Malta: Part 5 (Last one!)

We were in Malta over Christmas, and that made the second half of our vacation a lot slower-paced than the first few days, though no less enjoyable. Since our first few days took us all over the island, we elected to stay somewhat closer to home over the actual holiday.

On December 23rd, we braved public transit (so easy!) to Valletta after our falconry adventures, with the intent of exploring the capitol city and finding some good food. Malta is known for its rabbit dishes, so that's what we both had. Tony had a traditional roast rabbit and I had rabbit stuffed with asparagus and spinach; each dish came with a white wine and garlic sauce. Mwah! Deeee-licious. We also visited the archaeological museum, which was only about 5Euro and quite well done. There were some original artifacts from the temples we'd visited earlier in the week, including the fat lady statuettes, and just a host of other interesting things. We saw a sarcophagus and a really neat exhibit of Malta through the ages as represented by a hundred different artifacts.  Valletta has several different museums, and I only wish we'd budgeted more time for some of these cultural explorations.

Christmas Eve was somewhat uneventful, but we took public transit again to check out the former capitol city of Mdina, or Imdina. It was on my "must-do" list, and I'm glad we went, though I do wish we stayed for dinner as well. Hands down, this city had the best urban views on the entire island! We took a bus from our hotel directly to the old city, and walked through one of the arches in the medieval wall surrounding which surrounds it. The former moat has been made into a park, and it looked really beautiful, though we didn't walk down there at all. I believe Mdina is connected to the city of Rabat, which is a lot larger. Though Mdina is technically its own city, it really is more like a neighborhood. It was very quiet, and no cars are allowed unless you are a resident with a special permit.

Park in the moat

Since we arrived on Christmas Eve, somewhat late in the afternoon, not many places were open. In fact, a few places closed just before our arrival or just as we got there. Too bad, as I was really interested in some of the glass shops and the medieval dungeons!

Mdina, aka King's Landing

The dungeons, which we sadly did not get to tour.

We passed the main church square, in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. Though the site has been occupied since 4,000BC, the church was rebuilt in the 1600s. For some reason, there were two cannons out front and we got a kick out of watching some little tourist boys crawl all over them. We also noticed a police booth directly next to the St. Paul's convent, which was also pretty amusing. Tony pretended it was a T.A.R.D.I.S. and took a picture inside of the booth; it literally looked like an old phone booth and I cannot imagine what possible practical use the local police get out of it. We went into the church and were astounded at all the marble work. The entire floor is covered in grave markers and monuments to local families, and in one of the alcoves to the side there was a magnificent model of Bethlehem. We didn't stay very long, as it appeared they were getting ready for mass.

Convent + Police Booth = Good Idea??

Boys and a universal love of artillery

Part of a Christmas display in St. Paul's Cathedral

Inside St. Paul's

After passing through the church square, we went to a scenic overlook portion of the city, right near the top of the wall. It was breathtaking; you could see many other towns, and got a good feel for the topography of the island, and got a really good look at the river adjacent to Mdina. We were able to correctly identify the road we traveled on to enter the city, and I was quite proud of our skills until I remembered Tony has tons of experiecne looking at places from an aerial view...It seems there are several restaurants and cafes which take advantage of these views, plenty with outdoor seating. Some of my favorite moments exploring Mdina came from glimpsing hidden gardens and peeking down tucked-away alleys, and I could not get over how clean and quiet it was, especially when compared to the dirty and crowded tourist-trap that is Venice. We compared it to our imaginary versions of King's Landing, from the Game of Thrones stories. So much limestone! I could just picture Cersei prancing about in disdain, or a-hole Joffrey cantering a horse through the stone streets. We left just before sunset, and cuddled on the bus ride home.

Mdina just before sunset

Christmas Day was pretty quiet. We stayed in our room and watched the Grinch, drank some wine, and cooked a decadent brunch. We walked on the beach again, and then enjoyed a dazzling Christmas buffet at one of the hotel restaurants. We also goofed around with some photo props, and took pictures with reindeer antlers, Santa statues, feather boas, and Santa hats. You gotta enjoy the little things in life, right? That pretty much concluded our Malta trip; we ate breakfast at the hotel on Friday and then flew back to Italy. We had a six hour layover in Rome, which was marked by a harmonica player at our gate and some really amazing pastries. We landed in Venice around 10pm and hitched a ride home with our wonderful friend Fay and her mom. Unfortunately, we came home to a freezing cold house, as the power was out, and lost everything in our freezer. Back to reality!

