Sunday 2 June - St Julian's
The day started with that ominous dripping sound once I had finished the dishes. However, Peter was happy and content to ring our landlord (again), give him the soggy news and then lock the door to go out for the day. When we returned, there was a bucket placed in a strategic position. I guess Maltese plumbers double their hourly rate on Sundays just like Auckland ones do.
We have established a few friends at the bus station now. Our leaking flat is so well positioned just down the road and around the corner from the hub of the area. We've got it all sussed now, of course, and just swan off for the day. We've even learned how to jump the bus queues and elbow our way in. We don't need to really because we're so much older than anyone else, and they have to give up their front seats for the elderly. Such a good idea.
We found our way to Sliema where everyone hops off and catches whatever they hold tickets for. Ours
were for the Harbour.Cruise which was a freebie from our dear Josef for doing all our bookings through his company. It was a beautiful day, although still not particularly warm, and off we tootled in our pretty little boat. Our sort of cruise boat. An hour took us slowly through the three harbours. I accepted the glass of wine just like posh people have on cruises. We glided passed two gigantic cruise boats which dwarfed us completely, but of course we could squeeze into all the nooks and crannies of the coastline. Once again the commentary made it all so very interesting.
When we returned, Peter was in need of nourishment having missed out on the morning offering, so I took him to the Mark's & Spencer's cafe which put me in credit. It's an Ezibuy sort of a shop and again I could find a must-have in their sale. Nothing like a bit of retail therapy for a girl. Peter found himself a husband chair so plugged in his audiobook. All good.
All of that gave us the courage to travel by public transport for the remainder of our day. €1.50 got us sailing across to Valetta to explore on our own. Then when we'd clocked up 12,000 steps we spent another €1.50 to bus back to St Julians. So incredibly easy and cheap. The bus stops right at our corner!!
Only one more day to go now. We'll have yet another go at St John's Co-cathedral. There sure weren't any queues there today. Most places were shut. A day's respite from pesky tourists.
Sunday, 2 June 2019
Saturday, 1 June 2019
Saturday 1 June - St Julian's
Today's goal was the North hop-on-hop-off bus, thus circumnavating Malta. There were 3 main must-see sites, but we really ran out of time to do the third properly.
First hop-off was the Aviation Museum which Peter will write up in every little detail with illustrations for you. I was happy to have a conversation with the Museum cat, but then I wandered into one hangar that was screening details of the Second Great Seige of Malta - a superb documentary which I could relate to after the enlightening day we had yesterday. Unfortunately I missed the start of it so only saw from the Valetta Harbiur entry of the SS Orion through to the Declaration of Independence in the 1970s. I couldn't go back to the start as our bus was due to arrive.
On we went to Mosta which lies at the heart of Malta. At its centre is a magnificent domed church completed in 1860. On 9 April 1942 the church was hit by a bomb dropped by a German. It pierced the dome and fell to the floor but lay dormant thereby saving the lives of the 300 devout worshippers there at the time. The German returned to Malta after the war to seek forgiveness. There is of course an entry fee to the church, and more to visit the bomb shelter. We declined the additional fee to climb the 76 steps to the dome. I am struggling now to climb the steps onto all the buses let alone 76 of them to see the view.
Back onto the trusty hop-on-hop-off bus to Mdina which is the old capital of Malta with its origins traced back to 1500 BC. Impressive palaces line its narrow streets. It is considered one of the finest examples of an ancient walled city.
There are many sights on offer there but we chose an epic adventure museum called The Knights of Malta which traced the brutal history of the Knights through to the present day. By the time we emerged from that breathtaking experience we got lost in the maze in our attempts to find the church. We got into one which was under restoration and plunged in gloom. I can't believe it was THE one but it was time to catch the next bus. I had to go into one of the many shops to ask for our way out of the city and onto the bus. We would have liked far more time there but we just can't do it all.
Today's goal was the North hop-on-hop-off bus, thus circumnavating Malta. There were 3 main must-see sites, but we really ran out of time to do the third properly.
First hop-off was the Aviation Museum which Peter will write up in every little detail with illustrations for you. I was happy to have a conversation with the Museum cat, but then I wandered into one hangar that was screening details of the Second Great Seige of Malta - a superb documentary which I could relate to after the enlightening day we had yesterday. Unfortunately I missed the start of it so only saw from the Valetta Harbiur entry of the SS Orion through to the Declaration of Independence in the 1970s. I couldn't go back to the start as our bus was due to arrive.
