The Silent "I"

Blogsherpa Blog Carnival: Kids Around the World

I'm hosting the Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Blog Carnival this time around, and our theme this week is Kids Around the World.  I asked my fellow Blogsherpas to write about taking their kids on trips or meeting kids while traveling.  I got some amazing stories from top bloggers and photographers from around the world.  Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and take a little trip around the world with me now, and meet some great kids (and bloggers) along the way...

Planning a trip to Spain with your kids? Jennifer at the delightful Orange Polka Dot offers some sage advice on traveling with kids or teens. In Spain, don't be surprised if you spot kids drinking something that looks like wine, either a few sips from mom or dad's glass, or a finger of wine in a glass of La Casera (soda water). Jennifer speculates that maybe it is a bottle that is just their size that delights them.  Be forewarned that in Europe, wine does not carry the same taboo for youngsters that it does in the United States. 

Photito's Blog features gorgeous photographs of traveling with kids on the Iberian Peninsula, this time in Portugal. Portugal is definitely on my list of places to go now, especially after reading what Photito had to say.  Surfing, sun, sand...when can we leave?

Blog Day 2007

Today is Blog Day, one day set aside to celebrate blogs all over the world.  The idea is simple:  list five blogs that you admire from different parts of the world, different cultural perspectives or different subject areas than the ones you normally blog about.  Here are my five and the reasons I enjoy them:

• Adventures of a Reluctant Blogger (Togo, West Africa):  Rebecca Hunt is a new Peace Corps volunteer serving in Togo, West Africa.  Her mom works with me and is a former Peace Corps volunteer herself.  Two generations of Peace Corps workers in one family--how cool is that?  I'm looking forward to reading about Rebecca's adventures as she spends two years in Togo.  Rebecca, your mom is so proud she can hardly stand it.
  
• Filipina Moms Blog (US):  This is a fairly new collaborative blog, similar to my sistahs at Kimchi Mamas, but with a Filipina flair.  I love this blog for the fantastic writing and peek into the ways that Phillipine culture infuses and informs their parenting.
• Pickeled Eel (Australia):  Written by an American, ex-Air Force man living in Sydney, Australia who has traveled all over the world, this blog gives insight into places we haven't dreamed of going...until now.  Qattar, anyone?  I found this one on the Blogger's Choice Awards, where he is #2 behind some Buenos Aires Hostel that may or may not be stuffing the ballot box.   I'm about  #15 on that list, so maybe I'll grow up to be like this blog someday. 
• Nisaa: We are Muslim Women (International):  A group blog by Muslim women from North America, Malaysia, UAE, and England.  I've only been reading it for a short time, but so far, every post has been a gem.  This is one of the blogs I recommended in my prior post about Race and Collaborative Blogging, and is a standard-bearer for what a world-wide community blog should be.
• Wired Malta (Malta):  A blog about things on the web related to Malta.  I wrote a whole series of postings about our one day stay in Malta last year, and how much I loved this tiny island nation.  The blog has lots of fascinating tidbits about a place I'd love to return to someday.

So, where in the world will Blog Day take you?

Malta, Malta, Malta

Trip to Malta--Part IV

After our trip to the spooky but cool Hypogeum, Alex was glad to be out in the sunlight again and riding in the van along the Mediterranean seacoast.  Our guide, Marisa, offered us a few choices for what to do with the remainder of our day.  We could take a boat ride to see the Blue Grotto, or go to some temple ruins up the coast a ways, or see the Medieval city of Mdina.  I thought Alex needed some time to run around, and Frank really wanted to see the ruins, so we opted for the ruins, but asked if we could see Mdina if there was time.  I didn't think that Alex would do that well on a boat ride at this point, but passing the Grotto, it looked like a lovely trip.  As we ventured up to higher ground, we had a beautiful view of farmlands, ringed by taller buildings at the coastline. 

To get to the ruins, we had to take an incredibly bumpy road along the coast.  Marisa said it was a former British airstrip used during World War II, and it evidently had not been repaved since then.  Alex thought it was fun and enjoyed making flat "ommmm" sounds with his voice and hearing it vibrate as we bounced along.  The waters of the Mediterranean looked absolutely gorgeous down below the rocky cliffs.

