This week is proving to be a challenge..planning our wanderings around the temperatures and drinks! Not really a problem for Thelma and Louise!

This morning we were out the door, deposited glass (wine bottles) in the bottle bin and headed towards Ghar Lapsi (the swimming hole on the other side of the island) by 8 am! We would have arrived a bit earlier than we did but missed the turnoff ( thanks google) and had to back track through the farms – single lane with rock walls either side!

With a brief photo stop on tgecc c way between the blue grotto and Ghar Lapsi!

Nevertheless we were in the water (with 100 other Maltese) by 9am!

We found our spot (not many left) to station ourselves, Sue with a flat spot to lie and Trudi with a rock seat

We spent a couple of hours jumping in and out of the water – cooling our body temps and craving a coffee!!! No cafes opened until midday, so w drank our water and ate our peaches!

We then decided two hours is enough for our kiwi tans and headed back to the blue grotto for some refreshments! This being a tourist area we knew the cafes would be open!

We were scooped in to a cafe on the cliff side….

We imbibed our cappuccino and then ordered a bacon and egg ftira, a beer and a wine! The bread is just too much, but the bacon and egg bit was just what the doctor ordered!

We even got a picture together with our umbrella hats! Much needed shade on a heatwave day!

Back home by 1pm – aircon set at 24 degrees…. Heaven….and an afternoon of book reading and siesta!

We needed some supplies from the local shops when they opened at 4pm again, so showered and strolled down to Paola, a wee chat with our elderly neighbour, who doesn’t miss a trick and was waiting to catch us!

Two for one cocktails (Sue) and Trudi a wine while we waited for our Thai dinner snack to be cooked! The pigeons are very confident, we just hoped he didn’t poo and spray(thru the fan) all over us!

Chicken fried rice and home for the evening…..

Into the aircon and relaxing on the terrace

Washing done (swimming stuff) for the day, which will be dry in 30 mins….another day in paradise!

Saturday was a no car day! We had a houseclean morning and took off (on foot) around 11am for a much deserved coffee….after which we decided to walk to the next town…in what turned out to be the hottest day so far!

Fgura was gearing up for their village feast! Roads closed (hence no cars in sight) and bunting going up! We expected a very noisy fireworks evening but it didn’t happen! We then carried on to the three cities – downhill at least….

The locals taking care of the street cats, and a bit of hopping through tunnels (the gates to the old cities) to end up at our favourite “Rouge Cafe” for a cool drink and a snack…very hot 38 degrees! (Celsius)

The phone booth library in Bormla on the way….when we have finished our books we know where to swap!!

A relaxing couple of hours watching some wedding photos being taken by the trees near the harbour….

Certainly not suit weather! But a beautiful setting!

Home for the evening by bus(as all uphill!)

This morning (Sunday) it was off to the car boot market again at 7am!

Even hotter today – I think we hit 41 degrees! So by 8am we were sitting by the waterfront (on a shaded bench) having coffee!

Watching all the locals take out their 50+foot launches and yachts for the day….unfortunately didn’t get an invite!

School holidays and a Sunday meant the beaches would be full…and they were by 9am…so we went back to the trusty swimming hole at kalkara for a cool dip!

There were three Maltese and two kiwis cooling off at 9-10 am! Then home out of the heat and into the aircon by 10.30am!

We chilled and read, and watched Djokovic get 2nd at Wimbledon! Now it’s toasted sandwiches for dinner and see if we can find a movie on the 500 internet TV channels!

After two days of activities, we are back to share our story!

The day before yesterday was spent with Sue’s cousin Evelyn, visiting Shoreline, a new shopping complex at kalkara and lunch at the village cafe in the centre of the town

The Kalkara church in in the background

This area has undergone a lot of renovations over the last 12 months…

Breakfast for lunch was great!

Evelyn, left us later in the afternoon and we had a quiet night with cheese and crackers (and chocolate bounty bars) for dinner!

Yesterday we had scheduled power cuts 8am to 12am and 7pm to 9 pm – most inconvenient….but forewarned is forearmed…car was out of garage (loaded with floaties and beach apparel) by 7am, aircon cranked down at 6am and turned off at 7.45am, and out the door and down the lift before 8am! Fridge closed curtains closed to keep the coolness in!

