From Above

Trapani, Italy

Travel breeds intimacy. Through it, we become close observers of our self and others. It teaches us that solitude is a gift, alone does not equate to lonely, and there is a time to observe and a time to participate. 

Often when we travel, we feel at once a sense of separation and connection. We are simultaneously a part of and apart from the environment we enter. We observe the lives of others with delight, curiosity and a desire to connect – to locate that thread that weaves a tale of similarity rather than separation. 

Sicily was just that: intimate observation. And my experience in Sicily was a tale of two cities: the lightness of Trapani juxtaposing the rawness of Palermo. 

If Palermo were an astrological sign, it would be Scorpio - secretive, a little dark, both gangster and saint, mystery and edge. It is an eclectic soup of cultures with robust flavor, yet distinctly Italian. 

Trapani is without pretension. It is where you lose time. It carries the energy of an everlasting summer - relaxed families languishing under a Mediterranean sun, eating, napping and swimming. Here, clocks stop, and the same moment is recycled day after day, without apology. 

The rocky coast wraps around the city of Trapani, the long arms of a gentle sloth demarcating the space between water and land, letting you know that like the animal, it is ok to move slowly and take your time. 

I spent several days ambling along the elevated sidewalk that separates traffic from sea, a privileged bird’s eye view of the sun soakers below. I was very much an observer, witnessing from above, quietly content with my voyeuristic approach, capturing the authenticity of the mundane through my lens, relishing this simple pleasure.

On my last day in Trapani, I bought a picnic lunch at a local shop and sank into the pebble beach with food and a book, smiling at the bronzed regulars next to me, metamorphosing from observer to participant. 

We may welcome solitude, we may welcome observation, we may welcome these moments viewed from above. There is learning, contentment and quiet contemplation found in these spaces.  And there is also joy in knowing that at any moment we may choose to connect, to be an active participant in life.