After a night's rest from our arrival, we decided to venture forth and visit Noto.
Sadly, we ourselves never got to see too much of the beauty and none of the history!!
WELL, we got a bit up one of the hills and then our car died. A hill town's street is only wide enough for two cars and even then you see drivers using the small sidewalks on each side when they need extra room. So you can imagine how happy drivers were with me to be stopped on the side and they had to take turns going around me coming up or down. We found out quickly on our drive to Syracusa that Sicilian drivers DO NOT like to take turns!!!
Thankfully a wonderful Sicilian stopped as he drove past us from above. He must have seen the panic on my face. He stayed with us for almost an hour making the phone calls and translations needed to get our rental company there with a tow truck. His mechanic came and asked if we saw white smoke which I later learned meant a burnt out clutch. I had been driving since the day before and did not see (okay maybe when I took off from the rental place and the 1st street I must turn on is with traffic whizzing by going both directions and I have to find an opening) nor really had what I thought was big problems shifting.
So, the tow truck arrives in about an hour and a half from moment of "auto muerto" which, for Sicily we are told, is pretty fast. The driver speaks no English. We jump in his cab and he drives us to Syracusa where our earlier "knight in shining armor" had made arrangements for us to pick up another car at same rental company. Well, we are now in the 2-3:30pm period where Sicily shuts down for merchants, office workers, etc to go home and eat lunch or rest. We sit on the street of Syracusa and I watch traffic whizzing by me from a whole new perspective. Sicilian drivers live on the edge!!When the rental office opens, we are given another car. I did not have that car long enough to even take a picture of it!! About 2 miles out of town, I get spooked when after looking in the rear view mirror I see a few puffs of white smoke after just transversing several roundabouts which meant for me alot of shifting to keep up with the other drivers. I pull off into a petrol station that does not have a mechanic. Two Sicilians, an uncle and 20ish nephew are kind enough to try to help. They speak no English. But I have alot of information written down in my "travel book" from our debacle in Noto. They call or let me use their phone. I can hear the younger man telling the rental office we just left "auto muerto, auto muerto, auto muerto." I think that will resonate in my brain for quite a while!!
I now insist I be given an automatic. These are much more expensive as it is a supply and demand sort of thing in Europe. As I later tell them back at the agriturismo, "Americans solve problems by throwing money at it" .... but of course, John adds, "yes, even if they don't have it" .... The tow truck comes and thank god, not the same one. He can not speak English so I just keep repeating "dos auto muerto." But I do notice that he gets into the car and puts it into gear to drive it up on a skid. He will also put it into reverse at the car dealership that services our rental company, to get it off the skid. So perhaps I did not really '"kill two cars in one day?"
The rental company does not have an automatic in Syracusa but assure me they do back at their office at Catania airport. They get us a cab and will reimburse us. We get there about 5:30pm. An hour later they advise there are no automatics in stock and will probably have to bring one in from Rome. "Oh great," we both think. All I can come up with is to get back to Syracusa and get a taxi driver that speaks English. I did not know that to do this from the airport taxi line is not that easy. They are in a "que" where they wait in line and take the next fare as they come up. Several drivers come out of their cabs to see what is going on since I am standing at the window of the cab that is NOT next in the que. Me, being me, I strike up conversations with these men and one is wearing a LA shirt. Yes, he has been in USA but visited in Kenosha WI. We had already used our "Chee-ga-go" reference and now these men are our friends and they are talking among themselves for the best solution. They ask another driver to come over and he speaks perfect English. He makes a few phones calls which I learn is to get the okay from all the other drivers in the que to make it kosher with all. I tell him "tell them it's a crazy distraught Americano and they wouldn't want me in their back seats!" This time we pay the $140 taxi ride back and know we will pay it again the next day when they call we have an automatic to rent. I now though have the phone number of Giuseppe (who took us back to Catania next day) who we can call upon our return to Catania when I must get rid of the car the day before we fly out. I also know someone who "knows someone" anywhere in Sicily if we need help again.
We get back to the agriturismo and although Chiara & Lawrence offered food, we just wanted to take a shower and eat the grapes we bought in a small store in Noto. We reflected it was good to be happy with just the small pleasures in life after the day we had spent. What we did learn though is that the spirit of the Sicilians to lend a hand to a stranger is strong and virbrant in their souls. So many offered that we were humbled by their willingness to give of their time and resourcefulness to see us be safe and out of our dilemma. I was truly proud to know that I share some of that same Sicilian blood (although watered down!!) and resiliency.
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