Sticking with our game plan, we stay in town for the weekend and discover a wondrous thing . . . it’s March and even though it’s rainy, there are suddenly many more people in Cefalu.  On Saturday, we take a walk to the new port area on the far side of La Rocca, looking for the Saturday outdoor market.  While it must still be too early in the season for the market, we pass several busloads of what can only be tourists.  More shops are open on the narrow downtown streets as well.  It’s like seeing the first robin of spring.

We have a great walk before the rain starts again and also take care of some housekeeping chores like having one of our duffel bags repaired by the local cobbler.  A crucial seam was coming apart, and the fellow took one look, threw it on his huge treadle sewing machine (looked just like the one Phyllis’ mother used to use except for the size), and charged us $2.50.  The conversation, in which he admired Craig’s height, asked if Craig played basketball, and admitted to being a U.S. pro-basketball fan, all in Italian and sign language, was priceless.

On Sunday, we took another walk, this time on the sea wall that runs along the old town, where the brisk wind has churned the waves into breakers with lots of spray on the rocks that we have to time our passage to avoid.  More people are still wandering the streets of the old town, and we decide that tourist season is about to begin in earnest.  We are very happy that we timed our stay here to be largely pre-season.  While the weather was sometimes chilly and wet, it is so much nicer to have this town, and all those ruins on our road trips, almost all to ourselves.  The only drawback has been the noticeable number of shops and attractions that have been closed, but even that has not been enough to deny us the spirit of the island.  We didn’t need to eat that much gelato anyway…