May 2017 - Week 2

Monday 8th to Sunday 14th May 2017

Monday after shopping I hiked along the Marfa Ridge taking in the stunning views south towards Golden Bay and north to Comino and Gozo. After that I did another short hike on the cliffs above Paradise Bay. There was quite a breeze blowing and the Gozo ferries bobbed about in the choppy seas. I passed a group of very noisy tourists, Americans, of course. One shouted out, “Come on people, daylight is not an expandable commodity.” They deserve Donald Trump. For dinner we had left over chilli con carne.

Tuesday we went out for the day with Tina and Chris. We picked them up and drove the scenic route to Pretty Bay. After cappuccini we went for a walk along the promenade and around the harbour at Burzebugia then drove on to Marsaxlokk for lunch at Terrone. I had parmegiano followed by burrata stuffed with pistachios and served with grilled peaches. Sam had the burrata to start, then a seafood risotto. Tina had spaghetti with clams and Chris had grilled red snapper fillet. Apart from the burrata which was a bit firmer than usual, everything was very good as always. We didn’t want a big dinner so I made a minestrone soup.

Wednesday I did a power walk at 8am but even by then it was hot and humid. I’ll have to get up earlier in future. For dinner I had baked potatoes stuffed with cheddar and butter, dusted with parmesan and paprika, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked until crisp on the outside and soft in the middle – fantastic. Very fattening though, so Sam has minestrone soup!

Thursday after dropping Sam at art class I drove to Cachaq but the café looked abandoned and there were dogs running around loose. The whole area seemed generally run down which is surprising seeing the tourist season has started and Cashaq is home to Splash Water Park. I drove over to Xemxija Café for a cappuccino and a slice of apple cake and did a short walk around the bay. It has turned very humid which discourages too much activity during the day. For dinner I had a goats’ cheese and vegetable pizza and Sam had microwaved salmon with broccoli.

Friday we had thunderstorms and air full of dust from the Sahara. We even had a few drops of rain. So, apart from a supermarket run, we stayed in. We had hamburgers for dinner for a change.

Saturday we went to Mambo’s for cappuccini. Armier Bay is getting busier now with white and pink tourists hiring sunbeds. In the evening we went to the 1930s Carpentry for a drink then we went to La Buena Trattoria del Nonno for dinner. It was excellent again. I had the full rack of ribs (well rendered, tender and sweet) with roasted vegetables and Sam had a pizza with buffola mozzarella and spicy salami.

Sunday we had visitors for late morning drinks and snacks. An old uni friend of Sam’s, who she hasn’t seen since uni, is visiting Malta with his wife. So they came around for a reminisce and a catch up. We offered them humus (I don’t like the look of that), olives (I hate olives), cheese snacks (I don’t eat cheese), garlic bread (oh, I don’t eat butter) and anchovy palmiers (I hate fish). So, she had some carrots and some crisps and he had a few breadsticks. He announced he will only drink cider. They weren’t unpleasant, but meeting up once every 40 years or so is probably often enough! The grey and dusty weather is still passing through but we spent a few hours on the terrace until humidity chased us in to the air con. For dinner we had left over ribs, chips and garlic bread.