Leaving the sunset behind in Sicily…
And arriving back in Malta last Wednesday evening ….a week has slipped away from me
First task on return was to stock up on some English books…I found a new charity shop in the next town and after sorting a plan for my Maltese phone, I walked over and stocked up (5 books) two already finished and a third well on the way! Filling in the evenings waiting for late night football games!
Friday morning I took myself off to the beach…Pretty Bay in the south and spent a couple of hours in and out of the sea…
Until it got a bit busy…dodging balls being tossed around by kids just having seaside fun! Before hitting the supermarket (Lidl) for a decent shop… home to unload groceries and then an afternoon visiting with cousins!
Saturday I was up early to watch the All Blacks play Italy in the all nations game and walked to the Bormla (one of the three cities) waterfront for coffee… fully intending to walk back but it was really hot, so took the bus…and hunkered down for the afternoon in the air conditioning ….reading!
Sunday is family lunch day…but having been pounding the pavements in sandals I decided it was time to replace the discarded hiking shoes…an activity I really don’t enjoy…as one never knows if they are good until they have walked a few miles…I settled for the Salomon’s again…as the last pair did a good job (on the Camino) and my feet are now used to these hard soled shoes!
After this ordeal I drove back up to Senglea (another of the three old cities) and had a coffee by the Harbourside…before heading to the family for lunch….which as usual was the best meal I had had all week!!! After this I settled in for an evening of Tennis (Wimbledon) and football (World Cup playoffs)
Yesterday was spent waiting…waiting for tradies to come and look at a plaster and paint job and waiting to see a doctor…to check out my eyes… I got directed to the poly clinic (like hospital A&E)…. With over a hundred people waiting (6+ hour wait for free) I opted for the walk in paid clinic across the road (€10 for the visit and only an hour and a half wait) Five hours not waiting is certainly worth €10! Some eye drops and peace of mind, a couple of hours later…I took lunch on the way home to wait (again) for the tradie who didn’t turn up at 8am and was coming at 4pm…which he did!
Today I decided to test out my new hiking shoes so took off early …. Before 8, to head to the street market in Birgu…
All was quiet on the streets as I passed the Paola church…
With its decorated pavement out front – the Maltese cross….a good shade on one street side, as the sun was still low, passing through Figura to the open fields…
Between Figura and Zabbar…to Notre Dame gate, the division between Zabbar and Birgu..
Where the streets are closed on the other side for the kilometre long market…(on Tuesdays)
The monument guarding the soccer pitches…
I continued walking from the top of the market towards the old city of Birgu (the third of the three cities) …. Resisting any purchases as bag space is limited…
The Anchor just outside the wall…
And as I passed through the gates to Birgu…I was reminded again why I love this place…
Full of stone and statues…
Narrow cobbled streets…
Hidden tunnels…I remembered where to find this one on the other side of the square…leading me to…
The Kalkara Harbourside…a much less travelled (by tourists) path and a local swimming spot…
I continued out towards the point where St Angelo’s fort stands at the entrance to the harbour of the three cities! I had taken a towel with me in case I decided to have a dip… but was enjoying the return and wandering through this area…just before the fort there is a cut through to the Birgu harbour…
Where all the superyachts come and go from…
The mast on this one was higher than the fort!
And this one is flying the Maltese flag…alongside a number of other gin palaces … all being cleaned and restocked in the morning sun by their crews.
The clock tower of the maritime museum standing tall at the end of the Birgu harbour…unfortunately this museum is currently closed for refurbishment!
It’s cannons guarding its entrance.
Passing through the lower gate…to look back up at the Birgu cathedral.
Further along the harbour towards Bormla…imaginative planter boxes enticing the tourists to take a joy ride in the “rolling geeks” … golf carts for hire, that tourists drive and clog up the narrow streets…
I stopped and took a coffee by the marina…then debated on a bus home…but as it was still morning I chose to keep testing those shoes! So far so good…except a little warm for this time of the year in Maltas 30+ degrees!
Another gate, this time St Helen’s Gate……my exit from Bormla and the three cities area…
On foot one really gets a feel for the centuries past..and all the history in these heritage sites…
Another hour or so and I was home…now sweating…10kms of shoe breaking in and no sign of foot damage apart from being very hot…nothing a nice cool shower didn’t fix…now ready for an afternoon of book time before the 9pm football semi final between France and Spain!
All who wander are not Lost girls 