Tuesday 10th Manchester
I had found a good deal for a night in a hotel followed by secure parking and transfer to the airport. So we drove to Manchester on Tuesday afternoon, intending to leave the motorway and approaching from the south. I completely forgot to look out for the exit however and ended up taking the usual busy M60 route.
We spent a pleasant evening in the nearby oddly named Romper pub, before getting up at 4am to drive to the APH parking site.
Wednesday 11th – Manchester to Sliema
The drive to the car park was a nightmare. The instructions said that sat navs could take you to the wrong place, so Jill reeled off a load of road names to me. I was still half asleep and couldn’t read the signs. My driving was erratic to say the least but somehow we got there.
Sitting on the transfer bus waiting to depart, I suddenly realised that I’d left my backpack in the car. Rushing out to find that all the waiting cars had been moved apart from ours and one more, I was luckily able to grab the bag containing some essential electrical items.
Jill was clearly getting very agitated as we waited for the driver to board the bus; but eventually we got underway and arrived with plenty of time to spare.
The flight was pretty smooth, and we arrived at a warm and sunny Malta in good time.
The Waterfront Hotel was a pleasant surprise. Spacious and well appointed, it looked like we had chosen well.
We needed something to eat, but made the mistake of ordering the Mediterranean Platter at the hotel. It was far bigger than we expected, and not very good either. We were embarrassed at leaving so much, so I smuggled a few handfuls out in a napkin to deposit in a bin.
In the afternoon we did a little exploring of the area. Much of Malta appears to be a work in progress. There’s a lot of derelict buildings, and a lot of dusty building work going on.
Traffic was horrendous at times, even at this time of the year, outside of peak tourist season. The cities roads have lots of stop signs at junctions. These are a complete waste of paint as a lot Maltese don’t even bother giving way! But surprisingly, most drivers were very courteous to pedestrians.
Later on, we enjoyed a couple of drinks in the Hole in the Wall. I’d read that this was a good place for craft beer. It was okay, but only sold a very limited range in cans and bottles.
In the evening, we walked along the front. It was lined with outdoor covered bars and restaurants, so there was plenty of choice. We chose the rather grotty, Black Gold Saloon for an average burger and fries.
Thursday 12th – Valletta
We purchased a 7 day unlimited bus ticket and set out for the capital. There was a cool wind but I still managed a day in shorts!
We grabbed a few leaflets and sat at a sloping street cafe while deciding what to do. Luckily we were under parasols as there was a sudden downpour.
I enjoyed a tasty spicy chicken ftira (Maltese sarnie) and a beer. We then headed off to Fort Elmo and the Malta at War museum. We spent a good couple of hours there then went in search of refreshments at the Honey craft beer bar we had spotted earlier.
Bored of burgers and pizzas, later on we picked the Black Sheep for an Aberdeen Angus kebab. It was no longer on the menu. We had to opt for burger again, but have to say it was excellent. The only thing spoiling the place was the incessant thumping dance music.
Friday 13th – Hagar Qim
We were undecided what to do today as Jill wasn’t very well to start with. Eventually we set off for Valletta to get a bus to the Blue Grotto and the Hagar Qim Temple ruins.
It was a warm day but the wind hadn’t let up, at times though it was a welcome cooling breeze.
The ancient temple ruins were fascinating to walk around but the audio tour left a lot to be desired.
Next up was the Blue Grotto. The next bus was half an hour away, so we opted for a twenty minute walk, thankfully, mostly downhill as it was quite steep at times.
Very choppy waters meant that the boat house was closed. We could only stand and watch the blue waves crashing against the rocks, but it was still worth the visit.
A pleasant lunch was taken at the Alka Cafe with a pint of Guinness, overlooking the bay. We then had a lengthy wait for the return bus, and ended up getting on the wrong one. We got off to wait for the connecting 74 which was unfortunately 45 minutes away. The temperature was dropping and the wind was picking up, not a very nice experience!
We could have been a part of the traffic mayhem as I had suggesting hiring a car for a few days. Jill clearly wasn’t keen on that idea, even though it would have been me behind the wheel. It would have made things much more convenient for us. We could have seen more and not spent so much time waiting for buses, and it was surprisingly cheap.
In two minds whether to get straight on a bus back to the hotel, we succumbed to the bright lights of festive Valletta. Apart from a crap kebab, we had a really enjoyable night out, including the discovery of two more craft ale bars. Buddies is highly recommended.
Saturday 14th – Medina
The walled city of Medina was today’s destination. It was roughly an hour on bus, but luckily we had been told of a route direct from Sliema. The place was impressive, with its towering walls and winding streets covered in flagstones polished by the passing feet of millions of visitors. Apparently it was used in the filming of Gladiator 2.
We enjoyed lunch at the Del Fontanella, did a little more wandering, then crossed over into Rabat.
There was a huge Christmas street market selling all kinds of tat. It didn’t really occupy us for long, and we were determined to get the next bus home as there was only one an hour.
Back in Sliema, we had a swift pint at the Brew Bar, before chilling out for a while and getting a shower at the Waterfront.