Malta: Part 4

I really do have a lot to say about Malta, which is impressive since it's a very tiny island and we were only there for 7 days. The people were very friendly and the locals were always happy to give directions and suggestions.

We flew in on Friday and had luggage issues, and went to bed early. Saturday was consumed with the bus tour, so Sunday we wanted a lazy and relaxing day. We went for a walk on the beach, and the water was exceptionally cold, but it was beautiful! Our hotel had a dive and water sports shop, and we visited it to get the scoop on potential snorkeling and scuba diving trips. Ultimately, we didn't do anything water-based, but I would love to go back for some of those opportunities. There's a marked "snorkeling path" from the hotel beach, lots of shipwrecks, and some good shore dives. Malta law requires all visitors go diving with a guide, and the going rate is usually 40Euro per dive, with all equipment included. I really think that's a good deal.

After lunch on Sunday, we took a cab to Julian's Bay and visited the casino. I played roulette for about two hours and lost 12Euro. Tony scoped out the poker scene but I don't think he wound up playing very much. Frankly, it was kind of disappointing, but I always enjoy me some roulette! We walked around and had drinks and tapas, and then went to the movies. In English! We saw the third Hunger Games film. Then we had more drinks and Tony got kissed at a bar/club. You should ask him about it sometime - it was hilarious! We walked around some more, kind of looking for food and/or drinks, but by then I was pretty tired and my stomach was mad at me, so we caught a cab back to the hotel and called it a night.

On Monday we rented mountain bikes from our hotel and hit the trails in the National Park adjacent to Golden Bay. My bike was a little big for me, which was a bit of a struggle, and the park was a) hilly and b) rocky, which was not the best combination. I whined a bit and we definitely walked the bikes up the worst of the trails. The park is called Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park, and it was starkly beautiful and had amazing views of the water. It had some old historical and archeological sites, which we didn't really explore, though I got a nice picture of Tony in his bike helmet with the cliffs and ocean as a backdrop.

Hail the conquering hero

Maybe I should have led off with this, but we rented the bikes to ride to a destination, not just through the park. Any guesses where we were headed? I'll give you a hint: there's a song about it...No? Sweethaven! Still not familiar? That's the fictional town where the 1980 Robin Williams movie 'Popeye' was filmed! After we rode through the park, we were at the top of a hill (I am not exaggerating how hilly that place was. And I'm not ashamed to admit I pushed my bike up the scariest and rockiest paths) and basically got to coast downhill all the way to the village. I'm not crazy about high velocities on a bicycle, so Tony went shredding ahead of me while I zig-zagged and rode the brakes most of the way down. I counted three dead hedgehogs in the road. Frowny face! Malta is blessed with breathtaking views, and much like my first view of our hotel, I was in awe when I first glimpsed the Popeye village. It has been painted in the years since the film, and is far more colorful now. It sits on the water of Anchor Bay (so named because it used to be a disposal location for old ship anchors) and consists of something like 20 wooden buildings. Most of the construction materials were brought in from overseas, and the film team employed a group of ceramics-makers and seamstresses to create the majority of the set decorations and costumes. While I really enjoyed our tour, it was also a little sad, in the same way that state fairs are both wonderful and shabby, best viewed at dusk and not the harsh light of day.

Sweethaven, aka Popeye Village

Real boat in the harbor!

Some of the highlights of our excursion to Sweethaven were the wooden character cutouts (because everybody who knows me knows I love cheesy photo opportunities) and the watch tower. Less impressive was Santa's village, which is naturally seasonal and was filled with some truly creepy and scary elves, and smelled faintly of mildew. I also appreciated getting to go inside the buildings and get a closer look at all the props, and there was even a mini-museum with all sorts of old comic books, Popeye toys, and photographs. We also got to watch a 20-minute documentary on the filming of the movie, which was educational and entertaining! The walls of the theater were plastered with stills from the video, and it was really fun to see pictures of the cast and crew, so young! It was a little difficult to ignore the cobwebs and fading paint, but we were really happy we took the time to visit.

