Leaving Toulouse (Friday morning) on the regional train with all our luggage, the first ride was uneventful…until we arrived at Agen, the station where we change to the little train to Monsempron libos and back to Fumel familiarity, for me at least! Carolyn’s first foray into France and out the windows were the fields of, now ready for harvesting, tournesols (sunflowers) ….. bending their drying out heads in the still slightly overcast day. I still cannot imagine how sunflower oil is extracted from these dry old seeds!

So after a seamless, on time, two hour train ride we disembarked in Agen, and (due to line maintenance) our little train for the final leg was cancelled! Lucky I am aware that if this happens (as it can do quite often) a bus is put on as replacement… however no one at the train station could provide any information as to which bus or where it exactly left from. So we hung around the bus terminal for a hour with a number of other confused passengers…asking every bus (driver) that pulled in if they were going to Monsempron-Libos…. Eventually we struck gold and along with three other passengers, boarded the full size coach….taking a very scenic (longer) route to our destination…

Seeing the other side(from the road) of the train stations, this was the war memorial at Penne station….the one that tripped me up on my way to Malta a couple of months ago…when the homeless man disrupted the journey!

Well….by the time we arrived in Monsempron-Libos….we were the only two passengers on this massive bus….our fellow travelers having left en route!

We were pleased to arrive at Kevin and Rols house for a late lunch and settle into our abode for the week….

Yesterday, there was a planned road trip…..Gourdon in the Dordogne area, north of the Lot region, is a small city that originated during the Middle Ages ….and, as with all medieval villages, built on a hilltop! Kevin and Rols dropped us (Carolyn and I) in the centre of town while they zoomed off to check out some car parts….

First stop was to find the pubic loos (signposted as WCs)…. Which were a steep climb up through cobbled streets and were rather unsavory…but needs must…we then relaxed and wandered around the town…

Fascinated by the local wares, none of which we needed, until we stumbled on the Saturday street market…eureka!

Carolyn having a poke around in one of the many handmade jewellery stalls…as we wandered the closed streets…then the second half of the market was local produce….cheese, bread, fruit and veges, condiments….and many other unfamiliar eating options…again nothing we really needed (mindful of the heavy bag journey ahead of us at the end of the week!)

We had just sat down for a (very nasty push button machine made) cappuccino when the boys contacted us to say they were back…so we met up and explored a bit more of the older town…

Church doors…very old ones!

And of course a church…another very old one!

Tall fortresses…yes you guessed it old!

Narrow streets…donkeys are smaller than cars!

Not so narrow streets (to accomodate the more modern vehicular transport mode) and finally lunch on the market street at one of the many cafes!

Our hosts….post lunch, enjoying the trip to this town that they also had not visited before..quite amazing where old car part hunting takes you really!

Back to the car and home for an afternoon siesta, as the temps rose to the mid thirties! Roland was off to work in the evening and us three: Kev, Carolyn and Sue enjoyed the evening in garden chewing the fat …. Actually sipping cool drinks!

As the sun went down around 9.30pm…

Waking up this morning to another glorious summer day (cool morning) , breakfast done, washing done, Rols off to work and the terrific three went to Le Clerc (supermarket extraordinaire)….stocking up on wine, beer, nibbles and pastry treats….yes several options! Kevin then dropped Carolyn and I to the Fumel Castle….for Carolyn’s first real view of the village and the lot river…

The giant untouchable deck chair in the middle of a grassed area that one cannot walk on or consequently sit on!!!

The gardens of the castle very green and lush despite the very hot summer behind them…I suspect a very efficient watering system is at play!

There she is…from the castle terrace overlooking the Lot River and the environs of Fumel…just like a postcard!

And east towards Cahors were the river continues to meander through a number of villages, both east and west… covering a distance of 485kms…

Not to get lost in the greenery, Sue sporting her new (€1) red shorts soaking up the sights of the peaceful valley…

Meanwhile, Carolyn is enjoying the artistic floral planters full of dahlias and petunias! …. And blending somewhat more into the greenery and environment!

We left the castle and wandered down to the Brit hotel through stone archways….

And rooftop terraces….meeting Kevin (who had dropped our groceries home) for lunch on the hotel terrace…

A mere Lunch Plate…with chicken, salad and scalloped potatoes….no not to share! We had one each!

