del tesoro (for english scroll down)

En una de mis entradas anteriores (ver aquí) os hablé un poquito de Jackie Rueda, de su escuela de fotografía y de la comunidad fotográfica que conduce, llamada La Vuelta al Mundo. Hoy me gustaría hablaros un poco más de en que consiste esta maravillosa comunidad fotográfica, cómo puedes participar y lo emocionante y divertido que es!! Bueno, os cuento, yo me uní a La Vuelta al Mundo hace más de un año (desde que me compré mi Canon EOS1200D) y lo hago a través del foro de Flickr, aunque también podéis encontrarlo en instagram en #juegolvm. 

El primer día de cada mes, Jackie propone un tema fotográfico específico, el cual puede centrarse en la composición, color, técnica, un sujeto específico, etc... A mí me encanta participar, y aunque no siempre tengo tiempo para subir muchas fotos, me encanta ver las fotos de otras personas, pues aprendes muchísimo de ellos!! Además, me gusta porque es una manera de motivarme para sacar la cámara todos los meses y no dejarla en un cajón olvidada y llena de polvo hasta el próximo viaje... 

Todos los meses de Julio, en La Vuelta al Mundo, jugamos a un juego llamado 'La Búsqueda del Tesoro'. Se trata de un divertidísimo juego en el cual tienes que conseguir 12 tesoros (fotos). Estos fueron los 12 tesoros de este mes de Julio:

BOTIN URBANO (¡EN LA CALLE!) 2015

Un árbol  
Una ventana bonita  
Una silla vacía  
El color morado
Una sombrilla (o paraguas) azul 
  Rayas  
Una vista al ras del suelo  
Un gato  
Una atracción de feria (como un carrousel)
Alguien leyendo  
Nubes
Círculos

Para hacerlo un pelín más difícil pero más divertido, deben tratarse de fotos urbanas, es decir, no valen fotos hechas en tu casa o fotos de cosas puestas por ti. Tienes todo el mes de Julio para conseguir el botín y al final del mes debes presentar tus fotos candidatas en un bonito mosaico.

Mi botín urbano se compuso de fotos hechas en Galway (Irlanda). Aunque Galway es muy fotogénico, este verano ha sido horroroso, :( y es que el mes de Julio se paso prácticamente casi todos los días lloviendo, o nublado, con un cielo blanco que sale horrible en las fotos!. Así que si algún ratín salía el sol, yo y mi cámara salíamos corriendo en busca de mis tesoros!! Pensaba que este año no llegaba, pero al final conseguí mis 12 tesoros, y este fue el resultado!

De izquierda a derecha. 1. Un árbol, 2. Una ventana bonita, 3. Una silla vacía, 4. El color morado. 5. Un paraguas azul, 6. Rayas, 7. Una vista a ras del suelo,  8. Un gato, 9. Una atracción de feria, 10. Alguien leyendo, 11. Nubes, 12. Círculos.

Te prometo que este juego es el mejor antídoto para el aburrimiento! Conseguir los 12 tesoros a tiempo se convierte en tu mayor deseo. Tus amigos, hijos, pareja, TODOS saben que buscas una ventana bonita, un paraguas, alguien cogido de la mano. Puedes pasarte media hora de reloj echando fotos a un gato callejero, y la gente que pasa se pregunta... ¿que habrá de especial en ese gato? y te mira de reojo... Y pasado el mes, sigues viendo tesoros por todas partes... oh! eso podría haber sido ideal para la foto de 'círculos'! En fin, esto es lo que te pasa cuando participas en La Búsqueda del Tesoro, o al menos, es lo que me pasó a mí!.

Además, por si fuera poco, el mejor mosaico tiene premio!!! El ganador puede llevarse una bonita cámara Fuji Instax Mini 8 a casa. Aquí, podéis ver los ganadores de este año, y la lista de los concursantes... y cual fue mi sorpresa al ver que mi mosaico quedó entre los 6 finalistas (de casi 200 participantes)!!!...y yo me quedé más feliz que una perdiz! :) :)

Desde aquí os animo a que os unais a la Vuelta al Mundo! Os prometo que os divertireis y conocereis gene de todas partes del mundo!

Claris ♥

The treasure hunt (english version)

In one of my previous posts (see here) I spoke a little bit about Jackie Rueda, about her photography school and the photographic community that she drives, called La Vuelta al Mundo (or Around the World).

Today, I would like to talk a little bit more about what is La Vuelta al Mundo, how to participate and how exciting is to do it!! Well, I joined La Vuelta al Mundo over a year (since I bought my Canon EOS1200D) and I do it through the forum of Flickr, but also you can find it in instagram using #juegolvm.

What does it consist of? On the first day of each month, Jackie proposes a specific photographic topic, which it can focus on composition, color, technique, a specific subject, etc... Although I do not always have time to upload lots photos I love to see photos of the other participants, because I learn a lot from them. I also like to participate because it is a way to motivate me to take my camera every month and not leave it forgotten in the drawer until the next holidays... 

