#33 Post-Sicily

Our first trip to Sicily came to an end yesterday, as we took a 13-hour ferry from Palermo (Sicily) to Cagliari (Sardinia). The two last weeks in Sicily were full of discoveries. We are bringing back home some new recipes — caponata, pasta alla Trapanese, panelle, pistacchio pesto — and also many bottles of local specialties¹.

Another thing I am bringing back home is inspiration from people I've met and things I've seen on the way:

• Isabel and Baptiste, singing and dancing their hearts out during our roadtrip
• The rich sea flora / fauna that can be observed with a simple snorkeling mask
• Sicilians love for good produces
• Davide and his wife starting to make their own wine, honey and olive oil
• Those winemakers offering us a bottle of wine out of nowhere
• That little creative guide of Palermo, randomly found in a wine bar
• Georgia and Davide moving to the heart of Sicily to open their B&B for climbers
• Old ladies feeding stray cats in the street
• Alice, traveling alone through Italy with only a backpack and camping gears
• The close-knit community in Bosa (Sardinia)

Even though we will only be home in a few days², it already feels like the end of a vacation. I am both anxious and excited to be back in our little Ardèche corner.

I am looking forward to seeing friends, climbing, cooking, and gardening again. I am however a bit anxious about being jobless for real and having days full of nothing planned for the first time in years. In the end, I guess it all comes down to taking responsibility for how I choose to spend my days and how I live my life.³ ⊙