Paris-Malta-Rome 2011 Part 4 Rome

I only stayed in Rome for 2 nights, and I think I slept for about 24 hours while I was there. I was zonked. My first trimester was not rough by any standard, but I was so tired. Luckily my main goals in Rome were eating and shopping. I quickly discovered that shopping there is too expensive, so I focused on the eating. I had found a budget hotel near the Campo de Fiori, which was great because there is some amazing food there. The Forno on the square is fine, but the best pizza I had was at Forno Roscioli just east of there. YUM.  I ate there twice.

I did not stray too far from the Campo de Fiori– I did walk up to the Pantheon and even across the Tiber, close to the Vatican. But then I took a taxi back and just stayed in the neighborhood. Which is worthwhile, it’s a great neighborhood.

This guy was luring in everyone with that cute puppy, but I really wanted the picture of him and his truck. The wide-angle lens paid off!

Another Ape.

The evening in the Campo de Fiori.

And the cat sanctuary, which is also close to Campo de Fiori.

I was so glad to get home, but I loved my European adventure. It’s probably my last overseas trip for a while, with the little one on the way. I look forward to telling her when she is older that I took her to Paris, Malta, and Rome when she was just the size of a sesame seed.

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Paris-Malta-Rome 2011 Part 3 Malta

We took the bus to the ferry to the bus to the taxi to Xlendi Bay on Gozo, the second-largest island of Malta. I have to say that the ferry ride was downright creepy. It was easy to notice a lack of birds on the coastline– there were only about 3 gulls on the whole ferry ride, and no little sandpipers or curlews or terns or cormorants or any of the birds you normally see from ferries. The whole time on Malta, I saw mostly pigeons and house sparrows, and even those were few and far between. It is depressingly denuded of wildlife. Anyway, this was on the eve of the change to a new bus system. The “old” buses were run on a contract where certain drivers had certain routes, and I suppose they own the buses. The buses are almost all orange-yellow, and vary in age, many being pre-1980s by my guess. They are, however, very stylish.

Anyway, at this time there was a certain excitement and a little bit of a rebellious attitude from the bus drivers, who were putting on kind of a car show of their old buses and acting like teenagers by honking the horns and just kind of being silly. We stayed on Xlendi Bay and enjoyed seafood and a walk to the salt pans, which were really beautiful.


When we woke up the second day, the switch had happened to the NEW bus system, Arriva. We actually took a tourist bus that goes around Gozo to the famous sites. We saw the Azure Window.

And some other spots on Gozo, then enjoyed a beautiful swim in Xlendi Bay. It was nice, but a lot of things were closed and we just wore ourselves out trying to get around. We took the ferry back to Malta, where the new bus system was creating chaos all over the island. The new bus drivers had apparently not learned routes or schedules. Beachgoers who had been waiting at bus stops continued to wait as our full bus drove by. It was crazy. It took 2 hours to get back to Valletta, when it had taken 1 hour to get to the ferry. Our reward, though, was dinner at Legligin wine bar. HOLY COW. So good. And even kind to the vegetarian/pescetarian/non-wine drinking preggo.

We spent the next day relaxing in Valletta, avoiding bus rides. We saw the Caravaggio of St. John the Baptist in St John’s Co-Cathedral, which is just fabulously ornate. The floor is covered in inlaid marble tombs, some of which have skeletons or other interesting pictures. No surface is unadorned here.

We also visited the Grand Master’s Palace, which was somewhat disappointing but I have to say that the armor display was more interesting than I expected. People used to be tiny!

And we visited the Archeology Museum. Oh, and ate at Ambrosia, which was also fabulous. The last day, we went to the walled city of Mdina and watched some festa fireworks in the distance. I will not discuss the bus ride home except to say I somehow managed not to throw up. I really hope the buses have gotten it together since then! Me in Mdina:

I would probably never have gone to Malta except that my friends were there, and I’m glad I had a chance to go. The Maltese people that we met were really wonderful, I loved talking to them. It is so beautiful there, and the history is amazing. I’m really glad to have gotten to see the islands in depth instead of just one a one-day cruise tour. There are some really great hidden spots that are worth seeking out.

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Paris-Malta-Rome 2011 Part 2, Malta

First of all, when my friends decided they were staying in Malta for the summer I had to look up where Malta was. I knew there were the Knights of Malta, the Maltese Falcon, Maltese dogs, and that it was somewhere in the Mediterranean. To save you the trouble, in case you are as geographically ignorant as I am, here is a map.

Malta joined the EU in 2004. The language there is Maltese, which is the only Semitic language written in Latin alphabet. I did not see any Maltese dogs there, and the Maltese falcon is now extinct on Malta. Actually, there are no nesting raptors on Malta because of illegal hunting which has denuded the islands of many birds. As a birder, this made me not want to go there. I detest poachers, and apparently these can be quite threatening to birders as well as birds. But I was there in summer, which is neither prime birding nor prime poaching season.

I stayed in Valletta with my friends at an apartment in a building that must have been 500 years old. The city is walled and has been a strategic port for centuries. It has old, hilly, narrow streets that are lined with traditional buildings with balconies.

