Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre - October 2014

Enjoying a Pina Colada!

Named for the five towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, this portion of the Italian Riviera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Corniglia-Quite a hike but fantastic view!

My arms are too short to take selfies!

Great breakfast at our little hotel.

Views from Corniglia

Stumbled upon this goat as I was taking a walk!

Again, breathtaking views!

 

Happy days!

Malta-Spring 2014

So I had the opportunity to visit Malta with a dear friend of mine, Viwan.  It's an interesting place, beautiful in some respects but not a place I plan on visiting again...too many places, too little time!

Here I am in the town of St. Julian waiting for the bus to the capital, Valletta.  The country is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.
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Below are some pictures exhibiting the architecure of the small village, Marsaxlokk, in the southeastern part of Malta.  

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village with a population of 3,499 people.  

One of my favorite UNESCO world heritage site stops we made was to the Hypogeum of Paola, Malta,  meaning "underground" in Greek, is a subterranean structure dating to 3300-3000 BC in Maltese prehistory. Thought to have been originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times and the remains of more than 7,000 individuals have been found. It is the only known prehistoric underground temple in the world.   Only 60 people per day are allowed entry so we hade to make reservtions far in advance. No pictures were allowed so I took this off Wikipedia. 

Here I am at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta..... it's a gem of Baroque art by artist Caravaggio.  

One of the main attractions at St John`s is the splendid inlaid marble floor consisting of a collection of tombstones making the floor a unique treasure.

Medieval Mdina-We were lucky enough to be in Mdina for their annual festival that included re-enactments, music, food, knights in battle, exhibitions etc.  The city offered a chance to walk the narrow streets, winding around the various city alaces of the ancient noble families, small churchs and medieval architecture.  I couldn't go back in time to live that period but I could go back to Mdina and live in this beautiful, charming, small community.

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One of Valletta's most beautiful parks, Barrakka Gardens, was created in 1775 on the bastion of St. Peter and Paul. In the park there are several statues, including one from Sir Winston Churchill, and a sculpture by the Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino, entitled Les Gavroches (The street boys).

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. It is twinned with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, and offers a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.  These pictures (below) are being taken from above, overlooking the shipyard and the lower-lying parts the capital.

The Saluting Battery is one of Malta's most vibrant visitor attractions where history is brought to life daily! Located high along Valletta's eastern historic ramparts it enjoys unrivalled spectacular views of the Grand Harbour and its surrounding fortified towns. It is also perhaps the oldest saluting battery still in operation anywhere in the world.

Thanks for reading!

Scotland trip with Jean

May 2014 Trip to Islay and Makers of the “Water of Life”

In May 2014 Ira took an excursion to Islay, Scotland with his good friend Jean Boyd Molly.  Goal:  To visit the many distilleries and sample on site the wonderful peaty scotch whiskies they love to share!

Islay is the southernmost island of the Hebrides of Scotland – just 25 miles north of Ireland.  Of the 8 distilleries on the island, they were able to visit 7 including Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.  The unique character of Islay scotches comes from malted barley that is flavored by the smoke of hand-cut peat that is abundant on the island.  First time tasters beware!  Islay scotches may not initially appeal to your liking.  It takes time to acquire an appreciation for the most richly flavored of all scotch whiskies.

Highlights of the trip include the journey itself: Flight from Geneva to London, flight connection to Glasgow, then a puddle-jumper to Port Ellen where they stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast for three nights.  Here’s a view of the town and the small harbor the inhabitants of 

Port Ellen call home.

On our toes!  Can't be too careful as a guest in another country...

The highlight of the distillery tour was the visit to Laphroaig.  Earlier in the year, Ira submitted an application for a lifetime lease on a numbered square foot of land next to the Laphroaig water source – the Kilbride stream.

Here Ira is, in the process of printing his authentic certificate of ownership at 

the Laphroaig welcome center.

The search is on – Ira uses GPS coordinates and an iPhone to help locate 

the exact spot of his Scottish territory.

Success!  Plot of land located and dedicated with the U.S. flag.

Other distilleries visited - Lagavulin.

Caol Ila.

Bunnahabhain.

Ardbeg.

Bruichladdich.

Bowmore.

Philosophical statement: Bowmore.

An example of the tastings that were offered at the various distilleries, 

directed by an expert in the field! 

Something interesting learned on the trip.  Most barrels used in the aging process for scotch whiskey comes from used bourbon barrels from the United States.  Yep – these barrels come from U.S. bourbon distilleries that are allowed to use their barrels only once! 

One of the historical sites on the island is the Kildalton Cross, most likely carved during the 8^th century and considered to be one of the finest surviving Celtic crosses in Scotland.  Ira and Jean were amazed at how well preserved the cross was, especially compared to the roofless medieval church 

it sits next to.

Ruins of the church.

After a great day of sampling various peaty scotch whiskeys, might as well enjoy a national culinary delight – fish and chips by the sea!

Sláinte Bha!