Blogs from Malta, Malta, Europe - page 8

We made it! After planes, trains, automobiles and our fair share of busses we made it! We got to Dulles by 7:15 (sweet!), found out we did indeed have TSA Precheck (sweeter!) and were through security and at the gate by 8:00 (sweetest!) Had dinner at an airport restaurant and then went and hung out by a charging pole to juice up our devices. There was a group of teenagers from an Arab country who were traveling back home (my guess is) and they had most of the charging stations plugged in. It looked like wire trees were everywhere. But we found a free station in the corner. I had gone to look for something at the airport and as I passed by the message board for our flight, it said, “This flight is overbooked. If ... read more

We all went our own ways on the final day. The Other Half and I headed to the Silent City, Mdina. The silence was deafening. Cars are banned in the main from the old walled town and this morning the horse drawn buggys were all redundant. There would not even be the sound of hooves on the cobbles to break the silence. I was keen that the Other Half should see the fortress town high on a hill. We headed through the Mdina Gate in to the town. The weather had been mixed in terms of visibility whilst we had been on the island, but you could see for miles this morning. I took us in the direction of the previous vantage point for a view towards Valletta. A sign on the walls warns of danger. ... read more

The Man in the Middle approached a landmark birthday. After the success of our “warm weather” training mission to Malta in 2014, a plan was hatched for refreshments with football in the winter sun. The Motor Man flew back from the Jacaranda City for the occasion, fresh from relaying Page 48 and Page 49 of the secret manual of success for the natives. They must have been impressed. A return journey to run through Pages 50 and 51 has been pencilled in for March. The Python booked himself on the trip. A rare appearance for the now married man – missing in action since Portugal 2004. He turned up, doing a passable impression of Paddington Bear. A label carefully pinned to his chest in case he got lost – “Return to Meadow Lane, Nottingham. NG2”. There ... read more

Hi Everyone, This weekend was Valetta, the capital city of Malta, a tiny island in the Mediterranean just south of Sicily. Despite it's small size, it's an island that's absolutely full of history, acting as a key point in controlling shipping in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. It's old cities are often centred around giant fortresses built to defend against invasions by the Ottoman empire - this was Europe's front line defence against invasions from the Middle East. This makes for some great views from atop the walls looking out into the ocean. The walls are usually pretty badly damaged though, since Italy bombed the living daylights out of the place in WWII. Here's the WWII background story: Germany had a campaign going in North Africa that constantly needed supplies - an army runs on ... read more

Today's our last day in Malta. Our ever reliable relative, friend and tour guide Louis picks us up and we head towards Valletta. As ever, parking's not easy. We pull into a spot with a sign saying it‘s reserved for the head of the department responsible for the collection of parking fines. I hope he doesn't work on Saturdays. We go into the iconic Phoenicia Hotel which Louis tells us has been here since before World War II. It‘s a classical old style luxury establishment from a bye-gone era, with a magnificent garden, and a great position right next to the bastion. Louis says that his niece Annette used to work here as a waitress, and once served Charlton Heston. Apparently she had no idea who he was. I‘m suddenly feeling very old. Next stop is ... read more