On we went to Mosta which lies at the heart of Malta. At its centre is a magnificent domed church completed in 1860. On 9 April 1942 the church was hit by a bomb dropped by a German. It pierced the dome and fell to the floor but lay dormant thereby saving the lives of the 300 devout worshippers there at the time. The German returned to Malta after the war to seek forgiveness. There is of course an entry fee to the church, and more to visit the bomb shelter. We declined the additional fee to climb the 76 steps to the dome. I am struggling now to climb the steps onto all the buses let alone 76 of them to see the view.
Back onto the trusty hop-on-hop-off bus to Mdina which is the old capital of Malta with its origins traced back to 1500 BC. Impressive palaces line its narrow streets. It is considered one of the finest examples of an ancient walled city.
There are many sights on offer there but we chose an epic adventure museum called The Knights of Malta which traced the brutal history of the Knights through to the present day. By the time we emerged from that breathtaking experience we got lost in the maze in our attempts to find the church. We got into one which was under restoration and plunged in gloom. I can't believe it was THE one but it was time to catch the next bus. I had to go into one of the many shops to ask for our way out of the city and onto the bus. We would have liked far more time there but we just can't do it all.
Friday, 31 May 2019
Friday, 31 May - St Julian's
I am going to have to write my blog twice daily because so much is happening each day that I cannot tell you everything in one sitting. I just have to start today's write-up with last night's cataclysm - Peter doing his laundry. You'll be interested in that. Just before retiring for the night, Peter felt a strong urge to do his laundry. Pretty simple really. Just pop the knickers in the machine and go to bed. No worries. After awhile I noticed the street lights reflecting on the tiled floor. Pretty. But why hadn't I noticed this feature any previous night? Because it was a water feature. Why would we suddenly have a water feature? Because we have water. By now you will have guessed the cause of the problem, the washing machine. So I had to ring the owner. There was nothing in our unit to cope with a flood. About 15 minutes later a sleepy--eyed landlord turned up to discover the pipe had become detached from the drain. And thus he met his current guests. Peter thoroughly enjoyed sitting chatting to Mark while he fixed the washing machine and soaked up his flooded property.
And now to today's full day tour entitled "The Second World War in Malta & its British History (1798 - 1979)" . This tour is only available once a week so we were extremely fortunate to be in town on a Friday. There were 12 tourists and our guide Vincent who is Maltese. Our tour began in the Vittoriosa Museum and commemorated the 3,000 sailors who were killed in this very harbour area. I had read the Nicolas Monserrat book "The Kapillan of Malta" (thanks Josephine) and also "Operation Mincemeat" which are essential background reading to be able to appreciate the tour. However, how different it was to walk through these catacombs which were air raid shelters for 500 people at a time for between 2 hours to 5 days. Residents had 8 minutes to grab what they could once the sirens started and get themselves into sub-terrainian safety. The critical thing to take was a bucket as the original residents of the catacombs did not require toilet facilities. And remember, most air attacks were during the night. Our wonderful tour guide Ruth explained the myriad of human problems that arose during the long periods of incarceration. The birth rate doubled during this time so a birthing room had to be scraped out of the limestone caves. Many thousands of people died purely because of disease. Food was rationed increasingly to 1 slice of bread per day per person.
We then were taken into Valetta for a walking tour through some of the streets and much information was given to us about the Knights of St John who came to Malta in 1530. Then we heard the complicated history from then to today. Fascinating. So different being on location listening to it and seeing the stunning portrayal in the Museum.
And another paragraph needs to be written about the wing of the Museum devoted to the unbelievable arrival of the SS Ohio in 1942 just days before Malta was going to surrender. It was the bravery of her captain and surviving crew who sailed into Valetta with life-saving supplies of fuel and food, thus allowing the remaining Maltese to continue their fight to victory. WHAT a story
It's no wonder that King George awarded the George Cross the all residents of Malta on April 15 1942.
There is so much more I could share with you, but you will just have to come and experience it all for yourself. It's looking as if it 9 days here are going to be inadequate.
