We packed up, and headed off. It was deserted in comparison with Sunday's festivities; we parked Beatrix right outside yesterday's rammed restaurant, where we had a delicious, and peaceful lunch (spaghetti alle vongole, my favourite) - again, a contrast. And Jemima made friends with a little Milanese girl called Sophia (although that proved a double-edged sword when they started chasing each other around a table - Sophia being the ringleader of the bad behaviour, of course...).
Then onto the beach. It was also deserted, and we found some sun loungers and settled in. Kevin and Jemima played while I snoozed in the sun; then I went for a swim. Jemima showed her usual interest, but continued to resist actually getting in. But she'd enjoyed her splashing so much in Scopello, today I just picked her up and dunked her a few times until she got over the initial shock of the cold water, and started enjoying herself. And it worked! She and I stood (or knelt, in my case) on the sand, jumping with the gentle waves; and she even got brave enough to walk in and out of the water up to her chest. She only agreed to get out when she started shivering. Her first proper play in the sea! A great success. We dried off in the sun, cuddling on a lounger. Then just as Jemima was starting to get tired, the wind picked up out of nowhere, whipping up the sand. It was our signal to leave. Back to Beatrix, and off to the ferry port in Palermo.
Jemima was asleep before the engine started. Kevin and I navigated through the terrible Palermo traffic without significant incident (I had to get a bit forceful at some points about following the map the lady at the campsite had given us, rather than following signs, and it all worked out ok, thank goodness, otherwise there may have been Words); and we parked up at the ferry port. We still had a few hours before departure, but with Jemima asleep decided not to attempt a last minute dash into Palermo. Instead, a Boardwalk Empire with a cup of tea; dinner; and then the beginning of Frozen whiled away our car park time very happily. Boarding was stress free, and our cabin lovely: a bedroom with sitting area/ sofa bed separated by a curtain; a balcony; and best of all, a bath! Too late for that, however; we all fell into bed and were sleeping as the ship sailed. Ciao Sicilia.
Beatrix dwarfed by La Superba:
Isola delle Femmine to Palermo Ferry Port (you can see the beginning of the Palermo-Genova ferry route, which runs inside Sardinia and Corsica):
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