A photographic memory

This little technique is inspired by Elizabeth Pitt.  Check out her blog at http://lizenespana.blogspot.com/.  This particular photographic adventure was inspired by our winter vacation and my love of procrastination.  No matter what we wear or how we act while we're in an unfamiliar place, at the end of the day we'll still be tourists.  With that said, while traveling, we did all of the typical things that your suppose to do while on vacation.

 We explored historical areas in Malta.

 We got to know the locals.

 We made sure to always obey the law.

 We smiled while out and about.

 We used a lot of public transportation.

 We took our fair share of humorous photos.

 We got lost wandering down windy streets.

 We followed the law some more.

 We splurged on necessary items.

 We witnessed Tony's shirt removal.

 We pondered about life and admired its beauty.

 We traveled to Barcelona and found a park where we could take panoramic pictures of the city.

 We weren't surprised to see that the Segrada Familia was still not finished.

 We experienced things together.

 We passed our time in long lines well.

 We admired art in one of the World's largest museums.

We stared out windows at other buildings.

 We welcomed the invasion of wildlife on historical grounds.

 We displayed affection in Paris.

 We took the obligatory photos.

 We enjoyed a christmassy evening in Brussels.

 We admired Europe's superb use of green transportation.

 We acted like tourists in Brugge.

 We took photos while slightly intoxicated.

 We admired the quaintness of the Medieval town of Brugge from atop its oldest brewery..

We took countless photos purely out of obligation.

Well I'm glad I got that monkey off my back.  Thanks for your interest.  Until next time...

Basic Spanish:
Hablas ingles (ah-blah-s -- in-glaz):  Do you speak English?

Advanced Spanish:
Chollo : Really good.

Basque:
Ez horregaitik (Ace-or-re-guy-teek): Your welcome

British English
Ming, Minging : Unattractive or foul smelling.  That girl is minging (ugly).

Relationship Troubles

There's always a point in a relationship that you have to take a step back and reevaluate if its the best thing for you at this moment in time.  You wonder if there's a better match out there for you.  Does this person complement you and have something extra to bring to the table?  Do they hold you back or push you ahead?  It may be something you don't want to hear or something you can't quite wrap your your head around.  Nevertheless, its crucial to view the situation subjectively.  Once you put your emotions into the decision, you've lost.  I guess it comes down to one question: do you have to be with this person every second of the day or will you simply keel over and die?

 
What a load of **** right?  I've watched enough romantic comedies in my life to know that that's the romanticized version of love that has been instilled in our minds for centuries.  The ever tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, the seemingly endless works of Nicholas Sparks, or any of the countless works involving vampires in which the dreamy vampire risks everything they have to be with slightly broken mortals.  Due to the fact that almost every character in the above mentioned works have some emotional illness, old skeletons, or have to fulfill a past blood feud that the other character will ultimately blow out of proportion and cause a relationship speed bump that could ultimately lead to multiple deaths.  Might I mention at this point that I'm ecstatic that I don't have a "fairy tale, romantic" relationship.  In other words, my relationship is wonderful.

Sure we have different lifestyles, hobbies, and interests, but I wouldn't want to date myself (the only issue that I have is that she doesn't read minds).  She even lets me go on "dates"...with other guys that is.  It only took me two paragraphs to make the transition to the main topic of this post, my English teacher would be proud.  Actually, due to my recent discovery that I do not know English grammar or how to spell or how to read at a proficient level, my English teachers would be quite unhappy.  If any of you ever come across this, I'm sorry.  Anyways, back to the date.

It was about the 6th day of our 19 day journey.  Liz and I were scheduled for a massage in the morning.  Typical spa day: jacuzzi with sparkling wine and cake, sea foam scrub, and full body massage (Hawaiian origin I believe).  We got done, I was feeling great, made some food and texted my buddy Tony to see if he wanted to go rock climbing.  After begging and pleading with Liz to see if she wanted to go she said "We don't have to spend every waking second together, it's OK".  My heart leapt at this point.  I can't believe it, a normal, wonderful girl and she likes me.  What more could I guy ask for?  So Tony and I set off on our "man date".

Guys have to be guys, plain and simple.  We set off on our trip with cameras, our bags, and candy.  The only thing that we neglected to bring on our hike was liquids.  We hiked the the northwest of the island by the red tower.  It was a wonderfully carved trail leading out towards a great vantage point of the island and a great place to enjoy the sunset.  About 5 minutes into the hike, we started to deviate from the trail.  I mean come on, were men, we don't need a trail.  We started downhill towards the water.  Once we hit the bottom, we headed towards the point.  It was one of those hikes that every 5 steps produced better and more breathtaking pictures.  Not to mention it provided us with multiple obstacles to conquer and prove our physical strength.  We made it to the point and watched the sunset on our wonderfully relaxing vacation.

