The last few days have been more than hot and the heat has finally got the better of both the wanderers…minimal wandering, relishing air conditioning, and well….literally melting! Here goes our weekend story…

Began with an inside day on Friday, canning a planned BBQ invitation on Friday night, not only due to the heat, but also creepy messages received (prior to event) from the proposed host!

Saturday a visit to Sue’s cousins up north, Trudi experiencing the first melt, and overwhelming heat exhaustion….rescued by the shade and a cool glass of water from a nearby indian restaurant (very helpful) owner..

Then home to hydrate (bottles of water) and rest in the cool for the afternoon before venturing out to the Delicata wine festival at Barracka gardens in Valletta after the sun set!! Catching a very crowded bus around 8.30pm…seems everyone had the same idea!

Arriving at the gates of Valletta to the lit up fountain monument! Realising the daytime 40 degrees had not abated…and bodies perspiring the minute we were out of the airconditioned bus… oh well we were here now so we strolled (slowly) towards the festival…

22€ later, armed with a (glass) wineglass and a bag of tokens to buy wine we passed through the gates of Upper Barracka Gardens…passing…

The medics on standby….not realising that we would soon be needing their services!

Into the Throngs of people…

Hunting for the first glass of wine(to lighten our token load) and some air to breathe…

Every inch of the ground, standing room only, was taken as the band pounded out its tunes to a very warm crowd…

This is where things took a turn..or rather Sue did! We had just found Sue’s cousin and partner and found a more peaceful standing spot at the back of the gardens (first wine in hand) Sue doesn’t drink wine so had only had a couple of sips of her Rose….when the heat melted her…literally! Flanked on one side by Trudi and a cousin on the other..consciousness left her….coming to for a few seconds then out cold..melting to the ground…

Back to my first person story…I woke crouching on the ground with my back against a metal fence…Trudi one side in tears (she had got a fright when I fainted)….one cousin on the other side and 2nd cousin racing round gathering water and alerting medics…the ones we had earlier passed!

By the time they arrived I had almost drunk a bottle of water, and was recovering…they gave my cousin electrolyte sachets…not one but three… to add to my second Bottle of water, after downing this I felt brand new ! But definitely not game to ingest anything other than water for the rest of the evening! So my cousins and Trudi had a great night with my share of wine tokens, and I quietly enjoyed the fireworks, vibe, sights and sounds of Malta’s annual wine festival party..

An event that happens every year when I am here, but have managed to miss…and was not prepared for the overwhelming heat and crowds…

Needless to say…first job on Sunday was a walk to the pharmacy to purchase our own supply of electrolyte sachets and drink daily as a preventative action!!

Yesterday’s adventures took us north to the hill cities of Rabat and Mdina…..a very touristy area but well worth a meander…

Front garden, small spaces, green and floral in the streets of Rabat..

Bougainvillea grows well in this dry climate (no rain in the 5 weeks we have been here) it seems there are two plants that grow prolifically here….this and Prickly pear bushes (the fruit of which is consumed by the locals) Any other plants need human intervention (and water!)

These towns are very historic and monuments of religion and saints adorn the streets! Think I missed my calling…

Taking a coffee on the square in Rabat at a very nice Italian bakery cafe….in front of the Basilica of St Paul…

We then wandered through the streets and over to Mdina…

Past the line up of horses and carriages (€35 for a ride through the streets of Mdina). Wouldn’t think of it; not because of the price but too hot for the horses!!

We hopped from side to side in the shade, until drenched in sweat and decided it was definitely time to search for some sea!

Google drive took us to Gnejna Bay….down a very steep mostly single lane road…and we dived in…actually no heads under water!

The orange sandstone sand was not particularly inviting so we plonked ourselves on a table and chairs (under umbrella) at the kiosk, for a cool drink and fruit salad for lunch.

As we needed a supermarket stop on the way home, we hit the road mid afternoon, with our open window air conditioning in full swing and arrived back to our penthouse terrace covered in dust…

As the demo across the road was heading towards ground zero…with the noise and dust continuing for another hour!

Yesterday was pool day for the wanderers – we decided to venture back in the water after not swimming since our tummy bugs! Here in Malta there are a number of ‘Lidos’ or beach/pool clubs where you can pay for the loungers and umbrella, usually a kiosk or restaurant on site and in this case a big swimming pool!

We chose one in the south (close to us) at Marsacala which we loaded ourselves up and decided to spend the afternoon at!

It was 10€ for the full day and as we didn’t arrive until 1.30pm we thought it might be cheaper – especially as we mentioned we only wanted a couple of hours! But no, they saw us coming, two old blondes (obviously not Maltese as most of the clientele was) and it was 10€! We were given a wrist band in fluoro yellow stripes and told how nice it was (the piece of paper strapped to our wrists!)

