Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Friday 3rd of January
08.30 The night has passed, the darkness has fallen. In the junior world championships in ice hockey, there will be semifinals between the United States and the Czech Republic and Sweden against Finland.
08.53 After a customary morning wash, we will set off to have breakfast here at Cortile Umberto I. We will see if we meet any other guests. We have heard sounds from some, at least.
09.30 Breakfast here at the accommodation was a pleasant surprise. There was plenty of a little bit of everything. We also didn't have to eat alone. Guests showed up from all sorts of directions.
10.06 Today's train tickets have now been purchased. We are currently packing our belongings. After checking out, we need to find a place where we can pass the time before the train to Palermo leaves from Cefalù.
10.41 Our host Fabrizio offered to take care of our luggage while we waited for the train. We declined the offer, paid our city tax and said thank you and goodbye. Now we are back down at the fishing port, Porta Pescara. It is time to sit and enjoy the sun and read from the literature we brought.
11.25 It became a bit too hot to sit in the sun by the wall. We moved out to a bench closer to the sea instead. Here the reading continues for a while before we start acting.
12.10 It was not possible to read any more, at least not down by the sea. Our skin is not completely used to the sun at this time of year. Now we are back where we arrived almost a day ago. We are at the train station here in Cefalù.
12.44 Our train arrived and departed exactly on schedule. Now we are making our last train journey between Italian cities for this time.
18.05 Tonight we want to eat well but we don't really know what or where. It feels like we've tried almost everything from Italian cuisine. How do we get everything together? We have to leave the room as a first step anyway.
Saturday 4th of January
Christer picks up his breakfast at Cortile Umberto I.
Christer on the balcony before checking out.
Sunny morning at Porta Pescara, Cefalù.
The Rocca di Cefalù mountain behind the city center.
A beautiful morning by the sea.
Arrival at Palermo Centrale.
Christmas tree at Palermo railway station.
Al Vecchio Ristorante del Corso. Today´s lunch will be here.
Christer is eating pasta with a good appetite.
Peter by the stairwell at Hotel Del Centro.
We have a view towards Lidl supermarket.
Christer takes a picture of himself and the room door.
Evening at Piazza Magione, Palermo.
On the way to dinner.
The type of pizza schiacciata makes us think of buns or hamburgers.
On the way home through the Kalsa district.
08.18 The beds in the room have been hard but our shower is heavenly. The last day of our stay in Palermo and Sicily is here. Tomorrow we travel back home.
08.37 Yesterday we ordered a hotel breakfast here at Hotel Del Centro. Now we are going to go from words to action and also eat it. Time to leave the room, down the stairs and off to breakfast at the reception. 09.20 After breakfast we are now going to plan the last full day here in Sicily. Many guests wanted to have breakfast, a really good breakfast actually. The positive thing is that we now have a whole city to experience and discover. The negative thing is that Christer has a slight fever and has some kind of flu. With some medication in his body he should still be fine. 10.03 So we are finally going to set out to see the last Sicilian city on this trip. There is a lot to see but hopefully we will have time for the most interesting things anyway. 10.16 On our walk between the hotel and the cathedral we have been offered a horse and carriage ride. How did they know we were tourists? I have bought a pink football shirt from the local team for my youngest nephew and twithdrawn some euros from an ATM. We are going to pay the tourist tax to the hotel this afternoon.in cash.10.30 We walk along the street Via Vittorio Emanuele, named after the old Italian monarch. We have stopped to admire and photograph a beautiful facade near Piazza Pretoria.
Breakfast at Hotel Del Centro.
The door into and out of the hotel.
Street shopping in Palermo.
Beautiful facades in Palermo.
No Mafia Memorial, Palermo.
Via Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo.
10.34 We are currently looking at the entrance to the museum and the No Mafia Memorial (https://www.nomafiamemorial.org). Here you can get information about the Sicilian mafia and the fight against it.