Cheeeeeese!

Popeye, Olive, and Sweet Pea figurines in the museum

Watch Tower in Sweethaven, overlooking Anchor Bay

We rode our bikes mostly up the giant hill, and wisely took the roads back to our hotel instead of biking through the park again. It took a little longer than we planned, and we missed lunch. So when we got back to the hotel we showered and headed down to one of the restaurants to have tea for two. It was fantastic! We got a pot of black tea and got a tiered stack of assorted sliders and desserts. Everything was pretty and delicious! I don't know that I've ever had a proper tea before, unless you count Irish breakfast tea - wait for it - for breakfast in Ireland, so it was a great way to spend an hour with my handsome husband, who is now a tea convert. After tea, we played several rounds of air hockey, and I am pleased to say that I was able to hold my own against Tony, who is a very fearsome competitor. I think we played 5 games, and time ran out on us on the fifth game because our battle was so even. Tony was ahead when the table shut off, so the tiebreaker goes to him. I'm not ashamed to admit it. :) We cooked dinner in the hotel room and that was the end of Sunday.

Malta, Part 3: Falconry Centre!

I'm skipping ahead in the Malta timeline because this was the best day of the entire vacation and I just can't wait any more to talk about it! Or maybe just post a bunch of really fun pictures of me and Tony hanging out with the birds and grinning like idiots. I cannot recommend this experience enough if you ever venture to Malta!

We booked the full day falconry course/experience (for 80 Euro/person; a splurge but so worth it) at the Malta Falconry Centre, which began at 0930. Since we weren't quite sure the best way to navigate there via bus from our hotel, we also went ahead a booked a taxi ride there in the morning, with a plan to bus to Valletta afterwards. We asked the taxi driver to show up at 0830 because I am paranoid about being late to things, and we weren't sure what traffic would be like on a Tuesday morning. Turns out, I needn't have worried and we didn't have to leave so early after all, because we arrived at the center just before 0900; fortunately, they were open.

We walked into the welcome area, which also doubles as a little coffee shop, and introduced ourselves. They weren't quite ready for us, so we were just about to order some coffee and tuck in for a little wait when the owner, Doreen, strolled in. She instantly made us feel at home and volunteered to take us on a tour of the center while we waited for class time to start. We started up a slight incline past the parking area, and started with the eagles. I'm not sure what we envisioned for the day, but everything pretty much surpassed our expectations. Doreen opened the center 7 years ago, though she's been taking care of birds of prey for 9 years, if I remember correctly. Most of the birds were born in Malta, or at least Europe, though she had birds native to many parts of the world. I thought it was more a rehabilitation center, but it's more to introduce birds of prey and the art of falconry to the island, though of course she cares for whatever birds they have. She has also bought birds who were being abused by their owners, so in that sense she is a rescuer and rehabilitator; it may only take a week or two for birds to learn how to fly for a human.

Doreen had some very tall, fenced or netted enclosures like what you'd see in a zoo. In those, she had three or four different kinds of eagles, some vultures, and some Peregrine falcons. There were a couple of other large birds that I can't recall at the moment. While all of the smaller birds had names, Doreen does not name the larger birds; I think primarily because they don't really handle or fly them, and so don't really get attached to them. And boy, was she attached to the other birds. After we saw the big ones, we went through a tour of the yard, which consisted of two rows of partial enclosures, with a cable run to a perch or stoop out front. The birds were tethered to this cable so they could take only short, low flights. She had owls, many Harris Hawks, and at least one more vulture. Probably other kinds of birds as well, but those are the ones I remember. Each of these birds had a name, often for some physical feature or personality characteristic. Doreen also admitted that she sometimes changes the names of the birds if she thinks of something funny or they remind her of, say, a cartoon character.

This is Lurch. I don't know why he was named and kept with the smaller birds, but he is a handsome fellow.

