Malta (2)

There is so much to write about that it is hard to know where to begin. Our first night in Malta we had dinner at a small restaurant just down the street from the hotel, simply named the U Street Bistro. The next day I toured Valletta with a friend from Washington, DC, days who is also a member of the Travelers Century Club (“TCC”). We took the bus, 13A, which went along the waterfront to Valletta. We walked for hours, exploring the streets and sights. A favorite is St. John’s Cathedral. Not wanting to stop, we enjoyed an ice cream cone for lunch.

The first night of the TCC conference started with dinner at a seaside restaurant. Our fish was delicious, but, the noise level was deafening!

Then, the touring began in earnest. We had a guided tour of Birgu, we visited the Inquisitor’s Palace, touring every nook and cranny (up and down stairs, ducking to avoid bumping our heads), and then met with a European pipe organ restorer and performer. After touring the upper Fort Saint Angelo, we met with Fra. John Critien of the Knights of Malta. Then we had a late lunch set up at the Gardjola Garden. We were led to the garden by a band!

The wind was blowing, but, it was a beautiful day with a great picnic lunch (a very elaborate picnic lunch!).

The next day was for those who traveled, an all-day session on all aspects of travel, including an interview with a woman who has visited every single country, island and territory on the TCC list, currently at 331! Interestingly she spends time in Naples, so, I met her for coffee one day. The evening continued with a drive to and then walk through Mdina for a dinner at the Bacchus Restaurant. From the restaurant you could hear and see the fireworks being shot off in the harbor area where they are filming the movie “Napoleon.” Malta is a frequent locale for movies, to include Game of Thrones, Jurassic World Dominion, Gladiator, Murder on the Orient Express, 13 Hours and many more.

Our final day was spent going to Gozo Island. Steve opted to skip the touring and had a massage instead. The primary reason to visit is to see the Ggantija Temples, which were built somewhere around 3600 BC and are among the oldest structures in the world.

As historically significant as these temples might be, I think one would have to be into old rocks to really appreciate their signifiance. What I did appreciate was a wonderful lunch at a Michellin starred restaurant Ta’ Frenc and the boat ride to and from Gozo. It was a fairly open boat and those who wanted the best views also got the wettest (not me, as our years of boating has taught me to know better!).

Tomorrow it is on to France and more adventures.