10.46 Now we are at the big cathedral (Cattedrale di Palermo) and a statue on a chariot representing Palermo's patron saint Rosalia. Rosalia was the daughter of Duke Sinibaldo. Her father intended to marry his daughter off to a noble nobleman, but Rosalia refused because she had taken a vow of eternal chastity. She then chose the life of a hermit, first in a cave near Bivona, and later at Monte Pellegrino, just over four kilometers from Palermo. However, the strict hermit's life took its toll on Rosalia, who had grown up in a palace, and she died at around 36 years of age. In 1624, Rosalia's remains were found at Monte Pellegrino and transferred to Palermo, which had just been hit by a severe plague epidemic. According to legend, the epidemic ended the moment Rosalia's remains were carried in procession into the city. After this event, she became the city's patron saint. 11.31 After quite a bit of searching, we eventually found a kiosk selling soft drinks. The idea was to get some change to cover the 12 euro tourist tax. However, drinks and Mentos candy cost a whopping 8,60 euros, which was where that plan fell through. Now we're taking a break on a bench in the Villa Bonanno park. 11.45 Christer's bird app on his mobile phone registered a call from a collared parakeet, a type of parrot. We sat and wondered if this was really true. Suddenly we saw it. Has it escaped or are they wild here? 12.20 It is now time for a visit inside the cathedral. Here we have seen the final resting place of the patron saint Rosalia. We were not the only ones who wanted to see this. Now we are sitting on a pew and admiring all the beauty here inside the cathedral.12.52 We have left the cathedral behind us and are now looking for a suitable restaurant to have lunch. It should not be too simple or too expensive. With the end of the trip approaching we are starting to get a little picky about where we are going to eat.
Cattedrale di Palermo.
Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo.
Palazzo dei Normanni, the palace of the Normans from the 8th century.
Inside Palermo Cathedral.
Beautiful altar in the cathedral.
Two tourists are resting in a church setting.
13.04 Google Maps had to help us find our way through all the narrow winding streets in this part of the city. We were offered a place to eat at a small local restaurant but moved on in the hope of something better and more interesting. Now we are starting to regret it. There are not many restaurants in this area.
13.13 We have reached the main street Via Roma, which also passes our hotel. Here we have photographed the beautiful church Chiesa di San Domenico. 13.25 Out of pure curiosity and in search of a restaurant, we have walked through La Vucciria, a historic market area. There were certainly eateries there, but they were small, cramped and filled with people. 13.31 Our search criteria make it difficult for us. The restaurants that qualify have already been found by other guests and others are closed. The hunt continues. 13.59 On our further walk into the Kalsa district, we passed Café Ojdå. Apparently it's a Swedish/Sicilian combo. Just before we were ready to give up, we found Salumeria Alcolica. The restaurant is absolutely perfect, but we had missed it because it wasn't categorized as a restaurant on Google Maps. It was under the category pub/bar. 15.10 At Salumeria Alcolica, we enjoyed delicious pizzas with plenty of filling and good craft beer. Unfortunately, Christer's cold has made him lose his taste, very inappropriate when you're about to eat what might be the best pizza of the trip. Now we're back in the room for a last afternoon in Sicily. 16.50 We've sat out on our little balcony for a while. There we've read our books and made a video clip.
Christer behind the Cathedral of Palermo.
Chiesa di San Domenico, Palermo.
Piazza Rivoluzione, Palermo.
Finally a lunch!
Pizza of the highest quality.
Peter leaves Salumeria Alcolica.
18.06 It is time to leave our temporary home again. There is little left to do in this city.
19.14 After having arranged a new euro note from an ATM at the train station, we went on to Lidl outside our hotel. There we bought drinks for tonight and some for breakfast and food for the journey tomorrow. Wise from mistakes and experience, I did not pay with the withdrawn euro note this time. 20.45 The last Sicilian dinner consists of one liter of wine and the menu of the day. There are a few different dishes. We are at the restaurant Il Proverbio. Before we went here, we looked at the nearby Piazza Bellini square surrounded by the university, church and theatre. 21.14 The restaurant where we are eating has two different entrances. It's like two different restaurants with the same kitchen. The effect was that we thought we saw the same waiter both disappear and arrive at our table. At first we thought he had a twin. 22.14 After a delicious three-course meal with wine, we are back in our hotel room to bond and prepare. We will also be covering Sweden's semi-final in the junior ice hockey. 23.38 After two periods of the semi-final, Finland leads 3-2. To be continued.
