We had visitors!! (London)

Just about the time I was starting to feel homesick -- We had visitors!! My Mom and Curt arrived for a two week visit! Such perfect timing! Two weeks to share a small flat, go for daily walks, drink coffee, and of course, explore London! I was thrilled! Here they are -- fresh off the plane and ready to go!

Wanna go for a ride?? (London)

On the "wrong" side of the road? In a famous black cab? Well, then...click on the video!!

A Big Walk!! (London)

So we were feeling ambitious...thus, we decided to head out for walk down by the river -- 5.22 miles later and we were exhausted! It is a beautiful walk! Definitely recommended --although perhaps a break for coffee or a snack would make this walk perfect!!

Lunch Time Drinks (London)

What to do when you are feeling a bit peckish and in need of drink? Head to a pub, of course! English pubs are the most delightful place to rest your feet, fuel up and prepare for the rest of your day!!

A "House" Fit for a King!! (London)

Behold, a day trip to Hampton Court Palace! We boarded a train and set out for the Palace. Gayle was intrigued given her new love of the television show "The Tudors" and the rest of us? Well, it was a gorgeous day to spend outside!



Here we are boarding the train! (By the way, apparently a number of people inside the train thought I was filming them or celebrity...needless to say, what I thought was discreet train filming wasn't!!)

Hampton Court Palace is a Tudor palace, magnificently developed by Cardinal Wolsey and later King Henry VIII, alongside a baroque palace built by William III and Mary II.

A "side garden"! Really, the Palace is beautiful -- but the gardens are where its really at! There are loads of secret and not so secret side gardens, main gardens, and of course, a maze at the Palace. Just being on the property instantly makes you think you are royalty! (Until some other tourist and their child go streaming by and you realise, alas, you are a mere mortal!)

Another "side" maze!!

A view inside the Palace...(London)

Grand staircases, gorgeous art...what more could you expect from a Palace!! See for yourself!

A view from both sides of the train! (London)

Heading home from Hampton Court Palace required a ride on the Tube (otherwise known as the London Underground)! We were all smiles to be heading home after a long day in the gardens...oh and for the evening ahead? We are off to see the musical Avenue Q!

Look one way!

Look the other!

Avenue Q (London)

Well, no trip to London would be complete without a show or two! My selection...Avenue Q! Here's the review: "AVENUE Q is Broadway's smash-hit 2004 Tony Award winner for BEST MUSICAL, BEST SCORE and BEST BOOK. A hilarious show full of heart and hummable tunes, AVENUE Q is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Called "one of the funniest shows you're ever likely to see" by Entertainment Weekly, AVENUE Q features a cast of people and puppets who tell the story in a smart, risque and downright entertaining way."

Avenue Q: It sucks to be me!! (London)

What about on the inside? How about a taste of the music??

(Okay, so this is the original New York cast (I think) and not my video! But hey, isn't it just hilarious!?)

And just like that...(London)

Alone again... (sigh)

Welcome to Malta!!

Malta: Malta considers itself to be the heart of the Mediterranean. It is centred between Sicily and Tunisia, giving Malta a very North African appearance with a devoutly Catholic population.

As many of you know, my Dad has been dying to get to Malta. He read a couple of travel articles, and well frankly, was sold! So one day after he arrived in London, we set off for Malta! And I am so glad we did! In this picture, we are headed for that town on the hill -- M'dina, where we are staying! Its in the middle of the island, and is an old medieval walled city.

The Pont de Vue -- home, sweet home!! The white car on the left with the Thrifty sticker? Yup, our sweet ride for the week!

M'dina -- A Walled Delight! (Malta)

Like many European cities, from the outside M'dina is a walled mystery. We entered the city through the main gate, unsure of what to expect on the inside!!

It was beautiful. Most of M'dina is car free. Leaving tons of narrow little alleyways that only show large wooden doors on either side. I was adventurous enough, and frankly curious to see what was on the other side of the doors, so I was peeking in the mailbox slots and saw some of the most incredible inner-courtyards! Mini-gardens for the residents of M'dina. You wouldn't know it...but they are there and are beautiful!!

