October 2014 Blog
Monday 27th to Friday 31st October 2014
Monday started showery but I still managed to begin the day with a fast walk. It looks like this will be a wetter week which will give the English tourists something to moan about and the English residents an excuse to say, “It’s good for the garden” or something equally daft. Worked and did the supermarket slog. We have to carry everything, though it’s not far. One of the things I like here is that there are mini markets and fruit and vegetable shops (or vans) everywhere. Much of the food is imported but we are only 60 miles from Italy, so you can imagine how good and fresh it all is. At sunset I went to the shore. I had the place to myself with just the sound of waves lapping at the rocks to keep me company. To the west of Gozo (which we can see quite clearly from here) the sky filled with dusky oranges, mauves and pinks. To the east the sky was heavy with clouds with lightening cleaving thunderheads the size of mountains. Again, more stunning contrasts and all so accessible. I know Malta doesn’t have a monopoly over beautiful sunsets but if Malta doesn’t inspire my photography, nowhere will. Just after sunset small birds appeared, zigzagging erratically within touching distance. On closer inspection they looked suspiciously like bats, which was a bit unsettling. Came home to a tasty dinner Sam had made of corned beef hash and baked beans. We went for a stroll and it’s odd because we are still in short-sleeve shirts, shorts and flip flops but the locals are wearing jeans and anoraks and we even saw one woman with a woolly hat! The shops all have their A/W collections in, which Sam tells me means Autumn/Winter. The chain stores like Next, M&S, BHS and so on carry the same stock as they do in the UK which means their window displays are full of puffer jackets and heavy winter coats. I break into a sweat just looking at them.
Tuesday and I went on the bus to Pembroke for physio on my arm. Sam found the physiotherapist on Google for me, a chap named Jeremy. He was excellent – very professional and friendly, though the deep tissue massage wasn’t exactly pleasant. We will wait to see if I need any additional treatment or even acupuncture on my “trigger points”. Jeremy is confident that a cure will be swift. I hope he is right so that I can get on with some guitar lessons with Miss Malta.
We went to the BRA library for a look-see. They have loads of paperbacks there, modern and old, which you can rent for as long as you like for 30 cents. You can also get a cup of coffee there for 30 cents or a cup of tea for 30 cents. I’m beginning to see a pattern here but it will cost you 30 cents to find out what. They invited us to a social evening with the guest speaker to be a doctor talking about hip replacements. I think we will give that a miss.
I am trying to work out how the video function works on my camera and I have managed to upload a short clip onto YouTube as you can see on the right!
We are bound to be heavily influenced by our near neighbours so it’s not surprising that we see strong Italian influences here. We hear it in the language, taste it in the foods and see it in the fashions (that’s a guess) but I am surprised by the large number of German speaking visitors that come here. Perhaps they are curious to see the tiny Island nation that their mighty forebears so signally failed to subjugate. Posted Mum and Dad’s anniversary card this afternoon. It turns out that the Post Office only opens in the mornings. We are still getting used to the siesta culture. I went into a tourist shop to buy a stamp and was served by a fearsome Eastern European lady. I told her I wanted a stamp for the UK (I’m giving up trying to explain where the Isle of Man is) and she asked if the UK was in Europe! That’s perhaps not such a silly question given David Cameron’s ridiculous sucking up to the right wing. Doesn’t he realise that the great benefit to the UK of being in Europe is that he gets rid of people like me? Had a great power walk for an hour this afternoon; my legs were like jelly at the end of it but the recent rain has cleared the humidity and I can really enjoy getting into my stride.
Sam has just read my blog and she is apoplectic. She is alarmed that I make it sound as if all she is doing is eating burgers and chips! Read my explanation here.
We ate a delicious home-made chorizo and vegetable soup for dinner then went to the shore to watch a magnificent lightning storm. We have never before seen lightening striking every second for so long – it went on for well over an hour, lighting the sky and clouds for tens of miles. A few locals passed by seemingly oblivious to it all so maybe it happens a lot here.