I am going to have to write my blog twice daily because so much is happening each day that I cannot tell you everything in one sitting. I just have to start today's write-up with last night's cataclysm - Peter doing his laundry. You'll be interested in that. Just before retiring for the night, Peter felt a strong urge to do his laundry. Pretty simple really. Just pop the knickers in the machine and go to bed. No worries. After awhile I noticed the street lights reflecting on the tiled floor. Pretty. But why hadn't I noticed this feature any previous night? Because it was a water feature. Why would we suddenly have a water feature? Because we have water. By now you will have guessed the cause of the problem, the washing machine. So I had to ring the owner. There was nothing in our unit to cope with a flood. About 15 minutes later a sleepy--eyed landlord turned up to discover the pipe had become detached from the drain. And thus he met his current guests. Peter thoroughly enjoyed sitting chatting to Mark while he fixed the washing machine and soaked up his flooded property.
And now to today's full day tour entitled "The Second World War in Malta & its British History (1798 - 1979)" . This tour is only available once a week so we were extremely fortunate to be in town on a Friday. There were 12 tourists and our guide Vincent who is Maltese. Our tour began in the Vittoriosa Museum and commemorated the 3,000 sailors who were killed in this very harbour area. I had read the Nicolas Monserrat book "The Kapillan of Malta" (thanks Josephine) and also "Operation Mincemeat" which are essential background reading to be able to appreciate the tour. However, how different it was to walk through these catacombs which were air raid shelters for 500 people at a time for between 2 hours to 5 days. Residents had 8 minutes to grab what they could once the sirens started and get themselves into sub-terrainian safety. The critical thing to take was a bucket as the original residents of the catacombs did not require toilet facilities. And remember, most air attacks were during the night. Our wonderful tour guide Ruth explained the myriad of human problems that arose during the long periods of incarceration. The birth rate doubled during this time so a birthing room had to be scraped out of the limestone caves. Many thousands of people died purely because of disease. Food was rationed increasingly to 1 slice of bread per day per person.
We then were taken into Valetta for a walking tour through some of the streets and much information was given to us about the Knights of St John who came to Malta in 1530. Then we heard the complicated history from then to today. Fascinating. So different being on location listening to it and seeing the stunning portrayal in the Museum.
And another paragraph needs to be written about the wing of the Museum devoted to the unbelievable arrival of the SS Ohio in 1942 just days before Malta was going to surrender. It was the bravery of her captain and surviving crew who sailed into Valetta with life-saving supplies of fuel and food, thus allowing the remaining Maltese to continue their fight to victory. WHAT a story
It's no wonder that King George awarded the George Cross the all residents of Malta on April 15 1942.
There is so much more I could share with you, but you will just have to come and experience it all for yourself. It's looking as if it 9 days here are going to be inadequate.
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Thursday 30 May - Camino Island
We have anchored here so that hordes of young fit people from every sector of the globe can climb , swim, snorkel , jet boat, to their hearts content for an hour before reboarding, cold and very wet for the hour's sail back to Malta. And me? I disembarked, took one look at the steep rocky terrain, and decided I'd sooner have my free glass of wine, and write to you. Peter disembarked , lept over the rocks, took 2 photos of the rocks on the other side, and is now tucked up happy and content with his audio book. I have no idea whether he wakes or sleeps. He's certainly not moving.
We awoke in our cute little b and b in Marsalforn to a cold wet morning, and were very pleased to wander downstairs to a comprehensive Maltese breakfast including gluten free food and 4 types of homemade marmalade. We chattered with a diving man from Switzerland and a French couple. Other guests kept to themselves.
The hop-on-hop-off bus was not scheduled to call in at our stop till 11.00am, but we were there half an hour early. Marsalforn was endearing last evening, but not at all compelling this morning in these conditions.
It was a short trip through to the capital, Rabat, so we disembarked and started our search for this Citadel and that Cathedral. Truly, I have no idea what we should be looking at and which alleyway to choose. None of the imposing buildings with ringing bells were open, so I took some photos of a few, but then settled for a coffee and a gf muffin I was given for breakfast.
A stallholder lured me with his magnificent Maltese lace tablecloths. I had carefully measured my mother-in-law's old table which I still use, had written the measurements closed and extended, had brought a tape measure so was all prepared for my purchase. I had put my preparations in a safe place , and there they remain. In the rain, shortly before our next bus was departing, I just had to guess, pay the happy vendor whatever he asked, and run. Let's hope noone spills beetroot juice on it.