In some cases one just grins and bears it as we were there, we were hot, and we were 20€ (for both) poorer!

It was cool in the shade, cooler in the water and the entertainment of watching the locals play was interesting to say the least!

The water seemed clean, but as there was no chlorine smell we still avoided putting our heads under.

After a couple of hours, around 4pm we decided it was time to move on and check out the swimming holes (off the rocks and free) across the road…

This area looks over the rock formed salt pans and is very barren and unpopulated…just inside the harbour point there are ramps leading to deep (more healthy we assume) swimming holes…

Three people were in the water which gave us hope for a return visit…

Sue was down and Trudi was up on the promenade…however as the afternoon was scorching we filed this spot for a future visit and hightailed it to the Irish Pub – Lemon and Lime a regular haunt from previous years visits…sitting outside in the shade, looking at the fishing boat preparing for their next voyage and inhaling our first drink!

Very relaxing as our two bedraggled bodies (from afternoon swimming and sweating) cooled down and dried off!

The evening progressed very nicely, Sue mindful of the drive home and limiting alcohol intake! This, however, did not stop us making new friends and ultimately being invited to a bbq on Friday night!

Which may have seemed like a good idea at the time….waking up this morning not so sure! Oh well we will see….safety in numbers we say and Trudi has worked in a prison in her work life!

After a terrace clean and sheets wash(out to dry on the clean, terrace) the demolition team across the road, arrived on Saturday morning….and clouded the air with sandstone dust!

The digger is down to the next level, in its compounding pile of sandstone bricks! Thank goodness the washing dries in 30minutes and can be rescued!

There was also activity on the roof terrace next door….as a crane blocked the road below and hoisted a spa pool to be placed next to our wall…

Which now initiates…a constant bubbling and loud music and loud talking, invading our evening relaxation on our terrace…just a little more noise to add to the already rowdy Maltese environment!

So it was out of here on Saturday morning, bus to Valletta….to join the multitude of tourists from the two ships that arrived in port overnight….

We found some peace in the Valletta band club…

Along with a 5€ full English breakfast including cappuccino and more water!

Valletta was celebrating its feast this weekend….

And along with the throngs of humans, streamers afoot and fireworks (in the middle of the day) the shops were airconditioned and the streets providing shade…

We settled on a park bench outside St Paul’s cathedral under trees…opposite the high court!

A place that my brother and I have fond (not) memories of when we battled out a three year court case to reclaim our deposits from some dodgy developers, a few years ago!

The padlock on fence thing has obviously become a worldwide fad…

Even when not adorning a bridge!

More meandering, in the shade, brought us to our next drink stop, near the upper end of Valletta..

Too hot for coffee and over a cool drink we decided the Ferry/bus option home would be our final leg…Ferry’s run from Valletta to our side every 30 minutes and buses are constant, so a perfect connection meant we were back in our air-conditioned apartment in time to settle down for and evening of Olympic Athletics!!

Sunday, gave us the family mid afternoon lunch, prepared with love by Sue’s cousin Anna, and as usual delicious! Sunday is also a good day to take Vivienne (car) out as traffic is mostly clear….

This week we will return to the sea…after our upset tummies last week, we have been a little hesitant…but no heads under, and hunt for deep water in non tourist areas!

Have been in hibernation for a couple of days, watching Olympics and recovering from upset tummies!

Today was the first day we felt like leaving the house (and air conditioning) and it was a trip to Lidl (supermarket) for supplies! Dropping the frozens at home and down to senglea cafe for a coffee and bruschetta!

A cool breeze and watching the boats go by….

Our table with a view…a small snack and plenty of water…we decided to go in hunt of a friend we made 6 years ago….

In the streets of senglea…we found the house, with open windows and a dog barking but no Carmen…

So we gave up on finding her and wandered down to Bormla to find Trudi’s hairdresser Francesco… website saying salon open until 6pm.. but on a hot Friday afternoon…..

Continue reading “R&R&Rumbly Tummies” →

Popeye village in Malta where the original Popeye movie was filmed in 1980, starring the late Robyn Williams, has been restored and now is a big (tourist) attraction on the Island…Tuesday wanderings meant a trip for Trudi, Sue and Anna (Sue’s cousin) to this northern end of Malta and into the world of Popeye and Olive Oil!!!

The village is unique in Malta due to the fact it is built from timber – a rarity where everything else is stone!

The general store…

The mayor’s office

Rooms for rent (thought we’d book a night)…until…

Inside the options were limited…

However the afternoon tea was tempting!

And Anna found her favourite place in the kitchen!

Trudi was tumbling in the crooked house…

And the artwork carefully hung!

The residents had gone fishing…

And Popeye was lying at rest….or was he????

Minimalistic gardening….

