Visiting Syracuse, Sicily

On By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

Syracuse had far fewer tourists than the other places I visited in Sicily in March.

Yet it once rivalled Athens in power and splendour.

Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for its seamless blend of 2,700 years of history, ranging from massive Greek ruins to golden Baroque architecture.

Click PLAY or watch some drone video on YouTube.

I started with a GPSmyCity walking tour of Ortigia Island (Historic Center).

Beneventano del Bosco Palace
Holy Spirit Church. Under reconstruction. No surprise.

Underwhelmed. Not sure why. Everyone else seemed to really appreciate having the place to themselves.

I did enjoy it more at night than in daylight.

BETTER was simply wandering the narrow streets of the old city.

Stumble upon random historic sites not mentioned in my tourist bumf.

Next day I paid 18 Euro to tour the Roman Amphitheatre, one of the 3 largest in Italy.

This and the surrounding grottos were more interesting than the old city, for me. BUT the site is badly organized. Poor signage. Confusing navigation.

Museum quite good, however.

You’ll enjoy Syracuse more than me. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood.

One HIGHLIGHT for me was a small, unpretentious restaurant called PASTA RUN.

Inexpensive. Small portions. Tasty.

Here’s their Pasta Alla Norma, a signature dish of Sicily. It was named in honour of a native of Catania, Vincenzo Bellini, the composer of the opera Norma.

I went back the next day to try their arancine, Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Day Trip to Cefalù, Sicily

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Cefalù is about an hour by trail from Palermo.

The town, with its population of just under 14,000, is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. Despite its size, every year it attracts millions of tourists.

The Cathedral of Cefalù is impressive. Service was in progress when I stopped in. Well attended.

The highlight for me was climbing La Rocca.

Great views.

Plenty of ancient stonework from different historical eras. This was easy to defend.

In the afternoon I hung out at the beach for a bit. Then wandered the narrow streets. Evocative.

Ryan stayed for a few days.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Visiting Palermo, Sicily

On By Rick McIn food, travelLeave a comment

Palermo is Sicily’s cultural, economic and tourism capital. Rich in history, culture, art, music and food. 

Just outside the train station are the Quattro Canti (Four Corners), a Baroque intersection that captures the city’s, ornate, historic, and bustling character.

I started with a Palermo city walking tour using the GPSmyCity app.

Palermo Cathedral

There’s no end to interesting architecture. But — as in the rest of Europe — some are under endless renovation.

I do feel that Sicily makes less a big deal of their tourist attractions. No security. Anyone can do anything they want, even in Cathedrals.

Massimo Theater. 3rd largest in Europe after Paris Opera and Vienna State Opera.

I stayed in an excellent, expensive hostel ➙ Ostello Bello Palermo.

Best was the large guest kitchen which provides all the ingredients to make your own pasta.

The hostel was by the waterfront so I made several trips along the (still being developed) coastline.

It almost never rains in this part of the world. BUT I did get some weather in March.

Click PLAY or watch Rick Steves on YouTube.

Young Sherlock (British TV 2026)

On By Rick McIn movies, TVLeave a comment

Benedict Cumberbatch IS Sherlock Holmes.

But the 2nd best Sherlock Holmes is Robert Downey Jr. in movie hits Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, directed by Guy Ritchie.

When I heard Richie was doing another Holmes project ➙ Young Sherlock on Amazon Prime, I couldn’t wait.

As a 19-year-old at Oxford University, Sherlock Holmes is not yet the master detective he grows up to be. He is raw and unfiltered, and he lacks discipline.

A murder at Oxford puts Holmes’s freedom at risk, and he sets out to solve his first murder mystery that leads him to a global-level conspiracy.

Not nearly as good. But worth watching.

Dónal Finn as James Moriarty, Sherlock’s (friend?) is excellent.

Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge, hilarious.

Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an / Xiao Wei, a young Chinese princess, scholar, and martial artist steals many of the scenes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Excellent.

A Matter of Honour (1986) is a stand alone novel by the great story teller.

In 1966 disgraced British colonel Gerald Scott bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son, Adam Scott. …

It leads Adam to the only official Russian copy of a secret codice to the Alaska Purchase treaty by which the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.

