On an island in the sun, we'll be playing and having fun...

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Hey,

So I was getting bored of Brussels. It had been stiflingly hot for a couple of weeks (29 degrees and 90% humidity) and I decided that I needed to get out of town. I felt like going somewhere near the water, so I decided that Malta would be a great choice.

I hopped on the train to the airport and after it picked me up I felt a little ill at ease. I was thinking to myself that it was odd that it was a double-decker train heading to the airport. I also thought it was odd that the TV screen by the platform had switched to a different train name just before I had got on the train. I asked a woman who was sitting across from me in French where the train was going and she gave me a look, all men know what I’m talking about here, and then answered me in Flemish that the train was going to Antwerp.

Oh crap. Antwerp just wouldn’t be the same as Malta. Luckily, I’ve been on the rail line north of Brussels several times and I hopped off at Brussels Nord and caught the correct train to the airport. I got there and checked in, and since I was flying Air Malta and not Ryanair, it was run effectively and efficiently and there were nice people there to help you. I wandered around the airport, and was thinking of whipping into Starbucks for a frappuccino and then I saw the price. I AM NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTACES PAYING 6.5 EUROS FOR A FRIGGING FRAPPUCCINO!!! After that debacle, I just chilled in the comfy chairs until I could get board the plane.

One thing Air Malta does not provide on their flights is leg room. I’m not just saying this because I am excessively tall. Anyone over 6 feet would have had trouble fitting in those seats! I did my best contortionist impression for the 3 hour flight and I was ecstatic when I got off the plane and could physically use my legs again.

I had paid for a transfer to my hostel because I knew the busses weren’t running at that time of night and there is something so incredibly satisfying about seeing one’s name written on a card at the airport. I got in the car and was driven to my hostel, Granny’s Hostel, in Sliema (one of the cities across the bay from Valetta).

My hosts, Paulette and her husband were waiting for me and I was glad to see them. They were both incredibly welcoming and friendly and they gave me a lot of papers and information as to what was could to see on the island. The place was great. Modern bathrooms, high ceilings, fans, towels, sheets and breakfast included and marble floors and staircases everywhere. That and it was only $20 a night!

Before I get into my explanation of where I went, I think I should explain a bit about the geography of the main bay on Malta. Put your thumbs so their tips touch and your index fingers so they almost touch. The image you’re looking at now should resemble an oval. Now, imagine a finger sticking into the middle of the open area from where your thumbs touch, a finger sticking in from the space between your thumb and index finger on your left hand and two fingers sticking into the open area from the space between your thumb and index figure on your right hand. Now you have a vague concept of what the main bay in Malta looks like. If you still haven’t visualized or created some sort of cat’s cradle and are having trouble unlocking your fingers, I suggest googleing “Malta”.

The next morning I got up, had the great free breakfast (cereal and toast but it’s an extra cost that I didn’t need to pay) and left the hostel. I couldn’t get into the Hypogeum (3000 year old underground tombs) because they were sold out, so I just decided to wander around as much of the bay area as I could. I walked out to Smuggler’s Bay, and then along the waterfront in Sliema. It was nice and warm, about 30 degrees, and there was a nice breeze off the water. There were many little pools cut in the rocks to trap salt, much like in Syria. There was one resort out on a peninsula with water surrounding it save for a small strip of land connecting it to the mainland. It reminded me of the Parthenon and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t have the funds to stay there.

I caught the ferry across the bay to Valetta and I was struck by how fortified the peninsula was. The whole thing is surrounded by walls and it is next to impossible to siege the peninsula in any way. You could see the church domes and spires above the walls and it was very pretty approaching the peninsula.

Once inside the city of Valetta itself, it was very atmospheric. The streets are long and narrow, perfect for defending, with relatively tall buildings on both sides. The Maltese like to build large, enclosed and colourful balconies that protrude out from the buildings on both sides of the street. The area was very pleasant to wander through. There were colourful banners hanging from many houses as well because the Maltese national day was to be on Monday, which I would unfortunately just miss. First, I visited the Museum of Archaeology (not surprisingly) and I was surprised to learn that Malta had been inhabited for the past 7000 years. There is a lot displayed from that time period including carvings, statues and parts of temples. I then headed towards the main square, which is about the size of the one in Luxembourg, before entering St. John’s Co-Cathedral. The building is fairly austere from the outside, but extravagantly baroque on the inside. It was very beautiful to wander around and look at the carvings and artwork that adorned the building. There was an interesting monument in the courtyard by the exit. It was a simple obelisk, but it was adorned with skulls and bones as a memorial to people who had been lost at sea. After that, I moseyed through the pleasant streets until I arrived at The Malta Experience. It is a 40 minute movie that encapsulates the history of the island and the people. It wasn’t too kitschy, and it was a great introduction to the nation’s past.