A coffee at the local cafe while we waited for the watchmaker to open and replace Vivienne’s remote battery, as manual locking and unlocking is tedious….then it was off to the beach(rocks) to cool off for the morning….a quick stop at the charity shop on the way to purchase a 1 Euro pair of swimming sunglasses for Trudi..one does need these while floating (the envy of the rock dwellers) on our sparkly floaties…all the way from NZ!

Midday arrived sooner than expected and a cool drink at the food truck…..

And some views of St Thomas Bay….

Before heading back to the apartment to utilise our power window, showering and a load of washing before the next cut…

Sue’s cousin Rebecca arrived around 4pm and we went with her back to Sam and Anna’s for the evening (and the next scheduled power cut)

Dog time and a delicious curry prepared by the family….

Trudi took time out with Sam to walk the dog and couldn’t resist straddling Sammy’s bike!!!

A very effective mode of transport here in Malta as the bypass carparks are akin to our NZ motorways in rush hour traffic

Rebecca dropped us home around 10.30pm and we crashed for the night!

This morning was hunt down the lamb roast morning – we found a local butcher and for the same price as NZ we now are prepared to cook for Sue’s family….the traditional kiwi roast…

After a hot 30 minute walk, Vivienne is loaded again with swimming gear and off to the mall and food shopping for the weekend…again got lost in the shops (didn’t buy anything apart from food and refreshments) and headed back….via rouge cafe and a nice chilled Pina Colada (2 for one deal) before home time at 4pm..the towels and bathers still locked and loaded!

On that note, a quiet night….

Trudi thinks she will only have ONE!

When you pack light to travel from the other side of the world in the middle of winter – there is just no thought or room for the big straw hat….but today was a hat day…

We had a coffee date in Valletta with a friend at 10am so we were up early and out the door at 7.30am for our early excursion to the Birgu Street market, held once a week, closing off 2 kms of the roads and filled with stalls, shoes, underwear, clothes, cleaning stuff, electronics, make up, fruit and veges, bags etc…

and lots of Maltese ladies with shopping carts!

Spot the kiwi….Italian clothes, very cheap…and again one just tries on (be it bras or dresses) in the street…

We just roll with what we are told to do! And Maltese are not shy in giving orders!

2kms up and 2kms down….carefully planning to catch the 9.30am ferry to meet our friend! A mad dash, upon realising we had missed this one and better catch the 10 o’clock one, cranked up the first sweat of the day! Actually, with today’s temperatures, this was an ongoing event for the rest of the day….thank goodness we had purchased hats!!!

They, at least, blocked the direct sun rays while we chewed the fat for a couple of hours with our friend Charles!

We walked back to the ferry and had just missed the sailing (seemed to the order of the day with bad ferry timings) so we jumped on one of the little luzzus(so as not to stand in the sun for half an hour) to get back to the other side!

Trudi making more friends with the captain and….

Sue sunning it on the other side…certainly enjoying our new hats!

We retrieved a very hot Vivienne…

Who had been sitting in the sun for 5 hours and drove straight to the beach (St Thomas Bay, rocky swimming hole) to test out our new floaties…which had travelled all the way from NZ…

After a quick dip to lower the body temperature we undertook the lung test….inflating the two ends…

Et Voila….sparkles and all, we were the envy of the beach!

The next hour was spent suspended by our stunning equipment, while envious treading water swimmers cooled off unaided!

Our Kiwi tennis player was hitting the Wimbledon courts at 2 pm in the quarter finals, so we packed up and headed to the local sports pub for a late lunch and a cool drink…. As our luck would have it, their internet was down and nothing on the big screens, in the summer heat this can be a common occurrence…however we were hungry and thirsty and ordered a bruschetta to share, as the waitress had told us it was large!

This was like a pizza on the local large circular ftira bread….delicious and between us we ate half….so leftover box was provided, just as the internet was restored and we got the rest of the game, unfortunately our girl going down to the Croatian…

Homeward bound as five o’clock loomed….salty, sweaty, full and tired! And thirsty again!

Showers and washing done and a fruit platter is being made for dinner by my flattie!!!(Trudi)

Should have been, we were prepared, and the temperatures soared to 31 feeling like 33!

However, after two banging nights of fiesta fireworks and a terrace wash to clean off the black ash dust – the months of July and August are full of village feasts and the biggest part of these is the fireworks! Day and night! Animals here seem to be immune to the noise, while us kiwis in the penthouse think we should dive under the nearest table as we feel an earthquake rolling in!

