Holidays

The holidays on Bonaire start with the arrival of Sinter Klaus.  It is always an amazing sight to see him and his Pete's arrive by boat.  The Pete's paint their black faces blacker, put on crazy colorful costumes, and hang on the boat riggings doing crazy things.  The band is playing and pleasure boats accompany Sinter Klaus in a water parade while the people of Bonaire cheer from shore.  Children eagerly await his arrival and often dress in costumes like the Pete's. It's a whole day affair.

Next comes Thanksgiving for all the American Expats.  We started our traditional turkey dinner with orange-cinnamon rolls.

 It took me about two months to collect all the supplies for our dinner.  I brought a can of pumpkin from the States for pumpkin pie.  I found fresh cranberries at the store (which was a miracle) in October and put them in the freezer.  A friend snagged a can of cranberry jelly for Rick and donated it to my cause. I had to by a full turkey this year because the boneless breasts didn't show up.  I waited late to buy potatoes and they were all out of the big ones so I had to get a bag of small new potatoes.  All this involved going to 5 grocery stores multiple times to get the supplies.  It felt like I was on a treasure hunt.

 

The best part of thanksgiving are the left-overs.  We love turkey sandwiches, left over cranberries and pie with mounds of Cool Whip.  I even made turkey soup, just like my mother always did, with veggies and turkey.

On Bonaire, the Antilleans do not celebrate American Thanksgiving (big surprise) but they do have Black Friday.  All the stores offer specials, appliances go on sale, Christmas decorations are put up and out for sale and the parking lots are packed. The island just about goes grid lock with all the traffic. We couldn't resist the fun so we ventured out to look around. We came home with hand soap and a squeegee.

It now "legal" to put up our Christmas tree.  

Happy Holidays from Bonaire.

Golf

One of the things that Rick misses is playing golf. Recently, we brought his golf clubs to Bonaire in the hope that one day he may get a chance to play. That day came at the Piedra So Golf Course on Bonaire.

This is not your typical golf course. You sign up and pay your fees on line,  rent a golf buggy (the push kind, not the driving kind), drive to the other side (east side) of the island and play on rocks and dirt. The wind blows about 20 mph.  Sometimes you are hitting the ball into the wind, sometimes its a cross wind and once in a while the wind is behind you.  No worries about staying out of the trees because there are none.  There are lots of thorny scrub bushes, so  ball retrieval is impossible. There are also no greens and everything is "the rough".

The tee box at each hole is a mound of dirt surrounded by rocks with green AstroTurf on top. This is the only green on the course except for AstroTurf greens.

 

Wood tees are not used.  These hard rubber golf tees are used so that your clubs don't get damaged by the rocks when you swing at the ball.  The tall one is for the driver, and the others are used for shots from the fairway.

This is a typical fairway from the tee box to the green.  This golf course has 9 holes. One of the holes is located about 100 yards from the sea so you can pretend you are at Pebble Beach at the par-3 7th hole famous for its stunning view. Okay it's not a stunning view but its as close as we are going to get.

Rick played with our neighbors who visit from time to time from the Netherlands.  The two sisters took Rick on his maiden golf outing to Bonaire's golf course. Rick had his golf shoes, glove and clubs but the sisters, who also own their own clubs, wore flip-flops to play golf.  Rick was a little amused about it because one of the sister's flip-flops broke and she had to play with one bare foot and one flip-flop. They did not keep score - this was just for fun. 

That's how golf is played on Bonaire.

Freezer

When we moved to Bonaire, a small freezer came with the house.  It was big enough for a bag of ice (we don't have an ice maker), some frozen veggies and meat. One day we were walking through a department /grocery store and saw an upright freezer with a good price.  We were preparing to leave for our two month trip to Europe so we told ourselves we would get it when we returned. We should have known better. When you see something on the island you need to buy it because there is no guarantee it will be there tomorrow.

We went back to get the freezer and it wasn't on display and there was no hope for a new supply.  We looked at freezers that were bigger and more expensive, of course.  We found one that was a scratch and dent.  The store was nice enough to give us a 10 percent discount because of the minor damage and they delivered it for free.  

We went home and cleared a spot in our storage room.  Moved all the frozen items to the apartment freezer. We were all ready for the delivery.

 

Two nice guys delivered the freezer and set it into place. Nothing is very easy or perfect on the island.  The freezer had a minor problem with the roller on the bottom...not part of the scratch and dent on the door. Rick, my talented handyman, repaired it with a screw and a bolt. Perfection.  We now have double the freezer space. Rick always says, " Bigger is Better".

While we were on a buying spree, I also purchased an air fryer.  I have heard so much about them and wanted to give it a try.  It's easier than using our oven, I think....I will let you know.

Cantine Pellegrino , Marsala, Sicily

Pellegrino is the largest producer (out of 20)  of Marsala wines in Sicily. It's a family owned business located in Marsala (not related to the water people). They offer a unique tour and tasting and we took part.

 

Each year they produce cooking Marsala and dinking marsala. For those of you that don't know about Marsala, it is a fortified wine that ranges from dry to very sweet depending on fermentation and added brandy or sugar. Our German tour guide told us all about the process and let us taste three different kinds.  