After which I suggested a riverside walk…however Kevin suggested (a less energetic) tourist visit to bonaguil castle…not far from town …. But a drive….

We rounded the corner and stopped for the photo opportunity as she rose up the hill in front of us….another medieval piece of local history!

Kevin dropped us at the top (lucky us as we saw some very hot, puffing people making the trek uphill) and we only had to walk down through the village….

Being careful not to slip on the shiny cobblestones!

Half way down a big gate was open and we sneaked in to view the castle ruins from the front field…and take in a view if the village below from the stoned wall…

Kevin was waiting down there somewhere to collect us…and we headed home, mid afternoon, for a feet up as the day had heated up and temps were well and truly, once again, in the mid 30s!

My tour buddies, I suspect, have been napping…while I have been writing you this story….its now 5 O’Clock in Fumel and I’m sure most of you know what that means!

The wanderers have arrived in Toulouse….not without some effort I might add!

Yesterday was an overcast 30 something degrees as we scrubbed and mopped our Malta abode, and tried to restore its owners environment for their return in September!

We said our final goodbyes to the locals and cousins and tried for an early night…as alarms were set for a 3.15am rising this morning!

Due at the airport at 4am for a 6am departure…along with the other 20 flights leaving all within an hour! One advantage of leaving first on Ryanair there is less chance of flight delays!

We set foot on French soil at a little after 8am ready for lunch! Well almost ….. but first deposit our 20kg suitcases at the hotel before midday check-in and our morning coffee!

The morning was damp and the temperature a mere 17 degrees….but pleasant for exploring …that is after the first cappuccino….small mistake on my part, I should have ordered a cafe crème, as a French cappuccino is served with a shot of coffee and three quarters of a cup of whipped crème…nevertheless the shot of coffee gave us a boost for a morning of walking!

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, close to the Spanish border and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, it also hosts the largest European aerospace industry…(our brush with the aerospace environment being our uncomfortable Ryan air flight with a small child kicking the back of our seat all the way) however our wandering took us through, green parks with fountains…

Gothic church spires…

Bricked residential streets….

Intriguing violet boutiques…….we spent a bit of time perusing Galleries Lafayette….numerous floors of overpriced clothes and shoes and handbags ….50% off sales started at €200 euros!!! Definitely a look and don’t touch exercise!

And by 11.30am it was certainly lunchtime…and Carolyn’s first foray into a French bakery…settling for a mini quiche and a baguette for me…half of which I shared, whilst we sat on a street bench! Very French!

Toulouse is a cycling town…every street is divided down the middle one half for cars and one for bicycles, which tend to be the more threatening danger as they appear from nowhere and, as pedestrians, one must cling to the street walls! Carolyn commandeered an errant delivery version.

The architecture had a little more colour than Malta, with impressive brick structures…

The capitol square, sporting hotels, opera house, cultural centre and cafes…

An inland city, Toulouse has the Garonne river running through the city, and a visit to the historical Pont Neuf bridge is a must. It’s construction began in the mid 1500s and was completed in the mid 1600s…

There she is….Looking rather moody on the overcast day…

Standing on the bridge the view to the north and another bridge spanning the Garonne river….

As we had whiled away the morning and it was well after midday (check in time) we meandered our way back to our hotel for a much needed lie flat! Leg sore and eyelids drooping from our early start….

Our heads hit the pillows of our single beds and a much needed nanna nap before we go in search of dinner….

Our 4th floor room with a view is opposite the train station and the street is littered with cafes…so the tired walking legs do not have far to go in search of food…

And we have a terrace, albeit littered with pigeon poo….

Tree lined streets harbouring the cafes….

We have decided that our lucky number is 410….this is the room number here and the same one we had of the 4th floor in Xlendi Bay, Gozo, hotel….coincidence???

Monday was a home day after a busy weekend catching up on some chores and sorting out our “stuff” In my case collecting up seven weeks of life from every corner of the apartment! it was a big job! We finally got to spend time with the neighbours for a cuppa!

Then it was out to dinner, at a great restaurant “Chukkas” in Mosta with some cousins for an entertaining evening of laughs and fun!