This job was then followed by an excursion to the post office to purchase some stamps, another performance as we waited in line(for half an hour) to see the one teller! Post offices here still process bills and banking, including the “Cheques” which are common payment practice here!

Mail sorted, we jumped on the ferry from the old cities, to Valletta to meet up with the girls (shopping day)!

Quite a scenic trip as one passes the gin palaces moored in the grand harbour – this one almost looks upside down in the hull! With acres of glass on top! Not sure being a decky on this creation would be too much fun unless you enjoyed cleaning windows!

On arrival we noted a cruise ship in and knew that Valletta would be swarming with boat people, easily identifiable by their lanyards and snake trails of guided tours!

Nevertheless, We caught the morning street market and Trudi found her perfect phone cover…

We then met up with the cousins and had a cool drink at an Irish pub, run by Serbians…of course!

Shopping, shopping, shopping….

Then another cool drink in the shade of a side street…

My cousin Anna finally relaxing! And it was 3pm….how did that happen! So off to catch our ferry back to the other side…

Taking the steps down instead of the lift to sea level…

The feet were getting very warm! As we waited for the ferry, with all the local Luzzus touting for tourist business…

Alongside the Gozo fast ferry…an adventure for another day!

Hitting the home side around 4pm, we decided to have a late lunch, early dinner at our favourite Rouge Cafe, before collecting a very hot Vivienne(car) and heading home, clean bathing suits and dry towels packed for tomorrow.

Now we are just in time to have a cool beverage and watch Novak Djokovic play Rune (the Norwegian) in the Wimbledon fourth round!

Early start….early birds get the worms and off to the Birgu car boot weekly (Sunday) market 6.30am!

Not too hot and not too busy but heaps more on offer than last year….every year there is “stuff” (collectables) I want at home but would never fit in my suitcase!

But mountains of clothes for €1 each that we have added to the Maltese wardrobe and can donate back when we leave…(or not!)

As all early wanderers do, by 8am gasping for air coffee…we set off on foot…..and for those of you who may wonder where we get our vitamins from….

The fruit and vege trucks on every corner….

Through the gates of Birgu and the streets to my favourite Maltese cafe on the waterfront!

Maltese are car mad….and never a wander without spying the magnificent Maltese Merc!

A very polished specimen….for my car enthusiast friends(Don) and family (Dan)…

A great coffee and Patizzi (in the shade) and home by 11ish – morning wandered away!

A lazy afternoon of personal admin ( won’t go into details) except I am now sporting a fringe! Now gearing up to watch our Kiwi play in the fourth round of Wimbledon before shouting ourselves Pizza for dinner!

Well the cool (unseasonal) snap we had on arrival is over and our winter bodies are sweating into the Mediterranean summer (30+) Aircon a godsend!

Today we started our Saturday with a coffee by the sea, followed by a body temperature cool off in a swimming hole….plan for the afternoon to take the bus to Valletta and have a mid afternoon lunch at one of the many cafes. As today there were no cruise ships in, Valletta was not the tourist madness that it often is!

Off the bus by the gate and over the bridge to the city

We wandered around until we were welcomed in to a street side cafe by a very enthusiastic Ella (young chap with beautiful painted nails)….

We both were craving a full English breakfast meal, but settled for omelette and bacon(the closest option) then this arrived….

Not what we were expecting…. more a toasted sandwich with bacon and egg and seaweed, lashed with mayonnaise! nonetheless very tasty and filling…

Resisting (a beverage) refill we wandered in the shade back up to wards the bus until Trudi spied the ice cream shop…

Chocolate for Trudi and stawberry sorbet for Sue! A very refreshing interlude!

Bus home and a cool beer….book and TV time for the evening!

When the wind drops and the temperatures climb, it’s time to fold ourselves into our bathing suits, bear our white kiwi winter bodies and hit the beach!

What better place to start than Pretty Bay, aptly named for all the bathing beauties, tourists and locals alike!

