Gozo & Malta

We're on our way back to Rome after a lovely time in Malta. We had fun rambling around the smaller island of Gozo. A couple of days we got to hike/bike on some trails in the lesser-known parts of the island. The sea caves were cool to see from on top of the cliffs. We got a little nervous a few times riding our bikes so close to the edge. Everyone in Gozo was extremely nice to us...even giving us vegetables from their gardens as we walked by. We'll definitely miss the slow pace of life on the island (especially compared to busy Rome). 

Our next adventure is going to be to Abruzzo in mid-March for more hiking and wine tasting. In Abruzzo they make one of our favorite types of wine--Pecorino. No, it doesn't taste like the cheese. It's called that because the shape of the bunch of grapes on the vine looks like the head of sheep. We'll try and take some photos. 

Here's a picture of the local Maltese brew. It's a lager. We failed to find any microbreweries on either island. 

Malta

We're in Malta! Sorry for the 6 month hiatus in blog posts...

We're back in action!

The busy year has started! We are both in the thick of things with teaching and coaching tennis. 

Here are a few photos from the month of September till now:

A highlight so far from the Wade's visit!

The desert we are making in my class! 

Caveman Snorkeling

We are now in the Cinque Terre! We did an awesome hike today south of Riomaggiore (the first town). After hiking for 3 hours, and 1,500 steps, we made it down to the water for a swim. Andy has invented a new activity called "Caveman Snorkeling." 

Here are some other photos from the hike today: 

Northern Spain-Oviedo & Vitoria-Gasteiz

After the Canary Islands, we flew back to Madrid and then hopped on a bus to Oviedo. It was fun showing Andy around. So much and so little has changed in the 10 years since I studied abroad there. We ate some traditional Austurian food, tried to pour some sidra and explored the mountain biking and hiking trails near the city. We also got to see an Austurian dance performance: 

After Oviedo, we headed to Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque country. What a cool city! It had paved bike trails all over the city (101 km total). Andy & I rented some bikes and spent the day meandering around the city. In the evenings we enjoyed some pinxos and cold red wine (yes, cold red wine is a thing here). 

Now we're in Aranda de Duero north of Madrid getting ready to fly home tomorrow. Here's the view from our balcony: 

Hasta luego Espana! 

Canary Islands--Tenerife

We've spent 7 awesome days on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. We went for hikes (more specifically "jwikes" -- hiking/jogging), sunbathed, ate some wrinkly potatoes (a local specialty), drank some Dorada (Canary Island lager) and just generally had a nice, relaxing time. Oh...did I mention that we also saw an entire pod of pilot whales? Tomorrow we leave Tenerife and head to Northern Spain for the second part of our trip. Hasta luego! 

We did it!

Got married, that is:

 

The bike we're riding is super decked-out with wedding decorations, by the way. It was our favorite part of the wedding, mostly because it was so random and unexpected. The bridesmaids and groomsmen surprised us with our "getaway bike."  (Thanks to Wendy M for the photo.)

The ceremony was awesome, even though (or maybe because) it was really really short. Then the games, toasts, dinner and cake and dancing. Really really fun, and no one fell in the pond! Thanks for everyone who came ... lots of family from the East Coast made the trek. And a big thank-you to John and Maggie and Anne Vallerga, who took the reins and made everything possible. Family and friends chipped in all over the place, and helped make it a spectacular, memorable event.

Now we're back in Rome, where it's very hot. Next adventure: Honeymoon in the Canary Islands!