When we last left you in the waning weeks of 2010, Christmas was rapidly approaching, bringing with it the promise of the Perry family (and a hidden Buchanan). Since then, we have endured a surprise engagement, a marathon New Year's party covering 8 time zones, a roadtrip to the garden of Eden, the eruption of Mt. Etna, a coup d'etat in Tunisia, and the dastardly Silvio Berlusconi being investigated for relations with underage prostitutes (comparisons to Bill Clinton have ceased). Its been a hectic year, and we're only 2 weeks in.
The Perry family swooped in for a magical trip that got off to a great start on the Spanish Steps in Rome. Meredith's sister Amanda accepted Travis' proposal for a lifetime of marital bliss! She spent the remainder of the trip floating in mid-air. Travis, welcome to Circus! (see below)
 |
| Jean is apparently thrilled to see me. |
We had a splendid Christmas Eve feast, but even a steady supply of homemade egg nog couldn't muster the will for midnight mass. We marked the birth of baby Jesus with a four course meal at the neighborhood trattoria. Although the full menu escapes me, our first encounter with salt-cured venison was much tastier than expected.
The Perrys got the grand tour of Palermo, capped off by an incredible day with the Ienna twins and their suitors taking us to the sanctuary of Saint Rosalia, the beautiful beach of Mondello, the quaint coastal city of Cefalu, and hosting a memorable lunch that made the consumption of food unnecessary for 36 hours.
 |
| Jean filled 6 memory cards with pictures. |
 |
| Our wolfpack |
 |
| Perry Kohl Buchanan, LLC |
New Year's at our favorite bar/cafe/restaurant/bookstore, Kursal Kalesa, included dinner, an open bar, bottles of champagne, and fireworks (indoors). Ordinarily this would have been a wicked combination that ended with me soaking my burned hand in an champagne's bucket of ice, but we managed to stay awake and injury free. We rang the New Year in for every time zone between Dubai and New York. 
Taking advantage of Meredith's week off school, we ventured to Siracusa and Taormina on the eastern coast of Sicily. Braving a car for the first time, we had some tricky moments getting out of the city (a roundabout that serves as a major intersection, freeway on-ramp and off-ramp is terrible civil engineering), but the open road was incredible.
Aside from a few cities that have populations approaching 1 million, the island is remarkably rural. Siracusa is a very historic city (2700 years old) with a more relaxing atmosphere than Palermo. The streets and traffic were much more muted, but the people had the same generous hospitality. Our only dinner in the city was in a place without a menu.
 |
| The view |
Taormina was one of the most beautiful places that we have ever been. Sitting in the hills above the ocean in the shadow of Mt. Etna, Taormina has been described as Monte Carlo without the casinos.
 |
| Billowing smoke turned into hot lava the following week |
Had we been in Taormina one week later, we would have witnessed Mt. Etna's splendid eruption.
On our way back home, we ventured to the tiny city of Monreale, whichs overlooks Palermo. The cathedral is almost entirely composed of mosaics, which the pictures don't quite capture.
The trip left us with a renewed appreciation of Sicily's natural and man-made beauty, as well as an appetite for more exploration.
Meanwhile, one of our anticipated journey to Tunisia has been put on the back burner indefinitely.
The convergence of economic recession, demographics, authoritarian rule, Wiki-Leaks, and the internet led to a relatively peaceful coup d'etat last week. The compromise that citizens made between a repressive police state and economic progress ground to a halt.
One of the most surprising aspects of the uprising is how much the country's strong system of education had to do with it. Tunisia did a great job of educating the populace, but rumblings of revolution began when there were no jobs for college graduates. Instead of radical Islam, the efforts to topple the government were led by secular intellectuals, lawyers, and trade unionists. While the military maintains order, the region is pretty much holding its breath until elections can be held in 6 months.
On the bright side, I am assuming that we can find a free flight.
And finally... Italy's embattled Prime Minister is being investigated for sexual relations with Ruby the Heart Stealer, who happened to be 17 at the time of the purported bunga bunga session. His only response thus far has been to accuse the judge prosecuting the case of being jealous that she was never invited to such a party.
That pretty much speaks for itself, so I won't say anything more.
