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The Maiden Stone with Norman
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

We took the train up to Aberdeen next, where Colin’s relatives Alan and Karen live with their two boys Ross and Alex. We saw them during their visit to Nanaimo last summer and they were happy to put us up for a few weeks while we were in Scotland. Ross is 8 now and Colin was determined to teach him to make video games. He got him started using Game Maker, a sort of WSYWIG tool for making Windows downloadables. After the first day Ross was off to the races, developing his first game Alien Black Hole. It turned out to be a surprisingly engaging game, where you are chased through a maze by enemies who eat the level walls as they go. I’m a big fan of his sprite art for the spaceship.

Inspired by Colin’s success, Ross was eager to publish his game online and charge for a full version. I set up a website for him (Thunder and Lightning Games – what a name!). He dictated and I designed, emphasizing the use of Comic Sans and a tiled lightning background to (I think) excellent effect. Then, Internet magic took over. Colin posted a link to it on Facebook, where some of his indie game friends picked it up and reposted it on Twitter. From there it found its way to a review on popular gaming blog Rock Paper Shotgun. Overnight Ross was receiving praise, donations and requests for the full game (which he hadn’t actually finished yet!) from all over the world. Alien Black Hole was a huge success and the world is now eagerly awaiting Ross’s next game.

So that worked out.

Colin’s (more or less) aunt Lorna lives just up the street from the Glens, and is immensely knowledgeable regarding the Aberdeen area and its history. She took us on excursions to Crathes Castle (still with the actual furniture and family heirlooms displayed), Aberdeen University where she works (founded in the 15th century by the local bishop), the Aberdeen docks (huge oil sector there) then down to Kirriemuir to visit Colin’s (also more or less) uncle Douglas and his family. We also met up with (uncle) Norman for a tour of his area of town, a peek at the Maiden Stone which inspired our wedding rings, and a truly excellent Scottish meal. I’ve been trying to link to things we’ve really enjoyed on this trip, ever since another couple’s blog of their trip to Malta helped me to plan our own excursions there.

Karen warned us that Aberdeen was known for its grumpy inhabitants, but we didn’t find that to be true. We spent a number of our days there just wandering about town, dipping into local pubs (our favorite was the Prince of Wales, try the mince & skirlie) and cafes (I recommend Books and Beans). We brought our laptops and searched for quiet places to get some work done on our games. They progressed a little more slowly in Scotland but that was fine as we were having such a good time with family.

We took three days and headed up to Inverness by ourselves. We didn’t get much farther into the northern highlands, but found there was plenty to do around this laidback and walker-friendly town. Invernessies claim to be the happiest citizens in British polls, and we think with good reason; they have great local food and music venues, nature all around and beautiful walking paths just minutes from downtown. We visited Loch Ness and a remarkably skeptical Nessie museum; their motto should have been “There is No Monster”. We then happened upon world-class Thai food at traditional Celidh (Kaylee) folk music bar called Hootananny, and were so delighted we came back for it the next two days.

It was wonderful being with such hospitable and fun family in Aberdeen. Karen and Alan were just fabulous hosts and we hope someday we can repay the favor, or pass it on to someone else in the family.

Inside the Gothic Rocketship
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

Colin and I were thinking the same thing as we saw Edinburgh from the plane: green! We sat apart again (damn your lack of assigned seating Ryanair!) but before we knew it we were out of the desert (Malta) and into the land of kilts and year-round drizzle. I believe it was raining lightly. We found our hostel Argyle Backpackers, a half hour stroll from downtown on the other side of Meadows Park. Very nice location and a charming old building, we really enjoyed our stay except when the roof started leaking!

We jumped into the museums right away. Scotland has an amazing number of very good galleries and museums which are free of charge. Of these we saw the National Gallery, a Modern Art Gallery, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Museum on the Mound, and the National Museum of Scotland. Not all on the first day of course; we did have a week after all. Highlights for me were the ancient buried treasure troves in the National Museum and the giant lilies in the Botanic glasshouses. We really couldn’t believe how much there was to see in Edinburgh, all free of charge.

Colin put the word out on the indie game developer network, and that weekend we were visited by the extremely prolific Stephen Lavelle (increpare). Stephen’s games are so brief, bizarre and experimental that I was half expecting him to show up with green hair and a handful of acid tabs, but he was just a regular nice guy. We explored the city and talked about games all day. It was a blast, really great hanging out with someone on our own wavelength after a month alone in Malta. Definitely the highlight of our time in Edinburgh.

