Mdina, temples, and Birgu (Day 3)

Our first stop today was the Roman Domus (Roman townhouse) showcasing beautiful, well preserved mosaics floors. High winds made wandering around Mdina, a bit challenging. With its cobblestone streets and medieval architecture it’s easy to see why Mdina was used as a filming location for the Game of Thrones (King's Landing, first season). The iconic gate of Mdina (behind Alex and Paul in the second photo) featured prominently in early scenes. A favorite stop here was a handmade glass shop https://www.mdinaglass.com.mt/en/products/websh…

After lunch we headed back out into the blustery conditions and for Hagar Qim, a hilltop temple dating from 3200 BC. A near miss from a falling slate kicked off the visitor center portion of this well-trod tourist stop: a cash-only visitor desk (“sorry no credit cards, Internet down”), no 3-D movie today (“apologies—broken”), and a patchwork of other issues left us shaking our heads. Fortunately, the weathered and captivating stone apses made it all worthwhile!

Our next goal was to get out of the wind! We had wanted to squeeze in a visit to Birgu and we were glad we did as this was the most scenic (and clean) place we’ve visited so far! (Many interior parts of Malta are arid and feel completely abandoned.)
After a brief wander we found a cozy restaurant for cribbage, snacks and Maltese bruschetta (delicious!) The follow-up baked macaroni wasn’t so great (yesterday’s leftovers?) Alex treated us to gelato, it was a good day!
Hoping the wind dies down tomorrow so we can take the ferry to Gozo!Read more