“Seward’s Folly” turns out to have not been a true purchase at all, but a 99-year lease akin to the British hold on Hong Kong, with a right of return to Russia (now part of the Soviet Union) if they can only retrieve their copy before the lease deadline, only days away.

Adam is chased across Europe by the Russians, Americans, and French. And he’s no longer sure he can even trust the British.

Good fun.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Triple Homicide by Patterson

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

3 novellas packaged together.

DETECTIVE CROSS: An Alex Cross Story
An anonymous caller has promised to set off deadly bombs in Washington, DC. A cruel hoax or the real deal?

THE MEDICAL EXAMINER: A Women’s Murder Club Story (with Maxine Paetro)
A woman checks into a hotel room and entertains a man who is not her husband. A shooter blows away the lover and wounds the millionairess, leaving her for dead. 

MANHUNT: A Michael Bennett Story (with James O. Born)
Someone attacked the Thanksgiving Day Parade directly in front of Michael Bennett and his family. The television news called it “holiday terror”–Michael Bennett calls it personal.

Triple Homicide: From the Case Files of Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, and the Women’s Murder Club 

Follow the Sun Boutique Hostel, Malta

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

After 5 days enjoying my stay at Follow the Sun, I hated to leave.

This might be the best hostel deal in Europe.

For less than 21 Euro / night — including a terrific breakfast — you get a fantastic facility in a perfect sun / fun location. You can’t beat this value in expensive Malta.

Traditional Malta breakfast.

Here’s the vista from my balcony. Though it’s a hostel, my room is called the penthouse. 😀

Visiting Valletta, Malta

On By Rick McIn food, hiking, travelLeave a comment

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, the European Union‘s smallest capital city.

UNESCO World Heritage site. A LOT of history.

Founded by the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.

Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the nights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.

Today the strongest influence is from 150 years of British colonial history.

About 30% of the population of Malta are expats ➙ British, Italian, Indian, and Filipino most prominently. You can buy a EU passport with a minimum €600,000–€750,000 contribution. 😀

Population of Valletta as of 2021 was 5,157.

At any given moment, there are far more tourists than citizens. More than 3 million tourists arrive in Malta each year. Most of them visit Valletta.

I started in the afternoon with a scramble around nearby, dilapidated Fort Manoel.

Fort Manoel should be a major tourist attraction — but, as of 2026, most is closed to tourists. Some project renovations to be finished by 2033.

I didn’t get to Valletta until after dark. More evocative than during the day. Mysterious. Even spooky in places.

I do recommend you visit at night.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Another day I joined a free hostel walking tour to Valletta.

We started with 13 tourists from around the world.

Paty, our leader from Brazil, took us to many interesting spots.

We unexpectedly crashed wedding photos.

AND we had a birthday girl. Actually it was the day after her birthday — but the couple had been on the plane flying to Malta the day before.

Over the course of several hours, some of our group took off to meet friends. Or stop for dinner.

Only 6 of us were left by the time we got to Paty’s recommended restaurant, Alexanders by Zizka. Excellent.

I ordered that weird, delicious thin crust pizza. The rest had pasta, some with rabbit — a local favourite dish.

I loved Malta. But the highlights were all on hostel walking tours.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We did take the ferry over to the Three Cities, but only had about an hour there. Time allowing, it would be even better than Valletta being so much less crowded with tourists.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Malta ➙ Mdina, Rabat, Dingli Cliffs

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Excellent Malta hostel day trip with leader Paty.

Here’s our group in Mdina: U.K., USA, France, Spain, Colombia, Sweden, Canada.

Mdina and Rabat are two historic, neighboring towns in central Malta that effectively function as a single destination. 

Mdina, the “Silent City,” is a fortified medieval citadel that served as Malta’s capital until the 16th century. 

I’m surprised it’s only on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This place is amazing.

Rabat, which translates to “suburb” in Arabic, grew outside Mdina’s walls and is renowned for its deep religious roots and Roman heritage.

The biggest highlight ➙ Basilica of St Paul.

For us, Rabat had the best inexpensive restaurants we’d found in the nation.

We loved the savoury Pastizz (Pastizzi) snacks and traditional Maltese savoury pastry parcels called Qassatat.

But the highlight of the trip for us all were the Dingli Cliffs.

We took an Uber van to get there for sunset.