Malta

[JJH]

Having a great time here. Flew from Dublin aerlingus. It’s warm. No HOT. Few observations. Be careful on footpaths. Highley piggly. Shops that look like small pokey places are much bigger inside. Isles narrow but stocked with a delicious array of fresh food. Plenty of cheap beer. Always very clean. People very polite and helpful. Almost too helpful. In our hotel BellaVista in St Paul’s at breakfast or lunch or dinner the minute your plate is empty it’s politely whisked away. Tomorrow when they ask I’m going to say no. Just to see what happens. My wife likes southern comfort. It’s in the bar. They make such a deal about it she hasn’t bothered asking any more. We went to the war museum. I’d read a lot about Malta during WW2 and was really looking forward to seeing it. I wasn’t disappointed but I thought there could have been more. I don’t think the space was utilised to its full potential. I was surprised that there wasn’t more people there. Maybe I’m a dinosaur? I enjoyed going around the city. More authentic feeling than the many tourist spots I’ve visited. There seems to be some urban decay and renovation side by side. Throughout the countryside you can see dry stone walls that we brag about being unique to the west is Ireland. There’s loads of walls and entrances semi blocked off with a light tan coloured block that resembles the old 6 inch block that you very seldom see now in Ireland. Talking to a biker or 2 it seems bike theft is not a problem here. One guy from Sicily told me that it was a problem at home. A nice dinner for 15€ can’t be complained about. Burger and chips for 5€. JJH

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Moved into trip reports.

Richard

 

[KevW]

Thanks for sharing your experience, we will be arriving there in two weeks time.

 

[Burridge01]

Cheers JJH,I'm off there for Christmas and the new year,staying in the Best Wastern for Christmas and then somewhere else for new year.First time on a plane in over 35 years.Can't say I'm looking forward to the flight.

 

[richh]

Lovely is Malta. Would deffo live there.

 

[JJH]

Cheers JJH,I'm off there for Christmas and the new year,staying in the Best Wastern for Christmas and then somewhere else for new year.First time on a plane in over 35 years.Can't say I'm looking forward to the flight.

You will be all right. They use jet engines now. Much faster. Pressurised cabins too. Seriously have a good time. JJH

 

[JJH]

Be careful crossing the road. Lunatic drivers. Exit a side road make a half hearted attempt to stop and just pullout. Indicators? Nobody bothers. Every bike has a loud pipe as do countless micra type jalopies. Funny at the pelican crossing the vehicles will stop just dosent seem like they will. If your on a bus be prepared for hard breaking and then harsh acceleration followed by a stamp on the brake as the driver chickens out. JJH

 

[parkys100]

Take the fast boat to Gozo island for a day trip.?

 

[JJH]

Take the fast boat to Gozo island for a day trip.?

I did. It’s great fun. Not too expensive €42 for a good day trip. Bus from hotel to boat. Boat to island then another bus to town where we got a road train thing up to the old part. I can’t remember all the names but in enjoyed it. On the way back the boat moored at the blue lagoon for about 90 minutes. A bit of a scramble off the boat over some rough ground but well worth it. You could dive off the front starboard gangway and swim round the back to get back on. You could hire snorkel equipment too. Have a fresh water shower get dressed and have a few drinks on the way back. A lot for the money. There’s a hell of a lot of history on Malta a lot to take in. I found the heat a bit much. My wife didn’t like it at all. We got an ordinary bus about 1 hour into the capital €2.50 each ticket expires in 2.5 hours. When out you could get a pizza and pint for €15 or less. JJH

 

[JJH]

I did. It’s great fun. Not too expensive €42 for a good day trip. Bus from hotel to boat. Boat to island then another bus to town where we got a road train thing up to the old part. I can’t remember all the names but in enjoyed it. On the way back the boat moored at the blue lagoon for about 90 minutes. A bit of a scramble off the boat over some rough ground but well worth it. You could dive off the front starboard gangway and swim round the back to get back on. You could hire snorkel equipment too. Have a fresh water shower get dressed and have a few drinks on the way back. A lot for the money. There’s a hell of a lot of history on Malta a lot to take in. I found the heat a bit much. My wife didn’t like it at all. We got an ordinary bus about 1 hour into the capital €2.50 each ticket expires in 2.5 hours. When out you could get a pizza and pint for €15 or less. JJH

Of course you could get a half day trip just to the island.I’ve attached a photo hopefully gives some idea of the amount of boats. JJH

 

[oblertone]

If you go for an early morning walk be aware of folk with shotguns; I counted six on a short ramble to the headland in St Paul's bay They do like a bit of rabbit, mainly because there aren't many birds left ...

 

[JJH]

If you go for an early morning walk be aware of folk with shotguns; I counted six on a short ramble to the headland in St Paul's bay They do like a bit of rabbit, mainly because there aren't many birds left ...

Apparently rabbit is a national dish. JJH

 

[richh]

The rabbit is smashing.


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