Malta: Living on the Edge of Europe » Places http://79664664.com Thoughts and happenings from a life on Malta Sat, 12 May 2012 12:38:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Xemxija in the (early?) 80s http://79664664.com/2012/04/30/xemxija-in-the-early-80s/ http://79664664.com/2012/04/30/xemxija-in-the-early-80s/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:30:30 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2887
Xemxija in the 80s by gm13977

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/04/30/xemxija-in-the-early-80s/feed/ 0 2000-year old apiary http://79664664.com/2012/03/31/2000-year-old-apiary/ http://79664664.com/2012/03/31/2000-year-old-apiary/#comments Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:23:46 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2852 wpid 2012 03 31 13.20.55 2000 year old apiary

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/03/31/2000-year-old-apiary/feed/ 0 Plastic Lines http://79664664.com/2012/03/16/plastic-lines/ http://79664664.com/2012/03/16/plastic-lines/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:38:34 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2824 B2 129x150 Plastic Lines B7 150x112 Plastic Lines B6 150x112 Plastic Lines B3 150x110 Plastic Lines B5 59x150 Plastic Lines B4 150x112 Plastic Lines B1 150x112 Plastic Lines
]]> http://79664664.com/2012/03/16/plastic-lines/feed/ 0 Sweet and salty http://79664664.com/2012/03/10/sweet-and-salty/ http://79664664.com/2012/03/10/sweet-and-salty/#comments Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:16:37 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2786 Make no mistake. There's no Chinese influence on this post, even though yesterday I was following a multi-national debate on the culinary habits and predilictions of the various nationalities that made up my group of students: Belgian, French, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian, Libyan and Chinese. Neither is this a reference to food, be it main courses or desserts. Besides, it was still 6.55 of a Saturday morning when I was assaulted by the salty and the sweet.

The wide arms of Pwales valley, which extend to form Xemxija bay, offer an open welcome to north-easterly winds. When these reach force 7 or more (as happened overnight), the road which seperates the swelling sea from the Simar nature reserve becomes a breakwater. The result is that the frustrated waves don't only throw a tantrum but anything imaginable at the tarmacked obstacle - the small, like pebbles; the soft, such as seaweed; the sizeable, as the boat which found itself parked close to the Pitstop kiosk. In its foaming fury, the sea's spittle splashes across the sidewalk and, on this particular morning, drenched me (a willing victim, I must add) with a shower of moistened salt. If the ocean thought it would dampen my mood with its actions, it couldn't have been more mistaken. The salt on my lips served as a foretaste of the approaching summer, setting me smiling.

Half-an-hour later, envious that I was still in high spirits, the entity that commands the heavens cracked its whip. The clouds, which until then had been visibly pregnant, delivered a deluge while the accompanying thunder increased in frequency and decibels - that's one hell of a slave driver up there! Despite its best efforts, nature failed to match my mood to the colour of the depressed sky. Rather, the sweetness of the rain water helped wash my body and clothes clean of the encrusting salty grains.

This morning I tasted the sweet and I savoured the salty ... and I relished them both.

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/03/10/sweet-and-salty/feed/ 0 Trail run – Victoria Lines: On and Under http://79664664.com/2012/03/04/trail-run-victoria-lines-on-and-under/ http://79664664.com/2012/03/04/trail-run-victoria-lines-on-and-under/#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:45:12 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2772 Click here for: GPX file of the 23k route

Trail Kuncizzjoni 04 03 2012 300x226 Trail run Victoria Lines: On and UnderTrail Kuncizzjoni 04 03 2012 Elevation 300x180 Trail run Victoria Lines: On and Under

Video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AGM266NY4c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUR6fsHcxuE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCy6s86aH2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OnxuOA5JXo

 

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/03/04/trail-run-victoria-lines-on-and-under/feed/ 0 Local trail video http://79664664.com/2012/03/03/local-trail-video/ http://79664664.com/2012/03/03/local-trail-video/#comments Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:00:57 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2761 This part of the run is around Ras il-Griebeg and Mgiebah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHxR9evWggA

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/03/03/local-trail-video/feed/ 0 Gold for a grey day http://79664664.com/2012/02/21/gold-for-a-grey-day/ http://79664664.com/2012/02/21/gold-for-a-grey-day/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:41:49 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2734 Grey and wet weather like we've been having today can be partially eclipsed with some gold from Monte Carlo.

wpid 2011 08 18 07.12.25 1 Gold for a grey day

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/02/21/gold-for-a-grey-day/feed/ 0 Week 17 of 34 – Half way there but still too far behind http://79664664.com/2012/02/20/week-17-of-34-half-way-there-but-still-too-far-behind/ http://79664664.com/2012/02/20/week-17-of-34-half-way-there-but-still-too-far-behind/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:05:14 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2731 Seventeen weeks have run by, another seventeen weeks to go. I have trained through 50% of a 34-week build-up but I'm only feeling 15% prepared. No, it isn't false modesty. The past few weeks have been simply horrid - lost training days, plethora of aches and pains and now the hills I have run up countless times are feeling harder.

It wasn't the original purpose of this page for it to become an outlet for my moaning and whining. So for today, bye.

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/02/20/week-17-of-34-half-way-there-but-still-too-far-behind/feed/ 0 Ghajn Tuffieha and Karraba http://79664664.com/2012/02/17/ghajn-tuffieha-and-karraba/ http://79664664.com/2012/02/17/ghajn-tuffieha-and-karraba/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:30:52 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2726 A run and walk around one of my favourite nature spots this island has to offer - the clay slopes and beach of Ghajn Tuffeiha together with the Karraba plateau. An idyllic location to relax in but also an exciting route to explore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I3Jh1lyRfo

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/02/17/ghajn-tuffieha-and-karraba/feed/ 0 The Arab spring in Malta – a year ago http://79664664.com/2012/02/16/the-arab-spring-in-malta-a-year-ago/ http://79664664.com/2012/02/16/the-arab-spring-in-malta-a-year-ago/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:33:20 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2721 A year has gone by and the Arab spring of 2011 is still in season.

This video was taken in February 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBPWV1j2SqU

 

Related post: Anti-Mubarak protest - collage

 

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/02/16/the-arab-spring-in-malta-a-year-ago/feed/ 0 Verticalizing Valletta http://79664664.com/2012/02/09/vertical-valletta/ http://79664664.com/2012/02/09/vertical-valletta/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:51:17 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2698 wpid 2012 02 09 10.48.52 Verticalizing Valletta

]]> http://79664664.com/2012/02/09/vertical-valletta/feed/ 0 Monday: after training, before work http://79664664.com/2012/01/23/monday-after-training-before-work/ http://79664664.com/2012/01/23/monday-after-training-before-work/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:41:49 +0000 Sandro http://79664664.com/?p=2617 IMG 7119 78x150 Monday: after training, before work IMG 7125 150x100 Monday: after training, before work IMG 7123 150x100 Monday: after training, before work IMG 7124 150x100 Monday: after training, before work
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