Malta

On the 23rd we flew to Malta, arriving at about 1:00 a.m.  Because it was so late, we took a taxi to the hotel. At the airport there is a taxi desk, where you give your destination and they assign you a taxi. There are fixed rates to all the different places, so there’s no chance of being swindled or feeling uncertain about whether you’re getting ripped off. It seems like a great system and our driver seemed very happy with it.

I had booked our hotel, Mr. Todd, on Expedia, and it was great. Minimalist and modern, clean and comfortable. The breakfast was plentiful and delicious, with fresh rolls, fruit, meat and cheese, as well as cereals and coffee.                                                                                                       The bathroom was rather memorable as well.                                                        

After breakfast, we tried to see some of Malta’s famous sights. We thought we would walk around the bay to Valletta; however, it was taking a long time, and because we only had a few hours, we decided to hop on a bus. Some of the locals waiting at the bus stop told us which bus to take, how much to pay, etc., and we had a fast ride to the city centre.

at the bus terminal

Once there, we boarded another bus to ride to Hagar Qim, a site featuring old temples from 3200 B.C. We got off the bus, along with a few other tourists, only to find that the site was closed because of the Christmas holiday. 

Disappointed, we thought we would walk down to the Blue Grotto, about a kilometer away, where we had been told we could get a boat back to Valletta. When we got there, we learned that the boats were not running because of the Christmas holiday.

We finally ended up taking a taxi back to Valletta and just walking around the city streets.  We also had an excellent lunch at a sidewalk restaurant. We opted for rabbit stew, which is a local specialty, and mussels. Both were delicious.

The streets were busy with people, apparently doing their last minute Christmas shopping. At least that's what our taxi driver said. The taxi drivers here were very friendly and chatty, telling us all about the island. Everyone here learns English and Maltese in school, and at least some of them also learn Italian. 

We were told that there are not enough Maltese people to do the "grunt work" so many of the workers in low-level jobs are foreigners.

Malta is famous for glass-making, and this tree is made of glass balls. 

Below are some of the gorgeous old buildings seen on our way.

And these photos are from our valiant attempt to walk to Valletta. We walked for about an hour, and I'm guessing it would have taken another 45-60 minutes to reach our goal!

This amazing old church was across from the bus stop where we finally gave in and boarded a bus to Valletta.

We flew out of Valletta, on Air Malta to Casablanca, at 4:30 p.m.