Happy Memorial Day from Tapestry
We are thinking our friends at Burnt Store Marina today as well as those on the
porch of D.Y.C. Here in Syracusa, of course, it is just another Monday. Julie
and I went to town early yesterday morning. It was full of liter and pretty
much deserted. But before long the men with long brooms were sweeping bottles
and paper from the sidewalks into the streets and rumbling mechanical street
cleaners swept up the trash giving the place a whole new look. When we got
together after her run, Julie told me about a busy market over by a canal. We
walked over and found a noisy crew selling sweet fresh tomatoes and other
vegetables along with home made wine, mussels, snails, eels, tuna, and other
fish of all kinds. They were selling new clothing and other things as well.
Julie bought a potted basil plant and a bag of tomatoes. It was a delightful
sunny morning.
Syracusa rose to power in the fourth century B.C. and reached its height in the
second. At that time it was a Greek City State. Cicero said that during its
peak it was the most beautiful of all Greek City States, rivaling Athens in
power and beauty. It's most important citizen was Archimedes, who was the most
brilliant scientific mind of his day. Among other things he discovered the
block and tackle that made heavy construction much easier and more feasible. He
also developed catapults which helped make the city a military power.
One time the King purchased a new crown and wondered whether it was really
solid gold as advertised. He asked Archimedes whether he could figure it out.
He thought about it, and when he lowered himself into his bath he realized that
his body displaced its volume in water. He then leaped from his tub and yelled,
"Eureka!" (That's what most people remember about Archimedes.) He
would be able to measure the volume of the crown and determine if the Crown
weighed the same as an equal volume of solid gold. (It didn't) He was famous
ever after.
During the first Roman attempt to take over, Archimedes used mirrors to
concentrate the sun's rays and to set the Roman sails afire and they were driven
back. Later, when Rome finally prevailed, the Roman soldiers were ordered to
take Archimedes alive. When they broke into his house he was so deep in
thought, he didn't notice. The fact that he wasn't terrified made the soldiers
furious and they ran him through with their spears.
Rulers of Siracusa recognized the value of intellectuals to the ruling class
and they tried to institute the idea of the philosopher statesman. They
understood that educated and creative persons made better leaders than
politicians. Thank goodness that our founding fathers, Jefferson, Franklyn and
others who wrote our constitution, were men of thought.
We saw the remains of the Temple of Apollo here and otherwise enjoyed a
Sicilian City. We had lunch in a small restaurant and spent the day walking
narrow streets and the businesss district where the Colors of Benneton, Espirit,
and GAP prevail. On Monday, we shopped at several super markets, but found
prices a bit high compared to other places in mainland Italy. Perhaps it is the
fact that the Mafia is an 11 Billion Euro "business" in Sicily that
makes prices so high. According to the guide books, back in the Middle Ages,
when serfs were offered protection by the Lord in the Castle, those who
collected the protection money were called the Mafiosa. So the tradition goes
back a long way. Such traditions are difficult to break. The recently rejected
Prime Minister of Italy, Bellisconi, was very rich ( owned 8 Villas and
sumptuous yachts), and had a hard time explaining just where all his money came
from. Some claim that he had Mafia connections as well.
We have enjoyed this place. It is a city deeply rooted in the history of
our world and it is moving to walk on stones that may have been trod on by men
such as Archimedes. Tomorrow the forecast is for more mild weather. We will
head back toward Taormina and, if all goes well, continue on toward Greece.
Happy Memorial Day! The sun has set here a nine in the evening, but it is only
three in the afternoon in the Eastern U.S. Tapestry sits on a quiet sea with
mosquitoes buzzing outside, hungry for our blood, as the evening begins to cool.
All the best. Hank and Julie
P.S. Five solid minutes of Red, White and Blue fireworks just lit up the sky
over the city. Someone here must know what day it is!