By this time, it was 0930 and we met Warren, who would be our primary teacher/guide/bird sherpa throughout the day. We started out with some introductions and he gave us a brief history on the art of falconry, and brought us into the workshop. There were two Little Owls and two types of kestrels being cared for in there, and the place did not smell good. Like bird poop, mostly. I suppose that comes with the territory, but it took me a few uncomfortable minutes to get used to it. Warren then explained that most of the birds they fly on a regular basis (not for hunting, just for demonstration and exercise) have a healthy or safe weight range for flying. If the weight is too low or too high, it's not good for the birds. They get weighed every day, unless the centre is closed. So we jumped right in with gloves and set out to fetch the birds for weighing. Warren showed us how to hold the jess, or tether, in safety position so the bird couldn't get away from us, and also how to position our hands (gloved, of course) so the bird would step on and off its perch. Our first bird was Dexter, and Tony fetched him off the perch and brought him back to the workshop to be weighed. I think his flying range was something like 680-750 grams - bird bones are essentially hollow and feathers don't weigh too much. Warren was really fantastic about letting us take pictures, and insisting that we took turns handling the birds and trading off the camera. He really took his time and patiently answered all eleventy million of our questions. Did you know much of the falconry equipment is made of kangaroo leather? It's tougher than cowhide. After handling Dexter, we weighed a few owls and another hawk, then took a coffee break.

Some of the birds really like to be petted or scratched, just like a dog!

The Malta Falconry Centre is a family enterprise. Doreen is the owner, and her daughter works in the coffee shop/gift center. Her son, a contractor in his regular job, also comes in to work with the birds and help with grounds upkeep. Her husband is also a contractor and apparently a lot of the family money goes right into the centre; Doreen says it is a labor of love and isn't fully self-sustainable. You can really tell she cares about these creatures. After our coffee break, we went to a field near the top of the hill on which the centre is built to observe a public demonstration. I think those happen daily from 1130-1300 or something like that. The day we were there, a few days before Christmas, the public show had an audience of less than a dozen people. Doreen and Warren came out with owls and pointed out some distinctive characteristics about the way they fly, and then went down the line so people could pet, hold, and otherwise interact with the owls. Apparently in the summer time their crowds can be upwards of 200 people, and they often have school groups come to visit, so I felt special in getting all the one-on-one attention. They even called Tony up to help with a flying demonstration, and to pull a lure across the field for one of the birds. After finishing with the owls, Warren brought out two of the Harris Hawks, which are some of the only birds to hunt in teams. They further explained the anatomy of the birds, and in particular pointed out the white tips on the birds' tail feathers, which are used for communicating while flying and hunting.We also got to see first hand the difference between how owls fly and how the hawks fly. Warren directed the birds to various perches throughout the field, and demonstrated how they are alert and answer when their names are called. The birds are definitely treat-motivated; while they are often used to hunt other birds (the owls had to be put away before the hawks were brought out, as they are natural prey for the hawks), these guys got a special reward of part of a dead chick every time they did something the handler wanted. To get a bird's attention, Warren would hold up his hand and tap his glove while calling the bird's name. He also had a whistle to which the birds responded; one call to get their attention and one alert to let the bird know it had just done something favorable. Not too different from clicker-training a dog, I guess.

A distinct resemblance

Finally, Doreen and Warren dismissed the general public and it was time for Tony and I to have our flying lesson! Warren brought out one of the hawks (alas, not a falcon) and sent us to opposite ends of the field. He kindly used my camera to take a couple hundred photos of the two of us with the birds. Toward the end, you could tell the bird was getting less interested in flying, which meant his craw was getting pretty full. You could definitely see his craw was extended from the throat, and quite full. Interestingly, owls are some of the only birds that do not have craws, so you have to be careful how much and how quickly you feed them, as they digest food a little differently from other birds. Not only did we get to fly the bird back and forth between us, but we also got to throw the food or bait into the air for him to catch mid-flight! Have I mentioned what an amazing experience it was?

One of my top favorite pictures of me, ever.

After the flying lesson, we went back to the workshop. While Doreen fed the little owls and kestrels, Warren showed us how to tie a falconer's knot, which is used to connect the bird's lead to the glove. I'm pleased to say that Tony and I were very quick learners, and that to the best of Warren and Doreen's recollection only one other person learned as quickly as the two of us. Thanks, Girl Scouts and Coast Guard! (Tony's just naturally good at everything. He obviously was never a Girl Scout or in the Coast Guard.) I could rave on and on about how nice Warren and Doreen were - giving us restaurant and tourist information, patiently answering all of our questions, etc - but I will close with one more story which illustrates their kindness.

