Chapter Nine~ Golden Chapels


I'm gonna smash my alarm. The dull beeping was driving me crazy! I'd gotten about four hours of sleep last night, and it was around seven in the morning.

"Beep-beep-BEEP."

I groaned. My hand groped around the nightstand for my annoying phone. Breathing a sigh of relief, the beeping ceased. Dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled over to my suitcase, tripping over my clothes from last night, which were strewn all over the hotel floor.

Surveying my limited choices, I picked out a dusty pink, kinda blush colored skirt. It was about mid-thigh, modest, with a thin, pink ribbon looped around my waist, ending in a neatly tied bow.

I matched it with a vintage, white shirt. It was long sleeved and lacy, with layers of lace sewn onto each other. I had found it at an antique shop with my mother a couple of months ago.

Smiling at the memory, I grabbed my white converse, slipping them on my feet, ready for a day of walking. I reached for my limp purse, pulling it onto my shoulder, and walked out the door of my hotel room, beginning the long trek down the stairs.

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Clutching my pastry bag in my hand, I stepped out of the small café's doorway. The wind blew my rosy skirt as I walked down the cobblestone street. I scarfed down my croissant in about two bites.

Stumbling to the right road, I groaned. It was pretty, a winding road overlooking the town with a great view of the beautiful ocean, but it only went one direction, up. I groaned again but started my long journey up the road.

I pulled on my sunglasses, shielding my eyes from the bright sun reflecting off the sparkling, blue water. Walking up the hill, I followed the directions of the kind baker from the café I ate my delicious breakfast at. Finally, after what felt like forever of walking, Norman Palace came into view, in all its majestic, Palace-like glory. As soon as I saw it, I knew the walk up had been most definitely worth it.

It was huge, constructed out of tan, stone blocks. Leafy palm trees lined picturesque walkways leading to different wings. The sun shines off of a large dome standing out, with a bluish-green shackled roof, curving gracefully. The palace itself had many protective walls and parapets surrounding it, with ornate carvings etched into the bricks. Statues of what I assumed to be Italian royalty stood tall and decorative, surveying what once was theirs. A clock tower stood, built into the fancy walls in the left wing of the palace. In all, the palace was massive, painstakingly carved in what must have been years of work.

I saw a ticket booth with a line a mile long, winding down those picturesque walkways. Silently, I thanked myself for buying my ticket online. Following the arrows, I wandered in, through a set of huge double doors.

As soon as I stepped through the fancy doors, I gasped out loud. I was in a huge, high-ceilinged chapel, Cappella Palatina, or Palace Chapel. It was plated in what looked like gold, with curving arches sloping across the tall ceiling in traditional Gothic Romanesque Architecture, the style of the Italian Palace. Ornate, colorful mosaics and painting covered the ceiling and walls. All around me, I saw depictions of Saints and Kings, Landscapes and Cities. Above me, I could see a mosaic of Roger II of Sicily, the King who commissioned for the Chapel to be built. A cluster of delicate stars formed in the ceiling to form a cross. It was beautiful! Gasping in awe, I let my gaze linger, wandering around for one more second, before wrenching my eyes away, and walking into the next dazzling room.

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Blowing a strand of blonde hair out if my face, I plowed down the hill. Man, if I had a Fitbit, it would love me for the number of steps I've taken today. The loud blare of a car horn knocked me out of my spiraling thoughts. Whoops! I'd accidentally walked straight into the road. Waving apologetically, I dashed out of the cobble-stone road onto the paved sidewalk.

It was around two in the afternoon, and my next stop was a gorgeous Church called 'Nobile e Monumentale Chiesa dell'Immacolata Concezione al Capo'. I made the executive decision to just call it 'The Church'.

When I finally got to The Church, I was huffing and puffing. The beautiful but plain Church was in the middle of the town. It was a tall, thin building, ashy white in color, made of wide, stone blocks. I walked up the small flight of white- marble stairs, leading up to the double doors.

I walked inside the Church and gasped again, for what seemed like the millionth time today. The inside of the Church was the most intricately designed buildings I'd ever been in. Statues of historical figures built on pedestals were perched everywhere. Twisting, feathery white borders lined the walls and ceilings. Rows of chairs dark-colored and wooden stood in place of pews. The inside was the same color as the outside, an ashy, greyish white, coating all the statues and decorations. There were gold highlights plating the many crystal chandeliers dangling precariously from the high ceiling, and bordering the murals on the walls.

The paintings showed images from the Bible, baby Jesus with his mother, Mary; the Disciples gathered around Jesus while he preached. My parents had taken me to church for all my life, but it had never looked like this!

Down the carpet between pews, the Altar stood. It was covered in gold and red, sparkling in the fire's glow, from the many candles placed around the Altar. It was one of the most gorgeous things I had ever seen.

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Sitting in my comfy hotel room, I stared out the window at the glow of Palermo. As much as I had loved my time here, I wanted to explore more of the world! But I could see myself returning here for a longer stay. I got up and looked to my phone for inspiration on where to go next.

After a bit of digging, I purchased a train ticket with my remaining sum of euros, leaving me with only three or four, I would convert them back to U.S. dollars before I left. As for where the train was going, a one way, no stop trip to Paris, France! I mean, It was perfect. I, the hopeless romantic; Paris, the City of Love.

The train would leave around eight a.m., so I frantically began packing all of my belongings, including a beautiful sea shell I found on my beach trip. I set my alarm for six thirty and went to sleep after a quick shower.


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