I am in Bezerte, which is a town of historical importance to the Christian Church, and of modern importance to Islam. The call to evening prayer was going out as my escort Bubakar and I were touring the harbor and its market place.  The first language here is French, but Arabic is a close second.  The third choice would probably be Italian which puts my language, English, in the category of usefulness somewhere between Spanish and German.  Were it not for the attentive nature of my hosts thus far, I would be precisely nowhere.  

Yesterday I took the bus from Palermo to Monreale and there I saw my favorite pieces of artwork thus far.  The Cattedrale di Monreale has a fountain out front, the center-piece of which depicts a young man wrestling and hog-tying a great leviathan sized fish.  I was captivated by this sculpture, and would have been satisfied had there been nothing else to see, but there is.  The Cathedral is not well appointed on the outside.  The rough-sculpted bronze statues out front almost convinced me to forego entering the place.  However, if you only have the chance to enter one house of worship in Italy, make it this house.  The ceilings peak somewhere between forty and fifty feet off the floor.  From about twelve feet upward, the entire place is covered in a fine mosaic with a gold-tile used for the negative spaces.  This approach to craft has set every depiction of both saints and biblical stories on fire before your eyes.  There must be over a billion pieces of tile and glass set into the walls of this church which dates from the 1100s.  I hesitated taking a first photograph inside for fear that I would not find a place to stop.  

I think I am finally getting my travelers legs under me.  I am becoming more accustomed to fast friendships which I know will most likely be temporary.  Last night I went to the restaurant owned by the man who helped me find my hostel in Palermo.  Silvio and I shared beer and each-other’s company for about five hours.  This morning Bruno and I talked about God and how there most likely isn’t one, he had a lot of insights about himself to share.  Thank you again for reading these posts.  I am encouraged by your love.  Good night.