Wednesday and I went off for an early walk. Got some strange looks and realised I was singing aloud. That’s a bit worrying. Along the promenade here there are touts from Captain Morgan and Hornblower et al handing out flyers and trying to persuade tourists to take trips to Comino and the Blue Lagoon and Gozo. When we first arrived we were constantly pestered but now they leave us alone. I’m not sure if that’s because of my now-I-am-a-resident demeanour or because of my bugger-off-you-annoying-gitt glare. Either way, it works. Also, I am feeling virtuous starting most days with exercise and fruit (plums so juicy you need to wear a bib) for breakfast. I have asked Sam to call me Saint Kevin. I’m not full of confidence. I sought out our local cinema. It turns out to be a modern four screen complex showing 2D and 3D movies, so it looks promising. We will watch out for a decent movie. My arm isn’t too sore but I have made an appointment for a follow up treatment next Tuesday as it’s certainly not cured (yet). We had dinner at Flora – hot & sour soup followed by vegetable Thai green curry and banana fritters for me and sushi followed by chicken Thai green curry and deep fried ice cream for Sam. Generally the food was nice but the deep fried ice cream was awful and we complained but they still tried to charge for it! We complained some more and they took it off the bill. We have eaten there several times now but there is still no sign of a free prawn cracker or a complimentary drink or anything like that. We like the food but they don’t get the service thing. (Actually I got an upset tummy for the second time after eating there so I might order something less spicy next time.) (You probably didn’t need to know that!)
Thursday I got my first Malta haircut, cost EUROs 6. Actually, it was by an Englishman named Drew. He and his wife run a hairdressers and they seem to be a font of local knowledge. Went to Golden Bay for the first time for a quick look see at lunch. It’s opposite us on the other side of the Island. Quite a nice beach which we bet gets packed in summer. Took a walk over the cliffs around the headland and through the Peace Garden. The air was fragrant with scents from the planted orange, rosemary, thyme and other aromatics and there were memorials of people who have contributed to a more peaceful world. Had lunch on the terrace at the Agliolio Grill – part of a Radisson Blu hotel – and very pleasant it was too. Goat’s cheese ravioli with tomato bisque and parmesan for me, Frito Misto with an accompaniment for Sam. (I’m not allowed to tell you when she has chips any more.) There is a photo in the gallery of left over chips, I mean accompaniment, just to prove that a certain somebody doesn’t eat loads of them. Just a snack of bread, butter, pate, tomatoes, mortadella and ham for supper, washed down with a local merlot and topped off with whole nut chocolate.
Friday has come at last. Today we moved to Belvedere Court where we will be staying for the next six months. Retrieved all of our luggage from the garage and will spend the weekend unpacking properly for the first time. This evening Sam went for her first art lesson and loved it, so it will become an every Friday event for her. The lesson lasts for 2 hours which gives me plenty of time to do the cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing… Tonight I cooked crisps followed by tagliatelle with pesto.
Monday 20th to Sunday 26th October 2014
Monday we went to Café del Mar for the day. Café del Mar is in winding down mode. It had its official end of season party 3 weeks ago. It was free entry today – don’t they realise it is still hot and sunny? Anyway, this was likely to be one of our last chances for a proper sunbathing and swimming day, so we didn’t feel guilty skiving off. It’s great to feel the sun on your skin this late in the year. Lunch for me was a pizza, for Sam a burger & chips. I had egg & chips for dinner, Sam corned beef and chips – I know how to show a girl a good time!
Tuesday we worked our socks off (mostly). I am beginning to think that an alien has taken over Sam’s body but that something has gotten lost in translation. Suddenly she is wearing shorts, skirts, kaftans and something I can only describe as a gossamer parachute suit and red lipstick! I haven’t changed but only because I’ve always dressed as if I lived in a hot climate, sticking to shorts and espadrilles even in January in the Isle of Man. Oh, and I think I forgot to tell you. The other day we were walking along the marina and Sam’s skirt fell down. Apparently the elastic broke. Anyway, we went to Ian’s boat and he didn’t have a safety pin so Sam stapled her skirt together and put up with that for the rest of the night! Had chilli con carne for dinner; haven’t made that for ages. Sam’s skirt is in the bin.
