LonelyPlanet calls Palermo a city of "decaying
splendor", which is an extremely accurate description. The city is a claustrophobic, loud, dingy
mess, dotted with extremely impressive buildings that all need repair. For example, I went to examine what appeared
to be the remains of a Greek temple, only to realize that the floor was covered
in ratty blankets and cardboard boxes.
This tremendous piece of architecture was being used by the homeless
since it gave them protection from the rain.
Other interesting sights in Palermo:
-A girl who looked like she was about 9 years old smoking
a cigarette.
-A group of people slowly pushing their car down a busy
street.
-A marble statue standing amid a pile of rubble that was
being bulldozed away.
-Ambulances and fire trucks getting stuck in Palermo
traffic. Watching an ambulance sit
motionless, sirens wailing, really makes one realize how efficient American and
British traffic systems are by comparison.
-A group of kids playing soccer and running into a busy
street after the ball. Drivers in
Palermo are terrifying. Left turn on red
seems to be legal, and cars frequently run red lights entirely. Cars will also cross double yellow lines to
pass each other, which is about as terrifying to watch as it sounds.
Basically: Do not
drive in Palermo. Or walk in
Palermo. Or ride a bike in Palermo
(these people are also mad). I recommend
using a jetpack or some other aerial transportation mechanism.
Also, I've never seen a city that so clearly did not have
its shit together. The Palermo cathedral
(really magnificent and unique cross between Romanesque and Moorish
architecture) claimed to charge admission, but I walked right in while looking
around in bafflement for a ticket counter.
I eventually found a counter, bought a ticket, and walked into a special
area which my ticket did not cover. When
I was in the crypts one emergency exit sign pointed to a crumbling and almost inaccessible
ladder, leading up a dark tower. In an
emergency, if that is your only exit path you are very screwed. Similarly, the castle at Palermo is currently
used to house the Sicilian parliament and some military installation. This would be like holding parliament in the
Tower of London. Problems started before
I even got out of the airport. The Palermo baggage carousel did not work
properly, prompting the Italian guy I had been sitting next to on the plane to
snarkily comment "welcome to Sicily".
After a few days, I got used to the very un-Oxford
zaniness and chaos of Palermo.
Unfortunately, due to personal drama I was miserable for most of my
stay. Sicily is beautiful, but it is
hard to appreciate when you feel like shit.
I'll just mention one anonymous Sicilian guy who cheered me up
immensely.
One of the sights in Palermo is the Teatro Maximo, this
absolutely gargantuan opera house. If
this structure was in Rome, it would just look like an extremely impressive
opera house in need of repairs. In
Palermo, it looks ludicrous. There
cannot be enough opera lovers within 20 miles to fill this thing - each side is
half a block long. Anyway, I was moping
around there and wandered into one of the million of little cafes that dot
Palermo. I was even spacier than usual,
and managed to knock this tray of brioches (at least I think that's what they
were) onto the floor.
I was already having a terrible day, and now felt like a
total moron. I desperately tried
apologizing to the guy behind the counter in my non-existent Italian. He insisted that I sit down (I was planning
on ordering something to go), calm down, and gave me the most delicious cannoli
I've ever had in my life. He also
refused to accept any money for the brioches, or my 400% tip for the cannoli. That was actually the only cannoli I had in
Palermo -- that place was closed when I went there again that evening. I know that guy will never know it, but he
really brightened up my day.
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