As you might have guessed by the video, once the sun went down, it got dark.  This is a typical part of a man planned adventure.  The typical part being not planning our route home.  So we set off quickly.  Tony was particularly in a hurry because he took the route through the tall grass, which might or might not have contained snakes.  By the time Tony mentioned this to me we were running up the hill.  And then we heard two noises that sounded like gunshots.  Running a bit faster now.  We got to the top and were able to relax.  We were going to continue to the normal path, but I thought I would take a "shortcut" that I had never heard of or known of, but it seamed like a good idea at the time.  The usual.

All in all a great "man date", with the exception of being chased by 3 dogs and being extremely dehydrated.  Until next time...






Spanish for beginners:
Café con leche--coffee with milk
Agua--water
Coca Cola--Coca Cola
Vino tinto--Red wine
Colacao (co-low-cow)--hot chocolate

Advanced Spanish:
No me des la lata--quit bothering/pestering me

Basque:
Barkatu (Bar ka too)--Excuse me (command)

British English:
Ladybird--Ladybug

Malta's appeal

Lets take a look at Malta's resume:
Malta is an island country located just south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea.  It is composed of 3 main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino.  The two main languages spoken in Malta are English and Maltese.  It is a popular destination for people looking to learn English due to its many beaches, and it is a cheaper alternative to Great Britain and Ireland.

Why travel to Malta?

Lucky for us, there are numerous reasons in this category.  First off, Ryanair has regular flights in and out of Malta.  Getting around the island is cheap, easy, and an adventure.  Whether you're an adventurous soul, someone who relishes in relaxation, or a culture nut, Malta is the place for you.

Also, if you're a cat enthusiast Malta will fulfill your wildest dreams.  No joke, there are cats everywhere.

A quick tour of the island.
The four main cities that we traveled extensively to were Melliha, Valletta, Mdina, and Rabat (on Gozo).

Melliha is a pleasant beach town that caters to tourists.  It is home to Malta's largest beach and pristine blue water.  There are two nice grocery stores and multiple fruit stands.  Strangely there are two 24-hour car rental places less than 50 feet from one another.  The buildings are a vanilla color, simple, and scream Mediterranean.

Valletta juts out of the main island, surrounded on three sides by water.  It plays host to two magnificent harbors and a stronghold castle on the tip.  It boasts free wifi in plazas and a 7-story mall, with a movie theater, disguised as an 19th century building.

Mdina is the old capital of Malta and a military stronghold that gives you a breathtaking view of most of the island.  The inside of the main castle transposes oneself back to medieval times.  Its worth the extra 57-cent bus ride.

Rabat is the capital of the small island of Gozo.  It is home to Gozo's military stronghold and largest church.  Getting lost in Rabat's charming, windy streets is a must.  Be prepared to be swarmed by "no means yes" taxi drivers when you get off the ferry.  Careful, the ferries might leave back to Malta at all hours during the night, but the buses from Rabat to the ferries stop running at 6pm.  A taxi is an option, but a much pricier one.  Until next time...

Spanish for Beginners:
¿Cuanto cuesta?-- How much does it cost?

Spanish for advanced: Sevillan slang
Borde--(literally border of a desk or door) characteristic--mean person
Sal--(literally salt) characteristic--nice person

British English
Smart (as is Mike is dressed very smart today)--sharp in terms of style or dress

Basque
Ederto (eh-dehr-toe)--OK

A case of mistaken identity: Malta

The essence of Malta lies in it's rocky landscapes, cobblestone roads, and ancient buses.  Malta is, in my opinion, a country lost in time.  Upon arrival to this untouched jackpot, we boarded a bus from the 1960's and were graced with the pleasant views of a pickup full of pigs heading to the slaughter.  OK, so far so good.  Then on our way to Valletta, (Malta's capital city) our driver whipping and speeding through the narrow streets, actually runs another driver off the road and the car crashes into a group of trees.  It is it this point that Liz casts an "oh shit" glance in my direction only to be rewarded with an eyebrow raise and shoulder shrug.  We get into the Valletta bus "station", to use the word loosely, and board our bus to Melliha where our hotel is located.  I go to pay the driver the the 94 cents for the trip, hand him a 20 euro bill (I understand its a bit ridiculous to give 20 euros for a 94 cent trip, but much to my dismay ATM's

