11 Days in Malta

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• published: 10 Apr 2009
• views: 1830

At the end of the 2007/08 ski season in Norway, I take a vacation to Malta with some coworkers from Kvitfjell: Ditte Krogsgaard Pedersen (DK), Tasja Nielsen (DK), Nicklas Lindqvist (SE) and myself (US) meet Clayton Borg (MT) in his homeland, where his family offers us the use of their condominium overlooking Mellieha Bay. Clayton doubles as a tour guide extraordinaire by spending the next eleven days driving us around his small three-island country, exploring sights both on and off the beaten path, introducing us to his generous family and friends, and connecting us to a culture that has been a crossroads of civilization for thousands of years. DAY I (Saturday, April 26): I travel by train from Ringebu to Gardermoen airport in Oslo, where I meet Ditte and Tasja, who have just returned to Norway after a quick stop in Denmark. We board our plane and are soon soaring over the Alps, the Italian coast, and Sicily. When we arrive at Malta International Airport in Luqa, Clayton escorts us across the island to our condo and on to Mdina to experience the country's medieval capitol by night. We pass by the ruins of a Roman villa, where Clayton's brother, Alvin, is producing a light show. From there, we wander through illuminated orange groves and quiet cobblestone streets until arriving at "The Medina," a restaurant partly owned by Clayton's father, John Baptist Borg. After relaxing with Clayton's youngest brother, Darren, to sweet martinis on the house, we make our way back to Mellieha for the evening. DAY II (Sunday, April 27): We stop by Malta's longest sandy beach just down from our condo on our way to Marfa Ridge. We head southwest for a stunning view of Gozo, Comino, and Malta's western cliffs from Qammieh Point. We then take a jaunt to the northeast until we are absorbing another remarkable panorama from Dahlet ix-Xilep. As the sun goes down, we await the Borg family and friends for a barbecue on the beach. DAY III (Monday, April 28): We are on vacation, so we all take a break. Clayton enjoys a day off from babysitting, and the three of us walk to the beach to soak in the rays and test our endurance in the cool sea of the early Spring. My Sanyo Xacti "waterproof" camera succumbs to exposure, opting to take an everlasting vacation under the waves of the Mediterranean. DAY IV (Tuesday, April 29): Clayton drives us to the modern day capitol of Valletta. I do some camera shopping while Clayton patiently follows the girls to shop for other things. Though they resist temptation, I am unwilling to let the rest of the trip go undocumented. By the time we rendezvous at Freedom Square, I am the poor new owner of a Sony DCR-SR35. DAY V (Wednesday, April 30): I vote to return to Valletta so that we can capture the city on video and explore beyond the markets of Republic Street. Clayton likes the idea of taking another day off, and the girls are easily convinced, so we hop a bus into the city and traverse across Valletta. We peek into the Grand Master's Palace on our way to Fort St. Elmo, which greets us with a view over the Grand Harbour toward the Three Cities and invites us to follow the southern waterfront past the Siege Bell Memorial, Lower Barracca Gardens, St. Paul's Shipwreck church, and the Upper Gardens. We catch our breath while climbing Valletta's famous stone stairways back to the city center and sit down for a bite to eat in Pjazza San Gwann outside St. John's Co-Cathedral before catching the return bus to Mellieha. DAY VI (Thursday, May 1): The girls and I are on our own again and decide to stay a little closer to home. Instead of walking to the beach, we meander up to Our Lady of Victory cathedral, stopping by the underground Shrine of Our Lady of Mellieha. After visiting the cathedral, we find a small restaurant for lunch and our first taste of rabbit, the local delicacy. A stop into a local grocer for some fresh produce marks the end of our excursion before retracing our steps home. DAY VII (Friday, May 2): We decide to leave the island of Malta and catch a ferry with Clayton to Comino for the day. A relatively deserted island most appealing for its naturally beautiful lagoons, it's no wonder that movies like "Troy" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" have been filmed here - along with, of course, the critically acclaimed "11 Days in Malta." DAY VIII (Saturday, May 3): We have been looking forward to the arrival of Nicklas, and finally the day has come. Before we head to the airport, we spend the morning visiting the famous Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples, peering over the Blue Grotto, and walking the streets of Vittoriosa. Nicklas receives a swift welcome as he joins us for an evening on the island of Gozo during their annual music festival. We are entertained by performances ranging from a local gypsy entourage to Alcazar, a pop group hailing from Nicklas's own Sweden. The evening is concluded by a spectacular fireworks display and a ferry ride back to Malta. DAY IX (Sunday,

Hundratusen

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• published: 22 May 2012
• views: 73

58 775 510. That's how many times you have to watch this movie before the nuclear waste, that right now is planned to be burried, will be harmless. For 100 000 years the nuclear waste need to be untouched from human kind and other creatures. This book is an experiment of time. With graphics and text I try to understand how long time 100 000 years are. _____________ 58 775 510. Det är så många gånger du måste kolla igenom den här filmen för att det kärnkraftsavfall som nu håller på att grävas ner ska hinna bli ofarligt. I 100 000 år ska det ligga orört från mänskligheten och allt annat liv. Boken är ett undersökande av tidsrymden. Med bild och text försöker jag förstå hur lång tid 100 000år är. _____________ Texter från boken: "[...] Med andra ord kommer det dröja 3226 generationer innan kärnkraftsavfallet kommer vara oskadligt, ifall varje generation är 30 år." "För att att kunna förstå hur lång tid 100 000 faktiskt är kan man sätta det i perspektiv till att människan har existerat i 50 000år, världens äldsta kvarvarande byggnad, Templet Hagar Qim, är ca 5600år och pyramderna är ca 4000år." "På hundratusen år hinner du bläddra igenom denna bok 28 688 727 272,7273 gånger (28 miljarder 688 miljoner 727 tusen 272,7273) om du läser varje uppslag i 2 sekunder, 24 h/dag, året runt inkl skottdagar." "På samma tid som det tar för kärnkraftsavfallet att brytas ner hinner du färdas med ljusets hastighet tvärs över hela vintergatan, från kant till kant. En sträcka på 946 073 047 258 000 000 km (946 biljarder 73 biljoner 47 miljarder 258 miljoner km)." "Med en global medellivslängd på 70 år, och om du tror på reinkarnation, kan du återfödas 1429 gånger under 100 000 år." "52 596 000 000 (52 miljarder 596 miljoner) sekunder, 876 600 000 (876 miljoner 600 tusen) timmar eller, 36 525 000 (36 miljoner 525 tusen) dagar går det på 100 000 år inkl alla skottdagar." "På 100 000 år kan du färdas med bil fram och tillbaka mellan Forsmarks och Oskarshamns kärnkraftverk 74 288 136 (74 miljoner 288 tusen 136) gånger. Detta om du har en medelhastighet på 81,9 km/h." "Om man visualiserar 100 000 år genom att skriva ut ett Å per år och radar upp dem efter varandra ser det ut såhär: [13 sidor med bokstaven Å uppradade 8556ggr på varje sida]" "För att räkna ut sidnumret under de 110 bilderna behöver du räkna ut ekvationen. Beroende på hur många gånger du bläddrat igenom boken så ändras sidnumret. Om du lyckas komma till sidan 3 155 760 000 000 (3 biljoner 155 miljarder 760 miljoner) så är det kärnavfall som idag planeras att grävas ner i jorden ofarligt (baserat på en konstant läshastighet på 2 sek/uppslag)."