Our Lifestyle Adventures: My First Taste of Greece Wasn't Athens!

Arch of Galerius

We had a day left for a day trip and, even if Jingjing had been to Greece, I have not so I relished the opportunity finally to step on Greek soil even if it is Thessaloniki, three hours from Razlog, Bulgaria. Besides, it is the second-largest city in Greece, after Athens, and the capital of Greek Macedonia, the part of Greece that is still in dispute with the Republic of Macedonia over the use of the name. Macedonia covers the Republic of Macedonia, this northern part of Greece, as well as parts of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, and Serbia. Another name for the region is Macedon, the Kingdom of Alexander the Great.

lines of container vans through the night

Thessaloniki is a vast port city and transportation hub for southeastern Europe. Both our entry and exit from the city saw the longest lines of container vans waiting to use the port, 24x7. Its historical status is that of a "co-capital" or "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire, alongside Constantinople. The city is also considered to be Greece's cultural capital and has the best beaches. Aristotle University is the largest in Greece and the Balkans. The Metropolitan area has a population of over 1.1 million.

White Tower

WHITE TOWER

The first attraction we needed to cross out from the list is the symbol of the city, the White Tower. It is a monument on the waterfront which replaced an old Byzantine fortification around the 12th century that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's harbor. At the time, it was also used as a notorious prison and scene of mass executions. The current Tower was remodeled, and its exterior whitewashed after Greece gained control of Thessaloniki in 1912.

PALEOCHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE MONUMENTS

But, like other Greek cities, Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable monuments, about fifteen constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city played a significant role in Christianity during the Middle Ages and was thus decorated by impressive buildings. We had time to see some: the City Walls, Adthe Arch of Galerius, the Rotunda of Saint George, and the palace ruins.

The 4th-century Roman Emperor Galerius commissioned the Rotunda and the Arch of Galerius as parts of a line that linked to his Thessaloniki palace, substantial remains of which remain to the southwest, embedded in the modern city and surrounded by modern buildings. A road that ran through the three is now a major pedestrian road in the middle of the city.

the Rotunda

The Arch was composed of a masonry core with marble panels celebrating victory over the Persians. About two-thirds the arch is preserved. The Rotunda, on the other hand, was a massive circular structure with a masonry core like the Pantheon in Rome. It has gone through multiple periods of use as a Christian, Muslim, and again a Christian church. It was undergoing renovation when we were there.

a friendly and helpful Greek

a Greek Feast

GREEK CUISINE

It was around this time as we were walking on the pedestrian road among the palace remains when a gracious, handsome, elderly Greek came to our help. Jingjing and I were wondering aloud where we could possibly get a good dose of fabled Greek cuisine. He graciously showed us how to get to the side roads to a group or restaurants. And that is where we found our corner, rested from all the walking, and feasted on classic Greek food.

Aristotle's left foot

ARISTOTLE AND HIS SQUARE

After lunch we proceeded to the Aristotelous Square, the central square of Thessaloniki, located on Nikis Avenue on the waterfront. Most of the Square was built in the 1950s but many buildings surrounding it have since been renovated. It is named after the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), a Greek philosopher, student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.  The Master sits there, in bronze, wearing a simple Greek chiton, sitting on marble bench with papyrus scroll in his hand. It is believed that if you touch his left foot, some wisdom will rub into your life. We are officially wise now!

Now I know why Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece. In 2013, National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide. In 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) said Thessaloniki is the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. For me, it was a great first taste of Greece. But I need to see Athens, too!

the Thessaloniki Walls

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Six Striking Scenes in Valetta, Capital of Malta

Valetta, as we were landing 

Hotel Intercontinental Beach Club

First, a short note about where we stayed. The  Diamond Suites in Malta are four floors of Intercontinental Hotel at  St.George’s Bay, St.  Julian’s.  Jingjing and I enjoyed a large studio with a balcony that looked out to man-made cascading waterfalls. A jug of refreshing water with lots of lemons always met us at the lobby. There is an enormous pool at the top floor where there is an excellent view of the town and the  Hotel Beach Club, a two-minute walk away. There were plenty of choices for dining and shopping at the mall in front.

A day after our cab tour of Malta, we turned our sights to Valletta, the capital of Malta. Less than a square kilometer in area, the city is the smallest national capital in the European Union.

