Malta-Day 3

Woke up on day 3 to overcast skies and slightly chilly temps. Figures it would happen as this was the day we were going to Gozo, and would be out on the Med in the ferry. Oh well, can't have everything. To get to Gozo, you take a almost 1 hour bus ride to the harbor in Cirkewwa and the ferry drops you off on the island at the harbor in Mgarr.

Along the way, you go past Comino Island, which is where the spot known as the Blue Lagoon is. We didn't visit Comino on this trip, but I got a couple of pictures of it from the ferry.

The ferry ride takes about 25 minutes and drops you off in the harbor where you catch a bus into whatever part of the island you want to visit. For us it was the main town of Victoria. The bus ride is very scenic as well.

Got off at the terminal and began the short walk to the Citadel, which was built about 400 years ago as a refuge against the Turks.

The Citadel is huge and very picturesque. The views from the top are amazing. I took tons of pictures, so I'll only post a few here.

We decided to visit the old prison as well, which has a lot of graffiti supposedly done by former inmates. Simon isn't convinced that it isn't all fairly recent and a PR stunt. I'm more optimistic.

There were a couple of churches we didn't go inside but, once again, we'll see them whenever we go back. We stopped at a shop for some pasties filled with spinach, potato and local cheese then went back to the terminal and caught a bus to the Ggantija Temples. The buses usually run every 45 minutes to the temples, though the ride itself is only about 10 minutes. We caught a later bus which wouldn't return to take us back to Victoria for an hour. Once we'd had a look around, we couldn't understand why they even wait 45 minutes because you can see the whole area twice in under 20. The guides and maps suggest that there is more to see than there really is. I suppose people like to dawdle there, since it is very pretty and the views are very good.

After walking around it a couple times, we went out to the parking lot and sat around until the bus came to take us back. Then we got straight on another to go back to the ferry and, eventually, the hotel. While it was really cool, we weren't as impressed with Gozo as we were with Mdina and Valletta. Maybe it's just cause Victoria itself is a typical busy area crowded with shops and such. Most of the shops we saw there (and in other areas as well, to be fair) were no different than the ones back home, so no sense in checking them out. When we got back to the hotel, we called room service for some starters and just chilled out the rest of the night. I was really exhausted, as there's a lot of walking involved. So we goofed off on the laptop and I uploaded pix to Facebook...God I love my Blackberry!

**NOTE-I've just noticed when looking at the finished post that Blogger is cutting my pix off slightly on the right side...so I apologize if you can't read some of the signs entirely or if the pix look off. The full ones are on my FB**

Malta-Day 2

Another gorgeous, sunny morning. After breakfast and my second coffee on the balcony, we hopped a bus to Mdina and Rabat.

Mdina is much quieter than Valletta and a bit smaller. Out of all the places we went, it was Simons favorite. This is the Mdina city gate:

When you first walk in and to the right is the entrance to the Mdina Dungeons, which are below the Palazzo Vilhena. There's a series of tableaux, recreating scenes of torture. I won't post them here, as I don't want to risk any minors seeing them. There's a complete album on my FB. It was fairly interesting,and the dummies were well done. Well worth the €4 admission.

We just meandered around the streets, avoiding huge tourist groups and looking in shops. This one is outside the entrance to the Natural History Museuem:

Everywhere you go, there's artwork/sculptures on buildings.

One of the favorite ways to get around the cities is by a horse drawn cab. We preferred to walk, but here's a shot of one:

After wandering around, we decided to grab something to eat. The guidebook raved that the Fontanella Tea Garden had views that were second to none, so we headed over there. The food and service were great. The only problem we had was when we took the check to the till to pay. No credit cards. Once again, information you may want to let people know from the get-go. This wasn't the first or last time we encountered this problem, so we got into the habit of checking places out first. When we go back, we'll make sure we always have cash on us.

And the book was right, the view was fantastic.

Walked back towards the gates and headed across the street to Rabat to see the Catacombs.

Now, before I go any further I have to say that neither of us cared for Rabat. It's on the creepy side. You know those movies with those empty foreign streets that when you do see someone it's like they're looking at you as if they wish you'd get the hell out? That's Rabat. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

First we looked at the ruins of a Roman Villa behind the Roman Architecture Museum:

It took awhile going around those streets to find St. Pauls Catacombs, as the streets aren't marked, we just had the map in the book. Along the way, Simon made a friend...

I stopped to pet him, and he smelled the sandwiches in the bag Simon had and followed him all over. Think he managed to lose him in a group of tourist. When we came out of the ticket office for the catacombs, an employee was shooing him away cause he was trying to follow people down into them.

The catacombs were constructed because Maltas Christians didn't believe in the Roman law stipulating cremation, so they copied the Palestinian Jews by carving out these labyrinths and using them as a burial ground.

Not much else to say about Rabat. We were going to check out the Roman museum, but were too tired, so we just went back to the hotel. It's on our to do list the next time we go back. Fortunately, it's right on the outskirts of the city, so we won't have to wander around again.

When we got back to the hotel, within minutes the entire block lost power. The elevators were working, and they had power to the lobby. We had a drink down there and then went back up to the room and sat on the balcony. When the power came back on there was a huge amount of cheering from the street. Oh, and I did review Paprazzi, the one where we got dirty looks for just having coffee, on tripadvisor.com. It's not posted yet. I couldn't find a web site for the restaurant, but I did find an email address for someone connected with it. I sent them a copy of what I'd wrote on TA:

"My husband and I stopped at Paparazzi on March 21st around 5-6 p.m. We liked the menu, so our plans were to have a coffee in your outdoor area, walk around a bit and come back for dinner. Below is a copy of the review I have sent to Tripadvisor.co.uk. All I can tell you is that our server had blond hair and a serious attitude problem.


