The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Sicily Long Stay Tips & Brugge Tours
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Travel Expert Onanta Forbes switched long stay locations from the Canary Islands to Sicily this week so Onanta will join us from Ortigia, Sicily to give us her first impressions of Sicily. Then we'll keep with a European theme and head to Bruges, Belgium and talk with the founder of Brugge Tours to find out everything there is to know about spending some time in Bruges.
Sicily Long Stay Tips
SPEAKER_03Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. And I'm your host, Randy Sharman. For the past month or so, travel expert Onanta Forbes has been wintering in the Canary Islands, but she switched locations this week to Sicily. So in a few seconds, Onanta will join us from Sicily to give us her first impressions of Sicily. And then we'll keep with the European theme and head to Bruges, Belgium, and talk with the founder of Bruges Tours to find out everything there is to know about spending some time in Bruges. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanda Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. We've switched locations now from the Canary Islands to Sicily. You you've uh you've got a new home now.
SPEAKER_02I do have a new home, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity. Um we thought uh uh we knew it wasn't gonna be as warm as the Canary Islands, but definitely um a different feel here. Like we are stepping into the Mediterranean, it's off season here, so you don't see a lot of tourists here as you would like in perhaps spring and summer. Um there is um the like there's not as many stores open to, and they really take their siesta time religiously. Um, and I'm and that's where I perk up is that those time of the day. It's like I'm out and about. But it's it's pretty amazing. I have to tell you though, coming from the Canary Islands back to Sicily, you would think it's just more of a parallel flight, but I actually have to fly back to Barcelona and then back down into Rome and then into Catana. So a little bit of a journey to get here. Uh, tried some new airlines, a fueling or welling. Maybe I look at it and I want to say fueling, but it's welling air. And it's interesting. Um they they disembark, they nobody like when we landed, nobody got up. Like it, they everybody stayed in their seats. And what happens is the students tell you, okay, row one to ten, now you can go.
SPEAKER_03Row 11, yeah. I love that.
SPEAKER_02Yes, it is it is pretty amazing um the way they do it. So something that's different for us, um, definitely. And I, you know what I also like about European Airlines, they allow you to disembark from two doors on the plane, the front and the back. So there's more opportunity. Um, yes, you have to take a bus over to the terminal, but that's okay because the buses are ready and and and um and going. Uh so Katana Airport isn't that big. Um, easy to maneuver, lots of opportunity to take a cab if you don't have a transfer already pre-booked. Uber is in um Sicily, so that's also an option as well. So we um are staying at a Viarfiel rental, it's in the town of Catisia or Ortizia. I'm not saying my my um pronunciation quite the way I'm supposed to, but it's near um Syracusa, and which is about 55 minutes away from Catana. And it's um it's a very beautiful destination here. But I don't know if you've um heard the bad weather that Spain has been having, and even uh Cicily got hit a couple weeks ago by a cyclone, Harry. And um, so big winds are pretty prevalent here, and so the day we arrived, um, it was howlin off the Ionian Sea. And um one of the experiments I wanted if you've been to Europe, you kind of see all these beautiful homes, like uh these uh buildings, they have these big doors, and then if you're lucky and they're open, you can see into a courtyard, and then they're quite beautiful. There's lots of, it could have lots of apartments, like ours has three different floors, and ours is quite well renovated. Um, do look on our my uh different social media and you'll see how beautiful this one is, but you do have to haul your bags, like there's no elevator, and I've accumulated bags as I as I have uh gone along and and God bless my partner because he's hauling these bags up narrow stone steps, and then we get into uh the building. Of course, the first thing I do is I gotta check if the Wi-Fi is working, right? But the high winds knocked it off, and it was and it wasn't just us, it was like the provider, like it wasn't like the unit, so but you learn, you know, like we travel, so you have to learn how to adapt, right? And not everything's gonna be predictable. But we did find a workaround and it's called a web pocket. Have you ever heard of that? No, it's a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device, it's a small pocket-sized router, and it connects to a local um cellular network and creates your own Wi-Fi bubble. So, yes, our provider was out, but there's other providers in Sicily. So instead of relying on, in this case, our rentals internet or paying high international roaming fees, the web pop gives you like um secure, consistent data wherever there's mobile coverage. So this is huge for international travelers. Um, you can connect multiple devices at once, so phones, laptops, tablets. You don't need to swap out SIM cards, and then you get immediate access to maps and reservations, WhatsApp. Um, so it's a reliable backup for local infrastructure fail or fault when it when it falters, right? So um that's binary.