When we went to the coffee shop to pay for the experience, Doreen's daughter presented us with training certificates and a little booklet of information, so we wouldn't forget the things we learned that day. I pulled out my credit card, and their faces fell. Apparently I didn't read the fine print closely enough, because they don't have a processing machine. And unfortunately, Tony and I didn't quite have enough cash to pay. I asked if they would take a personal check to cover the difference, but Doreen said no. However, she told us there was an ATM in her town just a few minutes away, and offered to drive us. So we piled in her little car and zipped over to the ATM, and then back to the shop. Then, after we paid and she learned we were going to catch a bus to the capitol, she insisted on driving us BACK to town and dropping us off at the correct bus stop! Talk about good customer service. Two thumbs up, five stars, 10/10!

Here's the link to their website:
http://www.maltafalconrycentre.com/

Malta, Part 2

We got up very early on the Friday before Christmas to head to the Venice airport. We parked in the garage on post and hitched a ride on the military shuttle, which was quite convenient. Since we were so early, our counter at the airport wasn't open yet and we spent a few minutes just hanging out. Check-in went smoothly and we had time to grab coffee (hot chocolate for me!) and a bite to eat as well as wander around all the shops. Our flight to Rome was just under an hour, and from there it was about an hour and a half to Malta.

Once we landed, Tony's luggage came out pretty quickly but mine never appeared. After waiting in line practically forever at the baggage counter, I was told it would be delivered the next day and the lady handed me a nice overnight kit. At that point, we were about two hours later than I thought, and I was worried our fancy-pants driver would have left us, but he was still waiting out front with my name on a sign, as promised. He had gotten concerned and called our hotel to make sure we didn't find alternate transportation, but in the end all was well. We hopped in his not-so-fancy car and headed out. The weather was sunny and clear and glorious and warm, and we enjoyed the drive - on the wrong side of the road - out to our hotel. We stayed at the Radisson on the West side of the island. On the way out, we picked our driver's brain for restaurant and sightseeing suggestions, and he also pointed out some neat landmarks. I will never forget rounding a bend and seeing our hotel for the first time. The Radisson is built into a hill on a bay, overlooking a beach and some more of the coastline, as well as one of the famous watchtowers scattered throughout Malta.

I left off the last post halfway through our hop-on/hop-off tour. I had to borrow a shirt and socks from Tony, and was wearing my black boots which are both stylish and comfortable. However, the next stop on our bus tour was the Blue Grotto caves; since it was so late in the afternoon we decided not to hire a boat but instead climb out on the cliffs for a better view. This means my boots were really not appropriate footwear for hiking; we may have been better served walking up the road to a scenic overlook, but it was really gorgeous. We followed a family with a few kids over the limestone non-path; I figured if the five-year old could do it, so could I. The Blue Grotto is a series of caverns on the South side of the island, and even though it was somewhat protected, it was a bit windy and choppy, so hiking was definitely more fun for me than a boat ride would have been. The water was really gorgeous and it looked like a great spot for scuba diving. 

This island is now a bird sanctuary

We were there not long before sunset

Looking East toward the caves, before we started hiking out

  

Me and the cute but inappropriate footwear

Malta, Part 1

When Tony and I were looking into possibilities for our winter vacation, we were almost overwhelmed with options. I know, whine whine first world problems, poor us. One of the first decisions we made was to narrow it down to places we could trade and use a timeshare week. Honestly though, that still left tons of options! We debated finding some place in the mountains, maybe Switzerland or Austria, but quickly ruled that out because they tend to be a little more expensive, Tony isn't a skier or snowboarder, and neither of us necessarily wanted a snow vacation. We talked about EuroDisney, but thought that might also be a little cold for us.

Some of the next options we batted around were Croatia and Slovenia, but the locations there were slim pickings, and tended to also be in the mountains. We also considered the South Coast of Spain, Thailand, and Sicily. Thailand quickly came off the list for travel reasons and language barrier. We thought the Coast of Spain was going to be our top choice, as there were many options for lodging, and we even considered making a road trip and stopping off at a few different fun halfway points. But...our car is still broken and that wasn't a good option. Travel would be cost prohibitive even if we flew into Barcelona and rented a car or took a bus or train, so we ultimately decided to table that idea and focus on Sicily. Believe it or not, it would be easier to get to the South Coast of Spain than to Sicily! We are talking 12 hours on not-so-reliable trains, or a grueling combo of driving and ferries and with the car and our timeline, that was out, too.

