My Life in Travel

It was mid of March. Munich. Cold wind blows all day long. The alarm ring woke us up early morning. Backpacks were ready since last evening. Morning rituals are done and we started to walk to the bus station to take a morning bus to Memmingen. It was about one hour drive through lovely scenic roads of Bavaria. And here we are, in the airport of Memmingen, from where we will have a flight to Palermo, where long waited trip had to start. The reason we chose to fly from Memmingen was due to Ryanair‘s affordable schedules and flights from this airport. The weather was nice and sunny. Perfect to take a hot coffee and sit outside while waiting for our check-in. All went smooth, the plane started the move and flew up to the soft clouds. Almost all the way to Palermo the view from windows was outstanding. Snowy peaks of mountain ranges were changing one another. The feeling was just wow, wow and wow all the time. Time passed quickly and soon we landed in the airport of Palermo. Status of the feeling – Happy!

After security control all passengers who came from Germany were asked to make a rapid PCR test at the airport, even the ones, who were fully vaccinated. This was kind of unpleasant, as we were in a hurry to get in to the city. But what can we do? There were marks in the airport, showing the Covid-19 test areas, which we followed. The personnel was working quick, and in about a 10 minutes after making test we had our negative results received by email. The security guard checked it and wished us a pleasant stay in Palermo, and we rushed to take a bus to the city. Another 40 minutes and we’re here, in the Central Station of Palermo.

Our hotel was situated very close to the Central Station. We chose that as it was in an Old city center, close to the station, from where we were planning to have some trips by train. When we told about this to some of our friends, who used to be here before, they didn’t approve our choice, and said that it’s the worst decision we could make, as it is dirty, noisy, etc. But the reviews of the hotel were good and we kept our booking as it was. And didn’t regret. From the Central Station it was about 5-10 minutes walk, located in the main street on Via Roma (not somewhere in the hidden corners), walking distance from everywhere we wanted to go, and had a Lidl supermarket just next to the street. What could be better? The hotel itself was quite nice, the room was clean and as a bonus, all rooms had balconies with a nice views to the Old Historical Center. Yes, there were beggars next to the entrance, but they didn’t bother anyone. They were just “living” there. In case you’re looking on where to stay in Palermo, Hotel Concordia could be a great choice 😉

One of the reasons we chose this hotel was its balcony with a view. And indeed, it was like a “cherry on the cake”, something special we really loved. So, hotel check-in done, clothes are left here and we’re ready to explore the city. It was about 5-6pm, started to get dark, but it’s not something that can stop us from going out. The plan for the evening was to walk in the streets, see what we have around, find a nice place for a dinner (and a little birthday celebration). And so we did. On every corner we had beautiful buildings, lovely squares, fountains and sculptures, churches and monasteries. And a lot of people! All cafes had outdoor places to sit, which were getting full little by little. But they were here for some drinks only. One of the worst things in some European countries, including Italy, is the fact that they serve food in exact hours, and if you are hungry and want to eat something in a cafe or restaurant, you’ll be asked to come later. For the dinner usually they start to accept visitors after 7pm. When we decided where we will have the dinner, they also were still closed. We made a reservation and went to walk around a little more and came back around 8pm. Hungry? Yes! Bored? No!

There were a lot of places we could sit, but when we asked our hotel receptionist where can we have dinner, which is not a touristic place, but more where locals go, he named this place. To be honest, we didn’t like the food much there, so don’t expect recommendations this time 🙂 At the restaurant we asked to bring something typical for Palermo, wanted to try something new and interesting. In the menu on our table we had something (sorry, don’t remember the name) with eggplants, potatoes and cheese like antipasti, Pasta alla Norma with eggplants (but it was fried for some reasons..), wine (which came in a water cups, not wine glasses) and cannoli (the worst I ever tried). And this is how we celebrated my birthday this time 🙂

Here in Palermo city center there are 2 main walking streets, a pedestrian zone where people go for a walk. The main walking street in the Old Historical center of Palermo is Via Maqueda (AKA Strada Nuova) which is crossing with another one called Via Vittorio Emanuele. Those streets were super crowded especially in the evening hours. Here you can find all kind of shops and cafes, a lot of people selling any kind of thing on the tables, such as souvenirs, phone cases, street food, etc. No any car is driving here (almost). Only sometimes policemen can pass by you on a motorbike. But be careful not to be hit by teens on scooters. Here on those streets you can have all kind of food you’re looking for. Would it be a pizza or a pasta, potato chips or else, everything you can find here. Here is where I had probably the best pizza in my life and the tastiest Arancini, a typical Sicilian street food. This is a fried rice ball filled with different fillings (ham, cheese, etc.). The cost of one ball of Arancini was around 2 Eur, but believe me, it’s enough to make you satisfied for a long time.

One of the typical places you shouldn’t miss in Palermo (and probably in every Italian city) are the local markets. This is where you can buy all kind of fresh seafood, spices, herbs, fruits and vegetables. The prices are more affordable than in any supermarket. Some of the sellers also offer a freshly prepared food in place. You choose what you want and they bake it on a grill just in front of you. And here you go, tasty & cheap food is ready. One of those markets is situated on the Via Ballaro street. Try to find time and visit it. I assure, you won’t regret.

In general we stayed 3 nights in Palermo, but not all the time were in the city. However, this is not the only things we saw and did in this city. I’m going to split my story about trip to Palermo into two parts, so it won’t be too long to read and easy to find what you’re more interested in. Next will be another story, where I will tell you about the places we’ve visited, impressions we had and memories collected.