Back To Gozo

Here are the videos from the Gozo coast. This was my most favorite place in Europe. I know the videos are shaky, but its so hard without a tripod and such a tiny camera.

The Teolato's

Here is a brief look into the Teolato family.

Massimo has several hobbies. The first is tobacco sport.  This means collecting pipes, tobaccos, and smoking. He has over 200 pipes, and he remembers where each of them is from.  He has tens of kilograms of tobacco, all from all over the world.  He also enjoys photographing birds.  He will stay in one place for hours until he gets the perfect shot.  He has cameras with 10x magnification. He also enjoys building his own bird watching huts.

Saturday Night Easter Vigil In The Vatican

So Friday morning I woke up early to wait in line for the Coloseum.  During the day the line can be up to 4 hours long, and I didn't like that.  So I got there around 7:30am, and I was one of the first people there.  It was slightly chilly, and so I was wearing a sweatshirt. My Binghamton University sweatshirt to be specific.  These two gentleman come up behind me in line and are sitting there for a while.  Then one of them says to me,

"Do.. you go to Binghamton?"

Here's the thing about Binghamton: It's a great school, but maybe one in a million people in Italy no what it is.  So I knew something was up.  Long story short, he didn't go to Binghamton, but grew up in Vestal, the city in which Binghamton is located.  So we started talking.  And we talked for about an hour while we waited in line. Him and his friend were both about 30, and very cool guys with great stories.  We ended up traveling through both the Palantino and Coloseum together.  At one point, one of them says to me..

"So.. my friend works in the US embassy here in Rome, and he got us tickets into St. Peters Basillica saturday night for the easter vigil. We have an extra ticket, and you are the first american we've met here who we've actually talked to and gotten along with, do you want to come with us?"

Of Course I said yes.  An opportunity to participate in this historical ceremony, in the presence of the pope, in the vatican, and free entrance to the basilica.  Of course I said yes.  One thing though was that I hadn't brought pants with me, so I had to buy a pair.  Which was awesome because I had an excuse to buy myself a really nice pair of Italian dress pants, which are cheaper than jeans in Italy.


Anyways, here are some of the videos.

The choir and other people did the chanting and songs in Latin. It was beautiful.

The Pope's voice isn't quite as beautiful.

This is a long video.  You'll see the swiss guard, college of cardinals, bishops, and The Pope at around the two minute mark.

Rome

Rome has a very exciting train station

This gentleman appears to be in the wrong place.  At first he casually juggles the ball on his head in the middle of the intersection.  But he's not lost, because as soon as he stops and catches the ball, he walks from window to window with outstretched hands to retrieve an award for his bravery.

This is the Vittorio Emanuel building.  It is also an amazing building.  It is large, perfectly white, and built with 100's of majestic pillars.  There are also statues protruding from all sides of the building making it an excellent sight catcher.  This is a very dramatic building.  At night they light the top up blue with the statues protruding into the darkness with a blue tint.  The birds in the city all play along in the drama game by circling this monument at night.

The Trevi Fountain is beautiful.  It's so intricate and detailed.  Additionally, all of the fountains in Rome have beautiful clear blue water.  And there are many fountains.  Not only that, but throughout the city they have metal faucets that run a solid stream of delicious clean drinking water 24/7.  Their ability to provide all of those waters in ancient times contributed to their success as an empire.  The city of Rome is built on top of large limestone deposits, and the limestone acts as a natural purifier of the water.

When I saw the man locking this door I couldn't help but to take a video.  I think someone should tell him that criminals upgraded from 2-D to 3-D breaking and entering a while ago.

No matter what large city you go to, you're never far from a cheesy but fun to watch break dancing show.  Make sure to watch the guy at the 1:28 mark.

A roman sunrise from the top of an 8-story building in Rome with a view of the Coloseo and The Vittorio Emanuel.

Rome

I'm in Rome right now. Great city.  I don't have my laptop though and have no way to post videos.  And internet here costs 2.50 Euro for 30 min. Soo I won't be on long.  Tomorrow I'll be visiting the Coleseo, and the Roman Forum. Then on Saturday I might head south to the Naples, Pompeii, and Sorrento region.  I only have 3 weeks left here so I've got to get around.  And I have a long weekend.

Malta - Gozo

Malta is an island country south of Italy.  Gozo is part of Malta but is another mile off the coast of Malta.  Gozo is approximately 76 Square Km.  Thats approximately 29 square miles.  Or an average diameter of 5 miles.  So small island. We rented bikes and you can bike one side to the other in under a half hour.


This is a group of about 14 Spanish people from Granada on vacation that I introduced myself to in the hostel.

Bus rides on Malta are insane. The buses are from the 1960's. The drivers are from the 1940's.  They collect money while driving. The doors stay open.  They drive like maniacs.  Here's a sample.

Malta is a very cheap place.  Here is the hostel/hotel we stayed in for 9 Euros a night per person.  It was three of us and we had our private room, bathroom, fridge, microwave. It was basically a hotel.

You will see the best of Gozo later, but here are some ruins.

View from Viktoria, capital of Gozo.  Old city.

The Malta Experience

Before I break into Malta with some videos.  Let me say that this was possibly the best place I've visited thus far in Europe.  Beautiful, great country.  Also, while my meal program was succesful last week, as for 6 days I ate nothing but the fruits and vegetables I had purchased, my meat free ended abruptly upon entering Malta when I saw, and I kid you not, "A Meat Pie," selling for 1.50.  It took this as a sign and indulged myself.  How much more literal could it get.


Now I knowww they say that the emperial guards in the United Kingdom are the best in the world. And that the changing of the guards is a must see. However, I think you'll agree with me in saying that the modesty and true heroism of this Maltan display for outpaces any fish'n'chips entente.

The arcade in Paceville, Malta was top notch.

Disclaimer: As a result of Maltese Government rulings, all arcades were banned from offering tickets in exchange for game play. As this is a method of gambling.  It was a very... dry arcade.

We take for granted some things in America. Like free water on the table at restaurants. If they put water or bread on the table for you, there is a 75% chance it costs money in Europe.  I prefer free water. Also, at this restaurant I ordered a delicious sounding hamburger from the menu. Guess what I got... yes, a hamburger.  Just the burger, a patty of meat on a bun. I was like... pickles?