This morning was our last day of tourist activities….first (accident) joining the morning mass at the Paola church ….suitably dressed with shoulders covered…

Another ornate environment…with not much of a photo opportunity!

As with the inside, the planter boxes are magnificent on the outside!

We then worked on getting our steps up, to walk to Birgu, this time I took Carolyn on the scenic route through Bormla, where Kevin used to have his old house of character….

The red door is now blue and the convent across the walking street is closed, without the joy of the bustling nuns and the kindergarten they ran at street level…

Twelve years ago I spent two months with mum, and this was my old stomping ground…so I took Carolyn through the side streets into Bormla town…

Not much has changed here, the houses are still inhabited by the locals and the steps are still steep!

A short break for the now habitual coffee, at Rouge cafe, on the way and a loo stop before boarding a Luzzu (small Maltese boat) for the Grand harbour cruise at the gates to Birgu…

Perfect day for it….slightly overcast and the water like glass!

The jungle of (small) yacht masts barely moving in the still morning….I say small, but in comparison to the super yachts now returning to their moorings they are dinghy’s….

The driver of our little boat said this big girl is owned by the owners of “Rolex” – I can find no reference to them owning a superyacht, however a one of this magnitude may have privacy measures linked to the general public’s search!

We joined an Englishman, his daughter and grand daughter….in our little boat and circumnavigated the Grand harbour, taking in the sights of Fort St Angelo, Fort Kalkara, Firt Rinella, Valletta and the dry docks between Bormla and Paola from the sea ….. our driver did not like talking (he said it makes his throat sore and I told him he was in the wrong job) and I once again became the tourist guide telling Carolyn what I knew of the area – the English folk thanked me for the commentary, and I was tempted to collect the tips!

Carolyn wanted one last visit to Valletta…so we left the tour on the Valletta side and took the lift up to Upper Barrakka Gardens….for the best view of the grand harbour….this time the wine festival kiosks and roped off areas had gone and we could take in the view from all sides…

Last year at the wine festival I had a little mishap…

Fainted in this very spot…a much healthier re-creation!

Leaving the gardens into the city, the horses and carriages were resting up patiently waiting for their home time at 1pm

Yes his name was George….I call all these horses George, as the only one I have ever ridden years ago was called George…I asked this one’s owner the name and sure enough this little beauty is George! Rules have changed – they must take them home at 1pm as they are not allowed to operate in the hot afternoons!

We wandered down into the city and ended up at a Maltese bar for refreshments…upon ordering our drink, we were also supplied with an assortment of Maltese snacks…

Carolyn’s joy at her interesting lunch snacks may be a little overrated!

Mid afternoon…temperatures rising, 10000 steps behind us….it was time to take our bus home to Paola for the afternoon siesta!

The activity across the road, finished for the day….as we rescued our crisp dry washing from the terrace and enjoyed our afternoon snooze!

Tomorrow is our last day in Malta, and a cleanup, deck was, car wash day….but now to enjoy the church bells ringing the early evening away!

Old cities, tourist meccas , ferry rides, waterhole swimming, breathtaking cliffs, churches, green spaces, brown spaces… it all becomes a must do must see for Carolyn as the days race by!

The day after returning from Gozo was a maintenance and rest day…almost…but still included a bit of garden maintenance, washing, food shopping, car washing and street cleaning!

Friday was the Public Holiday of St Maria, our lady of the assumption…meaning the belief that the Virgin Mary, after her earthly life, was taken body and soul to heaven (in the catholic faith)

Anyway, in layman’s terms this means…the Maltese people celebrate with feasts and fireworks and the tourists do what tourists do….swim, eat, drink, shop and generally try not to melt in 35-40 degree temperatures!

With so much still for my visitor to see and time running out, I put on my tourist guide hat and Carolyn wound up her walking legs…although she didn’t know it at this point….

Public holidays here means little to public transport operators and we started our day with a bus ride to Valetta ….

Walking legs winding up, down through the northern side of the capital city residential areas…

Steep streets of above ground Valetta…

To catch the Valetta to Sliema ferry at 9.30am…

A welcome 15 minute respite of sitting time in the coolness of sea breeze and sea air….to the busy tourist area of Sliema, bathed in the morning sunshine!

