Sunday 5 October 2008

"SO NICE 2 BE BACK IN SICILY"

The above image is not me but it is one of my intriguing ON THE ROAD finds on Sicilian country roads - "QUACK! QUACK!".
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INTRODUCTION
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I am and almost (almost!) always have been South London inner-city based. I am not of Italian or Sicilian origin and am now aged 70. I have spent (mostly only summer) periods during the past 21 years (since 1987) holidaying in Sicily. I have very recently returned from holidaying there again.
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By holidaying I mean walking (for the most part solo) in two very beautiful mountain areas in northern Sicily - namely the Madonie Mountains (Palermo Province) and the Nebrodi Mountains (Messina Province). Nowadays there are offical websites for both these mountain areas whch can be accessed (Madonie >here< Nebrodi >here<).
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The purpose of this blog (together with an associated 2nd blog >here<) will be to give some account of these holidays. I am NOT in any sense an expert on Sicilian culture and never ever intended myself to be. However I have had adventurous holidays there greatly enjoying the incredibly beautiful countryside and my basic idea is solely to share so far as I can some of the experiences I have had.
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With hindsight it wasn't entirely surprising that I should have decided to set off on foot through the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains back in '87. Physical exertion goes back quite a long way in my own case. When I was young I did a great deal of cycling including time-trial racing during my 1950's/1960's KENTISH WHEELERS years - view one fifties foto >here<. In the summer of 1956 - before my (August 1957) 19th birthday I'd made my longest one day cycle ride (170 miles/270 kms) from London to Exeter. For more genuine KENTISH WHEELERS actual photographs of myself CLICK HERE.
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So although going "ON THE ROAD" in Sicily really was a gobsmacking adventure in ever so many senses it was not enormously so from a physical exertion point of view. Which is NOT meant to imply that making long back-packing walks through the mountains wasn't sometimes tough going because it certainly was, but rather to simply acknowledge that the self knowledge and stamina awareness from my younger "ON THE ROAD" years must have greatly helped.
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To be continued . . . . . . . . . . .
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For the FULL chronological list of all "SICILY ABLAZE" blogspot pages click >> here <<.

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