A search for restaurants on Trip Advisor led us to Lou’s Bistro. I thought it was a more intimate place just off the beaten track, However, it turned out to be on the main road, just outside of the main area, with the usual indoor area and outdoor canopied area. It was a great place to watch the herds of young lads passing by with their llama haircuts.
The food was superb. Large portions, perfectly cooked, and well worth the money. Good service too, highly recommended.
Sunday 15th – Gozo
It was raining as we set out for the fast ferry to Gozo, but still warm enough for shorts.
The crossing was a bit on the rough side, with choppy waves and an overcast sky. The boat sometimes almost appearing to lift out of the water before crashing back down, with sounds of alarm from the passengers. The crew were regularly handing out the sick bags at people ran for the toilets at the back.
The hop on hop off bus was waiting for us, and we took a seat upstairs. Many of the commentary ports were not working, so we tried a different seat. At the next stop the driver came up to tick us off for moving around while the bus was still in motion. An American passenger explained that a few of us had moved due to the lack of audio, but the very rude driver was having none of it.
“They were working this morning!” he snapped. “You need to mess around with it!”
By the time we got off for our first stop, the temperature had plummeted. We did a quick tour of the Ggantia temple stones site, then waiting in the cold for the bus as it had started to rain.
The next driver was much better, but we realised that the infrequency of buses combined with our arrival time, meant we could only fit in two more stops. And the craft village Jill wanted to visit was closed.
We spent most of the time careering through narrow winding streets that were clearly not built with buses in mind. There were times that we skimmed past buildings with minimum clearance, so the ride itself was entertaining. There were a couple of short stops including a rather impressive church.
We planned to get off at Xewkija for our last stop, mainly to visit the basilica which had a superb vaulted ceiling. Unfortunately we walked in to the middle of Sunday mass. We loitered at the back for a couple of minutes admiring the ceiling, before making a discrete exit.
With a choice of two cafes, we went in for a warm and a mulled wine. We now had over half an hour to kill waiting for the next bus. This would reach the terminal just after the ferry had gone, leaving us with another 50 minutes wait. We decided to cut our losses and rang for a cab to catch the next ferry back. It was arriving just as we got out of the cab, and thankfully the return crossing was much calmer.
Overall it had been a very disappointing day.
I managed to find an Indian restaurant for the evening. We had missed lunch, but still failed to eat the full meal. A main course each, bread and rice to share with one side, but the portions were big. Food was okay but not exactly what we were used to. My chicken tikka masala was overly sweet with too much tomato, but it made a change from the surrounding stuff on offer.
Monday 16th – Valletta
Heavy overnight rain was starting to ease off as we went down for the excellent buffet breakfast.
We were in two minds whether to do the ‘three cities tour’ or to stay undercover. In the end we stayed local and visited the Valletta War Rooms. This was a fascinating look into the underground workings of the operational command centre during the WWII siege of Malta. A maze of passages and rooms with an overload of information and exhibits.
By the time we emerged the weather had improved. We had a lovely lunch at the Kantina cafe bar, accompanied by a Farsons Double Red Strong Ale and a bunch of annoying pigeons.
We then had a wander down to the waterfront, before heading back to Sliema and a couple of beers at the Brew pub.
Evening meal was the Greek restaurant of Opa! I finally got my hands on a kebab! Two large lamb kebabs with salad and proper chips. We enjoyed the meal so much that we decided we’d return the next day.
Tuesday 17th – The Three Cities
Catching the ferry from Valletta we arrived in? Jill had found a web page detailing a walk around Senglea, it was difficult to follow and if was the best of this small city I would have hated to see the worst.
While having a spot of lunch I consulted the rough guide for things to see in? It recommended an area called? which was maze of plant-lined narrow Mediaeval streets. This was the area the Knights of Malta made their home and some of the original hostels were still standing. It was a lovely and fascinating walk.
We ended our afternoon there strolling along the sun-baked harbour where a line of super yachts commanded the marina. Finally reaching the end at what appeared to be an ancient mooring area just outside the castle walls.
We didn’t really bother with the third city of Bormla. We had done plenty of walking by that time and headed back to base.
Although we had paid for a return ferry, we chose instead to grab a traditional water taxi. We climbed aboard with another guy who’d been waiting, but we still didn’t set off until a family arrived to take up every available seat. A nice little earner for the ferryman.
Our last night on the island was spoiled by a really disappointing meal at Opa! It was nothing like previous, and although I ate most of my pork gyros but didn’t enjoy it at all.
Wednesday 18th – Back to Blighty
Our taxi bus arrived early, but fortunately we were ready to go. The driver got us to the airport very quickly, but that only meant more time to kill. We were then frustrated by a 40 minute stand at the gate waiting for staff to let us through.
The flight was quick, but the journey home from Manchester was a nightmare. Google showed heavy motorway traffic and suggested using A roads to avoid them. The darkness, narrow roads, and persistent rain made the drive really hard going though, and we were both pleased to finally reach home.
On the whole, Malta had been a bit of a let down. We did have some enjoyable times, but this won’t go down as one of our most successful holidays.
Next jaunt, Lisbon in January.