Slight change of plans, we were supposed to take the train back from Siracusa to Catania, but our wine-tour driver said he’d take us for 25 euros a person, picking us up right at our AirBnB. This allowed us to sidestep schlepping all our stuff to the train station, figuring out the damn train station, buying tickets and then repeating all of that backwards in Catania. So that’s what we did!
When being driven around in Italy, it’s always best to just look out the side windows rather than the front windshield, and not trouble yourself with all the near-death experiences as they happen moment by moment.
As we neared the big city of Catania, traffic got worse and worse, and our driver’s inner Italian was becoming unleashed. The crazy lane changes, the speedy merging into openings that weren’t really there, the honks, the jostling, scooters buzzing all over… it’s like our wine-tour lady Helen said when she was explaining who has the right of way in a round-about: “you have to catch their eye. Your eyes meet and then you decide who is the stronger. If you are the stronger then you cut them off, if they are so strong then you allow them to go first.” All 0f this at speed, all the time, from both left and right, not to mention directly in front of you.
Our driver eventually began vocalizing his frustrations with traffic, muttering something about Afghanistan… then more loudly, “Pakistan! Afghanistan!! It’s like driving there, these people!!”
There were hand gestures both given and received, while we the passengers continued to pretend to be gazing placidly out the side windows and not hearing any honking nor noticing the many sudden frantic brakings.
But then quite suddenly it was all over and with a jolt the car stopped on a side street, we pulled all our luggage out, and I gave a nice tip in return for not having killed us all.
Next up: a dinner for the ages!!
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