don't spit out 5s or 10s) and he just looks at me and tells me no.  So I ask Liz if she has any change or small bills and she happily hands me a 5 euro bill.  I try again, and with a sense of accomplishment glowing on my face, I hand the gentleman the 5 euro bill. He looks at me with disgust, takes the bill and growling to himself gets me my change.  Then he proceeds to drive like a madman though Malta's narrow, winding streets hardly stopping at stops forcing people to practically jump out of a moving bus to get off at there stops.  It was at this point where I was thinking to myself "Well shit, welcome to Malta".  

Needless to first impressions can be deceiving.  My two hours of doubt was accompanied by 7 days of redemption.  I've never met a more caring and including people.  Whether they were telling us about their magnificent culture or giving us insider tips about midnight mass, their kindness was intoxicating.  While we were in Malta, we met the owner of bar/restaurant who gave us a 10% discount with our meal alongside a great conversation about Malta.  He also taught me my favorite and only word of Maltese that I remember--shitta (shit-ta) meaning rain.

On top of Maltese kindness, a nighttime bus ride restored my faith in humanity.  On our way home from Valletta to Melliha one night Liz and I witnessed a family moment that made you believe that the divorce rate wouldn't continue to climb to an excessive high.  A mother and her 2 year old daughter sacrificed three hours of their life to spend time with their bus driving husband/father on his rickety old bus.  They were even having a family dinner on the bus thanks to McDonalds, even though I was shocked that they didn't get the little girl a Happy Meal.  Although my admiration
of the effort put forth by this family was remarkable, I couldn't help but be amused by two things; the blatant disregard of the no food, no drink, and no ice cream signs (as if people wouldn't be able to figure out that ice cream fell into either if not both categories) and the fact that the bus driver was turning to play with his daughter while navigating the slightly treacherous streets.



Basic Spanish
Aseos-Bathrooms

Advanced Spanish
Enrollar (verb)--to diligently study (however, direct translation--to incubate an egg)

Basque
Nago (verb)--I am

British English
Stones--the british weight system--My roommate Amy weighs 7 and a half stones.  1 stone equals 14 pounds.

Passport Please

19 days, 4 countries,  4 planes, 10 busses, 3 metros, 2 trains, and over 6500 kilometers spells exhaustion.  This most recent journey was a roller coaster of emotions;  anticipation, sleep deprivation, contentment, joy, exhaustion, excitement, pain, rejuvenation, relaxed, happy.  We experienced too many early mornings and too many ailments for my liking, but we ultimately accomplished our journey and conquered two new countries (Malta and Belgium).

Our first speed bump that we ran into was packing for our Christmas Vacation.  We needed to pack for climates that ranged from 70-25 degrees.  This involved packing, taking everything out, and packing again.  Not to mention our large amounts of electronic devices.  Liz and I packed for 19 days and 2 climates using a duffel bag and a backpacking backpack, each of which that had to weigh less than 11 kg each, which by the end of our journey felt like 30 kg apiece.  We made our final preparations (downloading music from itunes and getting new apps for our ipods) while we waited to embark on our journey.

We set off for the journey at 8 pm Monday, December 20th, from the Bilbao bus station on our way to Madrid.  It was one of the most agonizing 5 hours of my life.  I have come to realize that I hate busses.  They're not comfortable by any means.  We got into the Madrid airport at around 2 am and found a nice place to sleep and tucked our valuables close to our bodies.  By the time we woke the Ryanair portion of the airport had awoken and formed three massive lines.  I will never understand why every Ryanair flight has to leave at the same time out of Madrid.  There were 5 or 6 flights that left Madrid at 6:15 am that morning.  Anyway, Liz and I jumped into the international flight line because under our reasoning, we were flying from Spain to Malta--international right?  Right, but wrong.  That's always the case with Ryanair.  Even when you think your right, your wrong.  We waited in line for 30 minutes only to be told that we had to go to the passport check line, a line have you that I didn't know existed.  Finally we made it on the flight and were off.  All in all, an exhausting start to our journey.  Stay tuned...


Spanish
Grifo - faucet
(gree-fo)

Basque
Zorionak eta urte berri an - Merry Christmas and a happy new year
(sorri-o-nack  ay'-ta  ur-tay'  beh-ri-ohn)

British English
Daft - dumb, unintelligent