Sun, squalls and sandstorms, Malta Jan 14

Susan and her friend Kat had planned a holiday to Malta for some winter sunshine. Susan visited the islands when she was younger and was keen to go back and see everyone again. We arranged to stay with Norbert, who is a friend of Susan's family, and his partner Sue.
With the flight leaving at silly o clock in the morning, Susan and I travelled to Manchester the night before and stayed in the Premier Inn. I was most impressed by the self-check-in system, but Susan didn't like it much, saying it was too impersonal. The room was very nice though, and while Susan caught up on some TV shows in bed, I did some reading on Malta, thanks to a guidebook her dad had bought us.
The flight was very busy with no empty seats so I didn't get to stretch my legs or admire the view, which Susan said was amazing once the clouds had cleared - she could see the Alps and the coast of Italy.
We landed in Malta to rain, but at least it was warm! Sue and Norbert met us at the airport and took us back to their place in Mellieha for lunch and a wander round in the afternoon. I was tired after the flight, so stayed at the house while they went to pick up Kat from the airport (she was flying from Newcastle), then went out for dinner at Keith's restaurant. Keith is Norbert's eldest son and runs his grandfathers restaurant as Head Chef. All of his dishes came highly recommended by Susan's dad and nain, so I think everyone was spoilt for choice! Susan came home saying how wonderful the food was and that she had tried rabbit for the first time and it was interesting. I'm not too sure on the idea of eating rabbits (a bit too similar to meerkats in my opinion) but she seemed to enjoy it!
So, the first day Sue and Norbert took us to the south of the island to visit Marsaxlokk. This beautiful town has a stunning harbour filled with Luzzu, brightly painted fishing boats. We spent a lot of time wandering around the market, then went to the iPlace for a late lunch. This restaurant is a bit of a gimic with all the customers being given an ipad to view the menu, then be able to visit facebook, watch films or play games while they wait for the food to arrive. Susan wasn't sure how to use the ipad to start with, but once she figured it out, it kept her quiet til her big plate of pasta arrived! After lunch, we drove back to Mellieha the scenic route (getting lost on the way!) and spent the evening working out an itinerary for the week.
Monday was the first early start of the week. We were out of the house by 8.30 to catch a bus to the Gozo ferry. Although it was quite windy and the waves were pretty big crashing onto the beach, the crossing wasn't too rough, and it is only 20-30 minutes. We jumped on a bus to Victoria, then changed to catch a bus to Dwerja. The plan was to go on a boat ride from the Inland Sea and visit the Azure Window, but when we got there it was apparent that the boat rides would not be running - the tiny hole that allows the sea into the Inland Sea kept disappearing as waves crashed through it! NO THANK YOU! So we posed for some photos then had to wait for the next bus back (only one an hour felt like being back in Scotland!)
We visited a craft village where Susan spent some money on gifts for people, then walked a bit along the road to stretch our legs. It started raining but in Malta, when it rains it doesn't last more than half an hour, so we didn't get too wet. Back to Victoria, where we wandered round the Citadel, visiting the Cathedral and walking up even more stairs to get the panoramic views from the walls. I also posed beside these prickly pears, with the jar of Prickly Pear Jam Susan bought. Looking forward to having that on crumpets when we get back!



Tuesday the weather forecast was for rain, so Susan suggested a day in Valletta, which would give plenty of indoors shelter if the weatherman was right. We arrived mid morning and spent a bit of time getting our bearings before Kat suggested a coffebreak. Both the girls had bought postcards so we found a quiet cafe to write them in and sample from Maltese cakes. Honey Rings taste more like molasses, and were not a favourite, but the cookie was scrummy! Before long it was nearly 12, and we had to be on time to see the noonday salute. The Upper Barrakka Gardens give fabulous views over the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities and while we were waiting everyone was taking plenty of photos. Unfortunately, it was a bit windy so Susan decided I would be safer staying in the bag - didn't want to become the first flying meerkat! The commentary for the noonday salute was very interesting and amusing, so I pestered the girls to go down for the guided tour afterwards. I was really keen to get up close to the canons, and learnt how to tell if it was a ships canon or a land canon.

After the tour, we walked around the old city of Valletta, running into the War Museum when it started raining heavy. Kat is very interested in things about the World Wars, but I thought Susan would have said something as she hates "modern history". I think the only alternative was to get wet, so we went in and even Susan took an interest in the history. It is amazing that any of the old buildings survived after the bombings they endured. Certainly very deserving of the George Cross that was bestowed on the Maltese people.

Wednesday I wasn't feeling myself but the weather was lovely so I couldn't resist tagging along with the girls. First stop was Mosta, with its famous Church which was struck by a bomb during the Second World War during mass, and it didn't explode. Then we went to Ta Qali craft village that Susan remembered from her previous visit. It was amazing to see all of the pottery, lace, filigree and glass being made there and then. I heard Susan saying that she is going to have to buy a property in Malta just to have all these pretty things in as decoration, because they would be very difficult to transport back to the UK by air.
After spending far too much money, we headed to Mdina for lunch. One of the things Kat wanted to do while in Malta was ride in a karozzin, and because of the weather we hadn't seen any in Valletta. So when we got off the bus and saw the horses lined up, that was the first thing we did. Our guide was very pleasant and stopped at a couple of places for the girls to take photos. I hid away while they got photos taken with the horse, but when we eventually got to lunch, I did have a quick peek at the food. The Fontanella has superb views from the terrace and the menu is very good too. They had an excellent choice of main meals and lighter snacks, and far too many cakes to choose from! After a leisurely lunch shared with the Sparrows, we wandered around the alleys of Mdina before visiting the Natural History Museum. Susan was keen to see the bird collection and spent ages reading all the labels and information - she was interested to see that really common species in the UK are considered rare visitors in Malta, and thought this may be something to do with the hunting culture on the islands.

Thursday I still wasn't feeling great, so decided to have a day at the house, catching up with some sleep. Susan and Kat were meeting Keith to show them around the Three Cities, so I was sure they wouldn't need any company. I think they had a good day exploring, despite the weather, and spent the evening with Sue and Norbert at a Pool Tournament.

Catching up with my sleep must have been what I needed, as Friday I was back to my usual perky self! However, Kat and Susan were both feeling the early starts and had agreed that Friday would be a lie in day! When they eventually got up, we walked down the hill from Mellieha and headed towards Anchor Bay, otherwise known as Sweethaven from the Popeye film. I have never seen the film so didn't know what to expect but the film set for Popeye Village is amazing! It all looks like it's always been there, and most of the buildings are open with scenes and props available - I posed as Mayor of Sweethaven and with Popeye's boat (we didn't have to pay any taxes though). We even watched a showdown between Popeye and Bluto in the Square and visited the elves at Santa's Toy Town. The sky was doing weird things and Susan commented that if it wasn't so warm, it looked like snow. It was actually a sandstorm which made everything dirty, including my bag!

After spending a few hours at Sweethaven, we walked back to Mellieha for Kat to get a few minutes sitting on the beach, before catching a bus to the top of the hill to visit the impressive church. Kat didn't want to be out all day as she wanted to pack for the journey home, so we headed back for a few hours rest. Kat and Susan then took Sue and Norbert out for dinner to say thank you for letting us stay, before hitting the bright lights of Paceville for a Maltese send off. Apparently they went to one bar and sat there talking about work, boys and travel plans, and before they knew it, it was time to go home!

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Malta, but will insist that Susan takes me on her next trip there too - I feel like we barely scratched the surface of things to do and see there, so maybe next time we will go for a bit longer than just a week!