A buzzing jungle of high rises, construction, tourist shops (and confused hot tourists) and cafes …. We had a meeting further up the bay with my friend Charles for coffee at 10! No time to linger….it was a brisk 20 minute walk up hill and downhill through the narrow side streets taking the most direct route, arriving at the venue en pointe, gasping for fluid and dripping with sweat! Luckily Charles had secured an inside table in the air conditioning where we chatted and cooled down for an hour or so….

This is where the tour turned into a more leisurely (?) pub crawl, as Charles headed off to his swimming date and Carolyn and I embarked on the coastal trail back towards Sliema!

We left Balluta bay, after our coffee break, the bathers bobbing around in the sea….and strolled under the patches of shade southbound around the waterfront…half an hour later(felt like 3 hours in the heat) we stumbled, conveniently across a kiosk serving 2 for one cocktails….

How could we not! Adding to our pina colada tasting across the island …and cooling off directly in front of the fan!

We needed to keep up the fluid intake as we continued south to Tigne Pointe shopping mall. Mainly for the air conditioning and a restroom stop! This four level shopping mall was teeming with tourists and Maltese locals all escaping from the heat outside..not really our scene but needs must, we circled the four floors to lower the body temperature before stepping out into the heat once again….arriving at Sliema around 1.30pm to look for something to eat and more fluid! All cafes were full, noisy and expensive, not at all relaxing…. we chose to suck it up and bus back to our quieter town of Paola..before plonking ourselves down in the centre square cafe for a cold beer (this time) and a pizza to snack on and bring home for our lunch/dinner!

Over 12000 steps, up and down in the heat and a couple of buckets of fluid loss, the homeward trek, which is not very far, was a test….we lay flat for an hour, threw ourselves under the shower, put on our frocks and then flagged the evening fiesta plans! Unanimously settling for a quiet drink on the terrace while listening to the fiesta fireworks…and making plans for today’s tourist activities…

Up with the birds….and cross country to Ghar Lapsi to join the locals for an early morning swim .. at 8am!

The locals had set up camp for the day and were already bobbing and chatting in circles in the sea!

We weaved around them, did a little breaststroke, floated on our backs and lowered the body temperature before rinsing off and climbing back up to the car!

The holiday baches and boats completing the picture!

Next stop Dingli cliffs …

Where the sea meets the island on the rugged side as the rock of Malta rises from the sea…

One more tourist attraction planned for the morning was a visit to the mosta church…the third largest unsupported church dome in the world and the largest Maltese church, renowned for its war escapade when a German bomb came through the church dome in the middle of a congregation and didn’t explode! This dome is visible rising above the town of Mosta from many areas on the island.

En route, the English 100 year rule is still evident with the redundant phone boxes!

Water fountains on the piazza providing a cooling moment and a bath for the pigeons!

A moment of awe before entering… and wrapping our shoulders…then stairs…

We were directed to the stone stairwell to climb to the start of the dome… yesterday’s leg workout was once again tested….as we ascended to the viewing circle high above the church floors!

This was a bit of a vertigo moment for both of us, as we gazed over the grand hall of the church below the dome!

Then we descended through another snail like circular stairwell to enter the church at street level! The up and down of Malta life!

As this town was the biggest feast location of St Mary yesterday, our lady was in pride of place in the middle of the congregational seating…,

And the walls were adorned in red velvet and all the silverware and gold was on display at the alter and around the alcoves of the church!

Of course no tour of the mosta church is complete without spotting the illustrious “Bomb”

With the planned morning activities complete we called in at the cousins for a drink and chat!

One more attraction on our way home…the San Anton botanical gardens…this enclosed garden and adjoining palace dates back to 17th Century when it was used as the venue for diplomatic affairs and the palace currently serves as the official residence of the President of Malta…

While touted as a must see venue in Malta, this afternoon we practically had the place to ourselves and we enjoyed the coolness of the tree shade and fountains as we strolled around enjoying this oasis of flora and greenery

Upon entry one is greeted with the first monument and fountain

These fountains are also a haven for the pigeons, ducks and other bird life cooling their feet and wings!

Archways and trees provide human shade as one meanders along the cobbled pathway!

This garden historically housed a number of exotic birds….the odd peacock still wandering around!

