Palazzo Cattolica Palermo, Sicily

My big sister and I usually spend a week together in January in London while the Englishman goes away skiing. But this year, Big Sis suggested we'd also go away. 'To somewhere where there's a chance of sunshine. Not that I don't like London,' she continued, 'but we've seen it now, haven't we?'  It was at the tip of my tongue to say something about being tired of London meaning that you're tired of life, but I held back. Just as well, because when she suggested Palermo, I jumped at the chance. As a lover of opera and good food, and a great fan of The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa, there could hardly be a better place for us to spend a week eating , drinking and catching up. And laughing.

When we found this apartment in a palazzo in the old part of town, we could not believe our luck.



Our temporary home is in an area called La Kalsa, very near the the centre of town, station and the harbour. It's a very old, but trendy, area, originally Palermo's Arabian district, with small bars, cafes and restaurants littered around the narrow streets.

This is the partial view of Cattedrale di Palermo
from the balcony of Palazzo Cattolica.

The traditional ventilation system in the Palazzo works. 

There are some lovely narrow streets.

Our entrance at the top floor is charming.

We have so far had a tour around Palermo's famous opera house, Teatro Massimo, which is Europe's largest stage, according to the guide. Sadly the season hasn't yet started, but when we found out that my favourite opera, Tosca by Giacomo Puccini is on later in the year, it took all my willpower not to buy a tickets on the spot. (More about the Opera House later).

Last night we ate at a fabulous Palestinian restaurant called Al Quds and indulged our sweet tooth at a coffee house with gelato and pastries to die for at Antico Caffe Spinnato.

We've only been here for three days and I'm already falling in love with this quirky Sicilian Capital. Being here in January, with hardly any tourists around, feels as if we are getting to know Palermo at its best and most honest. Perhaps buying an opera ticket for next November is the best way to guarantee we will indeed be back?

Five Books to Take on Holiday

For me one of the pleasures of going away is being able to read a lot of books. Before we leave I have a thorough browse in my favourite bookshop and select about four or five books to take with me. This year, however, I'm going to be reading and reviewing self-published novels for Awesome Indies, so I thought I'd ask my former bookseller colleague, columnist and book buyer at West End Lane Books, Danny van Emden, what commercially published books she would recommend to read.

I will post a list of my favourite indie books later, but in the meantime, here's Danny's list of summer reads:

1. The Burning Air by Erin Kelly 

This is her 3rd psycho drama and there's hardly a policeman in sight. Kelly ups the tension with a blessed family, who find themselves imploding when someone close begins to dismantle their idyll...but who? And how close - and why? Kelly is fast becoming one of our most intriguing and readable writers. Think Du Maurier. She's really that good and this novel is her best so far.

2. May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes

Deservedly an Orange winner, Homes is in explosively good form in this darkly comic novel about the implosion and subsequent recovery of a family in free fall from the get go. This novel has one of the most arresting opening chapters I've ever encountered.

3. A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee

Pulizter Prize nominated Dee is in sparkling form. Newly single woman emerges from a crumbling marriage, enters the world of PR in New York City and discovers previously unsuspected unique talent for corporate apologies. 

4. Stonemouth by Iain Banks 
The most recent paperback by the lamented and wonderful Banks makes a slyly joyful slice of holiday reading. Young man returns to the home town he has left in mysterious circumstances several years before. A slow reveal gradually informs of his apparent misdemeanor, but could there be more to it than that? Genuine warmth and humour intermingled with Scots Casa McNostra, a little light drug abuse...and of course love. Missing Banks already.

5. Weirdo by Cathi Unsworth 
Brilliant British crime with a bit of a Broadchurch (British TV series for my non-UK readers) flavour. Set in a small down-at-heel, East Anglian seaside town, still shaken from a brutal school murder which everyone accepts as being long closed, until a private investigator is called in to reopen. Adolescent agnst, paganism, music and a long buried memories haunt a community in denial. Absorbing stuff! 

Thank you, Danny, for your intriguing choices. I will be reading all of these too! Of course the books are all available from West End Lane Books.

West End Lane Books
277 West End Lane
West Hampstead
London 
NW6 1QS
info@welbooks.co.uk
@welbooks

My Survival Guide to Provence

When, back in rainy London, I was planning what to pack for our holiday here in Provence, my mind went blank. With the summer weather in the UK being more like that of a mild winter in my native Finland, it was impossible to imagine a place where the sun would shine all day and it would be too hot even to sit and read a book by a cool pool, in the shade.

So, as usual, I packed too much.

Another problem I had back in the UK was food – we were due to arrive in Marseilles at nine on a Saturday evening, and after we’d picked up the hire car, I knew we might not be in our rented villa near Vidauban until after all the shops had shut. Buying food & wine at Gatwick seemed so totally wrong, so instead we opted for a bottle of gin and hoped for the best…

Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and we had some fun and games with the complicated navigation (in the pitch black of a Provence night), which meant we didn’t get to our villa until well past midnight.

Since our only food & drink provision consisted a bottle of gin, we went to bed hungry and sober. The Englishman promised to get up at crack of dawn to do the first of our daily pain et croissant runs.

