September in Malta

Arriving in Malta

After waking up in the middle of the night and a train ride, organised transfers and a flight, we managed to land in the small island republic – Malta – in the afternoon. The first thing on the list was to buy a weekly ticket with unlimited access to public, that is bus, transport, with which we were very satisfied. Ignoring the tardiness part, the buses were frequent and basically covered almost all the places on both the main island as well as Gozo. Of course, they were also quite fast, except the towns near Valletta where the traffic is usually condensed and stops to a halt. As soon as we got to our accommodation in Valletta, we changed our clothes and went out for a walk to the city peninsula, treating ourselves to a late lunch of the most popular type of meat in Malta, which is fenek (rabbit) and is prepared in countless different ways. Despite the excellent new tastes of the Maltese food, we soon experienced an even greater and, at first, a scary surprise. Loud banging noises suddenly appeared, and when we thought of the worst, we remembered it was just the cannon balls being fired from the Saluting Battery in the bay near Valletta. The booming sounds accompanied us on our way back to the accommodation and slowly brought us to our well-deserved rest.

Valletta

Those of you who might not know, the little Maltese capital encompasses an area of a narrow peninsula, which is surrounded on both sides by harbours. The first foundations for the city were laid on 28 March 1566 at the initiative of the grand master known as Jean Parisot de la Vallette, after whom the city was also named. The grand master of the Knights Hospitaller was the key leader in the long-lasting battle for Malta when the Ottomans laid siege to the islands in 1565. The city is comprised of the walls and a cluster of fortresses as one, of which Fort Saint Elmo at the peninsula’s most extreme point is the most famous. The city is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is, despite being neglected and ravaged by time, a wonderful cultural capital known for its long and narrow streets adorned by colourful balconies.

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

After a well-rested night, we spent the start of the next day underground. Our guided tour of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum started at 9 a. m. It’s an incredible underground burial site and one of the unique prehistoric places in Europe and the world. The structure carved out of rock was once a temple and is now also a burial site of prehistoric peoples. An incredible number of skeletons has been found in it. The underground temple was discovered in the early 20th century during the construction of residential buildings. It was soon opened to visitors, but later closed again, as it started to change due to the uncontrolled masses of visitors and atmospheric changes in the chambers. It’s now an attraction listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is open to visitors, but you needed to buy tickets months in advance (pre-Covid-19) because the number of people that could be admitted daily was greatly reduced in order to preserve the temple’s original image.

Ftira and Kinnie

When our educational trip of Malta’s underground came to an end, we headed back to Valletta where we entered the palace of the grand master De la Vallette. Sadly, only the armoury was open to visitors that day (probably due to parliament session), but that didn’t stifle our curiosity. We took a look at all kinds of weapons from the past as well as the majestic attires of the grand masters of the Knights Hospitaller. This was followed by lunch and another tasting of the local delicacies. This time we tried ftira, a round crunchy Maltese bread with a hole in the middle where they usually put sardines, tuna, potatoes, tomatoes, olives etc. A long afternoon nap followed, and then swimming in the sea at the opposite side of the bay. We concluded the day with an evening stroll through the metropolis. Since it was one of the friends’ birthday, we went to celebrate in one of the wonderful bars in the centre of the hustle and bustle. That’s where we first stumbled upon a drink that we clung to throughout all eight days. It’s called Kinnie and it’s a slightly bitter non-alcoholic carbonated fizzy drink with a taste of herbs and oranges. With the taste of oranges in our mouths, the city music in our ears and mind, and full of new memories, we were tired and fell asleep.

The Seasick Summit

That’s the name journalists chose for the summit of two-day negotiations on board a Soviet/Russian cruise ship in Marsaxlokk Bay that were held between Mihail Gorbachev and George Bush Sr. in December 1989. It officially marked the end of the Cold War. At least that’s what is said in the guide book I was reading on the bus in the morning, when we were on our way to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

Marsaxlokk and the surroundings

Fishing tradition isn’t the only thing this place has to offer. Firstly, the small town is known for its harbour, which is full of traditional fishing boats called luzzu. They come in various colours and some of them still bear the Eye of Osiris, which is painted on the prow. It’s said to be an ancient symbol for protection from trouble and everything that is bad. Secondly, it’s worth mentioning the Delimara Point, which is full of hiking trails and wonderful views of the town and, of course, of the electric power plant, which doesn’t really fit there aesthetically. Like a surprise, though, there’s one of the most popular bathing areas in Malta hidden from view on the other side of Delimara Point, namely the St. Peter’s Pool. After jumping off the cliffs and refreshing in the blue waters, we headed back for lunch. Continuing my tasting of the Maltese cuisine, I treated myself to a Maltese wrap, which consisted of a Maltese sausage, dried tomatoes, beans, olives and lettuce. After this next step into the culinary exploration, we continued exploring Malta’s coastline and swam in the sea for the last time that day.