We toured around the western side of Gozo but were nervous about getting off in the rain for photos. Every where we looked was so biblical! We have not experienced anything like it in former travel.
The babble is increasing in our deck of the ferry, as cold wet tourists are returning from their Camino experiences. How can people come in such a variety of guises and make so many different noises? Funnily enough we have been recognized as Kiwis by numbers of people on our tours. I guess because we're the only normal, ordinary people around. One of my funniest experiences today was with 4 Jamaican women in a public toilet. There were 4 toilets but, you guessed it, 3 were out of order, as they always are. Well, these 4 had me in stitches. They were so theatrical and their singing was very Harry Belafonte. They were dressed in full regalia with magnificently beaded braids. I didn't mind the wait at all.
We seem to be moving off, so I'll say Haere ra to Gozo, and thanks for all the fish.
We have anchored here so that hordes of young fit people from every sector of the globe can climb , swim, snorkel , jet boat, to their hearts content for an hour before reboarding, cold and very wet for the hour's sail back to Malta. And me? I disembarked, took one look at the steep rocky terrain, and decided I'd sooner have my free glass of wine, and write to you. Peter disembarked , lept over the rocks, took 2 photos of the rocks on the other side, and is now tucked up happy and content with his audio book. I have no idea whether he wakes or sleeps. He's certainly not moving.
We awoke in our cute little b and b in Marsalforn to a cold wet morning, and were very pleased to wander downstairs to a comprehensive Maltese breakfast including gluten free food and 4 types of homemade marmalade. We chattered with a diving man from Switzerland and a French couple. Other guests kept to themselves.
The hop-on-hop-off bus was not scheduled to call in at our stop till 11.00am, but we were there half an hour early. Marsalforn was endearing last evening, but not at all compelling this morning in these conditions.
It was a short trip through to the capital, Rabat, so we disembarked and started our search for this Citadel and that Cathedral. Truly, I have no idea what we should be looking at and which alleyway to choose. None of the imposing buildings with ringing bells were open, so I took some photos of a few, but then settled for a coffee and a gf muffin I was given for breakfast.
A stallholder lured me with his magnificent Maltese lace tablecloths. I had carefully measured my mother-in-law's old table which I still use, had written the measurements closed and extended, had brought a tape measure so was all prepared for my purchase. I had put my preparations in a safe place , and there they remain. In the rain, shortly before our next bus was departing, I just had to guess, pay the happy vendor whatever he asked, and run. Let's hope noone spills beetroot juice on it.
We toured around the western side of Gozo but were nervous about getting off in the rain for photos. Every where we looked was so biblical! We have not experienced anything like it in former travel.
The babble is increasing in our deck of the ferry, as cold wet tourists are returning from their Camino experiences. How can people come in such a variety of guises and make so many different noises? Funnily enough we have been recognized as Kiwis by numbers of people on our tours. I guess because we're the only normal, ordinary people around. One of my funniest experiences today was with 4 Jamaican women in a public toilet. There were 4 toilets but, you guessed it, 3 were out of order, as they always are. Well, these 4 had me in stitches. They were so theatrical and their singing was very Harry Belafonte. They were dressed in full regalia with magnificently beaded braids. I didn't mind the wait at all.
We seem to be moving off, so I'll say Haere ra to Gozo, and thanks for all the fish.
Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Wed 29 May - Gozo
Yes well, I thought if I put Marsalforn as my address you wouldn't know where to find me on the map, but you all know Gozo.
This required a very early start of 6.30am to breakfast, pack and be ready to push our way onto the bus at the main St Julian's centre some blocks away. It's hard to belief this is not yet the tourist season. There are flocks of them already. Some 20 mins later we all tumbled out and found our way to the end of a long queue to board the ferry to carry us the hour and a half trip from Malta to Gozo. The ship takes 400 passengers and is equipped with a bar and nibble nook. There was a long queue there before we set sail but people waited patiently to crack into the alcohol at 10.00am.
The trip (for those of us interested in the picturesque scenery) was splendid, affording different views of historic features that we had seen from the hop-on-hop-off bus. The most spectacular for me was the famed Blue Grotto which was unequaled for its colouring. I had been disappointed not to have time to hop off at this point yesterday, but how much better to float right into it today.
