Here in the heat haze of the Mediterranean (Maltese) summer the sun rises and the sun sets with an orange sky! And every day feels like a Sunday! (SUN Day)
However, Sunday actually took us back to Valletta to go underground….closed shoes, Hard hats (and hair nets) and headlight torches….we joined the tour of the WWII shelters, where the Maltese people spent three years in and out of these stone caves under the city of Valletta….as the most bombed country in the world was almost destroyed! A journey into the world of the families that survived the trauma of living in the damp, claustrophobic underground tunnels that originally served as the water reservoirs of the city of Valletta since the 16th century.
A humbling experience….sunday afternoon was the family Sunday late lunch with the cousins…very delicious as usual!
Monday found us with a few admin tasks to do….post office courier collections, washing as no rock cutting in process across the road and ….
A bit of plant maintenance…Carolyn got to work on the dead yukka leaves…a hangover from the drought (failed watering system) that preceded my arrival! Sad to say the fruit trees are still not showing any sign of life!
This morning (Tuesday) saw the beginning of our side trip to the northernmost Maltese Iskand of Gozo. We left home at 7am and caught the car ferry, arriving in the capital city of Gozo, Victoria at 9am…straight to the dusty carpark near the Citadel and walked down into the township for our (long overdue) morning coffee!
Before the crowds, who are this week descending on Victoria for the St Maria festival and public holiday on Friday…we spent a couple of hours wandering the side streets, tourist shops, charity shops, shoe shops and local Maltese shops…until around midday when we headed back up the hill for a wander around the citadella fortress! This is believed to have been inhabited by the Roman’s since the Bronze Age.
The cathedral upon entrance…
Climbing the stone steps to the exterior wall…
The internal remains of the inhabitants dwellings…
And the view from the wall to the northernmost coast towards Marsalforn.
From here we drive to DBeigi craft village, where Carolyn purchased a Malta/Gozo coffee table book….only to realise later, it is the French version…so tomorrow we will be visiting this attraction again!
The afternoon was getting very hot and the gals were drenched in sweat, so any further tourist attraction visits were aborted, as we headed to our destination for the evening….St Patrick’s hotel (seaside view) Xlendi Bay! Possibly one of the most beautiful places in this part of the world!
After a swim, we wandered around the point…before heading back to the hotel (rooftop) terrace for a quiet drink and swim in the pool…until we were both ready for a good hearty dinner….we had already checked out the numerous restaurant menus and settled for the hotel option (as guests we received 10% discount)
After a cocktail in the shade behind the hotel we settled in to our waterfront table for the evening!
The sun had gone behind the cliffs and the temperature had dropped to a pleasant 29 degrees! We both have been craving a good steak and veges (for me), salad for Carolyn…
The tour boats were coming to rest for the evening, people were still swimming, ducks were cruising from one side of the harbour to the other….as we enjoyed our food and refreshments!
Topped off with an Irish (and Baileys) coffee, a glass of wine (with dinner) a mere €3 ($6) and the special coffee $4 ($8) … some things are definitely cheaper here!
All who wander are not Lost girls 