The silent city

Malta’s former capital – Mdina – which is known among the locals as “the silent city”, was the main attraction on the fourth day’s itinerary. Mdina is a city that lies on a plateau and is well-preserved in all its beauty and splendour inside tall walls. Its metropolitan area is known as Rabat, but it can also be regarded as a city in its own right. After walking through the beautiful medieval narrow streets, I went to the Cathedral Museum solely for one reason. The museum, along with all the other artefacts, houses a collection of outstanding wood engravings of my favourite Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer.

Dingli cliffs and the Blue Grotto

Having done admiring the Renaissance graphic art and a lunch in a restaurant on the city wall, we continued towards the Dingli cliffs where we enjoyed the vast views of the deep and endless sea beneath us. On our way back to Valletta, I luckily took a look at the map, which showed up on my phone exactly at the moment we stopped at the bus stop near the picture-worthy Blue Grotto. When we were making plans for out trip, we didn’t expect to have enough time to visit the cave, so we quickly hopped off the bus. Looking at the incredible and raw might of nature utterly exceeded our excpectations. Astounded and surprised, we waited for the next bus and headed back for out last routine evening visit to the capital.

»I Yam What I Yam!«

That day was marked by a single iconic name. Popeye. It was a cloudy morning and we were already standing outside Popeye’s village. Popeye’s village was built as a filming location for the 1980 Popeye film with Robin Williams as the lead actor playing the charming man who loves spinach, justice and his dear Olive. The village has now been turned into a themed park with an entrance fee that fits such parks. After our village experience and exploring the barren Popeye cliffs in the surroundings, we walked back to the other side of the narrow stretch of land in northern Malta where we went for a swim in the turquoise Mellieħa Bay. This was followed by a long journey that included lugging around our suitcases and a ferry to our new accommodation in the popular Marsalforn resort on the island of Gozo.

Swimming, sailing, fireworks

First, we went back to the main island by ferry, and visited the northernmost part, namely the Red Tower or Saint Agatha’s Tower (Torri L-Aħmar in Maltese), the White Tower (Torri l-Abjad in Maltese) and the Coral Lagoon, which was jutting out of the cliffs like an azure eye. Again, this was followed by swimming, this time in the beautiful Armier Bay. And then we joined the crowds. We arrived in Comino on a small boat. It’s a small island situated between Malta and Gozo where only three to five people were said to reside permanently. We stopped in the most frequented spot, which was the Blue Lagoon Beach. As is evident by the name, it’s a beautiful beach opposite to the islet of Cominotto, where the sea is crystal-clear and has a wonderful blue colour. Sadly, though, we didn’t have enough time to enjoy this breath-taking place for long, so we went back to Gozo where we stopped in the island’s main and largest city of Victoria on our way to Marsalforn. Victoria is also known as Rabat by the locals. The city’s main landmarks, which is really worth visiting, is the Citadella. It’s located in the centre and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once a medieval fortress and is comprised of four museusm, a cathedral, a mighty wall with a city gate, the island’s artisanal centre, Norman ruins and a former prison. We concluded the afternoon in style – with local burgers and cold beer. Still full of energy, we climbed up a steep hill after arriving in Marsalforn, and were surprised by huge fireworks on our way across the fields, as there was apparently a big party going on a nearby estate. The day ended in the best way possible: by watching the fireworks and admiring the sunset, while using up our last atoms of strength.

The unstoppable power of nature

We began our last day of exploring with a breakfast at the bus station where we treated ourselves to a traditional salty dessert called pastizz, which had a pea filling. A couple of minutes later and we were already on our way to Dwejra. It’s a place most people are familiar with due to the former Azure Window that used to be one of the most visited attractions in the entire area for a long time. On 8 March 2017, it sadly succumbed to the power of nature, as a large part of the natural stone arch collapsed into the sea during a storm. Even though the landmark is gone now, the place is still worth visiting, as it offers an insight into the gorgeous cliffs and the lagoon on the mainland which is accessible through a narrow strait between the cliffs. It was before noon when we left the cliffs behind us and headed to the other side of Gozo, to the last beach on our list – the Ramla Beach. At first, we waded into the turbulent waves, but then, as usual, climbed up high to a cave in scorching heat. The cave was full of tourists even at that hour because of its unique view. Unfortunately, our journey was coming to an end, so we soon visited the densely populated Sliema, which lies on the main island. We went there after dinner and realised it was the centre of activity and parties. There were pubs with loud music, shopping centres and dense traffic, which showed us what life was like across the bay from the silent Valletta, which, though, never sleeps. On the last day, we had to catch an early flight, so we went to the airport and then headed back home, but to celebrate our concluded trip, we toasted with the Maltese Kinnie one last time.