High Anxiety--Sicily Seven

Truth is, Saturday was tough. It's what you get when you combine 7 aging women including a newly-wed, a few having hot flashes, two with knee problems, one with allergies, and one with "sensory issues." Add to that 2 large, foreign rental cars with standard transmission driven by the before-mentioned nervous nellies attempting to stay close and follow each other; one Italian autostrada; endless miles of narrow, hairpin, vertical turns full of blase drivers and dare-devil 20-somethings on scooters and 3-wheel trucks, and what you've got is a Mel Brooks high-anxiety film fest.

Sleeping the first night was a major issue since the 3 downstairs bedrooms were musty-smelling and damp (remember: allergies, sensory issues, knee problems...), not to mention jet-lag.

And at our advanced ages we all have our comfortable ruts, like individual morning rituals that need to be accommodated. I, for one, need to have my morning glass of orange juice mixed with 3/4 water. Joyce needs protein first thing; Mom (81) needs her medication; Susan needs her 1 cup of decaf; Debbie, her 1/2 and 1/2; Cathy, light cream; Donna, a text message from her 10-yr. old. But Sunday morning itself was a beauty, though, and after we explored thoroughly the villa grounds we all felt better--it is truly a spectacular setting.


Later in the morning we braved the treacherous driving and made our way down the mountain, in 2 cars, getting lost more than once, to the center of town. We went to Mass (don't ask).

We made friends with an American from Sacramento who recommended a good pizza restaurant where the pizza was served with a liberal dose of attitude. And then we walked and shopped in the beautiful ancient city, found our way back to the garage where we had left both cars, discovered we had lost one set of keys, found them (they were in her purse all along), and got lost again finding our way back up the mountain. We all agreed: Basta! No more driving for today, so we hired friendly Roberto to take us to dinner (wonderful, fresh seafood which is what Sicily is so famous for) and tour us around the dizzying heights of Taormina.
Tonight, we play musical beds--me with susan; Joyce with Mom; Cathy on the sofa in the living room. Domani, who knows.
A presto!