This gate into old Palermo (from the road to Monreale) was built by William II, who was in his "Tunisian period," having just conquered, um, Tunisia. These figures are SCARY. And huge. You can't really get a sense of scale from this photo, because I zoomed in to catch some of the scary scary details.  

Palm trees. I took this picture to make my dad (who loves palms) sick with envy.  

The main intersection in Palermo, where the four quarters meet, features beautiful statues on each corner. At night, the Quattro Canti was even more beautiful, when the statues and the ornate carvings and fountains were illuminated. 

This is Cattedrale, one of the largest (and most impressive) churches in Palermo. It took my breath away, literally. I wish I was a better photographer.  

Cattedrale was built in 1140 by William II, Norman conqueror. Sicily has changed hands many times throughout the ages, I guess. 

An indignant travel writer in my Lonely Planet guide said that church leagers ruined the Norman design of Cattedrale when they plunked this dome on top in the 17th century.  

This is San' Agostino, a clothes market,  

Cattedrale. I'm pretty sure the clock ain't original. 

I spent a few hours sitting on the steps in front of Teatro Massimo, writing in my journal, people watching, and enjoying the sunshine.  

Here's my picture-postcard shot...Teatro Massimo, a palm treet, and Verdi. I'm about as far away from Victoria as you can get. 

Here's me in my fake Chanel sunglasses (ssssh) that I bought for 2 euro from a street vendor. The forecast had called for rain all weekend, but I had blue sky and warm weather. I had to take a picture of myself to prove I'd been there, since poor Jen was home at the B&B, sick. 

This is a church dedicated to St. Frances of Assissi, which was built in 17-something. Although England has plenty of old architecture, it "hit" me more in Palermo, how people in Europe just live amongst history. If we had something this old in North America, we'd have plunked a fence around it, smacked a "heritage site" plaque on it and started charging admission. Here, it's just part of the neighborhood. The dilapidated nature of some of these beautiful churches and buildings really added to their romance and charm.