Every July, in La Vuelta al Mundo, we play a game called 'The treasure hunt'. This is a fun game where we have to get 12 treasures (photos). These were the 12 treasures of July:

URBAN LOOT (in the street!) 2015
A tree

A nice window
An empty chair
The purple
 A blue umbrella
  Stripes
A view at ground level   
A cat
 A fairground attraction
  Someone reading 
Clouds
Circles

To make it a bit more difficult but also funnier, photos must be taken in the street. Thus, photos taken at home or posing will not be valid. We have the entire month to get the loot and at the end of the month we have to present the 12 photos in a beautiful mosaic.
My urban loot consisted of photos taken in Galway (Ireland). While Galway is very photogenic, this year we had a horrible summer! :( . Most days of July were cloudy, it rained almost every day, and the sky appeared really white and ugly in my photos! Therefore, I had to take advantage of any sunny spell. When the sun was out I  run to search my treasures! I thought this year I would not have time to get my 12 treasures, but eventually I did it, and this was the result!

From left to right. 1. A tree, 2. A nice window, 3. An empty chair, 4. The purple, 5. A blue umbrella, 6.  Stripes, 7. A view at ground level, 8. A cat, 9. A fairground attraction, 10.  Someone reading, 11. Clouds, 12. Circles

  I promise you that this game is the best antidote for boredom! Getting the 12 treasures in time becomes your greatest desire. Friends, children, partner, EVERYONE knows that you are looking for a nice window, an umbrella, someone holding hands. You can spend half an hour taking photos of a alley cat, and the people passing by wonders ¿what is so special of that alley cat? and then, they look at you a bit funny... And when the game is over you still see treasures everywhere... oh! that might have been ideal for the photo of 'circles'! Anyway, this is what happens when you participate in this game, or at least that's what happened to me!. 

Finally, if that was not enough, the best collage has a reward!!! The price for the winner is a Fuji Instax Mini 8 camera. Here, you can see the winners of this year, and the list of participants... and what was my surprise when I saw that my collage was among the 6 finalists ( from almost 200 participants)!!!... I was really happy :) :)

From here, I would like to encourage you to join La Vuelta al Mundo, I promise you will have fun and you will meet people from all over the world.

Claris ♥

A memory of Galway

Un recuerdo de Galway
Esta taza es perfecta para aquellos que quieran llevarse un pequeño recuerdo de Galway. En esta taza he representado las siluetas de la Iglesia de Sant Nicolás, la catedral y el Quadrangle, situado en la National University of Irleland, Galway.

This mug is perfect for those who would like to take with them a little souvenir from Galway. In this mug, I wanted to represent the silhouette of the St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, the Cathedral and The Quadrangle, which is located at the National University of Ireland, Galway. 

Los productos de Lili&Miau están pintadas a mano, con mucho cariño y dedicación. 

The Lili&Miau products are hand-painted with lot of love and dedication.

Cómo hacerte con uno?? How to get one?

Si te gustaría hacerte con este lindo set, no dudes en contactar conmigo a través de CONTACTO, con tus datos y si tienes alguna otra idea o sugerencia, dímelo, estaré encantada de ayudar!

If you would like to get one, don't hesitage to contact me through CONTACT with your details and if you have any other idea or sugestion, tell me, I will be happy to help!

For shoes lovers...

Para los amantes de los zapatos...♥♥♥

Eres una de esas personas que tienen miles de pares de zapatos en el armario?? Estas tazitas son especiales para vosotros! Bueno, sí, yo me incluyo, yo también colecciono zapatos...! :P

Are you one of them people who has thousands of shoes in the wardrobe?? These little cups are specially for you! Well, yeah, I'll include myself here, I also collect shoes...! :P

 Estilo 1 / Style 1: All you need is red shoes

Estilo 2 / Style 2: So many shoes for only two feet

Tacitas estilo 1 y 2 por la parte de detrás. Back part.

Estilo 3 / Style 3: Converse

This coffee cup is for my friend Mikey, one of the guys that I know who has more shoes in the wardrobe! 

''Is not so much about the shoes, but the person wearing them...''

Los productos de Lili&Miau están pintadas a mano, con mucho cariño y dedicación. 

The Lili&Miau products are hand-painted with lot of love and dedication.

Cómo hacerte con uno?? How to get one?

Si te gustaría hacerte con este lindo set, no dudes en contactar conmigo a través de CONTACTO, con tus datos y si tienes alguna otra idea o sugerencia, dímelo, estaré encantada de ayudar!

If you would like to get one, don't hesitage to contact me through CONTACT with your details and if you have any other idea or sugestion, tell me, I will be happy to help!