Wednesday we met a couple of people from BRA (British Residents Association) for coffee. I think we will be able to get useful advice from them on everything from which is the best taxi firm to how to register for tax. It’s blowing a gale here today. It’s still hot and sunny but the sea is rough – it looks great! After left-over chilli for dinner, we went to the British Legion games night (I kid you not). It was like visiting a retirement home but we don’t mind being the young ones occasionally. Sam and I both suffered first round knockouts at darts and pool. We knew we were in trouble when we saw everyone else had their own darts and some even had their own pool cues. Can’t wait for the BRA quiz night!
Thursday was another red letter day – my first pedicure. Power walking in the heat has done my feet no favours so they were washed, Jacuzzied, nail clipped, cuticle gouged, sanded, moisturised, massaged and Neem oiled. I’m not sure why anyone would go through that twice. Worked, then Sam and I explored on foot some more and found promising looking Spanish and Indian restaurants. We shared a “classic” hot dog from some fast food joint – not good. Went into the Qawra clinic which advertises all manner of medical specialists to see about a physio appointment for my tennis elbow. I explained my condition and the receptionist first tried to make me make an appointment with a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and when I declined that, she said she knew someone else who had tennis elbow and I will need at least 6 appointments with a physio. I said I wanted an initial appointment for an assessment and some treatment but she was insistent that I must have 6 appointments just like her friend. We walked out. Roast chicken and fab roasted veggies for dinner. Had to abandon our plans for a post-dinner walk because it was raining! Watched Live and Let Die instead. We (well, okay, me not Sam) are enjoying watching all the James Bond films again in the order they were made.
Friday was our booziest day in Malta so far. We met Ian for a 3 hour lunch at Café del Mar. Fortunately the place was virtually empty because of the windy weather so it didn’t matter that Sam made so much noise. We had excellent 100% Angus beef burgers with all the trimmings and chips, Italian ice cream, a beer each and 2 bottles of wine. Then we came back to the flat and sat on the balcony admiring the view and sipping cold beer. Lastly, we went to the Elvis Pressley tribute bar for more beer! An Elvis impersonator (his name, believe it or not, is Elvis Tenderly) was due on stage at 9.15 and when we left at about 8.15 ladies beyond a certain age were already arriving to bag the best seats! I’m not sure that watching some middle aged expat with a beer belly, stick-on sideburns and a dodgy wig singing out of tune Love Me Tender is ever going to be my thing but we will no doubt give it a go some other night. Don’t want to watch life from the side-lines! Good news is that on our wanderings we have found a Karaoke bar so Sam and I will be able to practise our singing before launching our own Peters and Lee tribute act.
Saturday we took the bus (packed full of people on day release from the local TB ward) and went for a look around Mellieha. It’s very nice and has a proper local town feel rather than being predominantly for tourists. Some good shops too. The only trouble is that it is quite far north so if you lived there it would always take forever to visit anywhere else. Also, it’s very hilly, not good for dickey knees! The church at the head of Parish Square is impressive and because it is set up high on the hillside, the views out over the sea are amazing. Had yummy sandwiches at Debbie’s Café – we will definitely go there again – and it’s the first place we have come across that does afternoon tea. Talking of which, I haven’t had a cup of tea since we left the Isle of Man over a month ago! Savoury rice packed full of veggies for dinner.