And elaborate letterboxes…

Enough of the village on a 36 degree day…back to the double sunbeds (one each)…

And the rooms with the view…

Looking down to the swimming hole…

Due to the temperature today…a large part of our afternoon was spent swimming, eating, sweating and drinking fluids! Rinse and repeat…

Around 4pm the sun was dropping and our sunbed shade was diminishing fast….slowly pack up, cover up…

And head up!!! A very steep climb for three hot gals! Into a very hot Vivienne (car) and head south to drop our partner in crime home, grab a cocktail and a pizza on the way and park up for the evening…not before leaving our mark at Popeye village…

Our signatures on the green board in the museum!!

With another blue sky sunny 30+ degrees Celsius day, weekend washing (dry in 30 minutes) coffee and into Vivienne (car) for the first time in five days…

As yesterday was a big reading book day, our reading material has come to an end so we headed south to the Marsacala charity shops to replenish!

First one – three books each, this should keep us going for a while at 50c a pop!

Second one – three dresses (Sue) for the price of two, a grand total of €8!

Then off to St Thomas bay for a coffee and a swim!

A small sandy beach and a Lido (beach club) on the rocks

After cooling off in the water we were heading back to the car when we spied a newish tavern in the middle of all the Maltese beach baches…a little peckish we decided to check it out, both gasping for a cool drink!

In the shade with a slight sea breeze and a cool drink we decided to order lunch ….

Choosing the entree garlic Thai prawns and a side salad – just what the doctor ordered! We will definitely be returning to this one!

Looking across the road out to the locals marina…

More realistically sized boats (no superyachts) looking south to the cliffs

And the view north as we headed back to the car! The swimming coastline!

Mid afternoon driving with open window air conditioning and not many cars, we returned to our abode, via the supermarket to absorb some more Olympic entertainment (so long as the British are competing we get to see the events) horse eventing, archery, the rugby sevens until the British lose, a bit of swimming, skateboarding and judo! SO FAR….

A weekend of feasts, fireworks and village fiesta!

After a late return from Sicily on Friday night, Saturday found us shopping with the locals for vegetables and drinks and clearing out the apartment. In readiness for the promised kiwi lamb roast dinner for Sue’s family. Preparing a roast in Malta in Summer is a little challenging…using the oven for the first time here, timing to have ready for a late (by kiwi standards) dinner after the sun goes down!

The family arrived around 8pm and all was ready…

Terrace dining area set up…and cleaned(again)…

The roast lamb (pre sliced into steaks?) ready to serve…

The wine poured

And dinner enjoyed to the sound and sights of the evening fireworks!

Then the much awaited Sue chocolate self saucing pudding…

Cousin Anna had brought the ice cream!

All a welcome feast (meat and veges) after the bread and pastries in Sicily!

That was the kiwi feast, and even the dishwasher came out to play to clean up after! Another appliance we barely use here!

Sunday became a day of rest…after two late nights (for the kiwis anyway) and book reading and Olympic Games watching were high on the agenda!

The fiesta in Paola was culminating in the evening…after a week of activities, and the afternoon was like the calm before the storm…all the flags were lowered from the flagpoles, which is unusual. Checking with the cousins, evidently this happens when a prominent village member passes away…

Needless to say around 8pm there was activity as people were all heading to the piazza…so off we went…just in time to catch the parade…

Lining the (closed) Main Street of Paola with the locals!

The Church was lit up and people enjoying family time drinking Coke and Kinnie (and the odd beer)

The inside of the church also lit up and full of visitors

The brass band hammering out music, while everyone (didn’t realise there were so many people in Paola) wandered around, as all the seats were well and truly taken!

Sampling the local sweets – nougat in rice paper for the kids and big kids…which was not really nougat as we know it…tasted like the white icing one puts on Christmas cakes – we graciously took a bite and said yum and wandered around the corner and deposited the rest in a bin…

As our rest day had made us tired, we wandered back to the apartment (to read more and watch olympics) as the fireworks cranked up again…this time in the night sky we could see the lights and not just weather the constant banging!

Finally at around 11pm feasts, fiestas and fireworks (and two kiwis) were put to bed!

Our last day in Pozzallo, Sicily…we both woke feeling like bacon and eggs…but when in Rome(or Italy at least) ….

The choice of pastry and sweet breads is unlimited!!! A lemon tart was the lesser of all evils!

Last coffee on our rooftop (shared space) before packing our small bags and descending the four flights of stairs for the last time, we headed to the beach for the day, checkout was 10am and our ferry wasn’t leaving until 7pm…

We had booked a brolly and two loungers for the day – which turned out to be €25 for both of us, not the €25 each we were quoted upon booking…

A perfect place to spend a cool peaceful day, reading (Sue) swimming(both) and Trudi soaking in all the activities around….

