The Salt Pans

Perhaps my appreciation for salt started late in the game, as in a few months ago. Since growing up in the U.S., the only salt I knew came in a dark round cardboard canister called Morton's. For shame. Until reading David Lebovitz's blog post about varying tastes and textures, little did I know about salt's natural production, which produces a richer flavor and crystal texture. Even here in Spain, everyone uses the larger granulated sea salt. So by chance while in Gozo, Juan Pablo showed us the curious salt pans along the Gozo shore in Marsalforn.

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There was a small walkway leading us to the land of sodium chloride.

Embedded in the hard limestone are old seashells bathing in the sun.

We made it. Yay!

The blue squares and other geometric shapes remind me of a well-fitted stained-glass window.

Getting upclose. How do you get salt? The Mediterranean seawater fills the crevices and pans throughout the year. In the warm summer months, the crystallization of the salt takes place.

The salt is harvested when the pans are almost dry.

It's the perfect wading pool, but I stopped myself from not taking off my shoes and socks.

Marsalforn has a stretch of one kilometer of these beautifully carved salt pans.

Seriously, I'm ready for a dive.

Calm.

As we headed east toward Xwejni Bay, the pans were more compact with rocky edges.

Salinity is forming as we speak.

See you soon, lovely seascape!

Ferrying it to Gozo

http://www.malta-map.com/

That's where we were if you were wondering! Just 67 square kilometers, the neighboring Maltese island of Gozo is just a 20-minute ride away. It was exciting to drive the car on to the ferry and explore a more rural island of Malta that has just 31,000 inhabitants.

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And we're off! The Ruizes look ahead at the dry land that they're approaching.

Land, ho! Gozo welcomed us with a quaint port and hilltop church, just one of the many 46 churches on the small island.

 Juan Pablo took us to a seaside seafood restaurant with a nice view of the riviera.Paloma and her uncle make a toast to Gozo. Chin chin!

We enjoyed our seafood soup and bream while sitting by the tranquil waters.

After, Juan Pablo took Paloma to the edge of the pier to admire the blue while my motherly self remained very watchful with my zoom lens.

We also went to Dwerja, where nature has left some curious rock formations.

Rocky limestone.

Paloma and Baby pose in front of a limestone pool while taking in Dwerja in all its beauty.
And to the right of all this is...the Azure Window. Gozo's most famous monument, this natural arch was created thousands of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed.

A popular setting in various films, the fascinating arch is expected to collapse within a few years as nature and humans have caused it to deteriorate :-(

We sneak in a family shot before it will be known as "Azure Pinnacle". (Seriously, a name is prepared.)

Unadvisedly, people jump off these cliffs for a real adrenaline rush.

Gratuitous baby shot.

Thanks for visiting!

Welcome to Malta

Just a two hour flight from Barcelona, Malta is quite the inexpensive getaway if you have a brother-in-law like to me to have him set up you and your whole family. The airline tickets for the four of us was a mere 300 euros, so how could we not take a trip to these Mediterranean islands? Paloma skipped a week of school but came back refreshed and not missing anything besides finger-painting some flowery scenery or maybe learning about the number 5. So....here we go!

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First stop: having a warm cup of coffee in the town of Mdina. Juan Pablo took us to this medieval city café in the center of the island, which has a nice view of St. Paul's Cathedral.

And this, a cuppa joe while admiring the lovely countryside and disappearing horizon.

It was a warm day with dispersed clouds.

The little siblings squeeze the big siblings in a family photo.

Known as "the silent city", Mdina has quiet streets and alleyways. Peace.

The late afternoon sun shines on St. Paul's Cathedral.

It's refreshing to not see swarms of tourists a la Barcelona city center.

I started to notice the bold-colored doors sprinkled throughout the town.

Dig this shade of blue.

Around the 1800s, Malta became part of the British Empire, where the old red telephone booths are still evidence of their past presence.

So, who's the most famous Maltese? This guy. Nope, I don't know who he is either.

Malta is considered to be a very Catholic country, where religious icons are found virtually everywhere, including on street corners and the facades of people's homes.

Juan Pablo took us to a very tiny church from which view we were to see the small, uninhabited island of Filfla. See to the right? Filfla is which is only five square kilometers and is home to various wildlife. Access is prohibited.

Breezy, warm and refreshing air.

Looking even more to the right was a nice sunset and the view of what I think is a nuclear generating station. Not sure. 

We headed home early to start the following day even earlier. This baby was pooped on his first overseas vacation.

Many more posts on Malta to go. Because it's my blog ;-)

Mateo - The Eighth Month

Hello! Where, oh where, did spring go? I'm looking outside right now at the gray clouds threatening to rain on this parade (Plum Parade, haha, I know I'm a crack-up, right?). We had outdoor plans this weekend which have been thwarted by this sprinkling down business. Gah! But that's not gonna stop me from blogging about our baby, Mr. Mateo. Here are some photos from his past month. Take that, rain. Show it, little man!

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In the past few weeks, Mateo's been eating really well. But before that, he wasn't much interested in food but tasting his plate...and still attempting to taste other things, especially toxic plastic.

Mateo's godfather, Rafa, spends a little shopping time with us at the local mall, Centro Comercial Diagonal Mar.

The rite of passage into the playground - the baby swing! He's hangin' with the big boys now.

It helps that Mateo can sit up well and play with some toys while I do other things. Check out this superb posture!

But of course, when he's tired he has sister to lean on. ;-)

Poor kid has inherited Paloma's good bibs, which happen to be pink. Other than that, he's enjoying the warm sun in Malta and eating some bread while overlooking the Mediterranean, that's all. 

Look at us with exposed arms...outside! You see, this hasn't happened in about six months. Warm weather, how we've missed you so!

An expert in baby swings now, Mateo shows off his skills in sustaining himself independently on a freely suspended seat.

Okay, so he's not moving. Just looking cute for his mommy. EEEEEKS! Love this kid!