We were on the bring of "just" hitting a few cities in Italy, when we realized we hadn't done a lot of research on Malta. Tony found some cheap plane tickets, so we decided to seriously consider it. Then we realized they use the Euro and speak English! Malta was looking better and better. I double-checked timeshare availability and booked a room with a kitchen. (By that time plane tickets had nearly doubled, but were still very reasonable. Shop early, people!) Now the second-best part of vacation: planning!

I started searching on TripAdvisor and ye olde Google, and learned that Malta is home to some very old ruins, historic harbors, beautiful churches, and parks with cliffs and beaches. I was intrigued by the Segway tour options, and Tony and I decided we definitely wanted to do some traditional touristy things and that sounded fun! There were also a lot of fun Christmas events going on, and when we learned temperatures were predicted to be in the 60s, we started to get even more excited. Malta is comprised of two main islands, Malta and Goza, with several smaller ones, about 90km from Sicily. There were a few things we wanted to do on the island of Goza, but we never quite got around to it. One of the other things I stumbled upon during my research was the Malta Falconry Centre, where you get to learn about and fly birds of prey. That quickly moved to the top of the list of must-dos for us, and was the first thing I reserved in the way of events. Ultimately we decided to play Segway by ear, and booked a Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour for our first full day in Malta.

Normally I turn my nose up at those kinds of tours, but in Malta it was a really smart choice. There were three options, and we chose the route on the Eastern and Central parts of the island. For 17 Euro each, we got an amazing tour of the island and hopped off to do some exploring on our own. We arranged for transport from our hotel, and got to drive through some of the bigger cities, including the capitol of Valletta. We met the bus at the main bus terminal, and set out on our adventure. We passed some beautiful castles, churches, and harbors, and got off in the town of Paola. We were about 45 minutes early for the next tour, so we bought a meat pie from a local vendor to split and wandered around a bit. Actually, the dude accidentally gave us an apple pie, which was quite tasty. Anyway, the Hypogeum is an underground tomb system that was discovered in the late 1800s when construction workers digging a cistern accidentally broke through to some of the chambers. It is the only known prehistoric underground burial chamber in the world.

The Hypogeum is very well-protected, and custodians monitor the levels of light, heat, and moisture in the chambers. Because of this, only ten people are allowed to enter each hour and a total of 60 people per day. In our group, there were only five of us. The tour lady gave everyone audio guides so we could follow along with the narration as we stopped at pre-approved locations in the caverns. We weren't allowed to take pictures, so the photos below were scavenged from other places on the internet. The Hypogeum was carved out before the Bronze Age, when men didn't have metal tools yet! I can't imagine them crawling into the caves and using bone and stone to carve them out by hand, especially among all of the decomposing bodies in various states of decay. Ugh, the stench. They say more than 7,000 people were buried there over the years. There are three levels to the tombs, with caverns of varying sizes. In some places you can still see the painted decorations, which are traditional scrolls and swirls found all over Malta. One of the neat things we learned and got to experience is the natural resonance of one of the main spaces called the Oracle Room; when people talk or hum into a certain corner of the room, the whole placers resonates and echoes and it sound spooky and amazing! They Hypogeum is also known for a collection of carved figures that were collected there, especially its corpulents. There's a picture of the most famous one, the sleeping lady, below.

Main Chamber of the Hypogeum

Decorative Painted Spirals

The Sleeping Lady

After our tour of the Hypogeum, we had some time until our bus came around, so we walked around a bit more and wound up at the Tarxien Temples. These temples are a are UNESCO World Heritage Site and date back to 3100BC. At this location, tourists can walk around the perimeter on an elevated walkway, and then through the center of the temples before exiting. It's a self-paced tour and there are several informative signs posted along the way. I think it cost something like 7 Euro a person and since we were rushed we did it in about 30 minutes, but I can't imagine spending much  more than an hour there even if we had all the time in the world. We learned these temples were discovered when local farmers kept complaining of finding and running into large rocks when plowing their fields sometime in the early 1900s. It's very strange to find such giant rocks and carvings in the middle of what is now a city, for sure! Nobody knows exactly why or how these temples were built, but archeologists discovered stone rollers outside one of the entrances that are theorized to have been used like giant ball bearings to move the slabs of stone. They also think it may have been used for rituals and animal sacrifice, especially since many of the carvings involve animals like goats, cows, and pigs. (On an interesting side note, later on in the trip we learned that giraffe, elephant, and other large mammal bones have been found on Malta, along with calcified sea creatures, which indicate Malta has been both buried underwater and connected to the mainland at various points in time as the earth's climate changed.)

