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Hello! We've just got back from a sunny, but very windy week in Malta. We love to travel, but always try to keep costs low and stick to a budget. However, this doesn't mean we ignore the cultural and historical experiences on offer and we take every opportunity to sample the local cuisine. Our itinerary for this trip combined a good mix of action packed days and relaxed sun soaking.
We began our trip with a super early start at Gatwick, but at least we had a smooth flight and transfer to our hotel. After checking in, we realised Will had forgotten his trunks so an expedition to a beach shop was next on the agenda! We finished our first day with a visit to the Malta national Aquarium (I do love an aquarium!).
For our second day on Malta we took the hop on hop off bus to Valletta. We arrived just in time to see the saluting of the battery, where they fire a real cannon to signify midday. Seems like a rather noisy way to tell the time! We then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and doing a self guided tour. Our day ended at Fort St Elmo, which had great views across the harbour. Then back to the hotel for a pre-dinner dip in the pool.
The following day was more slow paced, with a boat cruise around the harbours of Sliema and Valetta. After which, we hopped on the bus to the Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra temples where we spent the rest of the afternoon.
Our fourth day was another leisurely start with a mid morning boat to Gozo. We explored the Citadella on Gozo and enjoyed lunch in the square at the bottom of the Citadella hill. In the afternoon we took a ferry across to Comino where we took a cave boat tour and relaxed on the beach until it was time to take the ferry home. Another enjoyable day!
Unlike the previous couple of days, we really packed it in on Saturday. The historic streets of Mdina, Malta's former capital, was first on the itinerary, offering us a glimpse into the past as we meandered through its narrow alleys and admired the architecture. Whilst there we popped into the Cathedral and museum. Then, after a yummy lunch at a pizzeria, we walked to St. Paul's catacombs just down the street. During our visit, there was some disagreement between us about whether the small dark tombs were fun to explore and interesting to learn about or cramped and a bit boring! Last on our agenda for the day was to take the bus to Skorba for the Ta' Skorba Temple and Ta’ Ħaġrat Temple. There was a slight bus pickle on the way (I blame Will) but we got there eventually!
The next day we took the bus to Marsaxlokk to see the bustling Sunday market. After trying some of the treats the market had to offer, we took the hop-on bus to the Għar Dalam Cave. Then we continued on to the Blue Grotto, where we had a bumpy boat ride around the coastline to look at natural caves. Quite a cave oriented day!
On Monday we decided to do a hike from our hotel to the nearby Xemxija Hill Heritage Walk. After walking about 1hr to get there, we were a little disappointed as the sites were a bit underwhelming! Then we walked all the way back to the hotel and decided it was time for a swim and sauna before dinner.
For our last day we just had half a day to explore so we decided to go to the Tarxien Temples as they were only 20mins from the Airport. After grabbing lunch near the temples from a Pastizzeria we caught the bus to the airport to end our Malta trip.
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