Yesterday Bill and I took a day trip to the nearby town of Marsala. We took the train from Trapani (although we missed the first one...gave us a good opportunity to work ourselves out of a mess by using our Italian!) and had a great half an hour ride to our destination. Or so we thought. We got off at our stop and for some reason, a policeman told us to get back on the train. Why? Who knows. I think that he thought that we got off at the wrong stop (stupid Americans), but NO! We knew what we were doing...he just screwed everything up. That just shows you that you can't trust anybody. Even middle-aged Italian men who look like your relatives. Anyway. We got on the train and the train attendant took our tickets, and looked at us like we were crazy. He asked us if we knew that Marsala was the stop that we had just passed by and we replied that we did. That confused him even more.
Although he was confused, he was very helpful and told us to get off at the next stop and that the next train that would be coming would be ours. We did what he said, hoping that he was right, and sure enough, a train came within a half an hour and we were back on our way to Marsala! Once the train stopped, we BOLTED out (just in case any other crazy poilicemen told us to get back in the train again) and started our adventure!
When we first got there, we thought it was not much to see, but when we finally got into the heart of the city it was just as beautiful as we had hoped! While walking around and exploring, an old woman stopped us and started speaking rapid Sicilan to us (we have mostly heard standard Italian when people speak to us, so this TOTALLY threw us off), and asked us if we were brother and sister. We replied that we were just friends and then she started speaking quickly again and we didn't comprehend anything that she was saying from then on. After she was done with her monologue, she shook our hands and told us to have a good holiday (even though the holiday season just ended). That made us laugh.
While exploring, we found some great Cathedrals and shrines...each more beautiful than the last. We also found this stunning garden that was once a military quarter for the Spanish. We explored the city until the sun set, and on our way out of town, we visited the local wine shop. The woman working there was the sweetest ever and helped us find a great wine from Marsala (they're known especially for their wine), while keeping us on our budget. She and a family who was also in the shop were extremely helpful and friendly, explaining to us what the wine goes well with. Although we had been speaking in Italian the entire time, the wife of the family started explaining things to us in English (she was clearly proud of her English-speaking skills!). It was adorable. The woman from the wine shop then let us all try some of their delicious dessert wine and after we checked out, gave us some pistachio truffles for home. That visit completely made our night!
Although the day was wonderful, we only have a few photos because my camera broke that afternoon. Of course. Today's mission: get a new camera before we go to Erice and Palermo later this week!
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