SPEAKER_03So is WebPocket the brand name or that's the device, what it's called?
SPEAKER_02It I'm looking at it, and it's the device, it it's the device name, so the brand name. And you do have to take it with you, and which is kind of cool for me because usually I just rely on public um or hotels or um restaurant Wi-Fi, but now I just stick it in the pocket with my um phone and I have Wi-Fi wherever I go.
SPEAKER_03So if you're in a taxi or in a boat or something like that, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so a learning, right? That you find out when you you're panicking, but a learning. And I can panic if I don't have Wi-Fi. Um so just a few logistics when you're coming to Sicily. So most international travelers land at either Palermo Airport on the West Coast or Catania Airport on the east. Um, but if I was to suggest something to you, the smart strategy is fly into one and depart from the other. Sicily is actually larger than expected, and backtracking eats up your exploration time, right? So think about that. And then withdraw about 250 euros in cash upon arrival. Cities accept um the cards widely, but smaller establishment and markets still prefer cash. And speaking of markets, our um apartment looks right over in Ortesia. They're they're like um their market that sells fish, fresh fish, um, vegetables, fruit, spices. So I'm getting into the habit of in the morning, I just run down, pick up something that I'm gonna make for dinner, and and and not have like big, as we do at home, grocery shop runs, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. How European of you.
SPEAKER_02Very, I'm just ooh lala, ooh lala. I don't know. That's French. I should figure out what what Italian oolala is. Um, and then everybody, or it seems like communication runs on WhatsApp. So hosts, guides, drivers, it's the default. If you need to connect with somebody, and then um I would also just be wary, like you know, stay alert when you're in busy arrival halls or transit hubs, train stations, keep your bag zipped up and your phone secure because they're they do tend to have pit pockets in you know busy areas. If you rent a car, expect narrow roads and a very confident local driving style. In Canary Island, they would practically stand on their brakes to stop for you to cross the road. Here, um, here is not so much. Like you, you, and if you do drive, um like when you avoid entering historic city centers in Palermo or Catania, and it it's due to ZTL zones, and that's limited traffic areas with automated fines. So you do have to know um a little bit about driving and and parking here before you embark out there. And we talked about this before, Randy. Um, I do recommend an international driver's permit. Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03I recommend a driver.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yeah, good point. Very good point. Um and so for city to city travel, buses are often more reliable than trains. So, and it's easy to find out about both. And if you're walking and you will be walking constantly, and you should be, because it's such a beautiful destination. Um, you you should really consider comfortable footwear because of the cobblestones and just the uneven um manner of like um there's like pit potholes for you know sidewalks and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03So watch where you're going, in other words.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Um, and so you know, just I and again, I try to be um local. So Bongiano or Bonacera when entering shops or restaurants, and I did mention to expect an afternoon pause between 1:30 and 4:30, where a lot of the businesses close. Um, if you're visiting churches, um, shoulders and knees should be covered. Um, so so just just a few things to get you prepared. So when you get here, there isn't like a culture shop, which we did experience the first night. We sat down at a local restaurant. So before the meal even begins, before you order, out come hard-boiled eggs. And I'm not getting it. And like it comes with a paper bag of um sliced bread. And um, I didn't realize, but it was like a little bowl of salt. So this is a tradition that traces back to Sicily's rural and agricultural roots. So eggs were nourishing, affordable, and symbolic, especially connected to renewal and abundance. So offering them as a starter reflects uh rustic hospitality. Um, it's it's very humble, very grounding, and a way to say you're welcome here, which I thought was quite neat. And also another thing that I did read up about, because I was very embarrassed, I didn't know what to do with my eggs. Um it was um it takes the edge off of your if you're really hungry. Yeah. Um re at that. So, right, so I was telling you about living above the market, and um the it's open daily, except for Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2, and it's beloved by locals. Like you can see, locals come and get their their meat or their fruit or or whatever they're cooking that night. And it's very authentic. There is like fresh fish um on the counter, there's cats running about um because they're looking for handouts. Um, so locals shop for like uh swordfish and ricotta, tomatoes, pistachios, and herbs. And then for me, it was quite a sensory immersion, like the smells of the citrus, because you everywhere you come along, you'll see lemon trees, olive trees, um lemon um orange trees, the vendors, and this is really they're calling out prices, and so that's in the background too. It um it kind of sounds abrasive, but it's actually part of the experience. Um, and then like the sandwiches are made fresh to order. So it's it's quite alive, um, you know, when you stick your head out in the morning on our balcony and just kind of watch what's going on.
