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Malta

October 2017
A 9-day adventure by Caroline Read more
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  • TravelerMalta
    Day 4

    To Mosta and beyond

    October 7, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    After yesterday's disastrous buses, we decide to use the hop-on, hop-off open top bus today, at a cost of 18 euros each. We're on it at 9, on the front seat at the top, and it takes us first to Slimea, then on through Valetta and across to Mosta, where I notice that there are really a lot of flagpoles. We hop off.

    We visit the Rotunda, the church with the fourth largest unsupported dome in Europe. It is 39m diameter across and 59m from the floor to the top. A German bomb went through the dome during the war but miraculously did not explode nor injure any of the congregation below!

    We follow brown tourist signs to somewhere. Sometimes we can't read signs as they also use Arabic letters. It turns out to be the Cultural Centre - it's in a pretty courtyard, there are some paintings and some old tools. That's about it. I think we'll just leave it as being a very minor tourist site...    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 4

    To Mdina and beyond

    October 7, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We catch the next bus which takes us on to Mdina, which is where the time trials for the Classic Cars are taking place today. We can look down into the trench outside the city walls which is acting as the pits today. We recognise some of the cars from yesterday but there are a lot more than were on display in the concourse.

    We find a spot where we can see and watch as car after car sets off : Minis, Fiats, Jags, a wildly keen Honda which won last year, cautious drivers, keen drivers of lower powered cars...they're all here. We chat to a couple of big enthusiasts on either side of us. We laugh as the safety truck has to go to the assistance of a marshall who fell over a wall down a bank and couldn't get out! He was unhurt but probably deeply embarrassed! And we learn that almost all these Classic Cars are from Malta itself.

    Then we find Is-Serkin for lunch. We sample pastizzi and qassatat, which are different types of pasties. We had four (ricotta, pea, chicken and anchovy) pastizzi and a pea qassatat plus two beers for less than six euros!    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 4

    And beyond...

    October 7, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We catch the next bus to complete our circuit of the northern loop of the island. We sit on the top again, it's hot and windy but all very pleasant. We pass a big church. We arrive back at Spinola Point around 3pm after very nice day out with lot less transport hassles than yesterday.Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 4

    Notte Bianca

    October 7, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    This is the festival of White Night, which celebrates all thing cultural in Malta. The streets and buildings of Valetta are lit up and the city hosts a huge range of cultural events.

    We bussed to Slimea and joined the massive queue for the ferry. We were amongst the first to board the second boat so got a good seat on the top, outside deck from where we saw the firework display. It was spectacularly underwhelming as it was still broad daylight... It took forever to load the ferry as the queue was massive and we suspected it was quite overloaded. No matter, we arrived safely and Valetta looked lovely in the evening sun.

    Our first ports of call were to visit the church with the dome and the next door cathedral with the spire which dominate Malta's skyline. The former being a Catholic church and the later being St Paul's Pro Cathedral, which is a totally different simpler style than all the other churches we've visited here. The Pro part of the name means it is a cathedral which it's not supported by its own bishop.

    We wander through the streets which are gradually being lit up as it darkens and are gradually filling up as 7pm, kickoff, approaches. We find the acclaimed Nenu for dinner but they won't take a reservation so we chance waiting for the huge bell ringing citywide at 7pm which announces the start of the festival. A few minutes past we give up and return to the restaurant where, luckily, a final table for two still remains. The maitre d' shrugs her shoulders when we tell her about the bells and simply says "Maltese time". We have the Maltese speciality, beef olives which is herby minced pork wrapped in a slice of beef which is braised in tomato sauce and chicken ftira, which is the Maltese version of pizza. And John finally discovers the Maltese wine, Laurenti, that he has been on the lookout for.

    Then we hit the streets. It is packed. Valetta is expecting to host something like 60 000 revellers tonight.    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 4

    The Festival

    October 7, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    The streets are packed. We see singers and fire jugglers. We pop into the University and see their student designed car. A young man holds a group spellbound playing his harp in a tiny church. The National Archeological Centre is open. A group is passionately declaiming Maltese poetry. A band amuses us with Irish folk songs. Buildings and roads are lit up and all the churches are open. Even Parliament is open if you are prepared to jump through their security hoops. People spill out of every restaurant and bar. Big bands are playing and kids are loving dancing on a stage where their magnified image is displayed on a screen as dancing lightbulb people. And there was so much more.

    Eventually we stop for a drink and a bit of people watching, before heading back to the ferry.

    The queue is enormous but a chartered ferry is just docking. Or trying to. After a while they manage to get the 20 or so passengers off but deem it too dangerous to try to board the several hundred people waiting. The boat is going up and down, and backwards and forwards and plainly it is unsafe. We don't think there's a chance of us making it onto the next regular ferry, assuming it can even dock, so decide to go for the buses.