We arrived at the Gozo terminal where most of the day trippers disembarked and packed onto buses to take us to Victoria, the capital, where our driver insisted that EVERYONE must disembark. He would pick us all up at 2.30 to return us to the ferry. NO!!!!! We were bound for Marsalforn for our overnight stay. No, no, no, we must get off. Well, Peter refused. It was only when he took the driver's photo that he relented and said he would allow us to stay on for the drive. All this in full Italian voice with much waving of the hands. So I passively boarded the bus again and we drove off as the only passengers - back to the ferry terminal. UM!!! Now what? This required way more gesticulating and assurance that the lady would come. We didn't want a lady. We wanted to get to Marsalforn . Eventually "the lady" arrived. Hey, she could speak English!!! All we needed to do was pay many more euros in cash and get back onto the bus again and off we would go.That easy. Forget the plastic card. Most suppliers want cash.
This time we found headsets that worked so we could enjoy the commentary - in English. How extremely interesting. What an astounding history. Xagbra has the oldest site of civilization in the world. It is not open to the public for obvious reasons. One in five families in Gozo are involved in the tomato trade. Gozalites are the first peoples recorded as practising crop rotation eg tomatoes are planted after potatoes are havested.
We so wanted to get off at the various tourist spots but actually we needed to get to Marselforn where I had booked our room. It is an old fishing village with a resident population of 750 but a very popular tourist spot with a beautiful sea frontage. Legend has it that St Paul stopped off here on his way from Malta all those years ago. I'm not surprised. It has magnificent beach front restaurant with food to die for, like the meal we are eating right now. A lovely local chardonnay too complements the sea bass.
Yes well, I thought if I put Marsalforn as my address you wouldn't know where to find me on the map, but you all know Gozo.
This required a very early start of 6.30am to breakfast, pack and be ready to push our way onto the bus at the main St Julian's centre some blocks away. It's hard to belief this is not yet the tourist season. There are flocks of them already. Some 20 mins later we all tumbled out and found our way to the end of a long queue to board the ferry to carry us the hour and a half trip from Malta to Gozo. The ship takes 400 passengers and is equipped with a bar and nibble nook. There was a long queue there before we set sail but people waited patiently to crack into the alcohol at 10.00am.
The trip (for those of us interested in the picturesque scenery) was splendid, affording different views of historic features that we had seen from the hop-on-hop-off bus. The most spectacular for me was the famed Blue Grotto which was unequaled for its colouring. I had been disappointed not to have time to hop off at this point yesterday, but how much better to float right into it today.
We arrived at the Gozo terminal where most of the day trippers disembarked and packed onto buses to take us to Victoria, the capital, where our driver insisted that EVERYONE must disembark. He would pick us all up at 2.30 to return us to the ferry. NO!!!!! We were bound for Marsalforn for our overnight stay. No, no, no, we must get off. Well, Peter refused. It was only when he took the driver's photo that he relented and said he would allow us to stay on for the drive. All this in full Italian voice with much waving of the hands. So I passively boarded the bus again and we drove off as the only passengers - back to the ferry terminal. UM!!! Now what? This required way more gesticulating and assurance that the lady would come. We didn't want a lady. We wanted to get to Marsalforn . Eventually "the lady" arrived. Hey, she could speak English!!! All we needed to do was pay many more euros in cash and get back onto the bus again and off we would go.That easy. Forget the plastic card. Most suppliers want cash.
This time we found headsets that worked so we could enjoy the commentary - in English. How extremely interesting. What an astounding history. Xagbra has the oldest site of civilization in the world. It is not open to the public for obvious reasons. One in five families in Gozo are involved in the tomato trade. Gozalites are the first peoples recorded as practising crop rotation eg tomatoes are planted after potatoes are havested.
We so wanted to get off at the various tourist spots but actually we needed to get to Marselforn where I had booked our room. It is an old fishing village with a resident population of 750 but a very popular tourist spot with a beautiful sea frontage. Legend has it that St Paul stopped off here on his way from Malta all those years ago. I'm not surprised. It has magnificent beach front restaurant with food to die for, like the meal we are eating right now. A lovely local chardonnay too complements the sea bass.