The Underground Stonehenge

The Hypogeum -- Malta

After our tea time on the balcony, we met Marisa in the lobby and headed to our appointment at the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.  The Hypogeum is an underground chamber that was carved out sometime around 3600 BC and is believed to have been a neolithic temple, and then a burial chamber for ancient people who inhabited Malta.  It was discovered in 1902, when work crews building houses stumbled on what they thought were a series of caves, only to find out that they were intricately carved out chambers.  The Hypogeum is now climate controlled and restricted for preservation purposes.  Only ninety visitors per day are allowed in, in groups of ten.  If you want to see it (and I highly recommend that you do), you need to book your tickets well in advance.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the site.  Outside, it looks like a nice residential street of brownstones with a large church at the end of the street.  We walked into a small lobby where a woman sat behind a desk collecting tickets.  Marisa couldn't go in with us, but told us the van would be waiting when we came out.  Our guide, a young woman with long, dark hair in a serious black pantsuit, took us down one flight of stairs to the theatre, where we watched a short film about the discovery of the Hypogeum and its excavation.  Evidently, a Jesuit priest, Father Magri, initally set out to excavate the site, but was called away on a mission to Tunisia where he died suddenly.  All of his notes were lost, but an archeologist named Thermistocles Zammit later took up the cause and excavation began in earnest.

We moved out of the theatre to an area set up with objects on display and more information about the cave and what we were about to see.  The guide pointed out a few important items to us.  One small statue was discovered that has become iconic of the place and tells a story in itself.  It is called "The Sleeping Lady" and is a small figure of a woman of ample proportions asleep on a bench.  It was very simple and quite a lovely little sculpture.  The researchers believe that this is a representation of a fertility goddess who was adored by these ancient people.  I decided I liked them immediately. Being a full-figured gal myself, any culture that worshipped fat chicks was ok in my book.

After the small but very informative museum portion, we followed our guide down a set of metal stairs into what Alex called the "spooky dark".  There were some dim yellow floodlights that automatically turned on when we reached the landing and our group of ten crowded around the guide.  She started explaining the story of how the workers thought they had discovered a natural cave, until they noticed all the perfectly formed right angles and pockmarks in the walls left by the tools used to chip away the stoned. 

At first, it was hard to see what she was talking about, until another set of footlights automatically illuminated the scene.  Then, it took a moment for our eyes to adjust and our brains to catch up with what we were seeing.  Down in this dark, cool hole, was a series of columns and squared doorways, with rounded walls, smooth floors, and stone benches.  It was something like an underground Stonehenge, but a little more sophisticated and purposeful.   It was like we were standing in Fred Flintstone's living room.  The guide explained that they found hundreds and hundreds of human skeletons in one of the lower rooms and offerings of carved statues and pottery.  They believe that the relatives of the dead would have to come down here and sleep with the dead relative's body for some time.  Originally, it was thought to be a catacomb or necropolis, but based on the carving of the rock, they now thought that it served a dual purpose of both temple and burial chamber.  During World War II, when Malta was heavily bombarded, many Maltese sought refuge in these underground chambers.  The Hypogeum is one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites.

We reached each room by a series of metal stairs and narrow catwalks.  The lights would go on and off automatically, making it eerie and a little unsettling at times.  A few times, the guide was in the middle of her speech when the lights would suddenly just go out.  Alex got scared and started a loud protest.  The guide was unflappable and just continue on her speech.  She was either a highly seasoned professional or a robot.  I was just one embarassed mom who kept shushing Alex and trying to settle him down.  I shuttled Alex to the next spot where there was a light on to get him away from the group, and held him.  He started saying, "I'm ready to leave!  This is too creepy!  She is talking about the bones!  Where are the bones?" and "What if we can't get out?  What if the lights don't come on?"  I wasn't sure how to answer that, and just picked him up and comforted him and told him we were fine.  I guess this is the reason that they don't allow kids under 6 into the tour.  We thought that Alex could handle it because he generally is not afraid of anything. Oh, except being alone in the dark. Is there a prize for "Bad Mommies"?  If so, I think I just won it.  Luckily, the tour didn't last long, and Alex was relieved to head back up the stairs and into the daylight. 