VALETTA'S PALACE SQUARE

Palace Square

Alas, we were not able to wake up early again so we could not get tickets for the Hypogeum. As luck would have it, another friendly cab driver took us, not to the tourists’ general drop point in the pedestrian-only UNESCO World Heritage Site, but to the closest side street accessible to residents. We only had to make a short walk to the Palace Square, the seat of government. A block away we found the Manoel Theatre, Europe's third-oldest working theatre, Malta's National Theatre. 

CAFFE CORDINA

Cafe Cordina and the National Library

But it was St. John’s Cathedral, the famous baroque church, that we wanted to see. We smelled a great aroma from a nearby bakery/restaurant. True enough, we stumbled upon Caffé Cordina, the first Maltese tea shop that has grown to become a Maltese icon in the last 175 years. Just across the main walkway, in front of the National Library, are many tables where we could sit and dine. In the middle of the tables was the good-looking young man playing incredible music on a unique open piano. We promised to come back for late lunch after our tour of the Cathedral, which was just a couple ob blocks away.

ST. JOHN'S CATHEDRAL

St. John's Cathedral

St. .John Relic

At first we were disappointed; the façade was undergoing renovation! But when we found our way inside through a side door, we were impressed. The interior was in sharp contrast with the plain façade. It is extremely ornate and decorated in the height of the Baroque period. There are intricately carved stone walls, painted vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. The ceiling paintings appear as three-dimensional statues due to the artist’s use of shadows and placement. The carvings, done in Maltese stone, were all done in-situ. The marble floor is an entire series of tombs, housing about 375 Knights.  The classic 1608 painting of Caravaggio, “Beheading of St. John the Baptist, hangs at the Oratory. Jingjing even found a first-class relic of St. John the Baptist, his forearm, at one of the museum rooms.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe and one of the world's great cathedrals. It was built between 1573 and 1578, as the conventual church of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John, known as the Knights of Malta. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, its history is replete with many conquests by different regimes: Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, French, Germans, and Spanish. In 1530, Emperor Charles V of Spain gave the islands to the Knights Hospitaller for which they had to pay an annual Tribute for its perpetual lease. These knights, a military, religious order, had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire in 1522.

MALTESE ART AND CUISINE

street artist and her art

rabbit stew

As we had planned, after the tour of the cathedral, we went back for our late lunch at the tables of Caffe Codina. As we listened to romantic old goodies piano music, we slowly savored the famed stuffat tal-fenek, the full of flavor slowly-cooked rabbit stew for which Maltese cuisine is known. Satisfied with our meal, we went shopping for souvenirs in Valetta, encountering many street artists. Then we called our cab driver who had earlier volunteered to take us back to our hotel.

THE WATERFRONT

Maltese crosses for sale

When he arrived, he took us through the waterfront. He showed us the awesome view of the Three Cities of Malta, Birgu, Senglea, and Cospicua. After the reign of the Knights of St. John, Napoleon ruled until the islands were surrendered to the British Empire. For the bravery of the Maltese during WWII,.King George VI gave the islands its national symbol, the eight-pointed Maltese cross that stands for the 8 obligations of the Knights (truth, faith, repent of sins, humility, justice, merciful, sincere and enduring persecution), Our driver also told us that on Nov. 27-29, 2015, the Commonwealth of Nations would meet in Birgu  for the turnover of the titular leadership from the Sri Lankan to the Maltese Prime Minister..  

Maltese Bread

Then our driver showed us the place where the cruise ships dock. When we asked about Maltese bread, he took us to a small store where the bread was sold on a side road on the way back to our hotel. He even told us that Malta was the venue of the first face-to-face encounter between US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, signaling the end of the Cold War. Cab drivers in Malta are, besides being kind, excellent English-speaking tour guides!  

Our Lifestyle Adventures: I Was a Nanny in London and Loved It!

Kyrie and me

Kyrie Stephens Pijuan was born to my youngest daughter April and son-in-law Clint at 7:40 pm, September 14, 2015, at the Queen Charlotte Hospital in London.  He came by C-section after April’s heroic attempt of 40 hours in labor and 16 hours of being induced. No wonder, .he was all of 8.4 pounds, such a big baby boy for my 5’2” 120-pound April. I was told Clint was that size when he came into the world, too! In any case, he was the biggest bundle of joy ever to arrive at the couple.

Kyrie when I arrived, when I left, and now!

