Melting Malta to Zurich

Yes I am in Zurich now!

However, my last week in Malta was spent with my brother Kev, as I coughed and sweated the days away with a busy social calendar!

The weekend began with catch ups with friends of Kevin’s…. Lunch on Friday in an air conditioned cafe in Birgu, and drinks on the Paola terrace Saturday evening…I though I was working through my cold quite nicely, although it is difficult to tell if one has a temperature or one is just generally hot in the Maltese long summer! and culminated in a family dinner on Sunday evening with the cousins!

I had ordered a Pizza, but it turned out it was an enormous Italian Calzone! A folded in half pizza, which I shared around the table, complemented with copious glasses of water to stave off the throat tickle!

And followed by a night of disturbing Kevin (me coughing) which encouraged me to get back to the doctor Monday morning!

After a 2.5 hour wait (hearing everyone around me bark like I was) at the clinic I spent 5 minutes with the doctor who gave me a dose of antibiotics and cough mixture!

Neither of which worked for the next couple of days…as I lay low out of the heat in the aircon! Sleeping and reading!

Wednesday we ventured out…in the morning bussing to Valletta…I was in search of a book! But before hitting the madness of Valletta streets with the boat people we wandered around the Argotti botanic gardens in Floriana(just out side Valetta)

Only a sprinkling of humans and some shady trees!

This is where Kevin every year in his duties as honorary NZ consul did his Anzac wreath laying!

Just outside the gardens is this Neo-Gothic building, completed in 1883, and was originally the Floriana Wesleyan Methodist Church, House of Protestant. It was the first building in Malta to use the electric light bulb. In 1975, the building came under the control of the Maltese government and was inaugurated as a centre for cultural activities.

Today it is used by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

The building also houses a subterranean hall, which was known as the Lamplough Hall which, during the last war, accommodated British servicemen, as was the case with the adjacent building, which was known as the Connaught Home and is presently used as an old people’s home.

We then wandered over the bridge and into Valletta – taking a left climb up to the Hastings gardens on the northern wall of the city….again a path less travelled by the masses with fantastic views over…

Manuel Island, with Sliema in the background…

Statues

And out to the Tigne point headland!

It was then time to join the throngs of people and get to the bookshop! Escaping as soon as we could to have a light lunch back in our village of Paola…followed by a long afternoon nap!

Thursday was clean up day before travel day, and also Kevin’s birthday…..the first one we had spent together in years!

I had by now managed to subdue the cough with a cocktail of antibiotics, cough mixture, probiotics and antihistamines! Enough anyway to get to the Senglea waterfront for a celebratory lunch….we walked the 3 kms and sat by the sea in the (warm) sea breeze!

Watching the fish enjoying dim bread scraps another diner had thrown in…

Cooling off with a cool drink (of course)…

Watching the Luzzu rocking in the breeze, moored for the afternoon siesta!

It was a quiet evening as Kev was leaving on a 6am flight back to France and I was leaving on a 3pm flight to Zurich the next day!

I said goodbye to Kev at 4.45am and didn’t really go back to sleep… so got on with the last load of washing, rubbish clearance and close up procedure…. Actually filling in most of the morning and closing the bags for their next journey!

Arriving in Zurich after a 2.5 hour flight actually on time!!! With Florian and his son Benjamin meeting me at the gate! And home to my hotel (their home) for the next few days! Verena in the throes of preparing a delicious BBQ!

And a mere un humid 22degrees…it was heaven!

I had a great sleep with my new bedmate “Moritz”….

He is 7kgs and makes his presence known when he launches himself from the floor to the duvet…with me under it!

Today was Saturday and the plan for the day was a cross border road trip to Liechtenstein which is a small principality, area 160square kms and a population of 35,000…situated on the eastern border of Switzerland and western border of Austria!

Still with a royal family in residence!

On the way there through the mountains…we encountered a car park on the motorway, so had to make a comfort stop 20 minutes out at a BP petrol station overlooking Walensee lake!

Arriving in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein (population 5,000….plus tourists)

The streets dotted with art, cafes and architecture…,

And mopeds lined up….for display?

My Zurich family in front of the Government house…

And no village complete without its gothic church (in this area) St Florin Catholic Church.

A wander through the town…

Glancing at the hill to climb to the royal castle…and taking refreshments before the uphill excursion…

A view from halfway up…over the town and the mountains surrounding…

Arriving at destination castle! The princely house of Liechtenstein dating back to the 12th century and monarchy since this time.

Zooming past was a beautiful red mustang, while we caught our breath overlooking the castle!

From here it was all downhill back to the township….zigzagging on the steep bits to protect those knees…

Perusing the monuments

And enjoying a well deserved iced coffee, ice creams and a cold beer for me!

An executive decision was made at this time…that we would continue north to visit our third country for the day and cross over into Austria..

Leaving Vaduz we looked back at the castle from where had been…

And crossed the border into Austria…stopping at the town of Feldkirch…

Another gothic style church as is the architecture in this part of the world..

Colourful streets…

Innovative lighting options….

And traditional Austrian houses.

Flower balls suspended from the powerlines?

And a vineyard at the edge of town!

A quick, or not so quick, visit to the Spar supermarket…for a cost effective (compared to switzerland) shop before continuing our journey home…with our Michelin chef Verena whipping up a risotto and salads for diner! Three countries in 10 hours! With lots of strolling and relaxing included!

As I said, I am being throughly spoiled and entertained!