Gelato Redux: The Pilgrimage Back to Italian Bliss

Mere hours left in London, before another trip bites the dust ... it wasn't much, but London is one of those rare places where you can pack so much into such a limited amount of time. Having just the morning before heading to the airport, we were able to: <ul><li>Sample a pain au chocolat and the famous macarons of perhaps the most renowned pastry shop in Paris, Laduree, which recently opened a branch in Covent Garden</li><li>Get kicked out of the Hotel Trafalgar, as we tried to sneak up to its rooftop patio, which purportedly has amazing views of London, but is off-limits to all non-VIPs during the Olympics</li><li>Stroll along the Thames, and come across a celebrity filming a TV spot promoting London</li></ul>London has more than its fair share of detractors, but seriously, how many cities in the World let you do all that in two hours? It's definitely ending the trip on a high note.

It's seemingly been forever since I've been able to take this much time off for travel, and these past five weeks were definitely worth the long wait. The trip started off great and just got better and better, with each and every country ... it'll be tough returning to real life after that!

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was Italy - traveling through the south was new for me, but I do have great memories of Sicily from before. The first visit there was a long time ago, and prior to returning, I did wonder whether or not it could be anywhere near as good as I had remembered. Memories sometimes have a funny way of playing tricks on you - in the depths of your mind, recollections can change, growing into something grander and more beautiful than ever existed in reality. But after a return to Sicily, there was no doubt - it's even better than the first time.

Of course, the dominant theme of the trip was Italian gelato, but let's not forget the unsung hero of Italian cuisine - its fine cheeses! I can't even remember all the varieties we tried, only a few like buffalo mozzarella, caciocavallo, pecorino, provola, and ricotta, which we had in multiple forms - first in its purest variety, atop the Naples version of Pasta Alla Norma, the incredible eggplant and tomato dish typical of the region, then again with the Sicilian version, as ricotta salata, a salted, dried, and aged version of the cheese. There was also the roasted ricotta we found in Modica and finally, ricotta gelato, which for me, is probably the best way of enjoying this delicious cheese.

This sub-theme of Italian formaggio continues into the theme song for the trip - the first candidate was a song that was, according to Benita, extremely popular during her travels through Northern Italy. Personally, I don't really remember hearing Emma Marrone's Cercavo Amore anywhere in the south, but it's definitely a catchy song, though it lacks the requisite cheesiness to be considered as the theme song for this particular journey. The fact that after spending several weeks each in Italy, with neither of us able to understand any of the song, is quite sad - but our Italian studies were limited to perusing menus!

So we must go WAY back to select a song, all the way back to my first time in Sicily, in the port city of Trapani. It's not a terribly-exciting town, but its prime location means it is perfectly situated to explore many of Sicily's less-touristed gems, and is also worth visiting solely for the magnificent Sicilian-style pizzas of Calvino Pizzeria. Having planned to spend three nights in Trapani, I had rented an apartment offering the luxury of a TV, so I passed most evenings on the sofa, watching music videos.

Trapani was the first time I ever saw the video for James Morrison's You Give Me Something, an ultra-cheesy, but catchy little song. Fast forward six years later to when we were sitting for three hours in a kebab shop in Catania - shown on the tube were mostly what appeared to be Middle Eastern pop videos, but the odd English pop video was played. On came another James Morrison video, but this time it was a more recent one, I Won't Let You Go, which is perhaps even cheesier than the aforementioned song. It wasn't the first time I had heard the song, but it was the first time that I had seen the video.

I found the coincidence to be rather amusing, seeing those videos for the first time, both times in Sicily, but separated by all these years ... so there you have it - the song for the trip, a perfect one for Italian perfection. It really doesn't get much better than Southern Italy and Sicily - reasonably-priced, beautiful beaches, architecture, history, stunning natural scenery, friendly people, incredible food ... it's almost the perfect destination. Here's hoping that it won't be another six years before we come back!

Brush With Fame ...

Anton Ohno Groupies!!!

Macaron Madness!!! ...

Priceless ...

Next Time ...

Pret A Manger ...

Oh, the Horror!!! ...

I used to love the everything about the Olympics - the competition, the spectacle, the sportsmanship ... I remember passing many days as a child, glued to the TV, watching as many moments of Olympic coverage as I could. But that changed as I got older, as the Games seemed to get away from its values, and morph into a giant marketing machine, a vehicle to sell more products to the masses. It became more about the media coverage than the competition itself, leaving me jaded, and only a casual follower.

Over the years, the Games seemed to get bigger and bigger, and more and more excessive ... it became popular years after to look back, and determine what value host countries actually received from them. Sure, there was usually an economic boom from construction of all the new venues, and a massive spike in tourism during, and immediately after the games. There was also all the attention and positive press, the economic benefit of which is difficult to quantify.

