Rdum il-Qammieh Hike

Friends/colleagues got together for a hike along Malta's northwestern coast on Presidents' Day. The weather was mild, the company was good, and the views were amazing. Click here for photos.

A Day for Ships and Shipwrecks

St. Paul's Shipwreck Day marks the unexpected but faithful visit of St. Paul to Malta in/around 60 A.D., when the boat he was sailing was caught in a storm and wrecked off the Maltese Coast. St. Paul went on to become the Patron Saint of Malta, and the commemoration of his shipwreck a national holiday. Valletta got very dressed up for the occasion.

In the bit of irony, the U.S. Navy vessel, Mount Whitney, docked in Malta just in time for St. Paul's Shipwreck holiday. Click here for photos of the ship and the holiday festivities that took place around Valletta today. It seems St. Paul may also be the patron saint of confetti. 

Meantime, in other part of the world...  Click here for photos from a recent trip Drew and Grace made to Bellingham to visit Emily; and here for photos from Pat's recent trip to the Philippines, where he managed to get a few dives in between work commitments.  

A New Year for Adventures

Pictured above is the beautiful Fomm ir-Riħ Bay, which we visited for the first time this past weekend while hiking along Malta's West Coast. Click here for more photos from around Malta, where the winter has been mild so far and great for exploring; and from the Pacific Northwest, where the snow has been falling and the boys skiing as often as possible. The album includes photos from Drew's recent trip to Boise, our hike around Dingli Cliffs with friends and colleagues from Post, an especially crazy cat village in Sliema, the new-to-us car we bought for getting around the island, some ancient cart-ruts, and lovely sunsets. Happy New Year. 

Ghar Lapsi

We started our time together with a trip to Malta's south coast and ended it in the same spot... Ghar Lapsi. Click here for photos. 

The kids head back to Oregon tomorrow. We are really sad to seem them go, but work, university, and life must go on as the new year approaches. 

Victoria Lines

We've done some great holiday hikes this week. Click here for photos. 

• The first half of the album includes photos from our walk between the Maltese fishing villages of Marsascala and Marsaxlokk, which passes by some beautiful cliffs and a popular swimming hole, St. Peter's Pool.  
• The second half of the album is focused on our hike along a section of the Victoria Lines, pictured above. The lines span Malta from east to west. They were built by the British in the late 19th century to protect against northern invasions. 
• There are also some miscellaneous photos from Sliema, where we can watch the sunset over Valletta. 

Surf, Solstice, and Scenic Views

We celebrated the Winter Solstice with some surfing and hiking at Golden Bay, then finished off the day in Valletata with a ride on Rudolph's Big Wheel and dinner at our new favorite pizza place, San Paolo Naufrego. Click here for photos. 

This album also includes some Christmas Eve and Christmas Day photos, which featured a polar plunge, fondue, pantomime, and the discovery that our 1,000 piece puzzle masterpiece was actually a scene from the Sliema waterfront, very close of our apartment. 

Gozo Saltpans

Today we explored Gozo's salt pans along the island's northern Xwejni Bay then hiked around southern Gozo's Hondoq Bay, where the boys braved the cold for a brief swim. Click here for photos.

More about Gozo salt: Gozitan salt pans date back to Phoenician times. When the Maltese islands were under the Order of St. John, the Knights held a monopoly on salt production. The pans we visited today are among to oldest still in use. A local family has been harvesting them for 50 years.