CEFALU- SICILY (Mon 15 June)

It’s a fine and sunny 34 degrees today. Drove around to see Mozia Island on our way out of town. We couldn’t see much as it is as flat as a pancake. But on the way around we did see a large area of saltpans and windmills which seemed a little out of place here. They must have been used for something in the production, possibly pumping out the excess water?
From here we pressed on to Cefalu which took about 2.5 hrs. The western side of Sicily is very rocky, and rugged looking. Very dry except for pockets of green in the valleys, some areas of vineyards, what looked like fruit trees and perhaps nut trees.
Cefalu is a quaint little fishing village on the north coast. It sits in the shadow of La Rocca, a huge rock which has ruins of old castles and the old 4th century Temple of Diana ruins. After walking around the old town for a bit we went in search of somewhere to sleep. We first set off for the camping ground a’la Lonely Planet. I don’t think this place exists anymore. The road got narrower and narrower, and more and more overgrown. We started having visions of reversing 20kms back along the road/track and so decided to give that one a miss. We came across another close by that did have a small room. It looked like their emergency room for people like us (people looking for a plan B), right next to the railway line. It was part of a very nice resort, so we made the most of the swimming pool and the large breakfast in the morning (makes a change from the twinky bar and coffee that you usually get). Although their private beach isn’t what we would call a beach, big pebbles. A little hard to lie on. That’s how they justify the 10 Euro it costs to hire two deck chairs and an umbrella around here.
We went for a walk back to the old town for dinner and found the restaurant ‘strip’ along the waterfront. Arrived just as the sun went down and had a fabulous birthday dinner, in a fabulous location. It is a little different having a birthday in what seems like mid summer (peak heat is August).
We only heard one train during the night. They are incredibly quiet here … fortunately.