Okay, that's all I've got for today. Definitely more later, since I haven't even gotten through the first 24 hours yet!

Reading Wrap-Up

I started keeping (a little) better track of the books I've read this year, or at least since the last blog update.(June Reading Update) I'm just going to throw them all down with some comments. It seems I average about a book a week, plus whatever reading I have to do for school, not counting whatever trash novels (ahemNoraRobertsahemDanielleSteele) I read while flying back and forth over the pond on my international jet-setting adventures, of which there have been ahem several. This year more than any other has also been marked by books I've started but not managed to finish. Usually once I start something I see it through, but several books have been off-putting, boring, or, just not in a style that grips me, and I decided not to see them through. And I don't even feel guilty about it! (Zeitoun was one of those. I fully expected to enjoy it, or at least find it compelling, because of the Louisiana-Katrina angle, but just. Did. Not. Like.)

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. This one is set in 1941 and after with a Lithuanian family's deportation to Siberia by the Soviets. If you love art, and love, and stories of human triumph, and aren't put off by the realities of labor camps and freaking cold weather, read it.

Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. An oldie but a goody, and is really about the pulls between brains and emotion, interaction and introversion, love and acceptance. Science fiction story about a not-smart guy who is scientifically made smarter after a mouse named Algernon undergoes the same procedure. I may have cried. Fine, all right, I did cry.

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. LOVED IT! Music and magic and dragons!!!! C'mon, aren't you intrigued already/

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. Somehow I never read this one as a kid and decided I couldn't live life without that rite of passage. Turns out, I could've.

A Brief History of Montmaray, by Michelle Cooper. Meh. Pre-WWII crumbling royal family on a crumbling island, kids and teens and distant-but-doting-but-strict aunts. It was slow but had a great, if pat, ending. I think I may enjoy this more if I read it in a different frame of mind. As in, not stressed out by school and feeling pulled in a bunch of different directions.

To Marry an English Lord, by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace. This one was a pretty fascinating look into the exodus of rich American women overseas looking for titles, namely late 1800s to early 1900s, and broke lords coming to America looking for moneyed wives.  If that sounds interesting to you, go for it.

Before I Fall, and Panic, both by Lauren Oliver. In Before I Fall, a teenager relives one horrible day over and over and over. I thought it would be boring, or too much Groundhog Day for me, but the author miraculously hits another angle in each version, and gives the reader lots to think about. In Panic, teenagers in a small town play a dangerous and life-changing game for money. Hard to say more without spoiling anything. These books made me want to read everything else by Oliver (that I haven't already read.)

Sophie's Choice, by Willian Styron. I'd never seen the movie or read the book, and I rectified both those things this year. The movie was a better experience for me than the book, which I can honestly say has only happened once before (Memoirs of a Geisha, though I find many stories equally as enthralling on screen as on the page (Harry Potter)). The book is just too damn slow and meandering.

Unbearable Lightness, by Portia de Rossi. I knew this was a memoir about Portia and largely focused on her  struggles with anorexia, but that's about it. It was fascinating, appalling, and beautiful. I just want to hug her and cheer for her and stalk her on Twitter.

Looking for Alaska, by John Green. I'm a fan of the author, but this was probably my least favorite.

The Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Berduco.  Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising. More magic, and special powers, and foreign lands!

The Shining, by Stephen King. Another case of never having seen the movie or read the book until recently, though of course there's so much in the pop culture lexicon that I felt I knew all about the story already. It made me remember why I used to love Stephen King so much, and also kind of why I outgrew him.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. (And Fire, and Bitterblue). This ranks up there with Seraphina as one of my favorite finds this second half of the year. Not a series exactly, but another trilogy. Fire was more of a companion book and then Bitterblue was kind of a sequel or epilogue even. More magic, and special powers, and foreign lands! Multiple strong and flawed heroines!