And of course we also visited the Edinburgh Castle, although it was hard paying $45 for it after all the by-donation museums. We were lucky to visit on the start of the Queen’s stay in Edinburgh, which they celebrated with a 21 (or some number, I lost count) gun salute from the castle walls. There is still a strong military feel to the castle, what with all the war museums and memorials. To be honest I got sick of the unending galleries of medals and military awards, and I was disturbed by the image of Scotland as a country whose pride and national identity are defined by military service. But the old buildings and crown jewels were cool.

We spent a few days just wandering and exploring the streets. As seen from the sky, Edinburgh is a lush green city with numerous paths along streams and through parks that we could easily reach from our hostel. We hiked up to Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood park one day then down to Holyroodhouse where the Queen was preparing to greet her smartly dressed public. We peeked through the fence but didn’t stay, as we were off to the Halfway House down Fleshmarket Close, purveyors of fine real ales and traditional dishes like Stovies and Cullen Skink. We found this pub on our first day and returned half a dozen times, greeted at each by a new selection of cask ales and great food. We made it a habit to visit at least one pub (usually two) every day. It wasn’t hard as there seems to be a good one around every corner in Edinburgh.

Have I mentioned we loved this city?

Musicians at L-Imnarja
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

It’s our last week in Malta, and of course they saved the best for last. All month we’ve been watching fireworks from our window as at least a dozen different cities celebrate their saint’s feasts. Last weekend Rabat and Mdina started theirs. The feast of St Peter & St Paul starts with the Imnarja folk festival. It took place in our local Buskett Gardens, a centuries old planted ‘forest’, disappointingly dusty and beige this time of year. It looked much better at night, with lights strung everywhere and music playing. We shared a bottle of local wine in plastic cups and wandered through the stalls of local farmers and merchants. Lots of bee keepers on Malta, and small farms growing organic grains, herbs and heirloom vegetables. I think I’ve mentioned that the farm across the road from us has a small field of thistles which I thought was the oddest thing, although apparently the seeds have uses.

We checked out the prize winning livestock, and I said hello to some bunnies whose brethren would soon be our dinner. I suppose as prizewinners they were going to be spared the grill so they could get busy making the next generation of bunnies. Anyway we grabbed some stewed rabbit (fenek), and what the hell we decided to get a huge plate of snails (bebbux) as well. These snails are common in the fields here although their shells are usually bleached in the sun and the ones we ate were darker, so maybe these were farmed snails rather than found ones. They were… interesting. Colin thought removing them from their shells was like picking boogers, only they tasted better. The rabbit was good, but I liked the gravy and chips best of all the fair food. While we were eating we were serenaded by the traditional g?ana folk music, which sounded like loud caterwauling to us. We also saw a band playing odd homemade looking traditional Maltese instruments. One guy had a zafzafa, a kind of drum he held between his legs, with a pole coming out of it that he pulled in and out of the drum. Most phallic instrument ever.

So that turned out to be a good night, technically just the eve of the feast day and the first night of a week long celebration. The next day brought the eagerly anticipated Imnarja horse races which we could in fact see from our balcony. Well, barely. The finish line was hidden by some trees, but after racing each of the horses was brought up the hill right under our window on kind of a victory lap. The riders sit on little two wheeled (sulky) carts like mini chariots. While I watched, one of the horses was still so excited that it took off and dragged its middleaged rider down the hill. The guy held on valiantly and seemed to come away unscathed, although we later saw riders with ragged bloody shins so there was definitely a bit of danger to the sport. That evening they awarded prizes at the top of the Saqqajja steps (our door is near the bottom) and they had an orchestra and dancers.

Then the best part – someone started lighting off huge fireworks in the farm field across the street from us. I’m not sure they were official – it seemed like some guy had just ridden his motorcycle down there with a backpack full of them – but they were huge, spectacular, and LOUD. The first few were just big explosions, very popular in Malta, but we’d never been so close and it sounded like a bomb had gone off right outside our window. We had a great time, there’s nothing like being able to watch fireworks 200 meters from your own balcony.

So that started feast week here in Rabat, and every day since there have been fireworks at 9am, noon, 7pm and 10pm. Tonight is the final day of the feast of St Peter & St Paul, when they’re scheduled to do a procession through the town. I haven’t had the easiest time looking these events up online in Malta but I saw a poster in Maltese which I think I’ve deciphered. So hopefully we’ll have some fun tonight, then in three days we fly out to Edinburgh to start our month in Scotland and the UK!

Bouldering
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

There hasn’t been much to post about, as Colin and I have both been hiding away in our apartment in Rabat, Malta, and working on our games. Actually I’m working on two simultaneously: I got frustrated with Rebuilder which needs tweaks and graphics but no real programming, so I dusted off my old project Beeble World (now Keeple Island) which is now running nicely in AS3 with sockets, revamped map system and world building tools. Still may never release it but you never know. Colin is toying with variations of the key controls of Clutter and says the game is starting to really come together.

