What Happens in a Remote Village Stays in a Remote Village

Just about two hours ago, I finally made it to the remote village of Malfa on the remote Sicilian island of Salina. The first Mediterranean School of Complex Networks is being held here, and I'll be giving one of the "cocktail talks" that go with the school.

I didn't get any sleep last night, I took the coach from Oxford to Heathrow at 4am. Then I flew to Rome, and then to Catania. Then I took a 2-hour bus to a port city, though at some point the bus broke down in rural Sicily and we were stranded in a gas station for 45 minutes before a replacement bus came. And then I missed my 1.5-hour hydrofoil trip as a result of that, though it turns out that it was cancelled anyway. Then my backup hydrofoil to Salina (the last one of the night) was almost cancelled due to its malfunctions but was an hour late instead. And then the cab driver who was arranged to pick me up dropped me off first at the B&B and then at the restaurant where the summer-school banquet was in progress.

I'll take pictures of the place later. It's a pretty island, and the village is basically located on a volcano.

Update (6/12/14): An alternative---and arguably better---title for this blog post would be "What Happens on a Remote Mediterranean Island Stays on a Remote Mediterranean Island".