There was no real gift shop, but there were a couple of books on sale with photos in them.  Frank bought one of the books, which explained a lot of what I missed when Alex started wailing to be set free from this bone cave.  I'm not sure if any description that I've read or that I could write would adequately describe how unusual this place is.  What is most amazing about it is the fact that it was built 5,000 years ago.  I don't know how Frank found out about it, but to me, it was one of the highlights of the trip.  It's not as large and spectacular as Leptis Magna, or as well-known as Pompeii or the Pyramids, but it seems equally significant and amazing given the time period in which it was constructed.  I don't think Alex was as impressed as I was, but he was probably a little too young to comprehend what he was seeing.  I hope when he's older, he will have a chance to go back and see what an amazing place it really is.  That is, if he ever gets over being afraid of the dark. 

The Best Concierge in the World

The Hilton Malta

After the sensory overload of the Cathedral of St. John, we needed a little brain break and headed to the Hilton Malta to check in for our overnight stay.  Frank had been e-mailing Edward the concierge for several months, and was looking forward to meeting him.  Frank has a habit of annoying concierges the world over via e-mail, fax, phone, and smoke signal if necessary.  Edward had replied  swiftly and enthusiastically to all of Frank's demands requests and Frank wanted to thank him.  Edward had arranged for Marisa to take us on our day tour, and so far, she was great.  Marisa had informed us in the van the Edward managed to score some tickets for the three of us to go the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, something you normally need months of advance notice to get.  I had no idea what or who the Hypogeum might be, but Frank was thrilled. Frank muttered something about "underground cave" and "tombs" but I really didn't get a clear picture of what it was.   It sounded like a repository for dirty needles. 

We saw the tall royal blue tower of the Hilton sticking up over the otherwise quaint landscape from several points n the city.  Marisa told us that the Hilton Tower and Conference Center was something of a controversial building project in Malta.  Some of the Maltese locals thought it was an eyesore, while others thought it was sort of cool and modern.  I tended to be on the "eyesore" side, although as a building itself it was not bad, it just didn't fit in with all other buildings that were more subdued colors and classical style architecture. 

We walked into the Hilton, and it was incredibly beautiful, with a sunken restaurant overlooking a series of large swimming pools.  We felt a little underdressed, surrounded by chic looking men and women in business attire, all speaking different languages.  I overheard people speaking Italian, Arabic, French, Maltese, and English just standing in the lobby for five minutes.  Edward was at the Concierge Desk and greeted us immediately.  He told us he had secured tickets for the 2 pm Hypogeum tour for the three of us, and Frank could not have been more delighted.  "This guy," he exclaimed, "Is the best concierge in the world!"  I'm not sure I've ever seen Frank be more effusive about a hotel employee.  Edward seemed to appreciate the compliment.  Marisa told us she would be coming back for us in a few hours to take us to the Hypogeum, so we had some time to settle in and eat lunch.

Edward sent us up to the VIP Honors Lounge to check in, since Frank evidently has some exhalted status at Hilton due to his frequent business trips.  On the show TV show So NoTORIous, there is an episode where Tori Spelling has a flashback of her mother taking her to a swanky hotel as a little girl and warns her not to sit on the bedspread because, "Sometimes poor people stay in nice hotels because they have coupons and so you don't know what icky things they've left behind."  That was us.  The Coupon People.  Frank booked this using his Hilton Honors points that he racks up on business trips throughout the year.  So, this fancy hotel and the lovely suite were not costing us anything.  We could not believe our luck.

Our room had a balcony overlooking the series of swimming pools surrounded by palm trees.  We could see the city in the distance, and a spectacular view of the Mediterranean. The outside balconies were stacked up like sandy-colored boxes with window cut-outs.  It was a beautiful, clear day.  We wanted to relax, so we ordered some room service and sat out on the balcony and had lunch.  Alex was interested in checking to see what was on Maltese TV and plopped himself down on the bed with the remote.  Frank and I sat outside, drinking tea, and just taking in the view.  I'm don't think we've ever been to a lovelier or more relaxing setting.  I asked if we could stay a week, but didn't dare ask how much this would cost.  Sadly, we just didn't have enough coupons.

Malta? What's in Malta?

