Thought on Malta

Although we posted some photos on Instagram and Facebook, didn't really say much about Malta.  Check it the Facebook posts, if you have access. 

After Egypt, it was a very easy place to visit.  Given that it was under English control for so many years, things were rather efficient and in decent shape.  A fellow partner who had spent a large chunk of his sabbatical on Malta had noted that he felt a certain 1st world veneer over a 3rd world base.  Coming from Egypt, we didn't really get that sense.  

What was so amazing about Malta is the depth of history.  The Neolithic temples were extensive and of incredible creative, complex and unique. Clearly a financially stable and rich society dating a good 1000 years before the first pyramids.  At some point it seemed to terminate and became repopulated again.

Malta's history of the Knights of Saint John, who came to Malta after withdrawing from Rhodes, is also a rich vein of history to explore.  The main cathedral is quite amazing.  It is not as huge as some we have seen, but the resources put into the facility is amazing.  The Knights had groups from the Crusades from the various places in Europe and each group, such as those from Provence, were given an area of the cathedral to decorate.  The Knights were basically pirates with respect to the Ottomans and other Muslim groups and amazed amazing wealth.  One is always amazed with what can be created when a bunch of men with extreme wealth start competing with each other.  Similar thing occurred with rich men during the Renaissance with gardens in Italy.  Tivoli Garden was one of such gardens.

In addition, there is the history of World War II and the role that Malta played.  It was bombed more heavily that any other place.  Nice nautical museum, as well.

Food on Malta was hard to find.  (Good food that is.). Seems a bit of the English influence.  The Italian influence was from Sicily and Southern Italy, so there is lots of heavy tomato sauces in everything.

Our last dinner in Malta was at a wonderful restaurant.  Too bad we didn't find it earlier.  I had an amazing rabbit in the style of Malta.  I was sucking the bones (learned from my Dad and sister).  The waiter commented:  "Finally a tourist that eats like a Maltan."

We ended up renting a car for two days in Malta to hit the sites outside of the main city.  Was a great way to see the islands.  Surprisingly small.  Was a kick getting used to a stick shift while driving on the left side of the road (English influence).

Being in Malta during Carnival was a kick.  Amazing how everyone was out night after night.  Lots of parades, floats, kids dressed up.  A real bonus.

Overall, a great rest and transition to Morocco.

Outdoor Art Lisbon

Love these. The Fox is on a burned out building.  Same artist?

Test

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157436953549658&set=a.10154175417244658&type=3&sfns=

Levadas in Madeira

Yesterday we went on an all day hike along a Levada in the rural area of Madeira. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levada

"The idea of this style of water channel was brought to Portugal by the Moors during the time of al-Andalus."

We saw similar irrigation systems and hiked them in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.  In addition to the irrigation systems in the Nile Valley, I look forward to seeing Pont du Gard in Southern France. That is the Roman Aqueduct over the Gard River. 

These Levadas in Madeira are incredibly extensive.  They have 1350 miles of them. 

Being Shocked in Milan

Traveling in Muslim countries, one gets used to certain conventions with respect to behavior.

When we left Egypt we flew to Milan for about 36 hours before heading to Malta.

We stopped upon arrival in Milan at the airport for coffee.   While standing in line, an Italian man grabbed the breast of the woman he was with, as a joke I assume.

I should note that the couple were not your normal couple.  Lots of gold, designer sportswear, fascinating cropping of hair, but still, I found it so totally disrespectful, unacceptable and rather repulsive.  

Random photo for this blog to follow (cell phone cover):

Visiting a Palmeraie

After visiting the Sahara in Southern Morocco, we headed north toward Fes.  On the way up, we stayed in the Ziz Valley.

The Ziz river basically flows south and disappears and reappears.  When it reappears (water table is above ground) it is basically an oasis, and you find palmeraie (palm groves).  The palmeraie is more than just a palm grove, it is also a whole way of life around this precious water and making the most of the fertile land associated with it.

We had driving by many palmeraie on the way down to the Sahara, but had not actually gone into one in a meaningful way.

The stop at the palmeraie in the Ziz Gorge allowed such a walk through a palmeraie without any tourists or invasion of the outside world.

The palms basically provide dates, wood and fiber material for roofs, etc. They also provide a higher canopy for shade for crops that grow under them.  We saw both fava beans and alfalfa, both of which fix nitrogen.  The alfalfa is used mainly for feed for animals.  Lots of fruit trees, such as apricot and apple trees.  Lots of other vegetables, as well.

The walk also included an area where many of the buildings were slowly melting back into the soil.

We stayed in a Berber guest house. We have been amazed at how comfortable all of the beds have been in Morocco.  They seem to have that down.

Wonderful stop on the way to Fes.

Moslem Sites in Cairo

One thing that I didn't get to blog about while in Cairo was the beautiful mosques we saw in Cairo.

We had seen some mosques, including the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, but they didn't really do much for me.

In Cairo, on our first complete day in Cairo, we started our day at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun.  It dates back to 879 A.D.  It has a certain elegance and simplicity to it, which is often the result of spending less and focusing more on quality.  Beautiful place.  It is on one end of medieval Cairo, so we proceeded to walk all the way through medieval Cairo.  We were walking on basically a continuous market street, with us ending up in the main market area.  In the walk you could see the changes in the wealth of the community.  We started in a very poor area.  We were clearly strangers.  The community was active and people clearly were enjoying life.

The street had people, donkeys, bikes, three wheel scooters, motorcycles, cars, etc.  Vehicles communicated by honking horns.

Amazing vibrancy.

Eventually, we were overlapping with areas in which tourists frequented, which substantially changed the nature of the products being sold and the interaction with the vendors.  Rather than being left alone, we were hassled quite a bit.  Still these areas were areas that were predominantly serving the local community with some minor sales to tourists.

We came back into the area the following day and continued our walk North all the way to our hotel.  The market activity continued all the way to our hotel in a more middle class area.  Amazing the amount of commerce occurring on the street.

We are now in the Medina in Fes, Morocco.  It too is a vibrant market area.  Clearly the people live here.  What is being sold is mostly for the locals.  The quality of goods seem to be much better in Fes, as well.