Observations in Lipari

When we next return to Lipari, I am going to make sure I can speak enough Italian to convince the locals to pose for a photo for me. Let me share some observations with you...

Like earlier travels in Sicily, there is little English spoken on Lipari. What makes it fun is that the Sicilians don't care! Even if you explain, "Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano", the conversation simply continues in Italian...sometimes they just repeat what they asked, knowing that eventually we'll get the gist! 

Men of a certain age (and I don't mean young!) are entitled to dress only in shorts and sandals. Whether they are shaking the breakfast tablecloth out the door into the street, or sitting at the local café...even serenading those who pass or choose to sit down and have a caffè...shirts are optional!

Women share time together and do as they please. If you visit our local beach about 6.00pm, you will find some local ladies (again, of a certain age) unchaining a group of chairs from a fence adjacent to the beach and setting the chairs in a row, slipping on their swimsuits under their dresses and going for a dip, followed by an animated catch-up while seated in a row, and then replacing swimsuits with dresses, or comfy pants and a singlet, re-stacking the chairs and locking them to the fence, and then on their way.

I love the come-as-you-please vibe of Lipari!

P.S. See the gorgeous Gina in the photo below - Nicole's dog, keeping watch from the wall in the front of the apartments - and the incredible flowers on the Dutchman's Pipe vine.

Adjusting the routine

Breakfast at the pasticceria...coffee and cornettos marmellata (marmalade or jam filled croissants)

Trip to the deli for ready-made salads of grilled broccoli, beans, zucchini ribbons, some formaggio, cold meats for Signore Brent, two crispy fresh bread rolls.

A wander through the streets, taking in the colours (even if just the washing hanging from the balconies!).

To the beach!

Home for a shower and relax. Many of the shops, restaurants and cafés close about 1pm and re-open around 4.30pm. Many don't actually close their doors, but instead pull chairs or plants across the entrance, and perhaps a makeshift board, just to indicate that they're closed. The noise of the town gradually dies, except for occasional motor scooters and motor boats...and then it's buonasera and the evening begins! Although, we did come across a four-legged fellow who was sleeping in the shade of the afternoon on the warm cobblestones and seemed to be asking, "Siesta, it's over??"

Nicole let us know her favourite shop for fruit and vegetables...it opens daily at 5pm! So we pick up plums, peaches, grapes, grapefruit for a fruit salad dinner...a bottle of wine, some Messina birra, and water.

A stop at a discovered pasticceria for cannoli (warm from the oven), stuffed with ricotta and sprinkled with pistachios...and a wander home.

Ahh, yes...what better way to settle in!

It was hard work, but Lipari, you're worth it!

Today (Wednesday) we arrived in Lipari just before noon. Let me describe how we got here...

Tuesday: up at 5.30am, collected by Matthieu at 7.00 for the drive to the airport (lovely to have Matthieu's help getting the bags down 3 flights of stairs!) On the plane at 9.20 for the 1.5 hour flight to Milan, short wait in Milan for connecting 1.5 hour flight to Palermo airport, Sicily. Take the train from the airport to Palermo train station (50 minutes). The platforms at Palermo station are all at ground level - no stairs! We ventured outside the station for a walk - Palermo is as crazy as I remember! Drivers tooting and yelling, traffic darting in all directions - even saw a man yelling and running after a laughing boy on a motor scooter...making his escape! 

Wait at Palermo for the 4.30pm train taking us the 2.5 hour trip to Milazzo station. Most of the train trip had the coastline on our left and rocky hills on the right...pretty relaxing. Sometimes is was just a small strip of pebbly beach between us and the water; other times there were houses built so close to the train line, if we had stopped I could have stepped onto their back doorstep! Arrive at Milazzo at 7pm - oh, no, I spy 2 flights of stairs! No Matthieu! Carry the bags down 2 flights of stairs from the platform, then up 2 flights of stairs to the station entrance! Taxi to the hotel, arrived just before 7.30pm...oh, no, more stairs! Grubby and exhausted...

Wednesday: we were booked on the 10.45am ferry from Milazzo port to Lipari. The ferry terminal was only a few minutes walk from the hotel, so we could start the day at a reasonable hour, enjoy breakfast on the hotel rooftop terrace, then carry those bags down and wheel our way across to the ferry terminal. Smooth boarding, some lifting of cases and then stacking them in the baggage area. The ferry was busy...first stop Vulcano, then Lipari. We've arrived! Nicole (the holiday apartment owner) sent a taxi to collect us and a strapping woman driver swung our bags into the back of her wagon. An angel disguised as a taxi driver! We're both feeling every muscle in our shoulders!

