16: Sicily and Isle of Man (2 Very Different Island Experiences)
June 07, 2018
We had the chance to visit two unforgettable island locations in Europe in a two-week span. Spending time in Sicily, Italy with friends gave us an opportunity to understand the deep culture and rich history of the southern island that has been the home to many references throughout our lives. The passion of the people and the fantastic food will be a lifelong memory. Isle of Man, Ireland is a lesser known ‘tax haven’ that sits between the Republic of Ireland and England. It is usually a pretty quiet island, but it comes alive at the end of May and early June with the running of the TT Motorcycle Races that will blow the mind of any spectator lucky enough to see it in person. We were that lucky! Main Topics Covered: Sicily Highlights Visiting with Friends from the States Our Amazing time on the Isle of Man during the TT Qualifiers Links Mentioned in the Episode: Foundation Training - The most important exercises for your back while you travel! ExpressVPN - protect your information when you travel and connect to see your content that you are paying for The train that we took around Sicily with ease Palermo: Capital of Sicily, and the largest city on the island. Amazing dinner experience we had in Palermo - Ferro di Cavallo Cefalu: A beach town with typical medieval, cobbled streets. Very laid back. Noto: If you love baroque architecture, Noto is the city for you. Every year, the 3rd weekend in May, (Since 1980) the city of Noto holds the “Infiorata di Noto”= the Noto Flower Festival. Nikki’s photos on instagram of this year’s festival Catania: A true city vibe. Main street is called via Etna which is about 3 km. It is aligned with many beautiful churches, museums, and the university. Vermut restaurant - outside/inside dining. Took forever, tapas style, but enjoyed the local vibe of it. Castellammare del Golfo: A fishing port filled with colorful boats and sailboats. Houses are nestled alongside narrow, inclined cobbled roads. Video of the girls dancing in the streets with the locals Catamaran sailing tour. 25 euro for 4 hour (half day excursion) included light breakfast/ lunch and glass of prosecco. Stopped to see caves and toured along the coastline of Castellammare del Golfo. Was in Italian but did not take away from the experience. Make sure you understand what to pack. Pack Less! Here is a great post on everything we packed in a single backpack. You can’t do everything when you travel. Be sure to listen to the Traveler’s Guilt podcast to understand that it’s okay to chill out. Isle of Man TT Races - The craziest and most dangerous sporting event in the world. The HBO Real Sports Episode that I watched which inspired the trip Local rider died - Dan Kneen - when we were there. Very sad - reality of the sport. Subaru Video that sits behind the glass of a sportscar making the turns Taxi Tours - the 37.7 miles of the TT races at Isle of Man in an Audi - +447624 220550 - Mustafu responded to my text and made it a great trip. Sign up for our Newsletter to get the latest tips in Travel and hear about our weekly visits around the world