Lili&Miau at the Róisín Dubh Art & Craft Market

Hoy, Lili & Miau ha estado vendiendo cositas en el mercadillo de artesanso The Róisín Dubh Art & Craft Indoor Market, en Galway. Nos lo hemos pasado genial, aquí os dejo alguna fotito del día!! Nos vemos en el siguiente mercadillo! :)

Today, Lili & Miau has been selling our little things at The Róisín Dubh Art & Craft Indoor Market, en Galway. We had a great time, here you can see some pictures of the day!! See you in the next Market! :)

También habían Cupcakes de manzana y arándanos riquísimos para alegrar la tarde!! :) :)

There were also lovely apple and blueberry Cupcakes to brighten the afternoon!! :) :)

Hasta la próxima!!! 

See you next time!! 

The Tree of Life

El Árbol de la Vida (scroll down for english)

  

En este lienzo he querido representar el Árbol de la Vida. Se trata de un lienzo pintado a mano con pinturas al óleo, de un tamaño de 30 cm de diámetro. Siempre me ha encantado la simbología celta y sus significados, y éste es uno de mis preferidos! Así que aquí os dejo un poquito de información sobre su significado.

In this painting I wanted to represent the Tree of Life. It is a hand-painted oil painting, of a size of 30 cmm in diameter. I always loved the Celtic symbols and their meanings, and this is one of my favourites! So, here, I leave a bit of information on its meaning.

 

El Árbol de la Vida es un símbolo espiritual común en muchas religiones y culturas. Normalmente, simboliza la importancia de la vida y sus orígenes, pero puede tener otros muchos más significados en distintas mitologías.

• En la cultura celta, el Árbol de la Vida, conocido como El Crann Bethadh, además simboliza el vínvulo con el mundo de los espíritus, ya que sus ramas alcanzan el cielo y sus raíces se hunden en el mundo de los muertos. Para los celtas, el Crann Bethadh es considerado como el eje del mundo que comunica los tres niveles del cosmos: el subterráneo, por sus raíces, la superficie de la tierra, por el tronco, y el cielo, por la copa y sus ramas. El árbol era uno de sus símbolos más sagrados, ya que los árboles eran sus protectores, que les abastecían de alimento, abrigo y combustible. Habitualmente, solía asignarse como tal, al roble, utilizado por los druidas para realizar rituales bajo su protección.

• En la mitología china, el Árbol de la Vida se representa con un dragón que simboliza la immortalidad. 

• En la mitología egipcia, se refiere a 'el árbol en el que se encerraba la vida y la muerte'. 

• En la cultura hindú, es sinónimo de crecimiento, proliferación y regeneración, y simboliza la fertilidad y la immortalidad.
• El Árbol de la Vida aparece reflejado en la cultura moderna también, como por ejemplo en el cuadro de Gustav Klimt (1909), o en la película dirigida por Terrence Malick y protagonizada por Brad Pitt (2011). Por cierto, si no la habéis visto os la recomiendo. Eso sí, no espereis una película convencional típica de Hollywood. Se trata de una película bastante compleja, que se escapa de la la narrativa, con un punto religioso, y en la cual le tienes que echar bastante imaginación. Pero la puesta en escena y los planos de la cámara son buenísimos, y si os fijais bién aparecen árboles en todo momento.  

The Tree of Life is a common spiritual symbol in many religions and cultures. Normally, it simbolizes the importance of life and its origins, but it can also have other meanings in different mythologies.

• In the Celtic culture, the Tree of Life, known as The Crann Bethadh, also symbolizes the link to the spiritual world: it's branches reach the sky and its roots penetrates into the world of the dead. To the Celts, the Crann Bethadh is considered as the world's axis, which connects the three levels of the cosmos: the subway, by their roots, the surface of the earth, by the trunk, and the sky, by the crown and its branches. The tree was one of the most sacred symbols, since trees were their protectors, which supplied them with food, shelter and fuel. Usually, Celts assigned such trees to oak-trees, in which Druids performed rituals under its protection. 

•  In the Chinese mithology, the Tree of Life is represented by a dragon and it symbolizes the immortality.
•  In the Egyptian mythology, it refers to 'the tree in which life and death are enclosed'.
• In the Hindy culture, it is synonymous of growth, proliferation and regeneration, and it symbolizes fertility and immortality.
• The Tree of Life is reflected in the modern culture too. For example, in the painting made by Gustav Klimt (1909), or in the film directed by Terrence Malick and starring by Brad Pitt (2011). By the way, if you haven't seen this film, I highly recomend it. Just, do not expect a typical and conventional Hollywood movie. It's a fairly complex film, which escapes the narrative and it has a religious point. Also, you will that your imagination flow. But the staging and the camera shots are great, and if you pay attention, you will see trees appear throughout the film.

Si te gustaría hacerte con este lienzo, puedes contactar conmigo a través de CONTACTO.

If you would like to get this painting, you can contact me through CONTACT.