Bill and I had just been in Kauai for two days when we got the news.Just a day after we got back to Phoenix from trips to Maui and Oahu, I was on board a Norwegian Air flight to London. Clint was at the airport to pick me up. Soon Kyrie, my 7^th apo (grandchild) was in my arms.  He said, “Hi GrandMum!” in that cute British accent! April and Clint had just had an exhausting two weeks. After the hospital, poor Clint had his hands full. April had a fever and Kyrie woke up every 2 hours to be nursed, burped, and changed. 

Clint, April, and Kyrie at Cromer Pier, winner of 2015 Best Pier Prize

It was so good to be able to help, burp him, put him to sleep and talk to him. Just don’t ask me to change his nappies! Alas, I also did not have the means to feed him!  I delighted in my tasks that included making meals for our little family. Local grocer Sainsbury was just below their 2-bedroom flat and for individual cuts of meat, the butcher was just a short block away. Across was the fruits and vegetable co-op. An artisan bread shop completed my needs two doors away. Even a wet market was only four bus stops away with a Filipino store to boot! I loved the local life in this part of London!

April's neighborhood

Peng with a copy of my book

Just eight bus stops away is Westfield Mall, site of the 1906 Summer Olympics. The place used to be part of what is called White City because every edifice was white. That is where I met two of my friends for lunch. The first was Peng, a colleague from the Institute of Advanced Computer Technology. She has made London home with her husband and daughter.

the Notting Hill Bookshop with Sonia

The second was Sonia Tan, a mentor at NCR Corporation Philippines who was visiting London. Rachel, her friend’s daughter, toured us around Notting Hill and Portobello Road. We had our photos taken at the Notting Hill Bookstore where Hugh Grant and Julie Roberts met and the blue door of his apartment. We also had halo-halo at Lakwatsa, a Filipino pub.

with Jane at the Millenium Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral at the back

But the very first friend I met was Maureen Jane Regala-Gibbs. We had been together at the University of the Philippines ROTC Corps of Sponsors some 47 years ago. A member of London’s Royal Academy of the Arts, she took me as her guest to the famed Ai Weiwei art exhibit that was going on at the time (up to December). Oh, what marvelous works this renowned rebel-artist of China produced! The theme of the exhibit is “Everything is art. Everything is politics.” After the tour, we had a brief stop at the British Museum, Jane’s apartment close by, and tea at Covent Garden.

the Ai Weiwei Exhibit

Just before I left London, we met again to view the newest attraction of London, the fabulous Sky Garden on the 35^th-37^th floors. There was an unobstructed view of the Shard Building, the tallest building in London, the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Then we walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married, and turned left to walk the Millenium Bridge. At the end of this bridge was Shakespeare’s Globe Theater on the left and the Tate Modern on the right. We viewed collectors’ displays at Tate and had scones, clotted cream, and tea at the Café.

the Sky Garden

And then Bill had some good news. We had about 5,000 points left in our Diamond Resorts time-share that we had to use before the end of the year! When I looked online, there was a one-bedroom unit available at Cromer Country Club in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. On Kyrie’s one –month birthday, we took this 3 ½ hour drive for a one-week vacation by the sea. Unfortunately, we were met with wet, cold and windy days. Despite this uncooperative weather, Clint enjoyed the fitness center, indoor heated pool, sauna and steam bath. I went to the gym four times!

Cromer Country Club

On the fifth day, the sun was shining, and we happily brought mother and son to town, to the beautiful stone cathedral and the famous Cromer Pier, the Gem of the Norfolk Coast and Winner of the Pier of the Year 2015 award.  I will just let the pictures do the talking. It was the prettiest beach town and pier we have seen in our travels around the United Kingdom. In fact, we went twice! I hope Kyrie gets to visit it again one day when he can appreciate its beauty.

Cromer from the Pier

On the sixth day, the sun was again shining! This time, we took Kyrie around Cromer Country Club and discovered a hill beyond the country club. Atop the hill were the helipad, the lighthouse, the lighthouse keepers’ cottage, and the best view of the whole town. With the peeking autumnal (somebody pointed out to me that it isn’t called fall in England, but autumn) colors, everything was picture perfect, including our villa (Villa 1), the garden, and the Virginia creepers.  

Virginia creepers

What a great 25 days I had as a Nanny in London. If you noticed, I did not forget the traveler in me! But I will surely miss my Kyrie. It’s a good thing I will be traipsing around seven countries in Europe with my BFFs and then return to a 2-week Mexican vacation with Bill! Perhaps my longing for Kyrie will be somewhat eased until I meet him again as a Nanny in Melbourne!

view of Cromer from atop the hill

Wonderings on Wanderings: 10 Reasons Why I Would Go Back to the UK in a Jiffy!

