As we are currently docking in Naples, we are think about our last two days in Sicily. On day 3, we spent hours in Ortygia marveling at Greek temples in the Valley of Temples. The best preserved Greek temple in the world, The Temple of Concordia, was absolutely amazing! And the size of the temple to Zeus was mind blowing! Although in ruins, the statues that made up less than half the height of the building made us all look like ants. We learned lots of interesting things too, such as archeologists think that Greek temples are designed to replicate how they would have been made out of wood and even the woodland shrines they may have made before temples. That night, we stayed in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and spent day 4 exploring the city. We saw the cathedral in Palermo which was absolutely beautiful and was allowed on the roof to one of the most incredible views we have seen yet! We also explored a Norman/Bourbon/Carthaginian palace (depending on who ruled at the time) which was beautifully decorated with different types of marble, paintings, sculptures, and geometric designs! Afterwards, we had a chance to sit in the garden and read both a passage from the Iliad and a poem by Robert Service which connected with us about how sad we were to leave Sicily despite the great adventures ahead. The last stanza is but a glimpse of this poem, yet I will leave you with it so you may understand our sadness at leaving. “His honour scrolls shall feed the flame / They mean no more to me / His ashes I with bitter blame / Will take to Sicily / And there I’ll weep with heart bereft / By groves and sunny rills / And wishing my laughing boy I’d left / A shepherd on the hills.”

-JD ’19