As an added treat, they had a collection of hand carved and painted carts from the the 19th century.  They were used as a means of transporting goods and people in Sicily up until about the 1920's.  Owning a hand carved and ornately decorated cart became a status symbol and demonstrated the owner's wealth and success. Pellegrino's collection is one of the largest in Sicily.

The "carretti siciliani" or Sicilian carts are part of the island's folklore and history.  Every surface, including the wheels is highly decorated with elaborate carvings and paintings.  The scenes often depict moments from Sicilian history, epic stories, religious figures or chivalrous tales.  Even the underneath of the cart was carved and painted with designs of flowers, people and landscapes. 

Drinking Marsala in Marsala.

Marsala, Sicily

Marsala reminds us of Bonaire.  It has salt pans, windmills, great sunsets, kite surfers, and ocean views.  We feel right at home.
 

There are restaurants that are set up in the vineyards. Charcuterie boards and bruschette that are out of this world. They have a number of beach bars and restaurants that remind us of  "Snacks" only better.

The sunsets over the ocean are spectacular just like Bonaire, One photo was taken from our patio and the other from a beach bar where everyone gathers to see the sunsets. 

Marsala has a walking old town area with sidewalks and streets done in white marble.  It's very clean and not too crowded for this time of year.  It also has several churches just like every  other town, village and city in Italy.

Our rental has a view over the vineyards and to the sea. It's in a tiny village. The directions were  crazy to find it ( just like directions in Bonaire).

"When you are in Vicolo Diodoro Siculo take the second small road on the right, you will see a dead tree in front of you, take this one and go straight, even if it narrows a little, don't worry it is the right one."

The best part was sharing it with friends. This was our last stop with our companions.  We dropped them in the early morning darkness at a deserted bus stop near the airport. We waited 5 minutes in the car and a bus showed up.  They climbed aboard and were off to their next adventure.

Bufala Farm in Sicily

 

We watched a YouTube video about the Bufala farm in Sicily that created hand made cheese and other goodies at the agriturismo. We had no idea what to expect but we booked lunch at the farm.  Who knew there were water buffalos in Sicily?

Just in case you ever find yourself in Punto Vendita, here is the farm sign so you can call ahead for reservations. They don't speak English so be prepared to translate everything.

They make the most luscious cheeses, dried meats, pizza, vegetables and pasta. We actually ordered the antipasti plate for 4 people and there was so much food we couldn't finish it.  The waitress stopped us from ordering a main course because she knew the quantity of food we ordered.  We were a little miffed at first, but quickly realized we could have ordered half of the food and still not been able to finish it.

Burrata cheese (back), a huge braid of mozzarella (in front of the burrata), a bowl of fresh tomatoes, a salami, and focaccia made up the start of the lunch.  

In Italy you often order wine by telling them red or white. Then they bring you a pitcher of wine from a local producer.  There is no silly bottle to open, or studying the label or discussing the grapes, just good table wine that is always a pleasure to drink. They take the pretense out of wine and serve you a local delicacy that is always good.

This selfie has nothing to do with the Bufala Farm.  It is just a random photo by the sea in Sicily... and our shirt colors match.

Modica and Agrigento, Sicily

Every town and village in Sicily is built on hills and the buildings are placed on top of each of them. Stairs, stairs and more stairs are the way to get up and down the towns. The stairs are steep and uneven, the roads are narrow and everything is crowded together.  These are Modica and Agrigento (left and right). 

Modica is know for its chocolate. It is mainly made with cocoa and sugar mixed in a cold-working process.  It has no added fats. At the low processing temperatures sugar does not dissolve and all the beneficial properties of cocoa are kept in tact. Since Rick loves chocolate we had to taste chocolate at several stores and purchased as much chocolate as we could carry.

We booked a room at the Modica Palace and they gave us an upgrade to a suite.  Little did we know that they had themed rooms.  Ours was called "Pashia" and was like Arabian nights. It was complete with a waterpipe, fountains and middle eastern decor...over the top.

Half way up a narrow walking street and a super long stairway ( in Agrigento), we found a pizza restaurant that perched chairs and table on the stairs.  If you leaned to far back you would topple down the stairs.  The table and chairs learned down toward the stairs.  A precarious situation. I couldn't get everyone in the photo so you will see our friends and Rick's finger.  The pizza was great!

We climbed stairs in Agrigento and Modica. I somehow was able to do it...slowly and without having a heart attack. Here we are smiling because I actually made it to the top.

 

Mt. Etna

We woke up in Piedimonte Etneo, Sicily with the top of Mt. Etna covered in snow. This did not stop us in our quest to eat and drink wine on the mountain. These are the views of Mt. Etna from our apartment and a neighboring village.

 

Met up with some friends from Bonaire and we ate and drank our way through the vineyards of Mt. Etna, an up and coming wine region. It was cool and overcast but that did not stop our enthusiasm for finding the best wines. It finally warmed up and the sun came out.

The volcanic soil makes this wine region special due to the rich soil and the small vineyards that make up the DCOG which is the designation for Italy's elite wines.

The town we stayed in was old and small and easy to walk around but not much was happening. Our accommodations were a huge apartment with 4 bedrooms and decorated in old Italian decor complete with chandeliers and baroque decorations. This is us In Piedimonte looking down the street at the church.  Every village, town, city has a church or three.