Training Log Archive: Charlie

A lot of traveling around today. Went to the airport and got a car, headed south, stopping for a while at Avola. Nice town. Old town has many churches and public buildings made of honey-colored tufa stone, and even the sidewalks are made of the same stone. Then I headed down to Punta Secca. The driving is very complex, lots of turns, and I was relying on my phone and google maps for directions. Clearly the thing I should have brought is a car charger for the phone. By the time I got to P.S. I was down to 4%. After a walk around town and seeing the famous Montalbano house, I had lunch at the also famous Enzo al mare, caserecce pasta with zucchini, clams and shrimp. Waded in the sea a bit, but didn't swim because the surf was pretty turbulent. Hung out at my hotel a while to rest and then off again today try to see the castle at Donnafugata, unfortunately closed. Drove through a lot of very large farms and big fields bound by stone walls. I kept expecting to see livestock, but didn't. There was supposed to be a catacombs at Donnafugata, but after walking almost far enough to get there along a dirt road between stone walls, I came to a place where a muddy puddle extended across the road, and that was enough for me. Then I pressed on to Ragusa. It was already 6 by the time I got there, so I didn't intend to stay long, but I was pretty thrilled with the topography and all the old churches, including Santa Maria delle scale, where two brides were getting their pictures taken one after the other.

Back to Punta Secca, and an excellent dinner at SanDesign. Zuppa di Cozze, mussel soup in an intense tomato broth. Perfectly cooked. Also bread with the best olive oil I've had, Frantoi Cutrera. Then a second course of grilled spigola (sea bass), served with boiled potatoes dressed in olive oil and spices. Excellent.

C • Those names all ring a bell! 2