Wine, olive oil, and cyclops!

Today we visited Marsala and learned about how their wine is made.  Our lesson was followed by samples, where once again I demonstrated that I am a member in good standing of the Clean Plate Club. 

Our next lesson was on the processing of olive oil, followed by more testing and then a “light lunch,” which is the Italian equivalent of the Minnesotan “little lunch.”  We decided not to have dinner tonight.

After lunch we visited the city of Erice.  It sits high atop a huge rock.  When we got there we were in a cloud.  According to legend, this city was first built by Eryx, son of Venus, in honor of his goddess-mother.  This was home to the Cyclops as well, so it has quite a history in myth and legend.  It has since been occupied by the Normans, who built, among other things, a church, which remains at the entrance to the city.  It is a charming city of narrow cobblestone streets, winding up and down the steep incline of the hill upon which the city is built. 

We would have liked more time to explore the city, but alas, when you are with a tour group you must stick to the schedule.  I got a coffee and marzipan (for which the city is famous) and Tom got a Coke-light before our departure for Palermo. 

The scenery or Sicily is beautiful.  At times, breathtaking.  It is at those times I tell Tom that it’s almost a beautiful as Norway!

We found a market for a little snack to go with our Sicilian wine (and Coke-light).  Guess who’s having what.  Tomorrow we pack our bags and head for Taormina

The scenery here is truly lovely - almost as good as Norway!!!

On our way to wine country we stopped at the salt flats.  They still use the windmills to fill the ponds then let them dry and rake up the salt.  The salt harvested here is for industrial use.  (Remind you of Holland?)

Sandy liked this wine container and wanted to take it home.  Too bad it won't fit into our suitcases!

The US market was always a large one for this winery.  During Prohibition they packaged their wine for "medicinal purposes by prescription only."  The bottle tells you to take 2 or more shots before bedtime for various illnesses.  It only sold in pharmacies - but was a hit!

Erices was started as an Elimi settlement but was inhabited by the Greeks, Romans, and then the Normans.  This gate was built in about 1149 by the Normans.

The church sits next to and just inside of the gate.  It was built in 1314 by the will of Frederick III of Aragon.  The town sits on the very top of a mountain and has great views - unfortunately as we drove up to the town a cloud covered the mountain top!