Lucked out with a car park in the shade for Vivienne (our little blue Subaru) and coffee at the kiosk while we surveyed the scenery, carefully choosing our beach spot in the cheap seats….the other end of the beach sports rent a chair and umbrellas…

Spot with a view….for those of you who have never been here, the beach is on the northern side of the international container port in Birzebuggia, and while one may wonder, it is one of the few sandy beaches in Malta, and quite an entertaining venue! Lots going on….very safe for children (and old girls) there is no tidal ebb and flow(so no danger of the towel being washed away) and if we had body issues before, these fly out the door, as all shapes and sizes are donning bikinis….some a lot briefer than one would dare to wear on NZ beaches.

After the last week of wind and lower temperatures the water was cool by Maltese standards, but after a few false starts (for Trudi anyway) the sun rays got the better of us and we took the plunge….

Sue’s toes and Trudi emerging from her swim….Trudi then tried to get a picture of Sue….but this happened…

Obviously a deal on striped beach towels as the camera clicked!

Finally the mermaid pose…forefront scenery clear!

Midday, enough sun for the first exposure, we headed home to hose off on the very clean terrace that Sue had spent a couple of hours sweeping and hosing before the sun rose this morning!

This afternoon is an opportunity waiting to happen, after all it is Friday night!

Here in Malta…..

Welcoming back my old friend into the diet!

Day two lasted longer for the weary travellers, it actually got dark before we hit the sack!

Fairy lights adorning our outdoor space…

And our quiet (for now) Paola street settling down for the night…good intentions of book reading at 8.30pm….which lasted all of five minutes.

This morning we took Vivienne (our little car) for a blast on the motorway north to visit my Maltese cousins….stopping there for lunch and catching up on the last 9 months!!! Fending off the frenchie (dog) who was overexcited to have kiwis in the house and took an overwhelming like to our legs….a few scratches to add to the wrinkles!

We left mid afternoon to beat the post siesta traffic rush….but things change and we sat in the motorway car park for over half an hour!

Warming up as expected we took a detour to the old cities, Bormla, Senglea and Birgu waterfront….

and took a walk amongst the rich and famous….

Actually working up our first sweat in the Mediterranean summer….a must stop for happy hour….

At Rouge Cafe….and our first, very refreshing Pina Colada! A habit that is hard to break!

Home to the (cool) Penthouse by 5pm in time for our evening refreshments!

Weather update: still windy, but considerably warmer….heating up to high 20s(Celsius for my American friends) and looking to crack over 30s in the next few days with no wind….beaches are on the agenda!

Monday NZ time we were dropped at the airport at 11am! The journey began ….

First hiccup the computer bag strap broke….$3 at the op shop couldn’t really get too upset!

Breakfast of champions – or not but needed lunch after checkin!

Then the first 10.5 hour flight to Singapore…. Great leg room, great food and not much sleep! Highly recommend the movie “the boys in the boat”…. True story!

Three hours in Singapore and then the next 12.5 hour flight to Paris! Definitely a sleeping pill journey, missed the meal and got 4-5 hours sleep… devoured the breakfast before landing, where we had to collect bags, process through immigration and transfer (by train) to another terminal…. Anxiety levels a bit elevated as Trudi’s bag came out and Sues bag only arrived half an hour later….tiredness levels certainly elevated!

But we legged it to the train, and final flight to Malta with a good 20 mins to spare!

A very full, budget airline flight with no service and lots of circling before landing and the usual Malta chaos getting out of the plane (felt like jail) and finally feet on the ground in Malta, taxi to apartment by 3pm local time (1.00am Wednesday NZ time) – a total of 38 hours travel!

Then there was the apartment set up, a cold beer and wine, a quick trip to supermarket for an easy snack and asleep by 6pm…. Waking up brand new this morning….

Winter (travel) clothes washed and on horse for a couple of hours of drying…and off to sort out the arrival admin…

Car battery connected, Maltese phone sorted, bank card working, coffee break at my local, and Trudi making new friends already….

Carrying this old ladies bag home for her!!!

Then it was off in Vivienne (the car) to get my Maltese wheels back in action to do a big supermarket shop ready for the holiday…

Stcking up on our drinks! For all you vodka lovers

Cannabis chips (R18) for ultimate relaxation, yes sold in supermarket!

Laden with our grocery bags – up to the penthouse

The top one with the plants we need to nurture!!! To unpack and relax for the arvo!

P.S. weather update: a very pleasant 23 degrees Celsius! With a breeze….cranking up to beach weather by the end of the week!