Time for our daily meal mid arvo we completed our day on the Senglea waterfront and settled into Alice Springs cafe for a hearty meal of Fish and Chips!

As we were sitting enjoying our meal…the clouds rolled in and thunder started clapping… by the time we left the skies had opened up, the streets were rivers and the car got another wash!!!! By all accounts we were lucky, some parts of Malta were pummelled with hail (this would not have been kind to Vivienne) The first rain in two months…it lasted about 30 minutes and rolled on to its next destination! As did we for an afternoon nap!

Day two Gozo island has been a big one….we started with a full cooked breakfast, included in our hotel deal….packed up Vivienne….and headed out around 9.30am….first stop Ta Pinu Church – it is a Roman Catholic minor Basilica and national shrine…

Beating the tourist buses and catching the end of a mass service we entered the sanctuary of the church…

Yet another example of the beauty and wealth of the Maltese churches..

Marble floors, oil paintings and shrines…

Also a very modest environment where we had to wear shawls over our shoulders and wraps around our shorts..

We then returned to the craft village for Carolyn to exchange her book, only to find the shop had closed for the next three days for the upcoming St Maria celebrations … oh well, she has 10 days in France and may embrace the French language (which is what her current book is written in)

Continuing in the same direction we carried on to Dwejra bay, a unique place that has an inland sea, from where we hopped on a little dinghy type boat and motored out through a cave to the open sea…

An area of Gozo coastline…with towering cliffs and coastal caves…

Blue seas

And quite a wave…which made Carolyn a bit queasy…

The skipper quite informative as he rolled us in and out of the caves…

Back through the narrow entrance…rolling through as the sea swells pushed us!

Temperatures rising rapidly…and a climb up to our car meant it was refreshment time and loo stop before circumnavigating the end of the island to our next point of interest…the 350 year old Xwejni salt pans (3 kms along the coast)

With three months of no rain….the rocks are full of dried salt ready for harvesting…

The girls not so dry however, dripping wet with sweat…and so ready for a swim… back in our little car, airconditioning working overtime and straight to Marsalforn for dip in clear blue sea!!! Another place that is the home to French and English tourists for their summer break…hope Carolyn was taking note …. So she can maybe read some of her new book!

The next leg was somewhat challenging, as mrs google took us up a country road, where we both leaned forward feeling we might tip backwards….Then down one so steep that I had to use the handbrake as well as foot brake!!! It was certainly the cross country route on the way to Mixta cave overlooking the golden sands of Ramla Bay….

Down into the cave and the opening framing this beautiful beach…

As close to the edge as one dared…

The vista of the beach and the turquoise sea…at least in the cave it was cooler and a little respite from the heading towards what felt like 40 degree temps in the direct sunshine…

Rubber jandals and slides not ideal for rock climbing but carefully we clambered our way out!

Not a cloud in the sky, the salt from our sea swim crusting on our skin…and sticking to our clothes, sweat dripping into eyes and ears…the big sights of Gozo ticked off…time to head back to the ferry terminal for our sea and land journey back to our home in Paola!

With a couple of hours in the tourist Mecca of Bugibba (in the north) on our drive back to visit with some cousins! An ice cream sundae kept the wolves from the door until we arrived home at 7pm…. Carolyn has showered, I have not….next on the agenda! Travel weary and with lots of new memories to keep!

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!

Carolyn has been here for five days and things are heating up literally…temperatures rising! Yesterday the tourist activities were halved due to these gals wearing out before the day was done…

We did hit Mdina – the silent city, before the crowds. Or did we? A couple of laps of the carpark before a space became available at 9.30am!

First time visitor (Carolyn) to this ancient city one is always overawed with its hilltop location and limestone heritage buildings…, again by 11am it was filling up with tourists! We switched towns to Rabat (across the road) and wandered through the residential side streets towards St Paul’s shrine! And the WWII shelters – next on the agenda!!

Old people we were – children we didn’t have… only people and cats would have fitted down some of these streets!

