Tag Archives: Trapani

“Vagabond” in the wonderland

And the day before yesterday we saw a volcuno eruption! We were anchored in the marina and waited for Cris, who went to the shore to met Leo and David before their departure to Barcelona. Me and Isabel were enjoying warm and calm evening on the deck, when she noticed a fire stream on a mountain slope. I suggested these are “human made” lights. But further spectations showed that was definitely a volcuno. Probably, even Etna. The light grew bigger and brighter, then broke into pieces and started to fade.

That is not a huge even for Sicilia, where vulcanos are a harmonic part of environment. But for us – it was!

Trying to imagine how was the life in the old castello on the entrance to Trapani port many centuries ago...

And yesterday we saw … dolphins!!! Not in a dolphinarium but in the wild! We sailed from Palermo to Trapani, and they appeared from nowhere and joined “Vagabond” for a while. They were rushing from board to board, jumping from water and showing their grey backs. Incredible creatures! So pleasant to be their guests.

About food

10 hours crossing from Palermo to Trapani, another sicilian on the north-west of the island. From sailor’s site we learnt that the city is famous for its seafood. But we, probably, are fed up with sea food for this moment. Our experience in Palermo with this type of cuisine was quite horrible.

Close to the marina, where we anchored, there was a restaurant called “Il Nautico”. There we headed with Cris, Luis, Isabel, Leo and David. The restaurant attracted us with fresh sea food, displayed near the entrance. We could see how a chef cooked it.

I’m not really a fan of fresh sea food, because of cruel methods that are used to cook still alive animals. But I love some fish and some of Japanese dishes.

First impression: the restaurant is overcrowded, waiters are in a hurry. Menu is in Italian (and that’s ok, we’re in Italy), waiters do not speak English (and that’s also ok, we’re in Italy). There was no opportunity to have a half of dishes mentioned in “fish” menu. Finally, we ordered an assorti and fish. Guys had some huge shrimps.

Result of the visit: food was bad and sometimes even disgusting. Waiters confused the orders, and the whole impression sucks.

Don’t think,  we will go to a seafood restaurant in Trapani.

Marina of Palermo

But I need to admit that, probably, I wasn’t fair to Palermo as a city. Some parts of it are not so bad. Like via Vittorio Emanuele, where you can find old buildings and fountains and cathedrals – some of them are rather impressive. Like Old port – marina close to city centre, full of yachts and boats. Like the resort suburb Mandello with cosy houses and clean beaches. And the countryside around Palermo is very beautiful: I admired the views on way to the airport to pick up our guests.