Sometimes the streets are crowded with Maltese people doing business, and sometimes with cruise passengers following umbrella-wielding tour guides. Malta is a Catholic country, and the first day we went to see St Pawls or the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck, which is very ornate and holds several relics, including a wrist bone.

The next day we hit two sites that everyone should see in Malta– the Hypogeum and Casa Rocca Piccola. The Hypogeum is older than the Egyptian pyramids. Get tickets in advance, because they only let in 80 people per day. Casa Rocca Piccola is a charming house full of Maltese history. If you’re lucky enough to get one of the family to take you on a tour, it is a fabulous experience. They are very British for all their Maltese descent; full of dry wit and charm; and they know everything about Malta. Maltese artists, authors, history, anything. Their house is filled with beautiful art and historical artifacts, not to mention the bomb shelter.

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Paris-Malta-Rome 2011

This summer I took a trip to Europe to visit friends who were living in Malta over the summer. On the way there I stopped in Paris, and on the way back I stopped in Rome. It was so lovely! I had just found out I was pregnant a week before I left, so unfortunately my plans for drinking red wine and eating stinky cheese were dashed. But I was lucky to wander at my own pace and to be able to visit my friends, who took such good care of me.

Paris was great, of course. I stayed in the Latin Quarter at the Hotel Diana, which was perfect for a solo lady traveler. It was so close to everything! It was right down the street from the Musée Cluny, aka the Musée National du Moyen Age. They had some amazing things– my favorite was a small black room with backlit stained glass.

These statues had been stolen from Notre Dame, defaced (literally), and stashed in the basement of a bank until they were discovered in the 1970s.

And this set of tapestries was beautiful. There was a group of schoolkids in the room with their teacher telling them some fairy tales, it was hilarious.

I wandered by the Delacroix museum, which is a little hidden treasure. I really enjoyed sitting in the little garden. I got to go to Ladurée for macarons! I ate them on the Pont Neuf and then walked through Louvre courtyards and the Tuileries, where kids were pushing sailboats in little ponds. Went to see Monet’s water lilies in the Musée de l’Orangerie, which is a great display.

Then I wandered through the Rodin Museum’s sculpture garden. It was funny being there after just having seen Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which had a long scene filmed there.

I wandered by the Hotel des Invalides. And, of course, I had to see the Eiffel Tower.

I ate at a little place called Les Cocottes, which was right by the Eiffel Tower and was fabulous.

…And finished off the day with Berthillon ice cream on Île Ste Louis. Yum!

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Chicago Part III

Day 4, Sunday May 22: We ran around like crazy again. We took the train downtown, and by this time we were pro enough (with guidance from our friends) to make a transfer! I felt like a real big-city girl. First order of business was to visit my friend Sue the T. rex. We share a name, you know.

The Lions of Tsavo made an impression, as did the temporary exhibit on whales. They had some really cool whale skulls that I have never seen– the strap-toothed whale and ginkgo-toothed whale for example. Really bizarre. I had a major whale obsession when I was younger, and they still amaze me. We also enjoyed the Egyptian mummies, of course.

The Shedd Aquarium is right next door to the Field Museum, but is apparently 1,000 times more attractive to families with children. Yeesh! It was loud in there. They have fabulous exhibits of species from all over the world. The oceanarium is great, but my favorite was the unobtrusive garden eels. Like sock puppets and whack-a-mole had a baby, only cuter.

The jellyfish (temporary) exhibit was great too, and my favorite was the upside-down jellyfish, which grow their own algae. They are little farmer jellyfish!

We ate pizza from Piece and watched Police Academy at home. I was beat.

Chicago is an amazing town, it was overwhelming. I can’t wait to go back. My wish list for the next visit: about 3 days in the Art Institute, an architecture boat tour, and churros and hot chocolate at Xoco. Well, pretty much more Chicago food. The restaurants there are amazing, and after all that walking you feel like you’ve earned it!

More photos are in my Chicago 2011 Flickr set.

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Chicago Part II

Day 3, Saturday May 21: We ate breakfast at Victory’s Banner, which is run by the followers of Sri Chinmoy. It is a very peaceful space and the all-vegetarian brunch menu is really delicious. I had eggs with pesto, feta, and tomatoes. It was lovely. We did not pound the pavement checking off tourist sites on Saturday, but relaxed with our friends and saw some of Chicago’s cool neighborhoods and hidden spots. We saw Lake Michigan.

And we went to Lincoln Park. The Conservatory there is worth seeing, it is in an old glass building.  There is an orchid room, with scented orchids.

And a fern room that is habitat for small dinosaurs.

We had dinner at the Hopleaf in Andersonville. I think the best thing I ate on the whole trip might have been the CB&J sandwich– cashew butter with fig jam and raclette cheese. Don’t knock it til you try it. Also, more beer.

We also took a driving tour of Evanston and saw the Baha’i temple. Huge!

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Chicago Part I

BT and I went to Chicago for a long weekend to visit friends and celebrate my birthday.  It was my first time to the city, and I might have bitten off more than I could chew but I loved every minute.