SPEAKER_01Quite neat. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So we're we're in Ortesia, and it and um it's uh a small island that forms the historic center of the city, and that's where um Syracusa began. And Syracusa is like you cross a couple of bridges and you're in Syracusa, and that's like a modern um, it's a larger modern city on the mainland surrounding Ortesia. So it includes like residential neighborhoods, transport hubs, and shopping areas. Um, today we did a little walk and um we went to see uh like a very major archaeological site. It's called Parco Archeologica del Neopolis. Sorry, I'm not, I don't have enough wine in me to say that right. Um, and then Ortizia is just charming. Distinct, narrow alleys, baroque piazza, sea views, and um, and just it's a very beautiful place to stay in and to wander around. So, in short, Ortiz is a historic heart, and Syracuse is the full city around it, and two bridges connect them, physically close, but really different atmospheres. And so the first morning when I went out for a walk, um uh I went like we came upon the waterfront and the Silver Seas Muse was there. So they do have cruise ships that come here. And I and I have to admit, I did not realize that. Um, it was a bit of a surprise to see it. Nice um, yeah, it was kind of cool. Um so and then we it's small enough where we are to explore on foot. And so what we did, we just went um and we walked all around the island, like on the seawall. Um, you clap you uh can pass the piazza domo, and this is where like there's huge ancient Greek temple columns and um within the cathedral walls. Um you can see where like papyrus um grows beside the sea. Um, and then it's quite beautiful when you walk along um the perimeter, just watching the waves just crash along the limestone walls. It's very beautiful, like the Mediterranean is very much present here. Um you can go on um like a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing um bus here, but because it's off season, like when I read on the website, it's supposed to go every 20 minutes, it doesn't, maybe every 20 hours, but we still haven't caught up with it. But you you know it's a good way to get oriented. But if you're a walker, um walk, get a map, um, go to the tourist office or the information booth and and get a map, and then go and go to do that, like and walk around because the weather's actually quite nice.
SPEAKER_03I do I was gonna ask you about the weather because you mentioned it was so different from Canary Islands.
SPEAKER_02Uh so yeah, it I'm not in shorts, I'm not in flip-flops or open-toe sandals. Like I'm layered up. I have like um pants, um, a sweater, uh, a nice fall jacket, um, and and good runners, because you do really need that. Um, and then it's still hot, uh, so you just be mindful of your sunscreen. Um, but it is, you can't, it's not summer here. It's not it's it's not spring either. It's like a cool fall day at home kind of thing.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_02So, you know, when you arrive in Sicily, um you you you you really do need to resist the urge to overschedule. Um, so I I would say day one, walk the perimeter of Artesia, you know, and uh check out the the different restaurants and tavernas um around uh Piazza Domo. And then if you have come from far away, you might want to get to bed early just to let the jet lag work work itself out. Um, of course, you're in Italy, and if you are you do love um coffee, you might want to get a cappuccino or uh or an espresso the next day and just wander the morning market and then um visit the Domo Um de Saracusa early, if um particular in summer, because there's a lot of crowds there, but right now it's pretty easy to go. Um I do see people swimming. It's interesting perspective because locals, if there's sun, all the sun there and they're a little string bikini, just on that, you know, on the cliff, um, enjoying the sun. Um, and then just roam, really. What I think we're gonna do at one point is go on a boat ride, um, a boat tour. It's only gonna be an hour, and then we can see the sea caves that you can't see any other way but by boat. Um, and then just for practical settling tips, like check out where your grocery store is and the pharmacy, and maybe look at what you're gonna um take for transportation, whether it's a train or a bus or um walking, and then make sure you have those basic Italian greetings, greetings because locals appreciate the effort and and um also just relax too, like build in some downtime. So it's it's not a place to be rushed, but it's a beautiful place.
SPEAKER_03It sounds amazing. So I'm looking forward to hearing more about Sicily. How long are you staying there now?