Sunday and I know I promised not to talk about the weather but it is perfect again – mid-twenties, cloudless blue sky and just the gentlest of breezes. The sea is filled with beautiful blues and greens and turquoises and your heart aches at such beauty. It is difficult to understand how water so colourful can be so clear. I have been lucky enough to see the sea in the Bahamas and Bermuda and the Caribbean and other parts of the Med but nothing has prepared me for such purity as we see here. I look into it and I see colour and fish and coral and sand with a sharpness that would be an optician’s dream. It’s stunning. That’s the thing with Malta. You are never more than a few strides from the sea and every time you see it you are drawn by its myriad colours and soft textures. The sea is as clear as mineral water and the sea floor seems only inches away. After so many years of seeing the (usually) steel grey, dense and unwelcoming Irish Sea it is as if we have been transported to paradise. In Malta the sea is something you want to jump into and become part of. Whereas the Irish Sea is something so often to be viewed with distrust and wariness, the sea here offers succour and warmth and a lover’s embrace. (Jane Austen is finished but not forgotten.)
Guess what. We had brunch at McDonalds (EUROS 2 for a burger and chips)! Then we spent a couple of hours wandering around St Paul’s Bay. We like it a lot as it’s more residential than touristy, with nice shops and restaurants. It’s within walking distance of our flat. From our flat you walk through Qawra (pronounced owra) , then Bugibba (pronounced Boojiba), then St Paul’s (pronounced St Paul’s), so the distances aren’t great but it’s surprising how different the neighbourhoods feel. And, at Last! We have found a brill restaurant in Sliema. We met Ian in Gorgios for a couple of gin and tonics (very English) and then went to Mareluna Ristorante Italiano. The staff were fantastic, not just friendly but they bent over backwards to accommodate Ian’s gluten-free needs. The room is lovely and the tables beautifully laid. The food was excellent. Frito misto for Sam, mozzarella & tomatoes for Ian, pasta all round for the mains (I can’t tell you how good mine was, fresh pasta rolled around ham and cheese and baked, can’t wait to have it again), followed by proper super-delicious tiramisu. And the wine – wow – I have had it a few times now, Laurenti red – superb!
At Gorgios, we had sat on their first floor balcony and had a fantastic birds-eye view of the sunset. To the left Valetta, lit up in all its yellow/orange glory, straight ahead the empty boats at anchor glistening like jewels in a blue silken cloth and to the right the lights of Sliema and its nose-to-tail traffic, amber street lights and bars and apartments and shops. Life doesn’t get much better than this.
Monday 13th to Sunday 19th October 2014
Monday we declared to be a holiday! Went by bus to Marsaxlokk for a wander round and lunch. That is pretty much a full day trip here. The busses take the scenic route which we enjoy, but it does seem to take forever to get anywhere. Then again, that’s part of the charm of Malta. Life is lived at a there’s-no-hurry pace, unlike the keep-running-or-you’ll-fall-behind UK nonsense. Here people have time to breathe and to enjoy the moment. You feel that you are embracing life rather than racing to catch up with it.
There are loads of restaurants in Marsaxlokk and on our previous visit we had a lovely meal at a restaurant called The Three Sisters. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be there anymore and we unluckily chose to eat at Pisces. It took ages for the food to come, when it did it was chewy (poor quality) tuna and frozen chips. Then they tried to overcharge us, claiming we had ordered from an out of date menu! We didn’t let them get away with that and the senior waitress was very snotty about it. The younger waitress from Manchester was very friendly, though. There are thousands (literally) of restaurants in Malta and generally we have found them to be very good or even excellent, but some are bound to disappoint. I tell you what, though, Malta is like gastronomic heaven compared to the Isle of Man! Then again, Outer Mongolia is probably gastronomic heaven compared to the Isle of Man. The one shining exception is the consistently excellent Taj Mahal in Douglas. Back to Marsaxlokk, and I should say it is a pretty bay with many colourful fishing boats at anchor, alongside the dock and even hauled up onto dry dock. The waterfront is very touristy though and, we think, spoilt a bit by the many stalls selling tourist crap. Sam got a migraine later in the afternoon so went to bed early. I ate pan fried left-over veggies and potatoes with bacon and cheese – very tasty – watched On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and went for a stroll by the waterfront. I love that about the climate here. Nine o’clock at night, it’s October, and I can stroll down the promenade in shorts, T-shirt and flip-fops.
