Thursday, February 09, 2017

Streets of Catania

We got to Catania when the sun was setting, with a couple of hours to spare before taking the plane to Malta.  When we saw soldiers patrolling the street, I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to feel more secure.  


At almost every street corner, people were selling candied nuts.  They look very similar to the candied peanuts popular in Hong Kong when I was small.  


Another vendor was selling brightly coloured frozen juice bars.  They looked very appetising.  But I cannot help wondering where the colours came from.  


Just meters off the main street, my wife and I stumbled upon the remains of an old Roman amphitheatre.  Some of the rooms under the theatre were still there. 


Same as some of the seating areas.  Well-drawn illustrations explain the original structure, and the parts that have been dismantled or built over.  It is quite thought-provoking to see the very old existing side by side with the new.   Much of the old have been destroyed, and to make way for the new.  But there have also been much effort made to preserve the old for the current and future generations.  Unlike Hong Kong, the fight here is not completely lost yet.  


A man was surrounded by two huge, black mastiffs.  He is on the street.  But he is not poor in terms of canine companions.  


We peeked into the door with a sign which seemed to be advertising something about art.  It turned out to be a market of distinctive crafts.  Such as these nicely-made and detailed facades of miniature houses. 


And these wonderfully whimsical puppets.  


Catania is not a large city and we spent only a couple of hours there.  But we had a surprisingly enjoyable time.  






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