Malta Falconry Centre

This week, on our journey down some of Malta's less well-travelled tourist tracks, we made our way to the Malta Falconry Centre in Siggiewi.

The tourist hop-on/off buses come here via the Limestone centre, so it's not completely off the beaten track.

Top 10 Things to Do in Mdina & Rabat (and what to avoid)

The Silent City of Mdina is less famous than Valletta, but certainly equally worth visiting, and adjacent Rabat contains a few notable attractions too.   See how many of these you have been to:


10. The Mdina Experience
A video presentation taking you through a history of the city

 

9. Knights of Malta
Waxwork exhibitions telling the tale of the knights in Malta

 

8. Palazzo de Piro
This 17th century Palazzo is now a centre for arts and theatre in Mdina

How to Spend a Perfect Day in St Paul's Bay

So what is there to do in this small seaside town in the North of Malta?

Enough to keep you busy for a day at the very least, and I should know, I live here.

Here are my suggested activities for a fun-filled day in St Paul's Bay:

Breakfast:  I have to include a breakfast here, given that I've tried enough of them.  Fruit salad?  Half a grapefruit and an iced tea?   Nope.  Try (1) Tal Pjazza restaurant just off Bugibba Square for a hearty English breakfast with all the trimmings.  You can have a game of pool there too if you want.

Morning (Summer):  You will need some exercise after that, so why not sign up for some diving with one of the schools in the area?  If you are feeling slightly less energetic, then pay €10 for a snorkel mask and swim around closer to the shore, interspersed with some sun-bathing on Bugibba's (2) sandy beach.

Duck Village

 What can you say about a village designed for ducks?  

I can't think of much so I guess I will let the pictures tell the tale.  As a charitable venture, various good citizens have established a refuge for our feathered friends, a place where they can rest easy, untroubled by hunters or cats.  It's nice.  If you find yourself in Gzira (you may have gotten off the bus at the wrong stop) why not wander up to Manoel Island to look at ducks and put a euro in the collection box.

Xlendi - My New Favourite Place in Malta

 Why have I not been informed about this beautiful little town before now?

In case you haven't heard either, it is well worth a visit next time you are on the beautiful island of Gozo.  Xlendi is in the South-West, a small little town which has developed from fishing village into a touristy Riviera-style resort.

Top 10 Things to Do in Valletta

As with the Malta Top Ten list, this is a compilation of the views held by other people, books, bloggers, sites and so on, as well as my own. 

There are a lot of things to do in this tiny city, so I have narrowed it down to a Top 10 for you to try:

10.  Fortification Interpretation Centre
A new attraction and not on a lot of lists, but I think worthy of a place on this one.  This museum gives you a window into the history of the city, via the fortifications which have defended it (or tried to) over the centuries.

9.  Museum of Archaeology or Malta Experience
Two choices for a rainy day (or an escape from the heat) The first is a small museum but worth popping in to take a look at the prehistoric 'Sleeping Lady' statuette.  The second is a 45 minute film about Malta's history, which by all accounts is pretty good.

Church of Saint Paul's Shipwreck, Valletta

It has taken me quite a while to venture inside this church. Looks quite impressive from the front, saints carved from stone, but still just another building you pass by without pausing for too long.

Well here's my suggestion to you, friend:  Pop your head in the door.  Doesn't cost you anything, unless you want to contribute to the very worthy restoration efforts.  And you will find yourself inside a building created out of love, and faith, and a whole lot of money.  We are told that the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is the greatest ceiling in the history of the world, which may well be true, but when I was there I was rapidly shuttled through in a throng of tourists which didn't leave much time for contemplation.  You can take your time in this church, which features a pretty impressive ceiling of it's own. 

Salt Flats in Malta. (This is more interesting than you think...)

Also known as 'salt pans', these squares have been hewn out of the rock at a number of places on the island.  Just in case you were wondering what they were.  Simple enough procedure:  wave comes in, water evaporates and you've got yourself a pile of sea salt. This practice goes right back to the Romans, and is still in operation today in various spots around the world (including Malta).  
If it ain't broke...  

Salt Pans, Bugibba

Okay, so I realise that for the non-geologist/historians among you, this may qualify as one of the dullest articles around.  So for that reason, I am spicing (pun absolutely intended) things up with a Fantastic Five Facts About Salt!

