England was still firmly in the grip of winter as we boarded a lengthy 3hr Ryan Air flight to Malta. The idea was to celebrate Marks new freedom from work and to administer at least a mild dose of vitamin D.Malta is a small country made of two main islands and is located just south of Sicily. Its latitude is closer to Morocco, Tunisia and Syria than continental Europe but Malta has recently joined the Eurozone. Our taxi driver on the first night noted the arrival of the Euro, and its current strength against the pound, has started to deter tourists searching for a cheap holiday.
We spent the first 5 nights staying at the Riu Seabank hotel in Mellieha. This quite beach in the north of the main island was one of the better on Malta and well away from the crowds. The last 2 nights were spent lounging in comfortable accommodation across the water from the main town of Valletta.
Highlights of the trip included:
- getting lost while hiking: no signage, no proper paths and only basic maps;
- visiting Calypso's cave on the island of Gozo;
- travel on the local buses: fiercely uncomfortable but undeniably cool;
- visiting the catacombs at Mdina;
- a boat trip around the main town of Valletta and its stunning harbour.
Malta has done well to control urban sprawl and retain much of its old world charm. Cactus's, date palms, stone walls and a great many basilicas give the island a true Mediterranean feel. In spite of being attached numerous time and heavily bombed in WWII the place feels old and not too rebuilt.
Overall it was a fantastic trip. The wind came to the party even if the sun didn't, but it just made for refreshing hiking. The absence of hoards of summer tourists was appreciated.
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