A story twice told

   I have been chastised for not finishing the story of the lost tourist in Palermo. "Did you find her?" someone asked. "Did the bus leave without her?" queried someone else. And most importantly, Penny wanted to know, "what did you have for lunch?" The answers, in order, are yes, yes, and calzones.

   I'll give you a quick summary of our day first. The bus took us south to Catania, where it picked up a leg of the Autostrada that runs northwest, across the centre of the island, past Enna, the highest town in Sicily, and to Palermo. Once there, we picked up a local guide, Antonio, who stayed with us until lunch.
   The tour focused on three churches, which we saw in reverse order to their construction. The first built, which we visited later in the day, is the Duomo of Cefalu, built by Roger II, the first Norman King of Sicily, between 1131 and 1148. Intended to be the principal religious seat in Sicily, it is one of the most magnificent cathedrals in Europe. Its awe-inspiring mosaics are highlighted by the now somewhat rare depiction of Christ Pantocrator, the all-powerful king.
   The next church to be built, the first one we visited that day, was the Duomo at Monreale, originally a separate city, but now more a suburb of Palermo. In 1172, King William II, the third Norman King of Sicily, wanted to build a new church based on the design of the one in Cefalu, but he was prevented from building it in Palermo by the Arch Bishop, who would not allow a church more splendid than his own to be built in his diocese. Following on the decoration of the cathedral at Cefalu, but going far beyond, the entire interior of the church is decorated in gold mosaic, featuring scenes from the old testament in the nave, the teachings of Christ in the aisles, choir, and transepts, the Gospels in the side apses, and culminating in the Christ Pantocrator once again. Completed in only ten years, the cathedral at Monreale is a tribute to the wealth and power of the early Norman Kings.
   To put the picture of the mosaic of Christ into perspective (see above link), take these measurements in to account. One of his eyes is forty-five centimeters tall (about 18 inches), and his right hand measures 1.9 meters (six feet).
   Third, we have the Duomo of Palermo,which was begun in 1184 by the Arch Bishop of Palermo, in response to what William II had done in Monreale. Outside, it is a fascinating study in the melding of various architectural styles as it was added to over the course of several hundred years. To quote the tour book we took with us: "the exterior shows the development of the Gothic style from the 13th-14th centuries. The south porch (1453) is a masterpiece of the Catalan style, and at the apse end, sturdy Norman work can be seen through a decorative Islamic-inspired overlay. The dome is 18th century." Although it is larger, and more ornately decorated inside, it does not, in my opinion, match the splendor of the mosaics in Monreale.

   The calzones were quite yummy.

   So, there we were, whispering back and forth amongst ourselves about who was missing, where they might have got to, and what the guide and driver were going to do about it. After waiting almost an hour, the guide announced that we had to leave. Although everyone hated the idea of leaving a person behind, as I have said before, there were thirty other people the deal with. The missing person's companions stayed on the bus as we pulled out of Palermo.
   Just before the bus reached the main highway, the guide's cell phone rang. Our missing tourist had been located. It seems she had gotten lost trying to find the bus after lunch. She wandered around until she recognized a landmark somewhere, and found her way to the main cathedral of Palermo, where we had been earlier in the day. There, an unlikely series of events unfolded.
   A souvenir vendor on the sidewalk in front of the church recognized her. Not only did he recognize her, he remembered which one of the dozens of tours that had been through the church she was with. He also knew the cell phone number of the local guide, Antonio, who had been with us at the time. The vendor called Antonio, who then called the main office of the tour company in Taormina, who then called the guide on the bus, who instructed the driver to turn around.
   She was lucky. We picked her up at the cathedral, and continued on our way, now more than an hour and a half behind schedule. The unfortunate offshoot was thatour stop in Cefalu, one of the prettiest towns in Sicily, had to be cut shorter than planned. Still, we enjoyed the day tremendously.