Misc Photos

No theme here, just photos of things that interested me. I avoid people photos due to the strength of EU laws on privacy, in case you are wondering. Plus, I live in a very quiet area where people are up and about, but not in large numbers. So, photos here are another view of the Peace Palace, a toy in the window of a shop--wow inlaid wood flames! It also gives a sense of the streetscape. A pocket garden. A happy graffiti, which pretty much captures my mood. And a tiny garbage can, which is quite a contrast to what's on the curb in the US.

Went to Peace Palace library

Gosh, I could really learn to like this city. So pleasant (in the summer, maybe not January), so easy to walk in, a library with books on law in it that's filled with people interested in private and public international law. Yeah. Happy gal here.

I walked over to the Peace Palace, perhaps not via the most efficient route, took me about an hour. I'm recovering from some surgery, so there is hope by the end of July that the 3-4 km will take me my more usual 40 minutes.

I also went to the library to read some of the required assignments--on state secession today, other topics later. Friendly and nice staff with pretty views out the windows. Sigh.

You aren't supposed to take pictures once on the grounds or in the buildings. So, none from that perspective. But, goodness, what beautiful grounds. My classmates and I are going to be in an inspiring place. The photos are of two repeating plaques, one has the scales of justice and the other, less clear, seems to be of a knot that's cut. I'm guessing it is the Gordian Knot of war that law might cut. A picture of the Peace Palace (I can't seem to get a second one to load). The one with the tree-lined path is part of my route home--right after leaving the Palace.

Dunes near Hague

My landlady had told me the beach and dunes were lovely and just a short walk (waving vaguely in the direction I should go). So, yesterday evening I set out to find the sea and beach. The dunes are quite extensive, it turned out, and there were many intersecting paths and no signs. It took me an hour and a half to find the sea, though only half an hour or so back to the apartment. I plan to go back and explore more while I'm here, because they seem to be worth it. But, the next time I want the beach, I'll skip the long hike. Here are photos, including my beer reward once I found the beach. The sun was setting about 10 pm and it was still easy to find my way at 10:30 pm. Photos are of a magpie, example of treed dune, sea, my beer, and a pretty pink cloud.

My Hague apartment

I've left Malta and taken up living in The Hague, Netherlands. Took the train from Amsterdam (not bag friendly, but I made it). I had arranged for an apartment through VRBO last Fall. I am not disappointed! Even though I arrived late, around 9:30 pm, they took me for a neighborhood walk and then drove me so I could get a sense of places a bit further away. I successfully repeated some of the walk and drive today on foot and plan to head over to the beach later this evening. The sun was just setting around 10 pm. Here are some photos of my living room (fresh cut flowers and some live potted plants, a street--the light brown sidewalk is for bikes and scooters while the dark grey is for walking, and a door along my walk.

Tas Silg

Tas Silg is a very important, and hardly explored, archeological site in Malta. It has religious structures from the neolithic temple builders to the Phoenicians, to the Punic, to Roman to paleoChristian. The site is on the southern coast of the Island, but in ancient days, one would have been able to see the 12 km to what is now Mdina and Rabat and was, until the time of the Knights, the capital. Italian excavators found shards with inscriptions to Phon./Punic goddess Ashtarte, probably dating to 8th C BCE. Most of the remains are 1st C BC Roman.

Yesterday I was allowed to go with a group of archeology students and their professor to the site, which is not currently open. While we could not wander it, here are some photos. Some I managed with my telephoto lens. The first is from a road that cuts through the site (road built at least by the Knights). The photo with the reddish-brown dotted with white is the remains of a floor. The red is crushed pottery, with white marble tesserae (I don't think I spelled that last word correctly) inserted. The last is a general view of part of the site.

Glow worm

For two nights, there had been a green light by my door. The second night I got my flashlight and decided it was some kind of grub. I happened to be having coffee with a very expert ecologist of Malta and asked what creatures lit up. He said either a beetle or larvae of beetles. We drew pictures for each other and he, after giving the Latin and Maltese names for the creature (neither of which I recall), said it was a glow worm. He noted that they were an indicator of clean air. I said my place was surrounded mostly by fields that hadn't recently been plowed and by some trees. So, the dustiness that comes from the winds, traffic, and building/quarrying was less intense. Anyway, I managed to take a photo last night that at least shows the bright glow.

Returning to Malta

I'll be back in Malta for a few weeks at the end of May. I'm delighted.