Nicole greeted us in the street with a hug and we walked to the apartments together (the tiny streets have very limited parking and many are pedestrian only). We were last here in 2019 (which was our first visit to Lipari), but chatting with Nicole, it felt like yesterday. We met Nicole's daughter Chloe (a new addition to the family since we were here last) - she will be 2 in November - and we headed down to our apartment. It's just how we remember it...oh my goodness, it's great to be back! 

We have a beautiful undercover patio, and a petite, comfy apartment with everything we need. The path to the apartment is lined with hibiscus and bougainvillea, and when you turn towards the gate, the view is across the greenery to the sea. Just outside the gate, and down a short section of cobbled street, is a tiny, rocky beach. First stop...a souvenir shop to buy a pair of sea jiffies! Those rubber soles make it easy going on the stones. Second stop...the beach!

Reckon we'll sleep well tonight!

Au revoir, Paris

We went a little posh for breakfast today, at artisan patisserie, Le Nôtre, before a wander through the neighbourhood and home to pack.

The owner of the apartment has a driver you can engage for the airport trip...it costs a little more than a taxi (which are a fixed price to/from the airport), but the driver will help us carry the bags down the stairs in the morning, so I'm sure it will be worth the extra!

It has been a different trip to Paris this time, partly because of the long break since we last travelled and partly because we had a job to do in selling the apartment - not to mention a week of heatwave! Despite that, we loved reacquainting ourselves with the city, and while we didn't manage to visit the galleries we would usually, our neighbourhood wandering reminded me that art is not just in the galleries, it's in the street, the windows and doorways, on our plates and in the take-home box from the boulangerie!

A little part of me stays here. Paris, à la prochaine...

Tomorrow we fly to Palermo, Sicily...train to the port of Milazzo where we will stay overnight...and ferry to the island of Lipari the following morning. 

Le dernier weekend

Saturday, we visited Ile Saint-Louis to say goodbye and thank you to the gardienne at our apartment block, and headed out to the 9th to visit a favourite record store, Plus de Bruit. Brent was sad to hear that the shop is closing down, but a little excited about the price specials because of that! A great time digging in the crates and a wonderful haul!

We spent some time wandering the neighbourhood...it's very different to anywhere else we've stayed in Paris and may just be the perfect location for our next visit. We stopped in a small, local park for coffee...if you look closely you might spy the insect hotel in the photo!

Sunday, we did some wandering around Le Bon Marché in the 7th, revisiting the area we stayed on our last visit and doing a little shopping. This weekend is Journées du Patrimoine (heritage days) throughout France, so there are queues at many buildings open to the public on just this weekend. We didn't have a chance to join the visits this year, but know from earlier visits that there are many really interesting building and garden tours to be had.

Home to baguette, wine, and final washing load before we leave!

Friday, rest day

We've had a busy few days with friends and appointments, and it was nice to wake up this morning to good weather and a free day.

We bought breakfast at Blé Sucré and took it to the neighbourhood park, Square Trousseau...where we were joined by two pigeons and one wasp! Coffee and pastries...a kouign amann for moi, a pain au chocolat aux amandes for monsieur...my favourite start to the Parisien day.

A wander through the tiny passages and back streets to Avenue Daumesnil, where we followed the giant arches that once supported a railway line and which now house ateliers as diverse as a puppet maker, a window restorer, a gin distiller...all of which make for creative window displays giving views of the workshop and machinery inside. On such a gorgeous day, many of the ateliers had chairs and tables outside in the street where they gathered for coffee and lunch (very misleading when you're in search of a café!).

We walked some distance along the Coulée Verte René-Dumont, the planted walkway along the disused railway line above the ateliers, and then picked up some lunch from an Italian traiteur and headed back to the Place de la Bastille to find a seat and watch the non-stop action that is the Bastille...a tattooed roller blader, sans shirt, practised moves in and out the traffic...a cat in a harness stood like a figurehead in a basket on a bicycle, while the rider navigated the traffic...a chihuahua wearing heart-shaped sunglasses like swimming goggles, allowed himself to be settled in the basket of one of the free bicycles and away they went! Never dull in the Bastille!

Amis in Paris

The hot spell has broken! From late morning yesterday (Tuesday) it rained nearly all day. We were soaked in a sudden downpour - one of those storms that render your umbrella useless - and dripped our way home on the metro among other bedraggled commuters.

But today...perfect walking weather, overcast with a cool breeze! Hurrah!

Our dear friends Kim and Trevor have popped over from England for a few days...such fun to see them. We shared a wonderful dinner last night and, today, Kim and I strolled the streets of the 7th while Trevor visited the Musée de l'Armée, and Brent explored some record stores in the 5th. 

Home early evening for the daily baguette...a perfect Parisien day!

Lundi, lundi

I think I'll just leave you with some photos today. What can I say...this heatwave is becoming boring! Looks to be a change on the horizon...fingers crossed for tomorrow...but for today, who wouldn't love a crêpes restaurant called Suzette!