Tuesday Sam went for a pedicure while I worked on my photography and a new website design. I did skive off for a cappuccino at French Affaire. After lunch (salad with salami, blue cheese and mozzarella) we went shopping at the Point and both Sam and I bought shoes – me another pair of Ryder flip-flops (well, they are super comfy) and Sam a pair of soft sneakers. Went to Medasia for dinner, it’s a really nice place with good ambiance and lots of cocktails. We were the oldest there! We arrived at 6.58, turns out that’s 2 minutes before the end of happy hour so we got 2 cocktails for the price of 1 – some awful minty things for Sam and 2 Long Island Iced Teas for me, i.e. over-priced coke without any real sign of alcohol. Anyway, I had fragrant coconut and chicken soup (again) followed by crispy Japanese chicken bites (think chicken nuggets) and tempura vegetables (delicious). Sam had some sushi stuff followed by Thai green curry, okay but not as good as Flora in Bugibba.
Wednesday we worked. Had breakfast at French Affaire – pain au chocolat and cappuccino – then watched the sail boats in training for Saturday’s big yacht race. Went to the supermarket at The Point, nice stuff but some things a bit pricier than the other supermarkets. Made Piri Piri chicken with salad for dinner (again). We only have 9 bottles of Piri Piri sauce left. We use a whole bottle each time we cook it and we won’t be able to buy more until we visit the UK in February. So, I calculate that we will have to ration ourselves to one Piri Piri chicken every 13 ½ days. As you can gather, this is a big deal!
Thursday, work, work, chop, chop, busy, busy, bang, bang. I can’t remember where that was from or why I have remembered it. A banana for breakfast, blue cheese salad for lunch and it will be left-over Piri Piri chicken with chips for dinner. Have I mentioned that we like Piri Piri chicken? Worked hard today. Went for a long wander around in the early evening before dinner and found some nice looking restaurants we haven’t seen before. Have booked one for Saturday night, so will let you know what it’s like. It’s strange, but when we first arrived we always sat outside at restaurants (as do most tourists) but now we are becoming much more local and prefer the air conditioned indoors. Also, the smokers sit outside and there sure are a lot of them. It seems the smoking-is-not-good-for-you message has passed Malta by. It’s particularly sad to see so very many young people smoking. Maybe cigarettes at as little as EUROs 4 per packet (less than half the price of the UK) doesn’t help. I shouldn’t sound preachy here because I used to smoke too but my generation didn’t really know better and you’d have hoped the message would have gotten through to the twenty-something’s by now.
Friday started well with a beautiful large cappuccino (I do mean beautiful, the decoration of it was a work of art) and a tasty pea pastizzi at Gorgio’s. On the walk back to the flat I saw the police in a big flap. A builder had dug up the pavement and a powerfully strong smell of petrol (?) filled the air. I have given in and started taking antihistamines, as I wake up sneezing most mornings. It’s probably the air con but that’s a price worth paying. The Government in Malta has announced a big push to develop ecommerce. Malta seems to have lagged behind in this respect with only 12% of businesses here having websites. That should be an opportunity for us to promote our website design services!
My big news is that at last I went and tried out the Sliema car park hot dog van. They advertise their hot dogs as 100% gluten free but then serve them in bread buns the size of London busses. I had a plain hot dog which comes with ketchup, mustard and crispy onions – food doesn’t get much tastier than that when you are hungry. The van was surrounded by regulars most of whom made Jabba the Hut look like Slimmer of the Year. They had loyalty cards with them, showing pictures of 10 hot dogs with the final one over-stamped FREE. As they ordered, a hot dog was crossed off, counting them down to the big day. Got a huge amount of work done on my new website, had a walk and a Cisk, finally managed to speak to Lauren using Skype video, ate spaghetti arrabiata, watched A Shot In The Dark and went to bed. Whew!
