Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions Day 2

Day 2 - September 21, 2015 - Monday - Arrive Palermo, Italy; Orientation Walk; Welcome Drink, Welcome Dinner

When our Delta A330 arrived in Atlanta the gate agents said there would be a slight delay because the previous passengers had partied hardy and trashed the economy class cabin on the way to Atlanta from Rome. In all of our travels, we have never heard that excuse!

It took awhile to call in an extra cleaning crew, so instead of leaving at 6:10, Eastern Time, we pulled away from the jet way at 6:50 pm. The configuration of the Business Class cabin was interesting with individual compartments to accommodate the "lay flat seats".

We chose to have the shrimp starter, soup, and bread instead of the full meal. Flying from Atlanta up the East Coast there was a lot of turbulence. Seeing the soup sloshing out of the bowl was another reminder to make sure our seat belts were fastened.

With a long day behind us, we settled in to try the overnight sleeping arrangements. The ability to stretch out was very helpful and in spite of the turbulence crossing the Atlantic, we managed to get a few hours of sleep.

About 90 minutes before our landing, we could smell the coffee and hear the bustling of the flight attendants preparing breakfast. We touched down in Rome at the Leonardo de Vinci International Airport only 10 minutes past our scheduled arrival.

The whole airport in Rome was undergoing major construction. We had to follow the “In-Transit” arrows, go through passport control to enter the European Union, and then take a shuttle bus for our connecting flight.

Our itinerary called for a generous layover in Rome giving us time to find Terminal 1 and our Alitalia gate for the 12:20 brief hop to Palermo on the island of Sicily arriving at 1:30.

The Palermo baggage claim area is divided into those coming domestically from the EU and those of us whose bags had been checked all the way to Palermo from our home airports in the USA.

Our bags were some of the last to arrive on the carousel, but they did arrive; all that counts when you are beginning a three-week journey! We met Sandy from Tulsa and the rep from OAT who welcomed us to Sicily. A driver took us directly to the hotel in the center of this capital city.

At the Hotel Plaza Opera, very close to the historic opera house, we met our guide Maurizio. He helped us check in and then offered to take us on an orientation walk around our neighborhood.

Strolling down Via della Libertà there are thousands of shops; Prada, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Ferre, and Bulgari as well as high end designer shops we had never visited.

The temperature was 75° with bright blue sky and a few fluffy clouds. The humidity was only 65%, Maurizio said that up until Sunday it had been very hot and humid. As expected in this Mediterranean climate, we knew we would have warm weather.

We came back to the room about 4:30 and got our room organized for the next three day’s stay. Gennie did a little laundry and Vic organized the tech department. Finding enough electrical outlets in these old European hotels is sometimes a challenge so Vic brings extension cords, adapters, and power supplies. Be prepared – what a Scout he is!

Our group of 16 gathered at 6:30 in the lobby of the hotel for our Welcome Drink and a meeting with our OAT Tour Director. Maurizio even included an Italian lesson for basic navigation on our adventure.

We had dinner in a near by restaurant, Cucina Papoff specializing in local seafood. We were able to return to the hotel by 10:00 and post the second day of our Sicilian adventure.

Accommodations: Hotel Plaza Opera - - - Meal: D