In with the malteasers....

...dateline Malta 16:10...NZ 05:10...

Here we are in Malta..and I've finally got back onto the internet.

Briefly..after we left Montecarlo in Tuscany we dropped off the car and caught the train from Pisa to Venice via Florence, then we moved onto Malta 2 days later.
We didn't go and see a great deal in Pisa - apart from the square with the tower on a lean. Of course all the tourists there lined up to have an amusing photo taken of them holding the tower up. Next time I go I'm going to take a photo of the tourists doing amusing things with their arms and legs.
The tower isn't that big really...apparently the builder realised half way along that the foundation was having an issue - you can see where they have started building on a angle to compensate.
Ah Venice...streets full of water..please advise. (I've been wanting to use Robert Benchley's quote for some time..)
Venice...is incomparable. Its simply one of those cities you have to visit before you die. I really can't do it justice with a couple of sentences, so I will just stream some impressions.
We arrived and had to immediately cross a bridge from the station - then you realise that you're going to cross more bridges in a day that you would normally cross in a month...maybe a year and lugging luggage is hard work. Adelle need help with carting her gear around...so I was the sherpa following around with 2 suitcases and a bag.
Then you catch a water bus to your flat and then you understand that everything you expect to see as a car or truck..is on the water. Rubbish is hand carted to long narrow boats, builders go to work in little boats, goods are delivered via boat and cart. Its fascinating..and I sat and watched the boats on the grand canal for an hour.
Then the narrow alleyways....this way and that. We got lost a little bit at first - but finally I worked out the scale of the map and we were sorted.
The prices are full on - but I don't really begrudge them, because if tourist economics wasn't at work, we wouldn't have Venice to visit.
That's the other thing - they have a grand tradition of making a fast buck and you could see it everywhere. We visited the Bridge of Sighs....and it was plastered with car adverts. That was disappointing...but very predictable.
There are a huge amount of books on Venice - but if you're looking for something that covers their rise and decline before the tourist, check out the John Julius Norwich history.
San Marco square was covered with pigeons and tourists...only the Sistine Chapel was more densely packed....we left and came back early in the morning when it was relatively empty. Then we went down to the arsenal were the galleys were launched - we couldn't get it because its still a military base..but we visited the navel museum and for only 1.40 Euro..it was fantastic value...err..provided you like Italian Naval history.
We really didn't have a enough time in Venice - but plenty of reason to go back.
Then we flew to Malta - a place that gets an enormous amount of sun. Its therefore singularly unequipped for the enormous amount of water pouring from the sky this afternoon.....it started to look as though we were back in Venice...all the streets covered with water washing everywhere.
Last night we headed out and immediately got lost in the goat tracks around the area we are renting...we got sorted out though and found an indian resturant! Yipee! I was so ready for an indian meal. It was great - although the owner was solicitous to the point that you thought he was pulling your leg. He hovered around and tried to explain everything...punctuated with "yes please..ooh thank you...you are sweet"...as we were all familiar with the dishes was ordered in a great hurry...tika masala with extra garlic naan. yes please!
The architecture and landscape is great here - very arabesque...flat topped white houses with string beads and domes.
Malta has payed a huge price for being the crossroads of the med..I've been fascinated by its history for some time. Unfortunately for the Maltese they've had just about every nationality around the Mediterranean try to take over or take over at different times. The melange of cultures is very evident...

Bottom line: Maltesers don't come from Malta. They were invented by Forrest Mars Snr.