Solar Eclipse '06 -- Malta, Part I

Our wonderful trip aboard the Sinfonia came to an inevitable close after the trip to Tripoli and a day at sea.  We got off the ship early, debarking at Malta a couple of days before the rest of the group. The ship was going on to Salerno, Italy, and ending up back in Genoa, where it all began.  I was not too happy about getting off the ship early, but we had to in order to use our frequent flyer tickets to get home.  Plus, Frank assured me, "Malta will be fun."

"Malta?  What's in Malta?"  I asked.  "Remember Bimini?"  Before we had Alex, Frank and I took a trip a trip to Bimini, which is now at the top of the list of our "Places We Would Not Return to Without A Court Order."  The highlights of our trip to Bimini were a case of walking pneumonia, being nearly devoured by sand fleas, and a room over a bar where drunks stayed up until dawn singing along to a song called "Living Next Door To Alice."  The song itself was not offensive, but it was the fact that the drunks would all shout, "Alice? Alice? Who the f--- is Alice?" during every chorus.  Over and over.  Until dawn.  I wanted Frank to stab me in the head with an ice pick to get that song out of my brain.  I was a hacking, sleep-deprived mess with 10,000 bug bites on my butt.   "Bimini" is our code for "bad vacation planning."

"Malta is nothing like Bimini,"  Frank scoffed.  "There are a lot of things to do and see there.  A grand cathedral!  Megolithic temple ruins!  Knights of the Crusades!  Medieval castles!"  He got Alex to join in the pro-Malta campaign with the bit about knights and castles.  "Mommy, I want to see some knights!  Maybe there will be dragons there," he stated and re-enacted a knight vs. dragon fight using a chopstick as a sword.  If it weren't for The Maltese Falcon I probably would never have heard of Malta.  I relented, figuring that paying an additional $3,000 for air tickets or hitchhiking home were not great alternatives.

So, with expectations set slightly below "can't hardly wait" and slightly above "root canal", we left the ship in Malta.  We debarked after breakfast and found our luggage sitting at the bottom of the gangplank.  Standing on the pier was an attractive woman wearing sunglasses with a sign bearing our name on it.  That was Marisa, our tour guide for the day.  Frank had pre-arranged with the hotel to book a van and a guide to take us around the island, since we only had a day to spend in Malta and see whatever the island nation had to offer.  To me, a guide and a car is usually the optimal way to sightsee with a child or two in tow.  You have more flexibility to change your itinerary if the kid is tired and doesn't want to see another museum or tourist attraction.  Plus, you don't annoy all the other people on a bus tour who actually want to hear what the guide has to say when your kid is screaming for a juice box.  Normally, if you add up the cost of a bus tour for 3-4 people, a guide and a car are not that much more expensive.

Marisa had the driver take us up the steep hillside from the pier and wind through some narrow streets to a lovely garden overlooking the Mediterranean.  We could see the Sinfonia and several rooftop gardens from this vantage point.  We snapped a few photos, and Alex ran around terrorizing pigeons.  Marisa pointed out some local landmarks and gave us an overview of Maltese history.  She mentioned that the Maltese language is a unique blend of local dialect, Arabic, Italian, and English.  The billboard signs in Maltese looked like Arabic-sounding words spelled out in Roman letters. 

From our vantage point in the garden, the panoramic view of Malta and the Mediterranean was spectacular.  It was like Monaco, only everything looked a little more comfortable and worn, and seem to be cast in a golden glow in the sunlight.  It was like something out of a technicolor movie from the sixties, and I half expected Audrey Hepburn to stroll by with Cary Grant.  The vibrant flowers in the garden, coupled with the view of the sea painted a lovely backdrop to start the day.

Despite the beautiful scenery, Alex quickly grew bored and restless and wanted to leave.  Then, we saw Ethan and his family trudging up the hill toward the garden. Alex ran to Ethan and threw his arms around him, as if Ethan just returned from a stint in 'Nam and Alex was his new bride awaiting his return.  Ethan reciprocated with a big grin.  Ethan's cousin said, "Ethan has whined and complained all the way up here.  We thought we were going to have to turn back!"