    It's a long walk round Valetta to the bus station but we make it, and the fun begins. We don't make it onto the first bus to St Giljan but another arrives quickly. Now the crush really starts. The conductor only opens one door but everyone is determined that they are getting on. The problem was people paying cash which held up the queue so boarding was painfully slow, whilst the back of the crowd pushed forwards pushing those by the doors into the side of the bus with nowhere else to go. I'm shoved into someone and beginning to lose my footing before I get to the door and can board, a quick tap of my card and I'm in. And I get us the last two seats! Moments later John is next to me and it all becomes civilised again. The roads were clear so we were back home by 1am.

    So, I enjoyed the festival but I think I'll give those a buses a miss another time!    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 5

    To the Three Cities

    October 8, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Across the harbour opposite Barakka Gardens are three promentaries of land that create magnificent harbours. The end of each promentary was fortified. Three Cities, Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua, subsequently grew around the main inlet to support the forts. We're here to do a bit of exploring today.

    We bus, ferry, mini bus and ferry again to Birgu, catching the Noon Gun being fired as we cross the harbour. It's taken us two hours, mainly due to waiting for the ferry and ridiculous loading times. I'm beginning to go off the ferries.

    We cross round the top of the harbour to Senglea and walk the length of the quayside, admiring the harbour and town opposite. We climb up to the garden at the top for the sweeping views and walk the length of the pretty main street, before deciding on a quick pasta lunch down by the water.

    After that we walk back around to Birgu for a spot more pottering around the streets and view admiring. As we are here, we decide to visit Fort San Angelo.    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 5

    Fort San Angelo

    October 8, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    There has been a fort on this spot since medieval times. The Knights of St John rebuilt it and during the 1565 Great Seige of Malta it became their headquarters. It was garrisoned by the British for nearly 180 years, until 1979.

    We're hot and sticky so decide it's time to leave. We see the ferry coming in and pick up speed. They execute an almost lightening turnaround this time and are already undoing the ropes as we yomp up! A few minutes later we're back in Valetta and take the lift to Upper Barakka Gardens, with the intent of returning to the other ferry for our journey home. Crossing Valetta, we are so close to the City Gate I suggest a bus might be quicker. It is. We're back less than an hour after jumping on the ferry.

    Dinner in Gululu is rabbit, followed by braised pork cheeks. Mmm...

    I've been keeping an eye on my pedometer and we've been averaging six miles a day. And, apart from the first two days, the weather has been really nice, probably hovering in the mid 20s and nice enough to sit outside first thing in the morning and in the evenings.    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 6

    To Marsaxlokk

    October 9, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We take the open top bus to the traditional fishing village of Marsarlokk (pronounced Mar-sash-lokk) on the south east of Malta, marsa meaning port and xlokk meaning south east.

    Simply put, it is gorgeous. The simple village houses arc around the harbour, which is full of the brightly colored wooden fishing boats known as luzzu (pronounced lut-zu).

    We stop for lunch - lampuki and sea bass - and a beer on the quayside before taking a potter round the harbour in one of the luzzus.

    Just picture postcard perfection.    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 6

    And back

    October 9, 2017 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We have more bus hassle getting back. The service is heavily touted as being every half hour, all day. Except, when you look closely, this particular half hour when there is no service. There's a big queue by the time the next one arrives so we're pleased to snaffle a couple of the last seats on the top. Time's moved on by now and we decide to just get back.

    Dinner tonight is at The Emperor of India. We have a Goan chicken curry, achari beef with ginger, saag paneer, rice with cumin and a paratha bread. All were very excellent. We've noticed, over time, that curries we've had abroad are often noticeably different to the same dish in the UK. And usually noticeably better. We may well be back here before we leave.    Read more

  • TravelerMalta
    Day 7

    Heading to Gozo

    October 10, 2017 in Malta ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We check the bus timetable online before heading to the bus stop for the 07.57. We check the timetable again and, oh joy, this is now the winter schedule which hasn't been updated online and the bus is due slightly earlier than expected. However, that time is for the far side of the bay, before getting round to us, and it didn't pass us walking down and rush hour is starting so there's lots of traffic so we should be fine.

    We wait. Plainly we're not fine. Time drags. The next one is now due but doesn't show. We wait. We've now been waiting for an hour and the next one is due but we've had enough. We've lost enough of a chunk of our day trip for it not to be worthwhile. We drag ourselves home, keeping an eye out for the elusive next bus but that doesn't show in the time we're going back and watching out for it.

    Chatting with our neighbour, he confirms that buses just not arriving is nothing unusual at all. I'm getting a bit irritated with how difficult it is to get around this island.    Read more

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