Dracula, an outdoor play at the Whitby Abbey Ruins

the colorful little cottages
at the beach in Whitby, United Kingdom

Just by way of introduction, the United Kingdom (UK) has an estimated population of 64.1 million in about 94,000 sq. mi.,  2/3 the population of the Philippines’ 98.4 million and only slightly smaller than its 115,000 sq. mi.  England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland make up the kingdom; some powers of the last three are devolved to its capitals: Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, respectively. Wales was incorporated in 1536, Scotland, 1707 and Ireland, 1801. In 1922 five-sixths of Ireland seceded to form the Republic of Ireland. But on September 18, 2014, Scotland rejected the vote for independence.

little bridge over river

herds of sheep

I spent a total of two months in the UK, three weeks before April’s wedding to Clint and five weeks after. The newly-weds were ready to adopt the country as their own until April found out her work visa could not be transferred into an immigrant one. I got a pretty good idea why the couple love the UK. Here are my 10 reasons why I would go back to the UK in a jiffy:

little English garden

rolling farm meadows, even near cities

1. One hallmark is the simple, good life! Examples are lines of small colorful beach cottages for changing along beaches, sturdy stone bridges over clear rivers, rolling farm meadows everywhere, herds of sheep grazing in grasslands, and pretty little English gardens.

Stonehenge

Caerphilly Castle in Wales

2. There is a lot of precious history that is preserved in prehistoric, Roman, and religious ruins, venerable clock towers, imposing monuments, living cathedrals, and all kinds of castles that are in ruins or still in use.

red phone booth

3. The UK also reminds me of my favorite color combination, red and black: especially the ubiquitous red phone booth, the big red Hop-on-Hop-off bus, and the sleek and spacious black cab.

4. The great tradition in theater, established by the likes of Shakespeare et al, continues to live on. I saw more plays in my two months there than my previous five years with Bill, most of them outdoors! In London, shows like Wicked are wowing thousands everyday.

high tea

5. The UK ranks high on human development indicators, almost as good as the US although not as good as the Scandinavian countries. People are generally happy and enjoy quality of life. The country is 87% white.

6. The economy is very stable: it is the sixth-largest economy in the world and the third-largest in Europe. The tourism industry is a major part of the economy, along with oil and gas. She ranks as sixth major tourist destination in the world and London is the city with the most international visitors. There are a lot of reasons to do so. Even in my favorite sport of tennis, Wimbledon in the outskirts of London is the premier major tournament.

pasty!

scone, jam, and clotted cream

7. Food supply is excellent. Every single fruit or vegetable I bought was deliciously sweet and fresh. Seafood was always fresh and available. I loved the pies, especially the pasties that were bigger versions of the Filipino empanada. But I simply went gaga over fruit scones and clotted cream. Clint, April, and I had it every single day! And I would not mind having High Tea every day, just not at the Ritz!

narrow English roads

wonderful walk-ups

8. The energy-producer is also ranked #43 in per capita carbon footprint vs. #12 USA, #32 Finland, and #33 Norway. She is definitely energy-efficient.  Roads are very narrow, cars are very small, and people depend on public transport systems like the highly developed rail network. Homes are usually modest; thatched cottages and small stone homes in rural areas and walk-ups in the cities are still popular. Families have few appliances; they usually just air-dry clothes after washing and manually clean up dishes before hand washing.  

thatched cottage

9. In terms of governance, the UK is also remarkable. The unitary state is a very stable constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II, the current British monarch has ruled for an amazing 62 years; she is 88 years old.  The country is also one of only four countries in the world to have an uncodified constitution. The UK Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts. It is wonderful to view the debates on the Parliament floor. It is even more wonderful that the Parliament can legislate many changes without much rancor in either the political parties or civil society.

Hop-on-Hop-off Bus

 

Salisbury Cathedral

Brighton Clocktower

10. The UK has fourteen Overseas Territories, former colonies and remnants of the British Empire. It  remains a great power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the EU and other world organizations of power. At its height, the empire consisted of almost a quarter of the world, the largest empire in world history. Her influence can be observed in the language, culture, legal systems, and governments of many of its former colonies, including Canada and Australia, the United States, and even former colonies of the United States like the Philippines. Everybody speaks English there, albeit in many different accents!

The UK is a great country to live in. How I wish April and Clint are able to stay there! Actually they wanted to so much; too bad it didn’t work out for them.