Shopping Day

Unlike my three previous days today I did not wait in line at an airport and I got to wear something other than jean capris and a green linen top.  Today we went shopping.  First we went to the street market in Catania.  It was like a flea market.  For sale were  shoes, clothing, purses, toys, books, movies, music cds, electronics, phones, vases, figurines, paintings, giant glass bottles, rusty tools, bicycle parts, and the metal heads of axes.  I saw a few nightmare inducing items like the plastic head of a boy with a plastic skeleton body in a tub, a stuffed life-size naked ten year old girl doll, and another doll will very little blonde hair on her head and creepy eyes.  I guess dolls creep me out more than most items.  A man followed us closely yelling loudly. On his body he had pockets of cigarette lighters and cell phone cases.  Were we his target market?  We'd stop to let him pass and soon enough he'd be behind us again with the yelling. We did see a couple interesting tables for sale but did not buy anything.

Next stop the shopping mall.  This mall had two stories of clothing, jewelry, and electronic stores plus restaurants and a grocery store.  For lunch I had aracini (a big brown lump of rice, cheese and spinach deep fried).  I can tell you, aracini will stick to your ribs for a long time.

In the grocery store one and a half aisles are devoted strictly to pasta.  Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes and colors.  The black pasta has squid ink in it.  Each region of Italy has their own pasta.  I am learning.  I believe biologica means organic.  Actually it is a little difficult to not be able to understand the signs or the language.  I am glad not to be driving!