"My husband and I were in Malta around the 20th of March. After a day of sightseeing in Valletta, we decided to find somewhere for a coffee, walk around a bit then go and eat. The menu posted outside Paparazzi looked good, so we figured we'd have a quick cup then come back later for a meal. When we were sitting down, a server came up to us with menus, but I told her we just wanted two coffees. This netted us a dirty look. She came back with them and that was the last we saw of her. She didn't come anywhere near us again until some people sat down at the table next to us. She met my eyes at least 3 times and not once asked if we needed anything and took off quickly each time. Tired of trying to get her attention for the bill, I met the eyes of another server who came over and asked if we needed anything. I replied that we were fine and ready for the check.

10 minutes later we were still sitting, despite our original server going back and forth around us. I finally cornered her at the bar and told her we had asked the other server for our check and were still waiting. Her reply was that we'd told the other girl and not her. I said I would have gladly told her we were ready had she bothered to ask us if we needed anything, and that she had looked right at us several times and still couldn't be troubled.

I cannot review the food as there was absolutely no way we were going to eat there after this. I can only assume that, as we were there around the dinner hour, she was upset because she wouldn't be making any big tips off of us. Well, she was right...she got nothing."


Basically, we spent 15 minutes drinking our coffee, and another 20 waiting for our servers attention. I'm sorry if our wanting a simple cup of coffee is such a problem for your restaurant."

I've not gotten a response (probably won't), but at least the email didn't get bounced back as invalid. I did find a couple of other reviews of the place, neither favorable. One said that when they got their food it was cold and they could tell that when it was brought back it had been microwaved as there was virtually no flavor. They also said that a bartender up the street had warned them not to eat there, but they figured they'd see for themselves.

Malta-Day 1

Woke up to the sun peeking through the curtains. A quick look at my phone said it was dawn, so I woke Simon up so we could get some shots of Spinola Bay at sunrise.

Went back to sleep for a bit, then woke up around 7 and went down to breakfast. I have to say, they did a nice spread. Good assortment of cereals, cheeses and fruit. There was also a table with a variety of mini croissants, danish and other breads. The hot food offered was scrambled eggs (though you could request fried, poached, etc.), bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes/mushrooms, beans and hash browns. Yes, I said grilled tomatoes/mushrooms and beans. English breakfast. The coffee at the hotel was fantastic, which is typically unusual. Way better than the coffee at the hotel we stayed at in Paris this past summer. Matter of fact, most of the food was better too.

Decided to go into Valletta. Now, the easiest way to get around Malta is on a bus. They're old, noisy and bumpy. Simon read in the guidebook that they're typically owned by the drivers. There's also various sightseeing buses where you pay a flat rate for the day and hop on and off as you like. I myself think the regular buses are cheaper in the long run, considering that you'll spend pretty much an entire day in one area anyway. Depending on where you're going, the buses run from every 10 minutes (to Valletta) up to every hour (to Cirkewwa where you catch the ferry to Gozo). Bus stops are everywhere and it's just a matter of knowing which route goes where. The hotel personnel were very helpful with this, as well as the guidebook we later picked up which listed all of them. We had 2 stops right across the street from the hotel, so we went outside and hopped a bus to Valletta.

The bus ends at the main terminal of Valletta, right outside the city. Simon has better pictures of the area, but this fountain is right in the middle.

Valletta has lots of things to see and quite a few shops. Most of the souvenir shops (of which there are several) all stock the same things and just vary in prices on them. One of the main attractions is St. Johns Co-Cathedral. Since we were there on a Sunday, most parts weren't open for touring (we went back on the last day). But I did get some shots of the main area.

(I have a ton of pictures on my Facebook, so I won't bother to put a bunch on here)

Wandered around for a while, picked up a few things. We toured the Palace Armoury, which displays several examples of weapons, armor, etc used during by the Knights of St. John.

Had some great Tortellini at an outdoor cafe, cream sauce w/mushrooms and ham. Back to walking around, and we ended up along the battery. It was a gorgeous day, with temps by now in the low 70's, and the view was amazing.

We eventually went back to the terminal around 4 and caught a bus back to the hotel. After a brief rest, we decided to walk around in search of a coffee and see what the other resteraunts had to offer in the way of food. There was a place with an outdoor area across the street that had some stuff on the menu we liked, so we figured we'd have some coffee, walk around then go back to eat.

This ended up not happening.

When we sat down a waitress came up with menus. Before she could put them down, I told her we just wanted 2 coffees. This netted us a dirty look and she went off to get them. I can only assume she was upset cause it was the dinner hour and was hoping to make some decent tips. The coffee was okay, not as good as the hotels. When we were done, we looked around and couldn't find her. A few minutes later, some people sat at the table next to us and she attended to them. She met my eyes 3 times and not once asked if we needed anything, and was off before I could ask for the bill. About 10 minutes passed and another server came up to us and asked how we were doing. I said we were fine and ready for the check, she smiled and said okay. Another 10 minutes passed, and I finally cornered our server at the bar. I told her we'd been waiting for the check, that I'd told the other server because "You've looked right at us 3-4 times and still didn't ask if we needed anything. We've been waiting for the bill." Her response was that we'd told her 'collegue' and not her. I said I would've gladly told her had she bothered to check on us. Anyway, we finally got the bill and needless to say, didn't go back for dinner (or leave a tip, for that matter).

Dinner ended up being some chinese starters from a place near the road that we took back and ate on the balcony, all the while expressing our disbelief at the service at Paparazzi. I think I'll look them up and see if there's a comment section on their website :p