Day 1, Thursday May 19: The very first stop was Rick Bayless’s restaurant, Frontera. I’m a big fan of his and the restaurant did not disappoint.  We got in line at 4:30 and were seated at 5:30 and proceeded to stuff our faces with everything we could get and it was all delicious.  I am going to have to try some of the sauces from his cookbooks if they are as good as the restaurant’s.

Then shopping on the Magnificent Mile.

Day 2: Fabulous lunch at Longman & Eagle, out on the sidewalk on a beautiful day. Took the train downtown and went to the Sears Tower Skydeck, on the 103rd floor. I am really scared of heights, but I was determined to go out in the Plexiglas boxes on the side of the building. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.

Then to the Art Institute. I could have spent days in there. We did a whirlwind tour of the things we most wanted to see, including American Gothic and Nighthawks. Seurat’s Grand Jatte took me by surprise– I had no idea it was that big! Holy cow! I’ve seen it 1,000 times in pictures but I never knew!

We walked through Milennium Park and saw The Bean.

And ate dinner at Urban Belly–So good! Wrinkle beans, and the most complex aromatic vegetarian and non-vegetarian broth with noodles… hard to describe. But so good. And Chicago beer. They brew some amazing beer in that town.

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West Texas adventure, Part 3

Tuesday morning I couldn’t even find my parents.  I thought they might have found a ride home, or possibly I had killed them with the long hike.  It turns out my parents have learned how to sleep late. Interesting.

Tuesday we took a driving tour of the park, to see the things that are on my must-see list for BBNP: Hot Springs, Boquillas, and Santa Elena Canyon. We also did some lazing around at Rio Grande Village campground, which is one of the best places to look at pretty birds without much effort. Painted buntings and vermilion flycatchers were everywhere.

Mis padres at Santa Elena Canyon.

Roadside cholla.

We took a shortcut up Old Maverick Road from Santa Elena to the main road, for dinner at the Starlight Theater in Terlingua. We had great food and listened to (I think!) Doug Scharnberg play guitar and sing.

The next morning we had to drive back to Austin, but there were a couple of great sightings on the road as we were leaving. In the basin, just before the Lost Mine Trailhead, this guy was ambling along. It might be hard to see because I was a little over-excited and trying to keep people from running into our car at the same time, but in case you can’t tell it is a bear.

And this Texas horned lizard was on the road, I had to shoo him off of it.

And that is the end of Chihuahuan Desert Adventure 2010.

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West Texas adventure, Part 2

On the 17th, we woke up a bit late and dawdled, and since it was getting warmer we decided to stay up at higher elevation and do the Lost Mine Trail. This was a first for me, and something that I probably would have not done except for the recommendations of friends. The trail has an interpretive guide that is based on numbered stops along the trail. We had fun reading them out loud, and it gave us a lot of good resting time. The views along the trail were amazing, I would definitely do it again. There weren’t very many people on the trail, which was nice.

Watch out for mountain lions!

This Mexican jay posed for me.

Claret cup cactus were blooming along the trail.

Also ocotillo.

The view from the top.

Tired but happy at the top.

We rested in the afternoon, then ate at the lodge. The food there has vastly improved, and they even have a salad bar!

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West Texas adventure, Part 1

BT, my parents, and I went on an adventure to West Texas this past week. We spent two nights in Marfa and three nights in Big Bend National Park.

Friday, we drove out I-10 through Fort Stockton and stopped in Marathon to check out the Gage Hotel. There was a big wedding, so we went to the White Buffalo Bar to enjoy drinks on their lovely patio.

Yes, there really is a white buffalo in the bar.

We ate dinner at the Famous Burro, then continued to Marfa, where we were staying in a little vacation house. Saturday we did some strolling and shopping in Marfa, which was very quiet.  We loved browsing at JM Dry Goods.  There are a lot of cool buildings in Marfa.

In the afternoon we drove up to Fort Davis. We spotted a lone pronghorn antelope along the way.

We went to Davis Mountains State Park where my family was kind enough to sit still for hours waiting for a bird that never showed up (darn you, Montezuma quail!). We did get good looks at blue grosbeaks, black-headed grosbeaks, acorn woodpeckers, summer tanagers, and lesser goldfinches. We ate at Murphy’s Pizza, then headed up to the McDonald Observatory for the twilight program and star party. I’m not much for astronomy, but I loved the star party. We were lucky that the clouds cleared, and we got good looks at Saturn with four of its moons, and star clusters M3 (awesome) and M104 (not very memorable). My mom picked up a star map that came in handy at Big Bend, where we could see tons of stars.

Sunday morning, we ate at Austin Street Cafe which is only open on Sundays or by appointment. It was lovely.

We drove down 118 from Alpine to Terlingua, then on into Big Bend National Park. We checked out the Panther Junction visitor center, then drove up to the lodge where we were staying in Building C (great views, electricity is sketchy). We enjoyed dinner at the lodge, which has improved by leaps and bounds in the last decade, and sunset from the Window View Trail.

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