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Tuesday 28 May - St Julian's waterfront
I so wish you could join me in this restaurant, sipping your pina colada looking out at the Ioanian Sea at her most tranquil. A cool breeze is blowing but not enough to rock the colorful fishing boats at anchor. There is a relentless flow of tourists strolling along to select the best spot for their pre-dinner cocktails. The sky is still cobalt blue unspoiled by clouds. Hard to realise the devastation that took place just a short 70 years ago. This particular area is well restored with a delightful combination of old architecture and glittering contemporary styles.
Our day started with a visit to our friend Yusef who was delighted to take the bookings for our selected tours. 9 nights are inadequate to do all that is on offer but I think we will know more about the country than we did yesterday.
Yusef escorted us to the central terminal , the hub of all tours. He is very careful of his elderly Kiwis. I rather suspect that he is new on the job as he is conferring with his boss every step of the way. One of my selected tours was of the Aquarium and bird park, but Yusef assured me the birds had run away.
So away we went on the first of our hop-on-hop-off tours of eastern Malta. Our goal was to take photos of St John's Cathedral in Valetta for Josephine who was cruelly barred from this magnificent edifice by a storm which prevented her cruise boat from coming in to berth in Valetta last year. I would not have bothered with the cruisboat crowds and long queues but ,if all she wanted was a photo, I would photograph it. Peter sat and held my backpack and I joined the queue. I thought I'd just nip in, take a couple of shots and whistle out. Well, never ever have I been so wrong. They say to allow 2 hours to view it. Yes. I would agree. It was sensationally magnificent. Thank you Josephine.
By the time we had lunch and missed the next bus, we could not hop off at any other stop, but it was fascinating to absorb the contrasting developments and rebuilding of this part of Malta with its 400,000 residents.
Peter had chosen and booked a night tour of Valetta which only runs on a Tuesday night so here we are waiting for our guided tour back into Valetta. But how different it will be by night. Billions of euros have been poured into the reconstruction of this historic country stretching back tens of thousands of year. And there is so much more to be done.
I so wish you could join me in this restaurant, sipping your pina colada looking out at the Ioanian Sea at her most tranquil. A cool breeze is blowing but not enough to rock the colorful fishing boats at anchor. There is a relentless flow of tourists strolling along to select the best spot for their pre-dinner cocktails. The sky is still cobalt blue unspoiled by clouds. Hard to realise the devastation that took place just a short 70 years ago. This particular area is well restored with a delightful combination of old architecture and glittering contemporary styles.
Our day started with a visit to our friend Yusef who was delighted to take the bookings for our selected tours. 9 nights are inadequate to do all that is on offer but I think we will know more about the country than we did yesterday.
Yusef escorted us to the central terminal , the hub of all tours. He is very careful of his elderly Kiwis. I rather suspect that he is new on the job as he is conferring with his boss every step of the way. One of my selected tours was of the Aquarium and bird park, but Yusef assured me the birds had run away.
So away we went on the first of our hop-on-hop-off tours of eastern Malta. Our goal was to take photos of St John's Cathedral in Valetta for Josephine who was cruelly barred from this magnificent edifice by a storm which prevented her cruise boat from coming in to berth in Valetta last year. I would not have bothered with the cruisboat crowds and long queues but ,if all she wanted was a photo, I would photograph it. Peter sat and held my backpack and I joined the queue. I thought I'd just nip in, take a couple of shots and whistle out. Well, never ever have I been so wrong. They say to allow 2 hours to view it. Yes. I would agree. It was sensationally magnificent. Thank you Josephine.
By the time we had lunch and missed the next bus, we could not hop off at any other stop, but it was fascinating to absorb the contrasting developments and rebuilding of this part of Malta with its 400,000 residents.
Peter had chosen and booked a night tour of Valetta which only runs on a Tuesday night so here we are waiting for our guided tour back into Valetta. But how different it will be by night. Billions of euros have been poured into the reconstruction of this historic country stretching back tens of thousands of year. And there is so much more to be done.
