Blogs from Malta, Europe - page 20

Geo: 35.96, 14.36British pubs, fish and chip shops, the iconic British phone booths - walking around Valletta today was a bit of a trip to a parallel Universe, as we were magically transported to a tropical version of Great Britain. I've come across this many times, particularly in Spain's Costa del Sol and the Canary Islands, places essentially colonized by holidaymakers from the UK. I hate these places, as the holidaymakers have completely taken over, nearly obliterating all traces of the local culture. But a funny thing happened in Valletta today - it actually works here, and we liked it!Though Malta has also been taken over by holidaymakers, there is a distinct difference between the atmosphere here, and the aforementioned places. Since Malta was a British colony for 150 years, the two cultures have merged and ... read more

Marsaxlokk is an acient fishing village which is located at the head of Marsaxlokk Bay. Old low-rise houses occupy along the whole waterfront, and a fleet of brightly coloured luzzu (Maltese fishing boats) crowds the habour. Not surprisingly, this place is renowned for its top-notch seafood restaurants. The most interesting thing here is the Sunday Fish Market. As the name suggests, the fish market only opens on Sunday, and yet in the morning until 12pm. How lazy they are! So, I needed to set aside some time for a visit. Finally I spent the whole morning in Marsaxlokk today. When I first got there, what I saw is a series of stalls on both sides of the main road selling daily accessories, toys, decoration.....When I continued walking, I can see the fish market. There are a ... read more

Yesterday we spent more time just relaxing, swimming, eating and at the waterpark. Today has been quite different and wow its been hot, 42 degrees apparently! We caught a boat first thing over to a small island called Comino, where we spent a little while swimming in an area of the sea called the 'blue lagoon'. It was beautiful, clear blue water where I saw lots of little fish swimming. Unfortunately I also saw hundreds of other tourists and their boats in this small patch of water and on the rock face next to it :-( apparently there is a small beach, but I couldn't see this with all the deck chairs! Anyway, I loved the swimming and I got to watch mummy and daddy jump off the boat into the sea. It looked really fun ... read more

So I'm in Malta. We left Tuesday afternoon and arrived at the hotel in Bugibba at midnight. I had a fun day of riding my cousin Harry's trunki around Norwich airport, running around with a little girl I met there - she's my age and flying in a plane! I really liked looking out the window at all the clouds on this flight and the nice people at Thomas Cook even gave me a seat of my own :-) I wasn't so keen on the takeoff though, it was just SO noisy! Yesterday I spent the day playing in the hotel pools and the little play area. There is a big slide I like in there plus a castle playhouse. My cousin Evie would love it, it's a big castle and it's purple. Mummy and daddy ... read more

My last day in Malta called for more sightseeing. Over the day,I spent 6.5 hours on buses, 1 hour on ferries, and countless hours on my feet. And I only spend $9.10 euros for all. 8:00 am: I caught the bus to Marsaxlokk, a traditional fishing village, dating from the Phoenicians. It was about 45 minutes away, and has a weekly Sunday market. The market had the usual stuff, veggies, clothes, electronics, etc. A nice man was eating fuzzy green things off a bushy plant, and when I asked him what they were, he gave me a handful. The texture of a mushy nut, with out much flavor… they were garbanzo beans!!! <... read more