I grabbed some lunch and then caught a bus to Qrenda. Now the busses in Malta are something else. First off, they’re all yellow with orange stripes lining them. They were also almost entirely built during the 1950s. I felt like I had stepped into and Archie comic! The ride to Qrenda is only 20 odd km but managed to take almost 30 minutes. The reason for this was the roads. Now what is the best way to describe them… imagine the indentations left by a 20 ton dinosaur running in mud. You know can understand the road situation in Malta. The reason I went to Qrenda was to visit two Neolithic temples that were the oldest structures on the island and even older than the pyramids in Egypt! They were very cool to wander around, but they had large canvas tents over top of them. While I do understand that this protects the temples from the elements, it detracts from the physical appeal of the setting, which is on the side of a hill that slopes down into the azure water of the Mediterranean.

I was waiting for a bus back to Valetta when one of the double decker hop-on, hop-off busses pulled up and the driver offered to take me and a German girl named Martina, who I had met at the temples, back to Valetta for less than the public bus. We both got to sit on the top, but the bus was lacking a suspension and the ride back to Valetta was reminiscent of a roller-coaster.

It was late afternoon by now and I decided to visit the Upper Barakka Gardens which are located at one of the highest points in Valetta. The gardens were very peaceful and the view from the top was spectacular! You could see the entire grand harbour as well as the little inlets, bays, and forts that dot the landscape around the harbour. I’m glad I waited until later in the day because the colours were great. I took some photos and then wandered over to the Lower Barakka Gardens which had a reconstructed Roman temple in their midst. From their, I could see the Warning Bell which was built as a memorial to the people who lost their lives during World War II. Malta is strategically located in the middle of the Mediterranean and was the scene of heavy fighting during the War. It was a simple memorial, but effective never-the-less. I walked along the walls past Victoria Gate and Fort St. Elmo (not ticklish apparently) and then I caught the ferry back to Sliema.

I got back to the hostel and met my Aussie roommate Aaron. He’s an electrical consultant who works in Libya. We went and grabbed a bite on the waterfront in St. Juliaan’s before heading to Paceville. I wasn’t really prepared for Paceville and I was amazed once I arrived. There is 3 block radius where al of the bars and clubs are located. Beer is cheap (2 euros) and there is no such thing as cover. Basically, the best thing to do is grab a beer and simply people watch from one of the myriad bars. The women on the island are extraordinarily beautiful, so it makes it quite enjoyable just to sit there and enjoy the view. We went to a couple of bars, but we were both fairly tired (he had been out until 530am the night before) so we grabbed a couple of beers and wandered along the waterfront back to the hostel.

The next morning we got up and headed for the beach to go swimming. The beaches in Malta are a lot like those in Croatia and consist mostly of rocks. This makes it difficult to find a place to get in. We eventually found a ladder into the water and were able to climb into the Mediterranean Sea. I had touched it before, but this was the first time that I had actually been able to swim in it. It was a great temperature, but it was windy so the sea was kind of rough. There was an undertow as well and it took a bit of effort to stay in one place. Eventually, we both sat down on the ladder into the water but we had to hold on tightly because the waves kept trying to pull us out to sea. It was quite a workout for 830am!

I wanted to go to either the old capital of Mdina or the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. The problem was that each place was at least an hour return on the bus due to the Maltese roads and that would be cutting it close if I wanted to catch my flight home so I couldn’t visit either town. Instead, Aaron and I just wandered around Valetta and then had lunch in the square in front of the Cathedral. There was a tree there and I swear it looked like there was an outline of a woman in it. Aaron thought I was crazy but I can still see the outline when I look at the photo I took of the tree.

I said goodbye to Aaron and the caught my bus out to the airport. Martina happened to be on it and was leaving just before I did so we hung out while at the airport. Before I left, we had to switch to a different boarding gate because there was a small electrical fire in the ceiling. It smelled terrible, but everything was business as usual at the airport except for the military personnel and firemen running around. On the flight home, I lucked out and got the emergency exit seat so I could actually fit for the flight back!!! I thought I was tanned after my time there; that was until a Dutch couple sat next to me who had been there for two weeks. Their skin colour reminded me of the colour of a smoked ham! The return to Brussels was fine and I managed to get home from the airport in under an hour. Malta was fantastic and I’m glad I had the opportunity to go. The islands are the perfect combination of history, culture and beautiful women!

Bye for now,

Peter

Things I learned in Malta:
-Sweat and sunscreen mix together to form something I like to call “Second Skin”.
-Maltese is an interesting combination of Italian and Arabic. Needless to say I did not manage to decipher any of it.
-Rabbit tastes good, but it is more bone than meat.

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