Mainland in a day: Valetta,Mdina & Rabat

Started the day with a chilly pool dip to wake me up after a late night. We then had breckie, grabbed our picnic for the day and headed out to Valetta. Smooth ferry crossing and more expert driving from Kate for 40 minutes across the island (still can’t believe it’s that small!)
We arrived for our walking tour early, so grabbed Pitsetta in Trident Square (traditional Maltese filo pastry filled with mashed peas and bacon, yum!)

Nadine our guide was brilliant and not only showed us the main sights of WW2’s most bombed city in Europe (the country was awarded the St George’s across for bravery from Great Britain following this, and the symbol now features as a national emblem and on the flag); but also told us some of the interesting history. This included the founding Knights of the order that started by digging out drainage/sewage systems then constructed the grand fortified city in the 1500’s! Understandably due to Malta’s location and strategic advantage it was frequently invaded throughout history, gaining independence in 1964 after over 100 years of British rule.
We learned other interesting facts like there are over 360 churches in Malta, 25 of which are in Valetta alone, and Nadine encouraged us to “look up” to admire the Spanish-influenced balconies, which have become iconic (the longer the more affluent the owner due to the cost of importing the wood!)

The views across the Harbour were pretty special too, and the sun made it all the more beautiful. We cracked open our Kinnie here (a Maltese soft drink) that was like a syrupy mix of cola and Fanta… nice but we agreed we couldn’t drink too many!

After the tour we looked around some shops and enjoyed 2 lungo coffees at Cafe Cordina, Malta’s oldest coffee shop (founded in 1837). It was very reasonably priced at €2.50 per coffee, and we didn’t need to buy food as we enjoyed our picnic in the square beforehand #TravelSavvy (we’ll be splashing out on Christmas Day!)

We then drove around 20 minutes to see the original historic capital Medina adjacent to the beautiful town of Rabat. There were some incredible churches here, and being adorned with trees and nativity scenes (much like many residence’s windows) made it all the more special.

We drove back to the port in around 30 minutes and hopped on the ferry back to Gozo, home just before nightfall for cuddles with Maya and FBB. They were so sweet waiting on our bed when we arrived home! We made Aubergine Pammegiano and enjoyed leftover cannoli for tea, then a relaxing evening progressing the paint by numbers listening to music. I think we’ll sleep well tonight!Read more