This isn't the best picture...but it gives you a sense of a common street in this city. M'dina can be full of tourists during the day, but since we were there around 4-5 in the afternoon, the city was quiet and shutting down -- such a treat, just for us!

Maltese Cats...(Malta)

Jason's Mom bought me a book, sometime ago, of pictures of stray cats around Mediterranean cities and towns. I have always loved the pictures...cats, lying about in the sun, with the beautiful sea as their backdrop! Anyway, there were lots of stray cats in Malta, and Jason was sweet enough to make me my own "mini-book" of cats in the sun!

I am particularly fond of this picture...A woman in the village feeds the cats and this is a very full cat sleeping off a full stomach!!

Mosta Dome! (Malta)

Before you think that I am posting, yet again, about a church...this one is very special! Given Malta's location in the Med, everyone has tried to rule it. Currently, its it own country and a member of the European Union. During WWII, however, the English had a base there and thus Malta suffered quite a few bombings! This is Mosta Dome! Its a large church that can be seen because of its large dome all over the island.

The inside of the church is charming as well. Not necessarily gorgeous, but lovingly cared for!

And here is what's special!! A BOMB! (Actually, this is a replica of the real thing...but you can see my point!) As it turns out, during WWII this bomb dropped through the dome of the church and DID NOT EXPLODE upon impact. The Maltese consider it the miracle of all miracles!! And I have to say, religious or not, that's pretty amazing!

I had to... (Malta)

It was nice to know that if you are bad in Malta there are repercussions -- and Jason was very bad! So we locked him up! (If you know Jason well and are familiar with our blog, you will know that I am often making him take dorky pictures. That he hates. This is no exception. He hated me for this. Not to mention that we aren't alone in this little square and had to wait for a few people to take their locked up pictures and there are people waiting for us to finish! Jason was horrified...but as usual was kind enough to humour me!!)

Calypso's Cave (Malta)

Okay...here's the guide book and me. Guide book: "Some are convinced that Gozo (the island next to Malta) is the island of Ogygia, described in Homer's famous poem 'The Odyssey' on which the beautiful nymph Calypso kept Odysseus as a 'prisoner of love' for seven long years. Calypso promised immortality to Odysseus if he would stay with her, but Odysseus rejected her and escaped to his faithful wife Penelope."

More guide book: "Although the cave's interior and exterior are not too impressive, [ME: Impressive???? Actually, it looks like a lot of other caves where teenages drink and party away from roaming eyes! And there were bats and other odd creatures. Let's just say these pictures were taken QUICKLY!]

Guide book again: "There is nevertheless a feeling of excitement for any visitor to stand on possibly one of the oldest and most famous historic spots in the world. [ME: Totally true. Regardless of if the legend is true or not, it was still so cool!!!!!!!!!]

Windows to the World (Malta)

"This natural arch, hollowed out of the Dwejra Cliffs by thousands of years of wind and waves, is Malta’s most famous natural landmark. Called ‘Tieqa Zerqa’ in Maltese, the Azure Window is spectacular!"

This wasn't quite the picture Jason had in mind when he asked me to take a picture of him...I think he was hoping to in the window, but I think I was a bit too close! Either way, its still a great picture of him!!

Wanna know what we are looking for??? Salt! Yup! Salt! The rocks have little holes in them where the salt water gets trapped and obviously, evaporates! What's left behind is loads of giant salt crystals! They are so big! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, that's what we are doing! Lookin' for salt!

The Boats of Valletta (Malta)

Apparently, owning a fishing boat isn't enough! It must be...in order to fit in...brightly coloured! And I do mean, brightly coloured! As you look across the harbour, you see thousands of small fishing boats, all brightly painted and decorated.

Something else special about this harbour...although you are slightly near a major transportation port, here in the little cove, there are loads of boats, and of course, the real reason I wanted to go there...a craft market! If you look to the right hand edge of this picture, you can just make out the tops of the umbrellas of the market. So in true hot weather fashion, we ordered up gelatos, and set about to see the sights of the market!!

