Blogs from Malta, Europe - page 18

It took me a while to come to terms that I will was leaving my friends and loved ones. I had been wanting to travel the world for the past 8 years but at the ripe old age of 29 I was mentally and financially ready to take the leap. So I quit my amazing job, purchased my tickets and before I knew it I was on my way to Australia. Two nights before my departure I held a going away party which turned out to be quite boozy and emotional ... not the smartest of combinations. But I can surely say that I don't regret it one bit. I got to see friends whom I had not seen in a while and got to spend my last few hours with the people I love the ... read more

Geo: 35.84, 14.54 We liked the 222 bus so we caught it again to Silema and made our way to Valletta from there. From Valletta we took bus 81 to Marsaxlokk, an incredibly pretty tradtional fishing village. It was very relaxing mooching around in the sunshine, admiring the traditional Luzzu boats being reflected in the glistening blue water. As we looked out at the boats, lots of pairs of friendly Osiris eyes looked back at us :) We decided to continue our relaxing and sat down for a reasonably priced meal of Swordfish. Eventually Isaac tired of chilling but luckily for us a large German Granny was on hand to tell us how to look after our baby! Sad thing was, she was right!! We finished our adventures back in Valletta with some souvenir shopping. Our ... read more

Geo: 35.89, 14.4The bus journey to Mdina was rather stretched out with a long wait in Buggiba. It was worth it though. Mdina is incredibly atmospheric. The perfect place for a horse and carriage ride (but too expensive!) It was calming to have no cars around. It is actually much smaller than it seems from the outside. We walked across to Rabat but didn't want to pay 5 euros a go to get in places! They could do with a day ticket for historic attractions. With time on our hands, we caught the bus down to the Blue Grotto - absolutely nothing at this time of year but it was a good bus ride!! It seems it's always a gamble as to whether the boats will be running or not here. Isaac added to his many ... read more

Geo: 36.0455, 14.2436The bus to Cirkewwa took us straight onto the ferry to Gozo. Isaac's first boat trip was very quick and pleasant. On arrival in Gozo, there were lots of toots (hadn't experienced this in Malta yet!) There were some very tempting offers but we made the best decision holding out for the bus. We walked up to the nearest Church then along a blossom tree and cactus lined road to the bus stop. We caught the bus to Victoria, Gozo's capital. Before we properly explored Victoria, we caught another bus to the Azure Window via the Craft Village. The Azure Window was stunning. It was a beautiful bus ride thought the craft village turned out to be ghostlike! Isaac had his nappy changed on a rock whilst we devoured a delicious ice cream. Following ... read more

Geo: 35.9564, 14.3622 Isaac's first flight proved bearable. I can't say he enjoyed it (especially take off) but he wasn't traumatised by it either! On arriving in Malta, we were picked up straight away by our private transfer arranged through resorthoppa. Our taxi driver was our first glimpse of the friendly, chatty, warm hearted people that were the highlight of our stay. Not to mention their impeccable English - definitely makes for an easier life! Our first impression of Malta was that it looked very much like an oasis. All the buildings are limestone, set off beautifully by the colourful fauna, prickly pear cactuses and sparkling blue sea. Spires belonging to a multitude of magnificent Churches spring up everywhere. Throughout the whole holiday, I don't think we ever saw an ugly part of Malta! Mellieha was ... read more