All was well since in Vidauban itself has several boulangeries, a fab local cheese shop, a Co-op as well as a supermarche.  And a few café’s where The Englishman and I have already after only half a week become regulars for our morning café au lait.

So, having now experienced some of the life here, I thought it might be useful to do a quick guide to how to prepare yourself for a villa holiday in Provence.

1. Pack lightly, remembering that if the forecast says it’ll be sunny and 30 degrees C , you will not need much more than a cover up and a few bikinis and or swimming costumes (especially if you have a pool or sea nearby).

2. Print out a map of where you are going (if you don’t know the way, obviously). The days of rental cars having a courtesy map in the car are well gone, and using the satnav in a language you don’t speak fluently can be a challenge (especially in the dark…).

3. If at all possible, ask for a ‘welcome pack’ for your villa. Unfortunately we were not able to get one, but in my view these are worth the weight in gold since you never know if your journey to the villa will be delayed (as ours was). It’s so nice to have the basics, like loo paper, water, milk, coffee and tea there when you arrive. 

4. In Provence there are markets almost every day in one of the nearby villages (see below), so it’s worth checking where and when the nearest one to you is open.  There are several stalls selling the perfect summer wear (including espadrilles for 6-7 Euros!) at reasonable prices. I had great difficulty in sourcing cover-ups etc. which didn’t cost the earth in London before I left, so I wish I’d waited until we got here to get mine.

5. Most supermarkets in Southern France are open until till quite late (the one in Vidauban closes at midnight), and they will not close for lunch unlike most of the other shops. So it’s worth remembering if you want you bread for breakfast, the boulangerie will close for lunch between 12.30 and 14.30.

6. Take mosquito etc insect repellents and creams with you. Most sunny resorts have these little blighters wanting to feed on your flesh, so it’s best to be prepared. I also find that taking anti-histamines for a few weeks before you go will help with the degree in which the bites affect you. (But that might just be me!)

French Market in Provence and a familiar vineyard

Yesterday we decided to take a little time out from sunning ourselves by the excellent pool of our villa near Vidauban, and drive up north to the little town of Lorgues for their weekly Tuesday market. 

Oh boy, what a French treat: there were clothes, excellent leather goods, fantastic veg, saucisson, mountains of dried lavender and other herbs, and cheeses to die for. Plus anything else you might ever think of needing (including vegetable cutters…) The place was very busy with hordes and hordes of both locals and tourists. 

With the sun beating down (it was 32C), after just a short stroll we were flagging and needed a cafe au lait and croissant in one of the many cafes lining the market.

Thus revived, we made our purchases: 

Son bought a much needed Panama hat (in the Mediterranean heat his black hair very quickly becomes a furnace on top of his head). 

Son's fiancée and I found a bargain in 5 Euro sarongs to wear around the pool (which also turn into shawls to wear around the shoulders in the evenings). I now wish I'd bought two; I've been wearing mine solidly since I got it, and I would really need one in a brighter colour.  Oh well…

Daughter got a ring and I got Son a Breton stripe t-shirt for his birthday today.

The Englishman brought the food….cherries, cheese, bread, fantastic tomatoes (not the same fruit we get back home in the UK!), 4 kinds of sausages.

If you’re ever around this area, the market is worth visit.

On the way back to Vidauban, we passed a sign for Chateau L'Arnaude and I realised it was a vineyard I visited with my mother five or six years ago. In fact we stayed in the house, as guests of the owners who have now sadly sold it on. I had no idea we were so close to the vineyard, and since I remember the wine being particularly excellent, we popped in to have a taste and ended up buying a box of white. (And very nearly a box of the rose and red too!)

It’s a small world.

Holiday packing

This is me unusually organised. But look at the size of the suitcase!

There was an article in the Daily Telegraph yesterday which struck a cord with me - and annoyed me in equal measure.

According to research the average woman overpacks a suitcase by 26 items. It seems we, as a gender, use just half of the things we take with us on holiday, the rest being 'just in case' items. (The Daily Telegraph Saturday 9 July 2011)

If you've read my previous posts on this blog, you'll know I'm always struggling to know what to pack, whether I'm going for a short city break, for a skiing holiday or even just for holiday 'at home' in Åland.

But, why on earth would anyone wish to know this about women's packing habits? The survey was carried out by a internet comparison website, so I guess there was a commercial reason for it, but it's not exactly a surprise is it? Every woman who's ever been faced with the task of filling a stupidly small suitcase with all the items she thinks she'll need during a week or two in a strange location knows that it's almost impossible to know what to take and what to leave behind. Ideally I'd like to pack my whole bedroom, rather than having to make a decision ahead of time on my outfits.

Also, is it just women who overpack? Are we still so divided by gender? The article didn't mention how men pack. In our household certainly there is a huge difference - the Englishman and Son regularly underpack, forgetting to take essentials like underpants (happened last holiday), or shampoo, and then borrow these items from Daughter and me. (No, not the undies). This being so, I'm not sure why it offends me to read that women's packing habits have been singled out. Perhaps it was the tone of the article, making us seem simple and stupid by carrying articles in our suitcases that we don't ever use. There was also a comment to say how 50% of women find it difficult to stay within the designated luggage limits.

I cannot but help to believe that a lot of money was paid and many productive working hours spent on a useless survey which produced a most predictable result.