Blogs from La Valletta, Malta, Malta, Europe

At least eight out of every ten people who I knew had been to Malta hadn’t recommended it. They told how it was dry and barren, there were no good beaches, it was very built up, and it’s baking hot. True, if you go in July or August, it will be baking hot, dry and barren. True, you can barely get a razor blade between the hotels at the resorts. And true, it mostly has a rocky shoreline with only a few, albeit stony, beaches. I think those eight out of ten people were after a beach holiday of the type you get on other Mediterranean islands such as the Balearics or the Greek Islands and, for them, Malta doesn’t match up. Fair enough, I can see their point, but that’s not the type of holiday ... read more

Malta is a stunning country and it is steeped in history. We could have easily spent our entire honeymoon here. The people are friendly, most speak English (as the British ruled these islands for a time). Every street, every building and every landscape is picturesque. You might be familiar with their very uniquely painted fishing boats. We also learned that Malta is home to a booming movie industry; Gladiator, Troy, The Count of Monte Cristo, Munich, Popeye, etc... were all filmed entirely in Malta. The architecture and settings lend themselves nicely to these epic period-piece films. Our pictures of Malta do not do it justice. The morning looked rainy as we came into port but it turned out to be a bright sunny day for about 90% of our stay in Malta. We spent the ... read more

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

"Lena Blitzkieg-Schicklgruber has won the Eurovision Song Contest", says the radio as we're on our way to the airport. I don't care much about mindless pop music, so I switch channels. "...first German victory in at least 100 years..." Switch. "...her light-hearted song 'Cum on my face, Robbie Williams' has won the hearts of the brainwashed masses..." Switch. "...finally Germans can be proud of their country again, the dishonour we suffered in WWII has been remedied..." I use the convenient pocket hatch I always carry with me to smash the radio to smithereens, screaming hysterically in the process. "Thank you", says my dad, flipping off the driver of the car he overtakes, as is his custom. J. and I arrive at Luqa Airport after an easy two-and-a-half-hour flight, exit the terminal, where the bus to Valletta ... read more

Hi folks, this is my 2nd day on Malta and it's pretty awesome so far. Took the bus from Sliema to Marfa (love the old Leyland and Bedford buses) at lunch time and then the ferry to Gozo. Over in Gozo I did a little tour with sightseeing bus...the weater was alright. Got back to Malta around 6pm and took the bus back to Sliema...sweet ride. 2morrow my english course in Sliema begins..I am curious whats its gonna be.... ... read more