SPEAKER_02Um, we so probably three weeks in total. So we've been here um maybe four days. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Cool.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03Well, we look forward to hearing more about Sicily and some of the other adventures uh while you're there. And uh in the meantime, we can uh follow everything on your social media at Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. And onantoforbes.com, of course, is your website. So always uh fun to chat, Onanta. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. That's it.
Brugge Tours
SPEAKER_03This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformed traveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions you might have. My email address is randy at the informedtraveler.org. And you can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informtraveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at Informed Traveler. That's where you'll find a number of videos and reels from our adventures throughout the year and audio clips from our past shows. Plus, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our February issue is now available. Just go to our website, theinformtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. So let's keep with the European theme and head to Bruges, Belgium now to find out everything there is to know about spending some time in Bruges. So joining me now to do that is Niels Declercq. He is the founder of Bruges Tours. Bruges.tours is their website. Hello, Niels. Hi Randy, how are you? I'm well, thank you. Uh tell me about Bruges Tours. I've never been, and and tell me, I've never been to Brew Bruges, to put it that way, but tell me about uh Bruges Tours, how it all came about.
SPEAKER_00Well, uh it all started uh while we took over a hotel three years ago. So um then I stumbled into hospitality. Um I don't have a background in hospitality, and I learned how fulfilling it is to make people happy and to give them a nice memory uh and share knowledge, experience which they would miss without let's say a guide or a walking tour. Uh that's how it all started.
SPEAKER_03So you came in kind of blind, in other words. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00Uh with a background as a software engineer, I can say that took uh a 180-degree uh turn, let's say.
SPEAKER_03Well, tell me a little bit about Bruges itself, where it is. Uh like I said, I've never been. Uh so just tell me about the area before we get into some of your tours.
SPEAKER_00Sure. Uh pleasure. So Bruges is um and was still uh one of the main uh ports uh to enter Belgium and more globally Western Europe. Bruges has a medieval origin, let's say. And it's like sort of the entrance gate. Uh it's accessible by cruise ship, it's accessible via train. Um connection between Brussels, um Ghent, and Bruges. So uh Bruges is quite accessible and that makes it easy uh for people to stay in Bruges and do like a city trip to Amsterdam to Paris so it's it's like a magnet for traveling more to other places let's say Bruges can be just covered in the hub sorry right yeah yeah exactly nice well uh yeah uh for North Americans I guess uh that's that's the thing about Europe that I find that is that look we are so spread out and to do a three or four hour hour uh car drive or something like that is nothing so to do a one hour or two hour train ride is still nothing and you can be in two different countries in one or two hours in Europe so that's the great thing about it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah and that's that's oh uh my guests also uh think it's quite astonishing we if we need to do a commute of a one hour we find it terrible and we we tried to switch jobs already so yeah Bruges is super dense Belgium is too so uh it's very convenient for Americans to travel over here well and your rail system is uh quite efficient so it's it's easy to get around uh in Europe so so let's talk about uh some of the tours you're offering uh um what is your philosophy behind i mean there's lots of tour companies out there uh so what it what is what sets you apart or what do you what do you like to do to make sure that your your uh guests uh feel welcome and and and knowledgeable after one of your tours yeah um first and foremost I love what I do and I think automatically um by loving what I do I spread the same passion and energy every tour on and on and I think that's already a huge difference in my opinion I've been with several guides group tours etc as a guest and sometimes it's like you're uh hitting the repeat button of a guide for example and that's yeah sometimes a pity because most of my guests who are booking a tour with me are here for once in their lifetime who knows when they will be back and I want to give them the best possible memory and experience of Bruges. So uh let's talk about some of the tours now I'm I'm looking on your website it's uh Bruges.tours and and uh when you say private tours it could be as small as as a couple or uh a family group or or anything like that right yeah exactly so um the maximum size yeah if I really need to cap it is 10.
