Let the Fun Begin!

Our friends Jan O’Neil and Richard Davies have arrived from Wales to join us on our Sicilian adventure. Rich and Jan are the brother and sister-in-law of our friend and priest, Ian Elliot Davies, who is kindly watching our dogs, Cordelia and Frankie, while we are away. Jan and Rich have become good friends over the past 20 years that Ian has been the priest at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. They went with us on the last international trip to Italy in 2022, and we are so happy they decided to fly from Wales to join us for this one as well.

We are all staying at the Art and Jazz Hotel, and theirs were the first familiar faces we’ve seen so far. We went to a restaurant that the woman at our hotel’s reception recommended, and the food far surpassed my expectations. The first photo is of homemade pasta with fresh clams, and the second is of grilled sea bass with one of Ray’s swordfish rolls. Everything was absolutely fresh and delicious. Rich and Jan had tiramisu for dessert, and I can say from my one bite that it was excellent. Jan and I agreed this meal alone was worth the trip to Sicily. The restaurant is Dal Panda Osteria: Pesce, Cotto & Crudo (Fish, Cooked, and Raw),

Other participants in the trip have also arrived but are staying at hotels and Air BnBs all over town. The rest of the tour participants, 43 in total, will arrive tomorrow.

Let the fun begin!

Jan, Rich, and Ray are here at our neighborhood restaurant.