Just because... (Malta)

As usual, there's no point to this...just that we are on the ferry to Gozo and I really love this picture! (Oh and its raining today and the sea and the sun look heavenly!!)

And A Sunset Shall Send Them Home (Malta)

Well, Well, Well...We have Arrived in Budapest, Hungary!

After taking the nicest train from Vienna (mental note, tip to travellers, whatever you call it -- Austrian trains are AMAZING), we arrived into Budapest! We checked into our hotel and eager to stretch our legs, we headed out for a stroll!

Budapest is actually the combination of many old cities -- Buda, Pest and O'buda. We are standing in Buda and across the river in the photos is Pest.

Enough sightseeing! As the sun sets, we needed food. We headed off to find a cafe on the river!

Buda's Castle Hill!

A preview of where we are going...

How we got there...Across the River!

Up the Hill! Straight to the Top!

Finally!! At the top! (Behind Jason is the Pest part of Budapest. At the very right edge of the photo is a large square building -- just to the right of that building is where Jason took the pictures in the previous post!)

The Return of Mosaic Tiled Roofs... (Budapest, Hungary)

Jason is sitting on the walls of a medieval Franciscan church. Behind him is building of the National Archives.

There is nothing left of the Franciscan church, just the foundations and a few short walls. The city, however, decided to honour the old church by replicating one of the Gothic windows of the church. It is behind Jason and to the right!

This is the front view of the National Archives. In Budapest, even the most unassuming buildings are gorgeous!

What To Do? (Budapest, Hungary)

What to do in a foreign country when you aren't sure where you are or where you supposed to go next -- Have a seat, look around, and of course, read the the guidebook!

Matyas Church -- A Buda Oddity (Budapest, Hungary)

Matyas Church is at least as old as the 13th Century. The church, however, has had many names and many different appearances over the years. The outside is Gothic with the mosaic tiled roof, and the inside...well, take a look for yourself!

It looks like a traditional church might, but upon closer inspection there is not one corner of this church that isn't painted or decorated in an elaborate style. The architect Frigyes Schulek apparently had a flare for this style, and in the 19th Century, was commissioned to refurbish the church in what he called Budapest Romantic style.

Seeing Cinderella's Castle? (Budapest, Hungary)

Once Frigyes Schuleck finished Matyas Church, he turned his sights to the hill surrounding the church. In the end? He created "Fisherman's Bastion". A large castle and walls surrounding the church and overlooking Budapest. Its beautiful, full of tourists, and a little odd at first. You can't help but think you have seen the Bastion somewhere before...

Oh yeah! That's it! Disneyland! Yup, Cinderella's Castle is a replica of the Bastion!

Moving over to Heartbreak Hill! (Budapest, Hungary)

Jason is sitting in front of the King Matyas Fountain. The legend of the fountain is that Helen, a young peasant fell in love with the King. Only she didn't know he was king. When she realised who he was she immediately understood that their love was never to be. Alas, she died of a broken heart. And hence the fountain...

I am standing at the entrance to the Outer Courtyard. Castle Hill is no longer a castle. Instead, it is all the major museums of Budapest. Anything you might want to see -- Art, History, Nature -- its all there.

A Couple of Pics Before We Head Down! (Budapest, Hungary)

Jason looks so handsome!

A self portrait!

St. Stephen's Basillica (Budapest, Hungary)

Seems like there's a St. Stephen's Basilica in every city! This one, like all the others is gorgeous -- inside and out. It also possesses something special. Relics (bones) of St. Stephen. You may remember we saw the hand and skull of St. John the Baptist in Istanbul. Well, this Basilica has St. Stephens hand. Its so important to the Hungarian people that they are constantly making a pilgrimage there! The Basilica holds 9000 people, so the pilgrims are always very welcome!

The interior dome! (In the next post, Jason's going straight to the top!)

The interior of the Basilica is equally stunning! (There was, however, a massive wait to see the relics, so satisfied with the beauty of the Basilica, we decided to head out -- not without one tall stop though!)