The building that houses the Hotel Del Centro.
Via Roma, Palermo.
Christer out on the room's balcony.
Peter is having dinner at Il Proverbio.
One of the dishes of the evening.
Santa forgot his hat after dinner.
Sunday 5th of January
05.50 Finland won the ice hockey after extra time and are now ready for the final of the junior´s world championships. Here in Palermo we start to get ready for the long journey home. I hope there will be no extra time on the journey.
06.15 After a simple breakfast in the room we will now get ready to check out, pay the tax and go to the train to the airport. 06.40 Goodbye room and hotel! Now we are at the Palermo Centrale railway station. It was easy to pay the tax at check-out. 06.43 The train for which we have tickets rolled in and we got on it. Now it is heading towards the airport Aeroporto di Palermo Falcone e Borsellino, which got its name from two judges who were killed by the mafia in 1992. The airport is also called Punta Raisi, the old name. 07.33 Once at the station for Palermo airport, Christer eats some more of the food he bought last night. 07.53 It's getting to be time to check in and temporarily part with the luggage. 08.09 Now that the backpacks have been tagged all the way to Arlanda airport, we take an outdoor break outside the terminal. We may have some kind of additional breakfast before we go through security. 09.15 It went smoothly through security. It wasn't as smooth to arrange something to eat and drink. It worked out, though. 09.40 ITA Airways Airbus A 320 will take us domestically to Rome Fiumicino airport. On the seat in front of me I read Mantenere le cinture allacciante quanda seduti and Giubbetto Salvagente sotto la propria poltrona. So, seatbelt on and life jacket under the seat.
The train to the airport is waiting for us.
We got off at Aeroporto di Palermo Falcone e Borsellino.
Roma Termini, Rome's main train station.
In the drizzle we found a restaurant for lunch.
Christer follows the women's world cup slalom from Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
Back to the station.
10.35 Drinks have been served and we are flying steadily towards Rome. As I said, we are making another domestic trip by plane. How many countries have we been doing that? Well, I don't actually know.
11.26 So we are on the ground again and at Roma Fiumicino airport. From here we take off for Sweden in eight hours. What are we doing until then? 12.04 Christer has bought train tickets to Roma Termini station. We have both boarded the train. Speaking of trains, it is not certain that we will get home by train from Arlanda tomorrow. It is a weather problem. An upcoming snowstorm could cause that. If we are lucky, we will make it home before it hits. 12.45 We got off the train at the final station Roma Termini. We were here the last time we were in Rome as well. It was during the New Year's trip in 2009-2010. Christer has also been here with his father in 2017. It is time to revisit the eternal city, at least for a while. Unfortunately the weather is not on our side today. The sun in Sicily has been replaced by rain here in the capital. 13.10 We will have lunch at Trattoria La Tavernetta. We are sitting in a cellar vault and are just about to order our lunches. 14.15 Lunch was a disappointment. It was the worst pizzas on the trip. The pizzas had tasteless ingredients, no Parma ham or mozzarella. They were made without love. This is often the case in places where lots of tourists pass through. You get away with poor quality because there are always new guests. Now we're leaving. 14.34 We've been walking and trying to find the hostel where we stayed on the New Year's trip 2009-2010. 15.04 In our memory we navigated almost directly to the location of the old accommodation Alessandro Downtown. Now a more luxurious variant is located there. Now we've made our way to the vicinity of the Colosseum. The nice park we remember from our last visit was now trashy and a haunt for people without a permanent home.
This is where we stayed during the 2009-2010 trip.
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.
We step into Parco del Colle Oppio.
