An Exerpt from the Travel Journal

February 17, 2006

We are chugging along the Sicilian coast toward Palermo. We are now probably in what could be the most authentic, untouched part of Italy (indeed our entire journey), far out of the reach of most Western tourists, home of the Mafia and cradled between the Mediteranean and Tyrrhenian Seas.

The vista out our train window is, as often has been the case on our travels, surreal. The distance between the rail-line and the coast varies from 20 to 50 metres to sometimes practically nothing as we hug the coast. Where distance allows, we see terra-cotta tiled houses crammed in among the many narrow streets. Laundry hangs from balconies and satelite dishes pop up like dandy lions on a PEI summer lawn.

The sea is calm with only the hint of an undulating wave. Sea birds lazily ride the near non-existent waves. Off in the distance we see many islands. The view is frequently broken by a tunnel that cuts through the rolling sicilian hills.

As we all quietly sit in our bunks, I am writing in our travel journal, Dave is working on his english course, Deidre is reading her "Anne Frank" book, Mikey is writing postcards, Ashley is organizing her kit bag, and Daniel gazes out the window remarking on the orange trees and cactus. It gives me time to reflect on this trip so far and perhaps, if not too corny, life in general.

I don't know if any of us knew what to expect from this adventure...who can ever know what lies ahead of them in any endeavour, or life for that matter. What I do know is that this has been one hell of a trip so far and we are only half way through it. Each city has been different, both in landscape and architecture. We have experienced French, Dutch, German, Hungarian and Italian languages, cuisines and cultures.

Travelling gives one a unique perspective on life, the world and one's self. Even though I have travelled a lot, each time I do so I feel more alive and atuned with the world. This trip is certainly no exception. I hope the kids are learning a lot and having their eyes opened to the wonders of this varied and vast continent. During our midnight adventure at the Budapest Castle (just us and some kittys), Mikey expressed how the visit and the experience has changed his life. It is sometimes difficult to get a perspective on history in North America because our settlement was so much more recent than in other parts of the world. Our gondola driver, Georgio, told us that some fo the houses in Venice were over 900 years old!

We are one hour out of Palermo. What adventures await us? Catacombs? Mafia? Pizza?....we shall see, experience and record.

Terry