May 2016 - Week 4

Country wall near Mistra Bay

Monday 23rd to Tuesday 31st May 2016

Monday saw us working, shopping and cooking. Chilli con carne with baked potatoes for a change.

Tuesday morning I did a great power walk to Xemxija Café and back. Late afternoon I went out while Sam had her yoga lesson, only she didn’t as her yoga teacher was stuck in a major traffic jam behind two buses that had crashed into each other! We had chilli con carne, potato wedges and tortilla chips for dinner.

Wednesday we had a fantastic day in Gozo. First we went to Tamarisk, a bar/restaurant at the entrance to Rabat that serves brill cappuccinos and ftiras. A ftira is a local bread, a bit like a giant bap but with a crispy outside. When it is fresh it is brilliant but it goes stale very quickly so finding a place that serves dead fresh ftiras is not as easy as you may think. At Tamarisk they are perfectly fresh. We ordered a bacon and egg ftira, toasted, and it is about the most perfect breakfast you can imagine. It is quite large, so we share one between us. Oh, and Tamarisk serves excellent cappuccinos too!

Next we drove on to Xlendi. We ended up looking around a hotel there with future visits in mind. We thought their rates were reasonable until we realised the prices were “per person”. What hotel in the world still quotes on that basis? We had a nice walk around then had a small bottle of beer and a cappuccino for the grand sum of €2.75 - about £2.20! Then we drove on to Marsalforn for another walk and lunch. Lunch was mixed; Sam had excellent battered calamari, I had a bizarre Caesar salad (leaves, slices of bacon, chicken and Marie Rose sauce). Finally we drove to Hondoq via Qala to sit by the sea and eat Magnums, before getting the ferry home.

We do love Gozo, not least because it is so quiet compared to Malta. But, ironically, there also lies its Achilles heel. It is so quiet that we imagin you would feel isolated there. That’s not a trade-off we are ready to make just yet.

After spending most of the day eating we didn’t feel very hungry so for dinner we just had chilli con carne, wedges, tortilla chips and saltines!

Thursday was nearly all work and nearly no play! For dinner Sam cooked us stuffed peppers with feta.

Friday we went to the supermarket but, apart from that, we were too busy to get out or to cook. So, for dinner we simply heated up a frozen Indian starter selection which was surprisingly okay.

Saturday, as usual, we went to the farmers’ market to buy veggies then went to the Craft Village café for cappuccinos. We then drove on to Mambo’s for a light lunch – bruschettas and more cappuccinos! I worked all afternoon and Sam went to the butcher and bakery to buy stuff for tomorrow’s dinner. For tonight’s dinner we had pizzas.

Sunday was a scorcher, so the air con earned its keep. I still got a walk in, heading to Ta Fra Ben and back. Just at the entrance to the main square a large shop closed at the end of last season and a major refurbishment has been under way. The signage has just gone up and the bad news is, it’s a McDonalds! I stopped at Sotto Zero for Snickers and strawberry ice creams.

Chris and Tina came around for dinner. With the fantastic weather we were able to sit outside to eat our starters – a type of tapas with salads, meats, garlic bread, olives etc. For our mains Sam cooked roasted corn fed chicken with stuffed peppers. Pudding was limoncello with a strawberry vodka float! We had a great time.

Monday I got up early and did my usual power walk before the heat arrived. And arrive it did, but we love it, love it, love it! I spent most of the day toiling over a new client’s website (unlike the UK, no bank holiday here) and for dinner we ate left overs from last night in air conditioned splendour.

Tuesday was humid and quite grey for a change, so apart from a quick nip to the corner shop, we stayed in and worked. For dinner I made a mixed vegetable soup packed full of green beans and seasoned with mixed herbs and paprika. It was delicious.