But what really is the legacy of hosting the Olympics? With the costs of recent Olympics spiraling out of control, it seemed that at best, the host country could only hope to break even, after the massive expenditures. And what to do with all the shiny new venues that no longer had any use? Let them sit empty, and let them crumble, as they are too expensive to properly maintain ...

So here we are today in London, just a few days after the 2012 Olympics kicked off - it wasn't purposely planned this way, but we more or less stumbled upon the games as we finalized our itinerary. While we didn't care if we actually attended any sporting events, we still wanted to get out and about in London, and soak in the Olympic atmosphere, which was sure to be epic. But of course, the Olympic Gods were not pleased with the hypocrisy of someone who was no longer a fan of the Olympics, yet still wanted to partake in the festivities ...

Flying from Malta on Ryanair means no-frills, so we stepped off the plane not into a covered walkway, but directly out into the open, and into a massive downpour. The weather in London has been rainy for the past few days, and the forecast called for even more today - Hyde Park sounded like the best place in town to enjoy the Olympic festivities, but not with the risk of another rainstorm. Karma has decreed that I'm not Olympic-worthy! But the backup plan was a good one, having dinner with friends at a Thai restaurant - the food was definitely good, but tasted even better after weeks without any Asian food, since our crappy sushi lunch at Marks & Spencer was too terrible to satiate our cravings. Strolling around Covent Garden afterward, there was no discernible Olympic atmosphere, but perhaps this was because it's still early in the games, and the energy level will surely ramp up around town in a few more days. Still, Covent Garden was as fun as it always is, with a nice buzz in the streets.

We did manage to catch some of the events on TV at a nearby pub - so while our Olympic experience in London was not quite as we originally had hoped, we weren't disappointed. We're in one of the World's most amazing cities, sharing a few pints with friends - how could you beaet that?

Gelato Withdrawal Symptoms: It's hard to tell if our shakes are because of withdrawal, or because we're now freezing our asses off in London's sub-20 C temperatures, soaked to the bone in our clothing that is more suited to the tropical temperatures we just left behind. Just the other day we were complaining about the heat, and now we are complaining about the cold!

Red Lamb Curry at Busaba Eathai ...

Mussaman Duck Curry ...

Fish Sauce, How I've Missed You ...

Kebab!!! ...

The Hypogeum - one of Malta's most famous historic sites, and considered by many to be a can't-miss attraction. But as far we were concerned today, it was a bit of a "meh" attraction, hardly worth the effort and advance planning required to obtain tickets. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Hypogeum is the fact that it dates back to 3600 BC, and that the people of that time had the knowledge to create this necropolis so far underground, digging it out of the rock.

But as far as the site itself, there really isn't a whole lot to see, as it's quite compact and the light levels are kept low for preservation purposes. Again, the best part was the historical significance, but having to book several months ahead to ensure entrance during the busy tourist season, was a bit too much hassle. The 20 Euro per person fee was also steep, though that's largely because only 80 people are allowed in each day, in order to control CO2 levels, in an effort to prevent degradation of the stone.

In a way, the Hypogeum was disappointing, which we dealt with the only way we knew how - by stuffing our faces with some more fine Maltese food! Marsaxlokk is a fishing town popular with tour groups, and is popular with locals as a destination for a fine seafood meal - we're happy to report that Marsaxlokk more than lived up to its reputation.

Still, today was a bit sad for two reasons - first because I only took maybe 20 pictures today, and more than half of them were of food - but that's a different type of sad! Second, because it was our last night in Malta - our time here has truly been wonderful, with this tiny island nation far exceeding our expectations in nearly every way possible. It's funny how Malta was little more than an afterthought during the planning stages, chosen mainly because of its proximity to Sicily. But at the end of it all, Malta ended up being one of the highlights, in a trip full of them. Gelato Withdrawal Symptoms: Withdrawal symptoms are peaking, leaving us with the shakes. But fortunately, tonight we found a great way of counteracting the problem - with a bottle of excellent Sicilian white wine!

Lower Barrakka Gardens

Last Day in Valletta

Marsaxlokk's Main Square

Trabuxu ...

Fireworks in Valletta

Typo? ...

Out With the Old, In With the New ...

Massive Oysters at Ix-Xlukkajr ...

Mixed Seafood Platter ...

Tuna Carpaccio With a Mango Chili Sauce ...

Panna Cotta Trio ...

Banana Parfait With Peach Coulis ...

Assorted Meat and Cheese Platter at Trabuxu ...

No place is perfect, and though it's easy to see only the good, look long enough and you'll eventually also find the bad. So far, Malta has been much better than anticipated, perhaps a product of having had such low expectations prior to arriving. Sure, it's overrun with tourists in areas, but there really are some beautiful and worthwhile places to visit. While there have been some things we haven't cared for, I can't say that we've found anything truly bad here, at least, not until today, when we set foot in Sliema ...