Gasping for fluid as the walk was little longer than necessary.. we found the Square (and a little more history) in front of the church! The boat people (off the cruise ships) busting out of Mdina into this town too..neither of us felt like going underground … so (reluctantly???) settled for a cool drink and decided a book reading resting afternoon was needed…

This morning, Saturday, we bussed into the capital city of Valletta, again before the crowds! Crossing the bridge and through the walls of Valletta (a city established in the Knights of Malta era in the 1600s)

Upper Barakka gardens is a must see and past the government buildings..this appeared…

A very tacky blue archway(photo opportunity for visitors) spoiling the magnificence of the historic sandstone government buildings!

The view from upper Barakka gardens remains one of the best in Malta! Looking back at the three old cities of Birgu, Cospicua and Senglea!

We were looking forward to a coffee here, but we were assaulted by the wine festival stands and no seats around the usual cafe….standing room only (for tonight) – no wonder I fainted at this event last year! So we moved on and found a side street cafe to sit and enjoy…

Finally a pic with the two of us!!! Some nice passers-by did us the honour and actually took about 10. I might add all of them capturing our best!!! Deeper downtown towards the tip of the city…we walked through archways…

Side streets and odd shops, even I had never seen before…

This (closed) antique shop with about 2 inches of dust on all its wares…,proving how old some of this merchandise is…..and just as the water ran out…we stumbled on a cafe with a rooftop terrace… first beer of the day..,,terrace all to ourselves!

With the view to the entrance of the Grand harbour, where all the cruise ships, super yachts, private boats and tourist tours pass through!

Refreshed after our beer and loo stop, Our walking tour continued towards the lower Barakka Gardens, passing the maltese summe baches on the edge of the city and harbour!

And into the gardens..usually a less travelled destination….however the cruise ships must have added this to their suggestions of “must sees!” and it was teeming with tourists…

Still a nice green area to wander around as we watched the midday fireworks from the middle of the harbour send puffs of smoke into the sky…

We soaked up the welcome shade of the trees and sea breeze…

Both getting a little peckish by this time, we walked along the Harbourside..

Past the traditional Maltese homes with their colourful doors and balconies….back to the ferry to take us to Bormla and our “Rouge Cafe” for lunch!

A Cisk(beer) for me and a chocolate milkshake for Carolyn, we settled back in the shade and under the fan (this keeps the flys away) and our food didn’t come…..we eventually asked after about 40 minutes and the poor girl was so embarrassed she had forgotten, that not only did we receive the platter ordered it was accompanied by a free drink each! Win Win all round!

The day started a little slowly with a saunter to Paola, coffee and Carolyn’s first introduction to our local shops!

By the time we returned our washing was dry and the afternoons sightseeing set out before us…. First on the list….the luzzu cruise around the blue grotto!

€10 euros each and we were stuffed into a boat with 6 others and off we went….

As usual the caves and water were spectacular, however as for our guide/driver he fell short…having done this trip several times I expected the usual commentary and banter…. I think he muttered 2 sentences on the whole journey and didn’t give us a second over his promised 20 minutes, it was like a race to zoom around and get us off and load up for the next pay packet! Little disappointing for Carolyn’s first experience…

We did manage to wave at a passing luzzu as we roared back into dock…time for a cool drink on a terrace cafe…

and Carolyn wanted a small snack….

We shared! It was huge and a mere€3.50!

Then back to Vivienne(car), the day the hottest in a while and firing up the air-conditioning on the downhill parts of our ride through the refugee camps (in the south) of Hal Safi and on to Birzebuggia…the freeport container port which lies south of Pretty Bay…

By this time the sea looked rather inviting but on closer inspection we realised it was not very clean….Next stop….Marsaxlokk….the fishing village….

A wander through the street (souvenir laden) market and a coffee! A large for me and small for Carolyn…

Careful what you ask for….this is the hugest coffee I have ever been served. While I managed to drink two thirds of it….this is the first time I could not finish! Thank goodness it had two handles as one could not lift with one!

After this we drive to St Thomas bay and had a dip (swim) in the waterhole to cool off….

We then carried on around the south coast to the three old cities….and out to the Senglea point….to realise that it was a great day to not visit Valletta (the capital city) as she was dwarfed by two huge cruise ships!

And to add insult to injury there was yet another one in the dry dock area around the corner….

Nearing 4.30pm it was now time to visit the Alice Springs cafe for a cool beer on the Senglea waterfront.

Yes those are my knees….cool breeze, cool beer and lots for Carolyn to take in!