Peter takes a break to write a few lines in his journal.
The Colosseum is visible behind the trees.
A small car makes a temporary stop.
15.40 We spent some time on a bench with a nice view of the Colosseum. Then we walked back the same way.
17.03 Once back at the station, Christer bought two new train tickets. Soon we will be going back to the airport. 18.10 The train arrived on time at Fiumicino airport. There we started walking and walking. At the security check, my hands and shoes were swiped. The drug test came back negative. Now we are waiting for the gate clearance. 18.43 The last Italian meal was a ham sandwich and a drink at Culto Caffe Cioccolato. Now we know the gate we will be leaving from. 18.55 Now we are at the gate. Now the trip home is near. 19.25 The Airbus A320 from SAS is boarded. 19.35 One of the cabin crew just asked to see my passport. Did something go wrong at the gate? The take-off may be delayed. The luggage of those who checked in but did not board will be unloaded. I hope our luggage is not taken off. 21.17 We are in the air. The trip home has been trouble-free so far.SWEDEN
23.20 After landing at Arlanda airport and the obligatory visit to the baggage claim, we have bought something to eat at 7-Eleven. We will probably need a lighter meal before we crawl into bed.
23.41 We are on our way in a free connecting bus that will take us to our hotel, the last accommodation of the trip.
We take the train back to Fiumicino.
A snack at Culto Caffe Cioccolato.
Late check-in at Quality Hotel Arlanda XPO.
Monday 6th of January
00.02 We will now spend the night in room 805 at the Quality Hotel Arlanda XPO. Next we will have something to eat and watch the bronze medal match in the junior´s ice hockey that is currently taking place. Will Sweden or the Czech Republic win bronze medals?
00.40 After 28 penalties, the Czech Republic wins the bronze medals. The match had to be followed on Christer's mobile phone. As so often in hotels, we were unable to get the TV to work. Thanks and good night. 07.54 We have woken up. The end of the trip is here. The next time I will sleep in bed will be in my home, in my own bed. 09.50 On the bottom floor we have eaten the last breakfast of the trip. It was an excellent breakfast in a large dining room. Next we will get ready to go by bus back to Arlanda airport. 10.30 While waiting for the bus, we saw a fox. Now it's us, and not the fox on the bus. 10.52 Soon Christer's and my travel paths will part for this time. We are on the shelf above SkyCity. The trip has been good. We have returned to places we visited in 2004 but also seen new ones that we can imagine seeing again. Now work starts. Now our planning of our spring trip begins. 11.52 Christer is on his way home by train. I will stay at Arlanda for a few more hours. I am thinking of having lunch between now and the trip home.
Snowy view from our hotel.
An excellent breakfast starts this week.
Christer is waiting to leave the hotel.
A fox came by and said hello.
A reindeer watches over the travelers at Arlanda.
Peter eats lunch before the long journey north.
12.43 I try something I've done before, eat lunch. I'm somewhere I've never been before, Sky Horizon in SkyCity.
13.24 That was a good lunch. Now I'm probably ready for the journey home to everyday life. 14.35 I've made it to the platform under SkyCity On the track where my train is supposed to arrive, there's another train. It's being led by a locomotive with a vehicle fault. Will they have time to get everything moving before my train arrives? Will a delay affect my connection in Sundsvall? 14.48 I'm on board and hope the train leaves soon. Now something seems to be happening. 16.31 The train is not on time. It's more like the opposite. Luckily my train isn't the last one from Sundsvall going north. I will have to look for a different train than the one I booked. It was an extension of the trip after all. 18.26 The change in Sundsvall went just fine. The last train journey for now has begun. 20.30 Order is basically restored. I got off the train at Örnsköldsvik travel center and will now be driven home by my dad. Another New Year's trip is over.
You can see 28 photos from January 3rd in this photoalbum.
You can see 65 photos from January 4th in this photoalbum.
You can see 38 photos from January 5th in this photoalbum.
You can see 9 photos from January 6th in this photoalbum.