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Blogs from Malta, Europe - page 7
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June 30th 2010
Here are a few favorites from Malta and London. It's good to be back in Germany with the group! Luneburg field trip tomorrow!... read more
June 27th 2010
Malta Rocks!!! It has been 90+ degrees both days, and there is no shade to speak of. That being said, my Nike Sport Band said I walked 24 miles today! I took a some pics in JPG today so I could post them sooner instead of having to wait to get back to my laptop to process the uncompressed RAW versions that are higher quality. Anyway, enjoy! -Ben ... read more
Day 24 Goodbye to Malta, Hello to Red Tape
Published: June 19th 2010Europe » Malta » Malta » Mellieha
June 15th 2010
Today we travel back to the UK to spend one night there before we head off for Hong Kong for our final four nights. We were hoping for a bit of sunshine today to top off our tans but it is rather overcast, as was yesterday. The car had to be back by 10.30 am so we finished packing our parcel to mail back home which was 19kg. It cost us €81.00 send back which is considerably less than excess baggage. After w got back from taking the car, we had a few hours just to finalise packing until we were picked up to take us to Luqa for our flight to Heathrow. We have had a really great holiday in Malta and it’s sad to leave. We have seen so much, yet there is still ... read more
June 14th 2010
Today is a day of relaxation after the 21 hour stint yesterday to Sicily. Yeah right, dream on baby! After breakfast we went to St Pauls Bay to have a look around a few shops. We had seen a kitchen item in a restaurant and were hoping to find something similar but with no success. We then went for a drive to the south of Malta where we visited the Neolithic Temples at Tarxien. These temples are as old as the ones on Gozo and date back over 5000 years. They were discovered in the 1930s by farmers who complained about big rocks when they were ploughing the land. When the archaeologists excavated the area they found the form of the temple which actually consists of three connected temples. A lot of the original stones have ... read more
June 12th 2010
Today was going to be a quiet day after our day long trip to Gozo yesterday but it didn’t turn out that way. We were even going to get an early night before our 4 am start to go to Sicily tomorrow but ended up watching World Cup football as England suffered a humiliating draw with the USA. We had to go to Valletta to collect my new sunnies so as part of the trip decided to see a few more of the Heritage Malta sites before we leave on Tuesday. As the glasses were not going to be ready until 12.30 we headed to the markets on Merchant Street and bought a few thing that we had seen when we were last here. The good on sale are reasonably priced, although not quite as good ... read more
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June 11th 2010
So today we are off to Gozo. We got away fairly early and caught the 8.15 am ferry arriving a little over twenty minutes later at Mgarr. The journey was very pleasant and just enough time to have a cup of coffee before we arrived. On driving off the ferry our first port of call, excuse the pun, was to head to Victoria (Rabat) the capital of Gozo. The city was known as Rabat but the name was changed to Victoria on Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. As it was just on opening time for both schools and shops the traffic was reasonably heavy but we managed to find parking near the bus terminus. As we found out, this was only a short stroll to the main shopping area and the Citadel. We walked up ... read more
June 10th 2010
Today we spent a very quiet day just chilling around. We picked up our hire car about 11 am and headed off to the beach. We were going to go to Golden bay but instead ended up at Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, the bay next door. There is quite a steep walk down to the beach but well worth it as it was reasonably protected from the wind. There is a bit of rubbish on the beach and really needs to be maintained a bit better for safety and aesthetic appearance. We stayed here for about 2 hours and had a swim, the water is still a bit chilly, before we headed up the damn steps and back to the car. As planned we then headed to the Ta’ Qali craft village which has been created in ... read more
Day 18 Vittoriosa - the first home of The Knights of Malta
Published: June 11th 2010Europe » Malta » Malta » Vittoriosa
June 9th 2010
Today we set out in search of history and ended up a little disappointed, although we did have a good day. We headed off to Birgu, which was renamed Vittoriosa after the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Birgu was where the Knights settled in Malta after they were kicked out of Rhodes by the Muslims in 1530. To protect themselves they turned the town into a fortified city to protect against further attacks from the Turks, which in the end turned out to be very beneficial. On entering the city we walked down towards the main square and on the right we visited the Inquisitors Palace. This building was originally the Law Courts of the Knights but after they moved to Valletta in 1571 it became the Inquisitors Palace, administering religious law for over 160 ... read more
June 9th 2010
The bus drives up dangerously close to the bumper of the car in front. Our grumpy bald-headed driver blows the horn repeatedly, mouthing unintelligible insults, pressing his lips together in anger. The radio plays Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock', and he turns up the volume to a deafening volume, adjusts his sunglasses, and proceeds with harassing the poor driver in front of us. We're sitting right behind the driver, who serves as our principal source of entertainment this morning. The ride from Valletta to Ċirkewwa, the harbour where the ferry to Gozo departs, takes around two hours, which makes it one of the longest possible drives in Malta. When we arrive there, the ferry's already waiting. We just walk on with the cars, as there's no separate ramp for passengers. The ticket is payable on return. The ... read more
June 8th 2010
Today we decided to go for a walk - just for a change. We got the bus to Xemxija (try pronouncing that) and walked through St Pauls Bay to Bugibba and Qawra. The bay is certainly very picturesque and photogenic with all the boats bobbing about in the harbour. Like most places here, the bay is very rocky and walking around involves quite a few hills and diversions along the way. Walking certainly gives you the opportunity to observe things that you miss when driving car. At one point we came across a hidden cove, with a small cave. The water is crystal clear and warm and sheltered. Once we got through St Pauls Bay we came across Wignacourt Tower, which is the first coastal defence tower built by the Knights. There is a whole series ... read more