The evening is upon us and we are home after a brief supermarket visit….ready for an early night and more adventures tomorrow!

As Carolyn’s dream was to jump in the Mediterranean Sea, we went all out (and up and down)!

In the north of this island of Malta is the well known Golden Bay….with golden sands and a massive hotel, with all the tourist traps..

This is not where we went although we did get a good view of it from the cliff top!

Arriving early….9am….our destination was the other side of the cliff “Riviera beach”

Aptly named for its turquoise sea, rolling waves and gorgeous beach babes… Carolyn rocking her summer vibes!

Yours truly nervously getting as close to the edge to snap a good shot!

Ok, then the fun began – I had warned Carolyn…we had 500 steps down and 5000 steps up when our day was done!

Having safely navigated the down bit….it was coffee time before claiming our patch on the beach…as we were early we felt time was on our side….however the steady stream of people started rolling in and we spread out our towels and dived in the sea!

Stuck our nose in our books and ignored the world for an hour or so…while noisy Italians and tourists hired their chairs and brolly’s all around us … by 10.30am it was a sea of orange chairs and white umbrellas….

And it kept building, meanwhile lying on towels we held our ground in prime position as we dipped in and out of the sea!

Enough sun and too many people (they also thought they were mountain goats) had arrived so before the lunch rush we took the prime (again) spot in the cafe and ordered our lunch…

A “monkey business” for Carolyn and a “frozen pina colada” for Sue! Followed by a chicken burger and chips…ok so not so exotic in the food stakes with a lot of bun and chips….but gave us the carbo hit for the climb ahead!

As I mentioned earlier….5000 steps up (while actually the same amount going down – it felt like 5000 up!)

A few “little” rests on the climb and we made it unscathed although somewhat hotter and with an elevated heart rate!

We called in to visit the cousins on the way back and took a side trip to decathlon (sports shop) and Lidl(supermarket) on the way home…yes getting slightly lost in the backstreets of Qormi…due to one wrong turn! And we get to see more of the place while we are here!

We are now two again, Carolyn from Brisbane has joined me for the remainder of this years European journey….she arrived yesterday arvo….exhausted from a 30 hour ordeal!!! The things we do for a little bit of paradise on the Rock of Malta!

After a twelve hour sleep she was brand new…so we started the tourist adventures….leaving the flat at 7.30am and walked to Bormla for our morning coffee…

Rouge Cafe… the best coffee in town…I then realised it was the Birgu street market day (even though last week I decided it was not worth visiting in summer) but Carolyn’s first time here….might as well see the place!

We wandered up the hill and Carolyn got her first glimpse of the grand harbour… feeling like she was in a fairytale! After the hour or so in the street market we headed off to our planned taste of history….

Sitting on the wall of the bridge to the Malta at War museum and WWII shelters…lucky us….we were just in time to join nine other punters and get dragged off on a guided (at no extra cost) tour of the underground shelters!

But first we had to hairnet and helmet up as the tunnels were low in places…then off we went down into the tunnels… our German/Italian guide running off like it was a race….ironic that he was of this heritage as these countries were the ones responsible for the bombings and the necessity of the underground shelters ….. but to be fair he was passionate about his history knowledge, although I felt a little weighted towards the fascist regime that almost bombed Malta to the ground!

An hour or more underground, while we were led from one area to the next…it was pretty warm down here and at times hard to breathe, one can only imagine what it was like with up to 500 people (we were only 11) up to 12 hours at a time with no water or food! We then took a (self guided) tour of the museum and all the war artefacts- cannons, guns, bombs, medals and navy attire!

By the time we left it was nearing 1pm…as we strolled through the decorated (in readiness for the feast this weekend) streets…

Carolyn realising that you are either going up or down….and that Malta is not a flat rock!

The bunting in all its glory in this historic town (Birgu) where there are no new apartments and all buildings are renovated to heritage building code….

To the town square…the religious statues (barring me) all out of storage adorning the square…down past…

The doorway to heaven – near the church opposite…kinda looks locked….

Bells ringing and doors open…enough culture for us today….a wander along the waterfront marina to an Italian cafe for a cool drink and snack!

To walk or not to walk (from here) the 2.5kms back uphill home…an easy decision as we waited in the nearby bus stop.