The fireworks I can see from my desk have continued day and night in half a dozen cities, in fact I can hear them starting again now. I think Malta is having one month-long celebration just for us. :) We’ve pulled out the couch bed and are in full lounge mode this evening, resting after a long day visiting Malta’s smaller island Gozo. We rented a scooter and drove from bay to bay, swimming and snorkeling and sunning ourselves on rocks. Like I said, exhausting! We also checked out Gozo’s capital city Victoria which was nice and quiet, until the church bells start a-clanging. They lasted about 10 minutes each time, not seeming to mark a particular hour or anything. Maybe it’s just like the fireworks, letting everybody know it’s still saint’s feast season.

What else have we done in the last two weeks… hmm. We’ve gone on some long walks, explored Rabat and Mdina and the dusty farm roads and little villages nearby. We had a tour of the Hypogeum of ?al-Saflieni, a prehistoric underground necropolis carved out of the rock with only stone and bone tools. You could still see where they painted the ceiling (5000 year old paint!) in some places. Unfortunately researchers know very little about the builders and they kept saying “we don’t know what this room/hole/etc was used for, isn’t that mysterious”. I wanted answers! The site was seriously restricted to prevent damage from light or co2 from breathing, so they only let a handful of people in every day and you have to scurry along with the guide before the lights go out behind you. Atmosphere it had, but the lack of information was disappointing. However, it got me all interested in the ancient history of Malta and Europe. It’s astounding how many times Malta has been conquered by different groups because of its strategic position in the Mediterranean.

Oh and I found out Saqqajja is pronounced ‘Sah-ahyah’.

First day in Malta
Originally uploaded by apes_abroad.

Colin and I had the same impression, in fact the same word in our heads when we first saw Malta from the plane: beige. It’s a dry island; no rivers and not much rain in the summer. In fact we’ve seen a lot of cacti here and they even make a local liqueur out of prickly pears. Also red wine mixed with lemonade which was waiting for us when we arrived. I thought it might take it easy with the alcohol this month after Italy, but now I’m itching to find our local liquor store and see what other interesting concoctions Malta makes locally.

But back to our first impressions. Most of the buildings here are made of local limestone which of course is beige. Our apartment has limestone ceilings, a limestone staircase and in some places ancient looking limestone brick walls. It’s built into a ridge so the bedroom is actually underground which makes it deliciously dark and quiet, although also a little damp and dungeon-like. It was something like 27 Celsius out there today but our apartment was super cool, I don’t imagine ever needing the aircon here.

We’ve got an awesome view of farms, vineyards and miles of distant city. I think this is the greenest area we’ve seen so far, and about 2k south is a big forested park. The beach isn’t far although we haven’t figured out how to reach it yet. The important thing is that yesterday I set my computer up by the window and actually got some work done on Rebuilder. I enjoyed the view and after sundown watched fireworks displays in two different towns. They had fireworks during the day as well, lots of them just big explosive bangs. I think it’s for the 70th’s anniversary of the day the bombs started falling in WWII. The raids lasted for two years.. it’s hard to imagine. On the other hand, it might just be celebrations for a Saint’s Feast, which every town in Malta does during the summer months. The feast in our town of Rabat is the biggest of all, and we’re going to be here for it – what luck!

So we knew basically nothing about Malta when we decided to come here, but I’m learning all kinds of facts, such as:

– The entire country is only twice the size of San Francisco and half the population (400k)
– They speak Maltese, a crazy language that sounds like Italian crossed with Arabic… because that’s what it is. I still have no clue how to pronounce our street name (Saqqajja Hill).
– The buses are beautiful antiques of various makes, owned and maintained by the drivers
– Malta was run by the Brits until the 60’s and only recently joined the EU and got on the Euro
– Malta is crazy crazy Catholic and believe Saint Paul was shipwrecked here
– Divorce, abortion and pornography is illegal in Malta
– You can’t walk to the corner store here without tripping over ancient ruins or a UNESCO world heritage site
– Everybody watches TV in Italian here
– Their public health care is rated 5th in the world by the WHO (Canada is 30th)
– They make good, cheap wine here, particularly Syrahs which are Colin’s favorite

Today we got food delivered from Smart.com.mt which was a smart idea, and I was happy to find it’s cheaper here than SF or Vic despite so much needing to be imported. They do have good local bread, cheese, wine ($2 a litre, let the good times continue) and even interesting beer.