The beach hawkers lugging their wares up and down the beach…selling everything from jewellery to dresses to sunglasses to beach toys and a lot more “stuff” that we didn’t need! Probably the most friendly locals in Pozallo, always with a smile on their faces!

We made friends with a young Irish couple who had come for a day trip from Malta and had collapsed in the shade near us, after the hot hike from the Ferry terminal..,,arranging to share a taxi with them back to the return ferry in the evening as none of us wanted to attack the hot 40 minute walk in the afternoon sun!

Asking at the beach bar where we could book a taxi, and being told there are no Bolt or Uber drivers in Pozallo, a very kind lady from Iceland adviced me that we need to ring the only taxi company and I took a photo of the card she had! I rang and of course no English but was told to msge in WhatsApp and they would translate! We were a little anxious when they didn’t arrive at 5.30 but a received WhatsApp message around 5.45 he was on his way..

The van arrived with the Iceland people already in it, and loaded the kiwis and the Irish! I think we were the extent of the tourists in Pozzallo this day!! Who had all spent the day at the beach!

We had booked the club class for the return journey, upper deck, bar and food!

And a great view from the outside areas…

As we sailed into the setting sun at 7pm…

A cool breeze outside and rather cold aircon inside!

Catching the Stairway to heaven and the changing colours of the evening sky as the sun dropped…

The final pink glow as the sun dipped behind clouds clinging to the horizon on the Mediterranean Sea!

A relaxing day completed by a beautiful sea crossing as we sailed into the port of Valetta

Right on time 8.45pm…the peace was about to end! We had taken a Bolt taxi to the terminal three days ago and it was €6 – we walked out of the terminal and were accosted by the independent taxi drivers .. first one offered us €35 euro for a 10 minute ride, next one reduced to €25 and the third one offered me €20 and kept coming back and reduced to €15 final price… by which time I had booked a Bolt taxi for €7.20!! who was only 2 minutes away! (By the way double these prices for Kiwi dollars)

Home by 9.30pm, washing in machine and watching the fireworks from our terrace (our town feast is on this weekend) until they died down at 11pm…very happy to get into our comfy beds and pillows last night!

The afternoon felt like a deserted town as everything closes in Pozzallo from 1pm until around 6pm …. But as the sun set the humans came out….

The boys enjoying the basketball court which had been deserted since we arrived at midday!

And after a disturbed night as all the other residents trudged past our roof level door…and partied on the roof top, which we thought was our terrace, as booked in the Booking.com confirmation ….we realised for everyone else, who had their own terrace, this was also common ground…. To hang washing, takeover the one table, and slam the door outside our room every time they needed to use their bathroom on the next level down until 2am this morning! Yay us for getting the best room in the house! The sun rose….

To a peaceful cooler morning and we set off at 8.30am for a morning coffee and croissant….

The town is alive in the morning as shops open around 9.30am until 1pm

This is the village square…

And the The Torre Cabrera watchtower which sits on the waterfront. It was originally built in the 15th century, and was enlarged and rebuilt in the following centuries. Again now under renovation

We visited all the shops, Italian fashions…brought some postcards, water, peaches and a bottle opener (a lot of the beer bottles here are not twist tops and we haven’t really mastered the art of the lighter opening technique) It was then home to don the swimming attire,grab a sandwich and head to the beach for the afternoon!

In the water…

Out of the water, sunblock and rinse and repeat for a couple of hours! Keeping cool, we decided to head back along the waterfront and stop for a cool cocktail…

Pina Colada’s without the cream…a most refreshing drink!! With a breeze blowing off the sea and wet bathing suits we kept the body temperatures down…until home, shower and change get amongst the evening action! The town comes alive around 7pm…

A frock for Sue and matching Italian designer shorts (brought at the Maltese car boot market) for Trudi…

€1.00 well spend when compared to the €100+ stripes in the shops!

Getting amongst the local transport…and spying the Italian version of Whitcoulls!

Of course all in Italian and we couldn’t decipher a word!

On our way to the street market in the middle of the square…

We had a full rundown from every stall holder about their goods and Trudi succumbed to purchasing some sweets…

Which she found rather inedible and gave them away to a Swedish family!

We did a bit of a pub crawl…Irish pub with no stout or wine… and very disinterested staff…note to self…do not bother with an Irish Pub in Italy! Then in search of the elusive Italian pizza….being directed by other restaurant staff…we found ourselves at a hamburger joint! At least they sold wine and Mexican beer!

Very friendly staff, and another direction to a pizza restaurant!!! Which, unfortunately we ignored and decided to hunt down the one close to our room….we should have listened as this one was not open tonight and the Italian pizza is still Elusive! Nuts and crackers for dinner as we once again shared our only deck with all those downstairs and their washing!! We did get them to move the washing so we at least had a chair to sit on….almost 11pm and they have just vacated “Our” space!!! One guess as to the review on Booking.com when we leave tomorrow!