It's known for its concentration of bars, cafes, and restaurants - as such, it's popular with both locals and tourists, since it's where all the action is. Sliema is rather soulless, lacking any real charm, though it does score points for its buzz factor. Strolling around, it feels like a dime-a-dozen type of place, with no distinguishing characteristics that would lead you to believe you were even in Malta. But I still wouldn't classify that as being bad ...

In fact, I wouldn't say that we found anything bad today, because what we discovered was horrific - it's difficult for me to even write about what we found, because I was so traumatized. Today, we found ... shopping!!! Oh, the horror!!! And it just wasn't any kind of shopping, but the absolute worst kind - shoe shopping!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! How could this have happened??!!!?!?? But then, it all made sense ...

Benita had been complaining that her flip flops were giving her problems - uncomfortable, with the straps giving her blisters. Supposedly, they were also beginning to fall apart, as had already happened to her fancier pair of sandals. Quite the coincidence, no? Just before arriving in the best shopping spot in all of Malta, both pairs of sandals had given out? How convenient!

It was all a ruse, all part of a plan to trick me into an afternoon of shoe shopping! All those nights I had fallen asleep and Benita was up late, supposedly playing on her iPad - I'm willing to bet that she was slowly sabotaging her sandals, little by little, all so that she could later play on my sympathies, pointing to her injured feet, all so that we would shop for some new shoes. Positively diabolical!! Being tricked in that manner was the lowest of lows ...

But luckily, balance in the Universe was restored, as we ascended from a low to the highest of highs in Malta - the walled city of Mdina. Quite often, the quality of a traveler's experience is a matter of luck and timing, two things we were fortunate to have tonight, arriving close to 8 PM, after all the day trippers had deserted the tiny city. There isn't much space in Mdina, which is probably only about 200 m by 200 m, so I could imagine it being absolutely suffocating during the middle of the day, when it is completely packed with tourists.

For a short time, Mdina was magical, wonderfully quiet and free of people - as we strolled in search of dinner, there were times where it was just us, with not a single other soul in view. Travelers are always in search of that next "Wow" moment, and we had the fortune of experiencing one tonight here in Mdina. It's not a feeling you have very often while traveling, and it is even rarer to find yourself nearly alone in such a beautiful spot - definitely not something we will soon forget ... Gelato Withdrawal Symptoms: It's been four days since we've sampled any fine Italian gelato, just getting by on some lesser forms of the stuff during the past few days in Malta, and the symptoms are worsening, leaving us with headaches and mild nausea. But one way of dealing with pain is by subjecting yourself to even more pain - the horrors of gelato withdrawal pale in comparison to the horrors of shoe shopping!

Magical Mdina By Night

Pjazza San Pawl

The Main Gate ...

Deserted Streets

The Cruise Ships Have Invaded Valletta!!!

Lunch at D'Office ...

Fish Soup ...

Rabbit Ravioli ...

Bragioli ...

Ciapetti ...

Official Population of Comino: 3. So you'd think this tiny little island would be a quiet getaway, but nope! Hordes of tourists come by the boatload every morning for the famed Blue Lagoon, perhaps the most beautiful spot in all the Maltese Islands, except when it's swarming with hordes of tourists!

With Mellieha a short distance away from Cirkewwa, departure point for the Comino ferries, we could've easily done Comino as a day trip, but decided to spend the night on the island at its lone hotel, in order to enjoy the island without the hordes, at least for a short time. However, that wasn't the case at the Blue Lagoon, as the last of the day trippers didn't leave until nearly 7 PM, when it was too late to properly enjoy the place. But no matter, as Santa Marija Bay was wonderfully deserted, and where we spent most of the afternoon - though nowhere near as photogenic as the Blue Lagoon, it was a more than adequate consolation prize.

There really isn't much to do on Comino, which is the appeal of the place - people come here to relax and possibly do some scuba diving nearby, but little else. At night, it's wonderfully tranquil, as the hotel guests are the only people still on Comino - a far cry from Malta and Gozo, where most places are abuzz at night with both locals and tourists.

While I don't think it's a place we'd ever return to, spending an evening here was definitely worthwhile, as it gave us a bit of a break from our intense itinerary - between the heat and the early mornings, we're both feeling a bit tired. But perhaps more importantly, it gave us a break from our gorging - there are no gourmet restaurants or gelato stands to be found on Comino!

Gelato Withdrawal Symptoms: The relaxing atmosphere in Comino seems to have counteracted most of our symptoms, meaning we weren't desperate enough to resort to sampling the hotel buffet's sad-looking ice cream selection. Of course, it may also be because we've found a new addiction in Malta - Bajtra, a Maltese prickly pear liqueur - so sweet, and soooooo good ...

Sunset Over Comino

San Niklaw Bay ...

The Famous Blue Lagoon

Crystal Clear Waters of Comino

Nothing Special, But Good Enough ...

Brilliant ...

Duct Tape to the Rescue, Yet Again ...