The Matched Trilogy, by Ally Condie. I read the first one a long time ago and never read the others. I'd kind of forgotten all about it when the first one fell in my lap again, and then I zoomed through the others. More distopian future YA stuff. The third book was a little predictable in its second half, but I really enjoyed the journey to getting there.

Dodger, by Terry Pratchett. I want to read more by this author! Tale of a young sewer-treasure-picker in Victorian London. He has encounters with Sweeney Todd and is mentored by Charles Dickens. Lots of literary and Victorian pop culture references. Super fun.

OITNB, My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman. Book Piper is WAAAAYYYYY less annoying than tv Piper. So glad I read the book.

The Giver books, Lois Lowry. Never read these as a kid, glad I read them now. I didn't find them as life-changing as some people have, but the story is amazing nonetheless.

Without You, There is No Us, by Suki Kim. Writer teaches English in North Korea. Fascinating, depressing, and scary. Makes me want to read more about Korean history of the last 100 years. This book brought out all the feels. I want to help, and feel helpless, and want to learn, and am astounded at my own naivety, and cannot wrap my brain around the reality that is the situation in North Korea. How do you teach generations to think critically when they aren't allowed to be critical?

Yes Chef: A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson. I'm a fan of pretty much everything on The Food Network. Or at least, even if I'm not a fan, I will get sucked in and watch anything. I don't know how I found out about this memoir, but I have so much more respect for Marcus Samuelsson after reading this. He has really battled some horrible circumstances and overcome great obstacles, and you can tell he truly cares about food and cooking and some of the causes he mentions, and it all relates directly back to his own experiences.

I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, Felons, and Other Guys I've Dated, by Julie Klausner. Ugh. Did not relate at all. Maybe because I'm a mature adult. And yet, I couldn't put it down. Damn. She got me.

My Drunk Kitchen, by Hannah Hart. I don't even know how to classify this, except to say that it's sweet and funny and the best non-cookbook cookbook I've ever read. Go watch her first couple of YouTube videos and see if you're not hooked.

Longbourn, by Jo Baker. (Thanks for the recommendation, Amy!) The last book I read this year, and a fun one to end on. I love all things Pride and Prejudice, including horrible fan fiction. But this isn't horrible fan fiction - it's awesome fan fiction! The P&P story unfolds from the point of view of the servants, who of course have their own lives and stories going on.

Okay, if you're reading this, let me know if you have any recommendations! (Here or on the Facebook post, either way, I'll get them.)

Insomnia Strikes Again

Every few months I tend to go through bouts of insomnia. Sometimes I have nightmares, sometimes I can't fall asleep, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. Last night was one of those nights I inexplicably woke up around 0100 and stayed awake until around 0330. I think I may have been a little bit warm, explaining the wakeup, but there's no good reason I couldn't go back to sleep. Here's a list of things I did between 0100-0330:

1.   Counted sheep
2.   Counted blessings instead of sheep
3.   Got annoyed at myself for getting ^that song stuck in my head
4.   Stopped being annoyed because I actually like that song
5.   Surfed Facebook
6.   Mentally reviewed my jambalaya "recipe" (methodology, more like) so I can write it down for a friend who requested it
7.   Went through at least three revolutions of back-side-stomach-side and back trying to find a comfortable sleep position
8.   Stared at my husband, mentally willing him to wake up and snuggle me
9.   Researched plane tickets for my mom and mother-in-law to come visit
10. Updated my iPhone iOS
11. Went through a couple more revolutions of back-side-stomach-side-back
12. Played a couple rounds of Spades
13. Had conversation with Tony after he woke up to pee
14. Checked Words with Friends for new plays
15. Made a mental list of things to do today
16. Made a mental list of possible things to do on vacation
17. Mentally rearranged my mom's furniture to accommodate a grand piano (not against an outside wall, not near a fireplace)
18. Imagined all of my family at my mom's house singing carols and opening presents on Christmas Eve
19. Compiled list of people I need to call

Hm, I really wish I could round out this list with a 20th thing, but that's all I remember. I can say it was a productive couple of hours, but I'd much rather have the sleep!