Tues 11. [11 February 1902] Went out to see the Zisa which is the
most typically Arab thing in the town. A square building of the usual
character and in the porch a beautiful bit of mosaic, arches, pairs of
birds drinking, over a fountain which flowed away down some steps
and through the court. A fine Arabic inscription on the {architrave}
entablature. It stands in a shrine with a garden behind and a big stone
pine. This and the washing hung out to dry made a most typical
picture. We left at 12 for Carini which we reached at 1. Walked up to
the town which stands perched on the edge of the hill, and lunched at
a ristorante. We excited much curiosity. The castle belongs to the
Principe Guarini - his arms with a stork on them are everywhere. He
never comes and lives in France and it is all falling into decay. You
look out from its balconies over the lemon growing plain, a small
conca d'oro with steep hills on all sides. This place was Hyccara and
from here came Lais, but I fear she was the last of her kind in beauty.
We walked back to the station through the lemon gardens; it was grey
and rained a little, but very soft and warm. The lemons smelt
delicious. Got to train at 4.30 and reached Castellamare
[Castellammare del Golfo] at near 6 - dark and grey. We are in the
funniest little inn with tiled floors. They gave us an excellent dinner
after which we met some people dressed up like Saracens going out
to dance in the town, for this is Shrove Tuesday - they wished us buon
divertimento and we shook hands warmly and wished them the same.
I had to send a telegram to Trapani - it was quite a function! I was first
formally introduced to the telegraph clerk an elderly lady, and then we
composed the telegram en famille with free exchange of
compliments. At Carini I saw in the houses little girls dancing to
tambourines. Hedges of red and pink geraniums along the line. I
saw Goethe's house at Palermo, near the Porta Felice. Very sandy
coast near Castellamare with the vines growing in the sandy ground
nearly to the sea.