Saturday we set off early to Valetta for a cooked breakfast at Gorgios. Had to send the first one back because it was cold. The second was warmer but still pretty average overall, so won’t be ordering that there again. They were good about it, though, with lots of fuss and free coffee. Watched the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Yacht Race in Grand Harbour – quite some sight with 100+ boats taking part. Not much wind today though, so it was more tortoise than hare. It was blisteringly hot so the air conditioned bus ride home seemed like heaven! We do like the busses here. They are reliable, frequent, usually clean enough and usually air conditioned but they do sometimes get very busy, even full enough not to stop at times.
I won’t bore you with our work, drink coffee, go for a walk routine again but I must tell you about the worst restaurant on the planet. We went for dinner in Sliema to Ta Kolina, which is on the seafront and therefore you might assume it is touristy but actually it looks nice. We were sucked in by the fake sandstone walls, beige tablecloths, friendly smiles and hi-I’m-your-new-best-friend reception. It was truly the most awful restaurant. I ordered fillet steak with pepper sauce, “Oh, that’s the best thing on the menu”. If that’s the best, I’d hate to try the worst. The meat was such poor quality we doubted it was animal, let alone beef. It hadn’t been seared. It hadn’t been seasoned. It hadn’t been rested. It was tasteless. It was weird - strange texture, strange shape, strange everything. It was truly awful! A couple of mouthfuls and I knew it would come back to haunt me. I complained and they replaced it with something just the same and just as bad. It came with a pepper sauce such as you used to get in the early 1970s – you know, that shocking floury, furry I’m-full-of-preservatives mess that was passed off as a sauce in those days. And what’s more, I bet this one actually dated from the 1970s – it was absolutely vile. If the grim reaper comes down and says, “You have a choice. I can either condemn your best friend to an eternity of agonising pain, being boiled in oil and having red hot pokers shoved in his eyes, OR he can eat at Ta Colina,” choose the pain, oil and pokers. These people must know they are serving crap but they don’t care. In the interest of fairness I am trying to think of something to say in mitigation. I’m thinking… I’m thinking… No ... that’s a complete waste of time. Oh, and I ordered it with potatoes but they bought chips –JUST BECAUSE I’M ENGLISH DOESN’T MEAN I ONLY EAT CHIPS! There was a bit of an anti-climax – they didn’t charge me for the steak – they must have realised that I realised what complete garbage it was – so we avoided the gunfight at the OK Corral. Oh, and, as I hinted at earlier, that little bit I did eat came back to haunt me in ways I won’t describe! Just to be clear, the restaurant’s name is Ta Colina, it’s on the seafront in Sliema and WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER EAT THERE.
Sunday we left Sliema to return to Qawra (Adrian of Percius Car hire, another great driver). Sliema and Qawra are only 10 kilometres apart but they are like different countries. Sliema is on a peninsular with lovely windy streets, pretty buildings with traditional designs and great promenades that run for miles. It has gazillions of impressive apartment blocks and is dotted with chic shops selling everything from designer shoes to gourmet foods. But it is crowded, noisy, surrounded by nose-to-tail traffic and, sad to say, the restaurants are poor. We love Sliema but are not blind to its faults. By contrast Qawra is on the edge of Bugibba so you can’t really tell where it starts or ends. It is modern and touristy, the buildings are uninteresting and the shops best described as adequate. But it is uncrowded, quiet and not traffic-bound. Within a few paces we can sit by the sea and listen to the waves lap the shore, breath the fresh air and embrace peacefulness. We love Qawra too!
Bugibba is touristy with naff shops selling straw hats, cheap sunglasses and I’ll-shrink-the-first-time-you-wash-me T-shirts but the strange thing is, both Qawra and Bugibba have some fabulous restaurants. Lovage, Duo, the Overflow and Flora have all impressed and tonight we found another great one, Tagine. It serves a mix of Moroccan and Indian cuisine. Sure, that’s odd but I had Moroccan (grilled aubergines with spicy tomato sauce followed by lamb tagine) and Sam had Indian (poppadums followed by lamb jeera and naan bread) and we shared Moroccan almond pastries for dessert and it was all fantastic! The room was lovely, the service brill and we can’t recommend it highly enough. I reckon one of the guides to a really good restaurant is that you start to plan what you are going to eat next time even before you have finished this time. And I know what I am going to have in Tagine next time. In a perfect world you could combine all that is best of Sliema and Qawra and chuck out what’s not but, of course, that’s not the real world. I think we will love living in Qawra and love visiting Sliema rather than the other way around, but let’s wait and see.