We had planned to move on to the next site on Marisa's list, but she patiently waited for the boys to play a little while longer and eat chocolate-filled donuts from the snack stand.  When we were finally ready to go, she said it would be fine for Ethan's family to come with us to the Cathedral.  Alex was thrilled to have his running buddy along with him.  Marisa told us that she has a son, so she knew how much it meant to Alex to have a friend along.  We all walked down the charming little street to the main street of Valletta, and over to the Cathedral of St. John.  Marisa was enthusiastic about taking us there, and warned that it might be a bit overwhelming.

We walked down the main street of Valleta,  through a crowded shopping area.  The street was teeming with people, and Alex wanted to stop at every toy store we passed.  Marisa told us that Malta had been used for a number of Hollywood movies, and that this street was featured in a scene from Munich.  The wide boulevard was closed to traffic, and had a sort of pan-European feel to it.  It could have been a street in London or Paris or Rome.  I could definitely see how movie-makers would choose Malta as a stand-in for any number of places.

We arrived at the Cathedral, and were faced with long lines of tour groups from the Sinfonia. Marisa took us to a separate line and bought us tickets without waiting, then to a secret back-way entrance.  She spoke to the guards in Maltese and they let us through.  It was like being with an A-list celebrity at Studio 54 in the late 70's.  There were hundreds of people waiting to get in, and we just sailed passed them.  Marisa said, "We don't have enough time to wait in line.  They know me here."  We decided we loved her.  If you ever go to Malta, hire her.

I've been to some nice churches and a cathedral or two, but nothing quite compared to this one.  On the outside, the cathedral looks quite simple.   The facade does not prepare you for what is inside.  The interior is decorated in the "high baroque" style but it could easily be called "high drama."  Every inch of it is covered with some ornate carving, fantastic sculpture, or dramatic painting.  I'm not sure I have ever been in a place that was more ornate, other than maybe the Pitti Palace in Florence, where they ran out of room for paintings and started hanging them on the ceiling.  The most amazing part of the cathedral is the floor. The Cathedral is the final resting place of several hundred Knights of Malta.  The floor is a series of inlaid tombstones throughout the cathedral.   Each of the tombstones about 3' by 5' and is inlaid with intricate marble mosaics with Latin inscriptions.  The panels are all different and say something about the Knight's life and deeds during the Crusades.  Some bore a skull and crossbones; others had more human figures on them, a family crest, or a shield.  Every room in covered by these mosaics, and they are each unique and intricately formed.  It was a little overwhelming to try to see everything in the Cathedral.  I think you would need a week just to look at the floor.  Something about it reminded me of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.  Each panel of the quilt was a different take on a life, what was important or symbolic to that person.  Like everything in this cathedral, they were beautiful, dark and a little frightnening at times.  I'm not sure I could possibly describe it well enought to give you a sense of how amazing it was--it is something you need to see to believe.

In one of the chapels, there is a replica of Caravaggio's painting Beheading of St. John that was prominently on display behind the altar.  The original is in the national museum, but since this cathedral is dedicated to St. John, it seemed to fit here.  Alex asked, "Is that Jesus?  Why are those people killing him?"  It is a violent scene, and not one I wanted Alex to dwell on, but I could not stop looking at John the Baptist's face, the blood on the floor, and the red cloak.  I tried "hey look over there, a doggie!" a few times, to distract him, but he was wise to my tricks.  I finally told him that it was not Jesus, that the man's name was John the Baptist and that he was killed by a king who didn't like what he had to say. Alex could not take his eyes off the scene in the painting. Marisa came to the rescue and told us we needed to move on in order to make our way to the hotel for check-in.  On our way out of the chapel, we ran into Mary Beth from the Kids Club onboard the ship.  She was helping with one of the tour groups.  Alex ran to her and gave her one last, big hug.

We made our way out of the main part of the church and into the gift shop, where we purchased a couple of Maltese knights and a pencil sharpener that looked like a ship.  Alex took the tiny sword from the metal knight he bought and challenged Ethan to a duel, but Ethan didn't want to duel.  We walked out onto the sunny street, which seemed a little too bright after the dim lighting of the church.  We had to say goodbye to Ethan and his family one last time, and make our way back to the van. 

Alex said, "That church was cool."  I could not agree more.  Malta turned out to be full of wonderful surprises.