Splurge in Sant' Stéfano
After a long but pleasant day's riding, this evening I rolled into the lovely coastal town of Sant' Stéfano di Camastra. Call me a lightweight, call me what you will: but there seemed to be no camping options whatsoever around here, and (after roughing it last night) a B&B simply looked too tempting to resist — so I splurged out, and stayed in a B&B in town. And I can't say I regretted it at all: the cost was hardly much more than that of a hostel in Rome (after all, this is rural Sicily, and this is seriously off-season); and the hot shower, comfy bed, and delicious breakfast certainly did me good. What's more, the owner was very nice (although communication was a struggle — ye 'ol language barrier again), and her daughter was quite good-looking.
Sant' Stéfano is a charming place: built on a small hilltop, it's apparently famous for its local works of ceramics; and this is evident, as the main street of the town is chockers full of shops selling their delightful hand-made wares. There aren't that many accommodation options in the town; but the few B&Bs on offer are good; and there are enough eating and shopping places to keep anyone happy for a night.
Ceramic shops in Sant' Stéfano.
After two days on the road, I'm honestly starting to have my doubts about this whole cycle-all-around-Sicily thing. I know that I'm about as prepared as I could be. I know that I won't regret doing it, and that I will regret giving up on it. And yet, I can't help but have an awful lot of fears about what lies ahead. What if I get sick? What if there's really nowhere for me to stay, and I'm stranded somewhere one night? What if my bike really, seriously stuffs up, miles from anywhere? And more than anything: what if I just can't handle cycling all day, every day, all by myself and against all the elements, for several weeks straight? I have no plans whatsoever of giving up at this point — certainly not after it's been good so far, and certainly not after a mere two days — but nevertheless, I really am quite apprehensive about getting through this adventure in one piece. Hopefully my apprehension is completely unfounded, and it will disappear in the breeze as the trip continues.