Monday, 27 May 2019
Monday 27 May - St Julian's, Malta
Our day began at 3.15 this morning, and clutching our breakfast bag we boarded our taxi at 4.00am. Apparently it takes between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours to get to the Catania airport but we beat the Monday morning traffic jams. 40 mins and we were there. A great time to travel. Nothing was open at the airport so we looked for somewhere to sit and consume our packed brekkie. Ah, there was dear old Mackers so we settled ourselves in there and logged into their internet. God bless the golden arches with its lights on. A short time thereafter a woman stepped out of the lift and looked absolutely horrified at us. We're not open said she. That's ok said I, we're fine thanks. No, you cannot sit there, said she. We're closed. So where can we sit, said I. I don't know, said she, but not here, whereupon she disappeared and turned the lights off. I don't think the Colonel would be pleased. We certainly weren't. There was absolutely nowhere to sit downstairs in the vast terminal and our check-in didn't open for another hour. However, down we went in the lift again and stood forlornly. Ah-ha, there was a man lifting a roller door of a coffee bar and starting to put out tables and chairs . We were his first customers of the day. And I managed to get a wonderful gluten free brioche thing and a large cup of English breakfast tea steaming hot. Up yours, MacDonalds.
In due course our Air Malta check-in opened and relieved us of 42 kg of luggage and off we went to our lounge. All good. The flight over was 40 mins and so clear. Hopefully you can see Peter's photos of the Island. We walked straight through customs and settled ourselves in that terminal with the essential cappuccinos. Internet was quick and I was able to catch up with my fb photos from yesterday, and letters to friends and family. We had to wait until our Airbnb was cleaned out after the last guests but we were allowed to taxi up to St Julian's to drop our bags off. Excellent.
When we enter a new town we are so bewildered by the strangeness especially here where the whole place is under reconstruction after the WWII annihilation . However, we stumbled across Joseph, (Yussef) an Arabian travel agent who had just enough English to give us lots of tourist brochures and make suggestions for our 9 night visit. He gave us such useful information such as where the best supermarket is, who sells the best garden produce and where to catch the hop-on-hop-off bus. By the time we had an omelette for lunch it was time to return to our cleaned little apartment and go to sleep.
Tonight we strode confidently into the night in search of food (again). Well what a buzz!!!! We found a fabulous restaurant down at the harbour's edge and after the best rabbit stew in red wine sauce, strolled around the magnificent new nightlife centre clutching our gelato.
I think we are going to be very happy in Malta.
Our day began at 3.15 this morning, and clutching our breakfast bag we boarded our taxi at 4.00am. Apparently it takes between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours to get to the Catania airport but we beat the Monday morning traffic jams. 40 mins and we were there. A great time to travel. Nothing was open at the airport so we looked for somewhere to sit and consume our packed brekkie. Ah, there was dear old Mackers so we settled ourselves in there and logged into their internet. God bless the golden arches with its lights on. A short time thereafter a woman stepped out of the lift and looked absolutely horrified at us. We're not open said she. That's ok said I, we're fine thanks. No, you cannot sit there, said she. We're closed. So where can we sit, said I. I don't know, said she, but not here, whereupon she disappeared and turned the lights off. I don't think the Colonel would be pleased. We certainly weren't. There was absolutely nowhere to sit downstairs in the vast terminal and our check-in didn't open for another hour. However, down we went in the lift again and stood forlornly. Ah-ha, there was a man lifting a roller door of a coffee bar and starting to put out tables and chairs . We were his first customers of the day. And I managed to get a wonderful gluten free brioche thing and a large cup of English breakfast tea steaming hot. Up yours, MacDonalds.
In due course our Air Malta check-in opened and relieved us of 42 kg of luggage and off we went to our lounge. All good. The flight over was 40 mins and so clear. Hopefully you can see Peter's photos of the Island. We walked straight through customs and settled ourselves in that terminal with the essential cappuccinos. Internet was quick and I was able to catch up with my fb photos from yesterday, and letters to friends and family. We had to wait until our Airbnb was cleaned out after the last guests but we were allowed to taxi up to St Julian's to drop our bags off. Excellent.
When we enter a new town we are so bewildered by the strangeness especially here where the whole place is under reconstruction after the WWII annihilation . However, we stumbled across Joseph, (Yussef) an Arabian travel agent who had just enough English to give us lots of tourist brochures and make suggestions for our 9 night visit. He gave us such useful information such as where the best supermarket is, who sells the best garden produce and where to catch the hop-on-hop-off bus. By the time we had an omelette for lunch it was time to return to our cleaned little apartment and go to sleep.
Tonight we strode confidently into the night in search of food (again). Well what a buzz!!!! We found a fabulous restaurant down at the harbour's edge and after the best rabbit stew in red wine sauce, strolled around the magnificent new nightlife centre clutching our gelato.
I think we are going to be very happy in Malta.
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