Monday 6th to Sunday 12th October 2014
Now that we are settling down, I have decided to do a weekly blog – I don’t want to bore you!
Monday bought back perfect weather so it was on with the walking shoes and off to the prom to join the keep-fit and the I-want-to-look-as-if-I-am-keeping-fit brigades. I’m in the former, of course, and I am power walking at least 5km most mornings. Had to work and go food shopping, which was annoying, then later did a tour of the shops looking for oven gloves. Oh what an exciting day! Stopped for a pre-dinner beer at Café Oasis. Looked at the menu – they serve pizza with chips. Out of principle I won’t eat at any restaurant that serves chip pizzas, but it gets worse than that. They also serve a Pizza Doke, that is, pizza topped with Nutella and marshmallows. I kid you not (and no, it wasn’t Pizza Joke). Roast chicken with roast vegetables for dinner, home cooking at its best.
Tuesday brought a board meeting by phone. Early evening, we went to Valetta and took far too many photos. But how could we resist? The sun was setting, the light was changing and the views delivered various shades of beauty. Valetta is magnificent and I could see it every day and never tire of it. Saw (and heard) a cat running up a tree. Quite bizarre. We stayed for dinner at Trabuxu Bistro, which could become a firm favourite. They even have Drambuie!
Wednesday Sam shopped for household “things” we can’t do without!? Way over priced beer at the Sliema Marina Hotel – twice as expensive as Valetta, more like UK prices. Won’t be going there again. Homemade chicken & vegetable soup for dinner.
Thursday got up early to take the 7am ferry to Valetta. Saw a fisherman catch a pigeon! He managed to get his hook out of its wing and it ran off happily enough. Did the coastal walk around Valetta. It looks huge close up at sea level with imposing sandstone walls hovering over you like the guardsmen they are. Saw cats, dogs, pigeons, sparrows, lizards, ants and, of course, fish. You can still see the rough-hewn air raid shelters by the water’s edge. I guess German bombs won out over claustrophobia. At 8.30 in the morning I had the Upper Barrakka Gardens to myself and a sense of peacefulness that belies Malta’s recent violent past. A cheese pastizzi (tasteless Ricotta – why don’t they just use cheddar?) and a cappuccino for breakfast, then took the ferry back to Sliema to meet Sam for a second breakfast, a glass of coke. Not a healthy start but we met Ian and Richard for dinner so it was always going to be an unhealthy day. Ian’s boat is fab and there is certainly something very soothing about sitting on a lovely boat sipping beers in a beautiful marina such as Vittoriosa. Dinner at Don Berto’s and very nice it was too, pea and bacon soup followed by pork stuffed with some cheesy stuff (!) and wrapped in bacon. Great roast potatoes. The best bit, though, is that Don Berto’s is on an upstairs veranda so you sit under the stars looking across the marina at the beautiful boats and the lit-up buildings and churches beyond. Taxi ride home with Mifsud Garage. Don’t touch them with a barge pole unless you have a death wish. Our driver was stoned or drunk or an imbicile or a mix of all three.
Friday was another perfect day – turquoise sea, blue sky, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. Worked, shopped and hosted our first dinner party with Ian and Richard. Great fun and good food – Maltese anti pasti and tagliatelli Genovese. Got up the next morning to find we had created our own bottle bank! That’s Ian for you.
Saturday brought more perfect weather. I’m going to kick the British habit of always talking about the weather. You don’t need to when it is invariably good. So unless I say otherwise, just assume perfection. Brunch at Gorgios, a shiny fruit tart (delicious but they left the pips in the grapes, so it was difficult to eat it nicely) and a cappuccino with a chocolate smiley face on top. Worked on my photography a lot, sorted out a client’s website and went for a long walk. Made one of the tastiest beef casseroles ever – we think the fantastic vegetables here make a difference. I could almost become a vegetarian here (as long as I am allowed to have fish, chicken, duck, pork, beef, lamb and bacon occasionally).