SPEAKER_00So uh couples or uh small group of friends are also um uh still allowed let's say between quotation marks um but I want to maintain a small group size because of the interaction um I highly uh thrive myself on personal connection and I think you get the best possible impression of a place uh one side of a local and the other side of a tailored uh tour based on your interests is it architecture art um it really yeah every tour is different with me let's talk about the medieval walking tour what are some of the highlights uh that you can point out that uh people can can see on a I love walking tours by the way and I'm a big history buff so uh this would be one that would be I would be circling yeah yeah so uh my walking tour um is actually a a broad introduction tour so the basic itinerary stays the same it's um where uh the enterists come into play is with um how should I say like uh um we have more than twelve museum here in Bruges um each one of them has their own topic so I can then um if time allows it uh for the guests enter a museum um give more uh information about a particular subject for example the dukes of Burgundy if they want more information about that or is it the first world war and bruges the occupation um yeah um there is um time for scene to um actually go beyond the basics let's say so the I the way I understand is now so you have sort of your your basic outline where you'll touch the highlights and then cater it to whatever the interests are of that group or or couple or whatever right yeah exactly and why this is possible is because Bruges is very small actually within 45 minutes you can cross east to west let's say so you just need to find your way and there's no better way to do that than with a local let's say uh some of the other tours you do have uh bike tours uh a castle visit would be fun yeah yeah you certainly need to do that one the castle of Lopham is really a hidden gem um that's the problem uh public transportation uh there is difficult so you basically need an Uber or a taxi to go there uh because it's not addressed by bus or by train um or you can go by mic. Okay so yeah now being a big uh history buff the one that stands out for me too is uh is Flanders so uh tell me about that one Flanders Fields is really um my biggest passion let's say because yeah it's either a very emotional and sensitive topic but still very actual um the bloodshed over there may never be forgotten uh thing again is yeah Bruges is super uh connected via public transportation while Yper uh which is the region of Landersfield is difficult to reach you you might need to hire or rent a car because also the cemeteries are widespread let's say and to get the most out of your visit I recommend of course a guide uh takes a one hour drive from uh Bruges to Yper while with public transportation you can easily lose uh double the time so that's that would be an all-day affair type of thing if you're doing that one right yeah I also offer like say the crash visit uh where you have the most important um memorial sites like Tyne Court or the Menengate um and that's a unique offering also in Bruges because yeah people typically stay two nights in Bruges so one night to discover the city itself and one day to either do a bike tour or go to Flandersfields and so time most of the uh time uh for most of the visitors are is limited let's say that's why I offered this yeah well getting back to your original point about using Bruges as a as a central start uh starting point uh you could stay there for your whole duration seven days ten days and do day trips or do uh uh trips to like you say Amsterdam or Paris or something like that right yeah but it's uh most of the time well I don't know how Bruges does this in marketing but most of the people when they uh end the the the walking tour let's say they say oh god damn it we should have known and booked longer so yeah that's something yeah that's what what I want to give to people if you really want to um flip Bruges uh from the inside out let's say you really need to book at least three nights over here uh huh is there a better time to visit I know like there's a lot of stories now about the crowds and uh tourists and things like that is there is there a a better time to to visit uh Bruges well if you take into account the weather in Belgium which is yeah unpredictable uh March is still doable uh but starting from April Easter then we really have the peak season may is busy very busy uh June is quite okay so I would place my bets on June. Hmm interesting so tell tell me more a little just a little about uh like like first time tips about just visiting Belgium in general like I said I've never been so uh hold my hand for a minute and and give me some some advice on just visiting Belgium in general all right my pleasure so if you don't rent a car you can uh access quite easily all of the schedules of trains buses Google Maps is your best friend over here we um also tend to have a lot of strikes so take that also into account um uh and I would suggest people to not fly on Brussels South airport because it's uh difficult and it's not so well connected than Brussels airport so if you arrive in Belgium I would advise to do it via via Zawentem we call this Brussels uh airport not Brussels South how far is Bruges from Brussels uh it's uh one hour and fifteen minutes on the train uh and you don't need to change trains so it's super convenient.
SPEAKER_03Um anything else you want to add about Bruges Belgium and just tours in general?
SPEAKER_00Uh well uh I think Belgium is really a must see I uh would highly recommend to visit Belgium because it's also so small we have a lot of history from uh very recent World War II uh to Roman Empire let's say so uh yeah I would definitely uh visit Belgium on uh a sunny period let's say not in the rainy days good advice Niels de Clercq is the founder of Bruges Tours you can check out all the tours and learn a little bit about Belgium and uh planning your trip uh Bruges dot tours is the website it was fun chatting with you Niels thank you so much thank you Randy for this week if you have comments or questions we'd love to hear from you if you have a show ideas and that along as well my email is Randy at freeinformcappelist.org if you'd like to get telephone check on what we're doing with FreeInforms in the meantime thanks for listening to CabelSpace and feedinform