Taormina, Sicily

Goodness. If you've never been to Taormina, add the place to your life list of places you want to see. Josephine and I had a relaxing, happy, and beautiful time here. I hope to get back someday with my husband (and we will add Cefalu, which I have heard is a must see). It's hard to explain. Just a lovely town, even with the shops and many tourists like ourselves. The views of the sea and of Mt. Etna--though the weather was not quite cooperative in that we only saw the smoking top of Etna fleetingly--are lovely. We found Osteria di Rita and loved the food, the house wine in little pitchers, and the friendliness. We went out in the evening to look down at the bay and at Giardinia-Naxos and one of the local restaurants had a small group playing accordion, mandoline, tamborine and traditional songs.

The photo with the pool was the place we stayed, Hotel Belvedere, good service and nice breakfast. The other pictures, except the church, are taken from the public gardens.

Siracusa Duomo and views

Josephine (seated in restaurant) and I walked along the seawall and then up a bit to the old island of Ortygia. We also had our hotel here--Hotel Gran Bretagne (lots of stairs, no lift, friendly, clean, good location, relatively inexpensive, we liked it). We visited the Duomo and it's lovely piazza

Siracusa

I went to Sicily again in pursuit of my Thucydides hobby. I was very happy to have Josephine, a friend of mine, join me. It would just not have been as pleasant and fun without her.

Siracusa (Syracuse) is the location where the Athenians were soundly defeated, after a very poorly considered decision by the Athenians. Perhaps they would have succeeded, but conflict at home led to conflict on the command of the expedition to Syracuse. It was a disaster. There's little to indicate anything happened there--no signs, no mention, not even a copy of Thucydides to be found, though I noticed there were two streets, one named after the Syracusan leader (Hermocrates) and one after Thucydides.

Due to a misunderstanding on opening hours I did not get to the quarry where the Athenian prisoners where held after their defeat. But I have included one from another quarry in the Neopolis. The men were, in the heat of summer, forced by the thousands into the quarry. They died of thirst, hunger, and exposure. Kagan, a scholar who has written his own new history of the Peloponnesian War (excellent), says that some were bought and ultimately freed by locals if they knew lines from the latest plays by Euripedes.

So, a few views of the harbor and of a quarry.

Fulbrights and Palestinians

I was very sorry to read in the news today that Fulbright withdrew scholarships to a handful of Palestinians in the Gaza. Apparently Israel was not going to let them out, and Fulbright decided to use the money for other deserving students. What's not clear is whether Fulbright really tried to get them out--reports from Israel are conflicting. I don't entirely understand why Fulbright couldn't wait another month to push things.

I've learned so much from my Fulbright. I will have a love of Malta until my dying day. I am a better person because of this experience, a more understanding, more confident, more humane, and moderate person. If I had my way, every human being on the planet would get an experience like mine if they liked.

I wish Fulbright had tried harder.

Visit to Mqabba Primary School

I read to primary school children from the Birchbark House, which is about Lake Superior. One thing I try to make clear is that there are many different Native American cultures in the US.

These students were particularly interested in moose.

Yes, all school children (until they get to their last year or so) wear uniforms. This is true of public and private schools. These young ones were particularly snappy-looking because it was school pictures day. The school was lovely-- beautifully done and kept up.

Giving some talks

I'm going to give two scholarly talks. They are open to the public.

Curiously, they are related to a book project on US-Canada relations tentatively titled, Peace Before Prosperity. I came to Malta to teach and to get a fresh perspective on all that I do (and I have not been disappointed), but my research is on the Great Lakes.

Both talks will be at the International Maritime Law Institute, near the University, just outside the new gate (between the bus stop and the gate). 12:30-14:00

Tu, May 27, "The Evolution of Regional Security in the Great Lakes of North America"

W. Jun 11, "Bacteriology and Diplomacy in the Great Lakes of North America"

What's blooming 3