Sunday and we did a long walk from our apartment near Tigne point (the tip of Sliema) to Paceville. Stopped for the worst Quiche Lorraine I have ever had. It was like eating the sort of sponge rubber they stuff cushions with. Imagine that, warm and damp. Thanks Caffe Portomaso – not. Sam had a lasagne the size of a small baby, not good either. Stopped at a café to watch some of the Russian Grand Prix but it was a pretty boring race (again). Hot and bothered so got the bus back home. Definitely EUROs 3 well spent. Left over casserole with roasted veggies for dinner – yum, yum.
Another huge thunderstorm
Sunday 5th October 2014
Up early for a power walk in the first-light sunshine. The rest of the day was washed out by a huge thunderstorm. We are told the first thunderstorm of the season heralds the ripening of the pomegranates, so we better get the toothpicks ready. Worked much of the day, napped, had an early evening walk (and a beer in a smoke-filled bar), ate pasta with pesto Genovese then watched a Sandra Bullock film, The Proposal.
Thunderstorms and chewy steaks
Saturday 4th October 2014
Another thunderstorm last night. Today we saw a cloud. Okay, I’ll be honest, it was very cloudy today but it is still warm at about 25°, a great temperature to wander around in. We explored Sliema some more, finding some lovely shops and interesting streets. Lunch in a slightly odd order-at-the-counter-but-we-will-bring-it-to-your-table Mexican restaurant called Amigos. Think McMexican and you won’t be far wrong. Nice nachos, though. Sam’s happy because she has found a hairdresser who does a decent wash and blow dry (apparently that’s important). Cost her EUROs 10. I offered to do it for 5. I won’t repeat what she said. We found a fantastic frozen foods store, everything from horsemeat to lobster. We bought Argentinian rib-eye steaks – chewier than my new flip-flops. The roasted vegetables were superb, though. The fruit and vegetables are amazing here, not like the garbage you get in Shoprite in the Isle of Man.
Vittoriosa
Friday 3rd October 2014
Got off to a very early start – woken at 2am by a terrific thunderstorm. Flashing lights and a great roar – at first I thought I’d been papped! More thunderstorms and rain are forecast this weekend, so we took today off, as it’s sunny again. Took the ferry to Valetta and had breakfast at the amazing Café Cordona, a must-do place for anyone visiting Valetta. It’s more like a palace than a café, with gold, vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. And cakes and pastries to die for. Then we strolled around the Upper Barrakka Gardens and took the elevator down from there to sea level, a drop of about 10 stories. The ride is free to go down but 1 EURO to come back up, but they don’t tell you that until you get to the bottom. Very cunning!
We hired a water taxi (4 EUROs) to take us across Grand Harbour to Vittoriosa and explored there for the first time. Even more stunning buildings, stone-carved churches, winding streets and breath taking views. Malta just keeps surprising us at every corner. Is there no limit to its beauties? We got the water bus (smelly diesel) back to Valetta and the auto bus (chock a bloc full) to Sliema.
Beers at Georgios then dinner at Il Merill – a Maltese restaurant – a mixed starter plate to share, mussels for Sam and bigoli (beef olives) for me. Very nice, more for the winter perhaps. Then Cuba (not our favourite restaurant) for great ice cream and Drambuie.
Lazy Dinner
Thursday 2nd October 2014
Working, walking, feeling the sun on our skins, not buying flip-flops and fish fingers and chips for dinner (not homesick, just lazy).
New Flip-flops
Wednesday 1st October 2014
Working, walking, feeling the sun on our skins, buying flip-flops, cooking and eating spaghetti arrabiata (with delicious Mutti passata). Can’t seem to find that half-bar of Cadbury’s though…