Fact 1:  The word Salad comes from Salted, because Romans used to sprinkle the stuff over lettuce before eating it.  Salads were less healthy at that time, although I can see that as something McDonalds might be interested in.

Bugibba Temple

Yes, believe it or not, there is an ancient temple site in the tourist town of Bugibba.  But where?

St Paul's Bay in Pictures

I wasn't overly complimentary about Bugibba the first time I visited.  Or the second.  But hey, opinions are made to be changed.  Third time is the charm, as the saying goes, and I have come to appreciate this town and to see the good rather than the not so much.  So here are the results of a coastal stroll Bugibba/Qawra direction, when the camera was pointed at what makes this place a really nice place to live:

Even a Stopped Clock tells the right time twice a day

Carnival Time in Malta

There are carnivals all over the world this time of year, although to be honest none of them match up to the Brazilian versions.  That's nobody else's fault, we know Brazil does a good Carnaval, so nothing to be embarrassed about rest of the world.  Anyhow, Carnival time in Malta is centered on the capital, as well as the small town of Nadur in Gozo.

We went to have a look at some of the floats and costumes on display in Valletta, and it was all very colourful.  And crowded.  A lot of people.  Lots of interesting costumes on show, from elaborate versions of the Brazilian-style fantasia outfits, to one gentleman who went for an ever-so-slightly-racist 'Chinaman' costume (see below for sample).

Winter Sunshine and Mauve Stingers

While much of Europe is getting battered by storms and enduring icy temperatures, this past weekend has seen balmy blue skies in Malta.  Twenty degrees at it's warmest here yesterday, and a few hardy souls are even risking a paddle in the water.  There are compensations to living on this little rock.

Top Ten Things to Eat (and Drink) in Malta

Humans like top ten lists.  (Especially the Men humans, they makes us feel as though there is organization and righteousness to the universe, which is always reassuring).  So here is my list of the top ten things - in very particular order - to stick in your gullet during your stay on the island:

1.  Maltese Sausage: Maybe it's because I've recently returned from a Muslim country where pork is hard to come by, I don't know.  But that first pasta with Maltese sausage just tasted absolutely delicious.  In fact they've been a favourite of mine since I first came to the island.  I don't know whether it's the garlic, the coriander or the rosemary, but they just taste great.  And speaking from my vast experience on the subject, it's a shame more local restaurants don't include Maltese sausages in their English breakfasts.

Lascaris War Rooms (Valletta)

The waxwork dummies have been retired since this photo was taken

I paid a visit to the Lascaris War Rooms the other day, buried deep (well, 200 feet) below the rock in Valletta.  And well worth a visit it is too, once you have followed a large number of signs down to the tunnel leading up to the entrance.  The ten euro adult entry price is not cheap by Maltese standards, but then this is one of the better examples.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Malta

It's a small country, as has previously been noted, but Malta certainly punches above it's weight in terms of UNESCO World Heritage sites.   There are three listed sites in Malta, as follows:

- The City of Valletta
- The Hypogeum (Hal Saflieni Hypogeum)
- The Megalithic Temples

Now this last one includes a number of different sites, which UNESCO has decided to group together under one heading - Malta is pretty small, remember.  These temples are situated here:

- Ggantija (two temples on Gozo)
- Hagar Qim  (South Malta)
- Mnajdra (South coast of Malta)
- Tarxien  (Paola, Malta)
- Ta' Hagrat  (Mgarr, Malta)
- Skorba  (Zebbiegh, Malta)

If you get a chance, you really should take the opportunity to visit one of these sites, as they're among the oldest of their kind anywhere in Europe, and definitely worth checking out.  Not all of them - visit one and you pretty much get the idea, and some are in a better state of repairs than others - but something you should find time to fit into your stay on the island.

"Malta is where Old People go on holidays". Discuss.

This may seem a surprising idea for some, but in Britain and Ireland Malta has long had a reputation as a holiday destination for the older traveller.  Much of this was fueled by the fact that for a long time British pensioners saw (and still do see) Malta as the ideal place to retire after their working days had done.  The British pound did quite nicely thank you against the old Maltese lira, and so the older folk were happily snapping up properties to enjoy their autumn years in the summer sun.  Having endured teenage and onward years in the British winters, this seemed like a pretty good deal.

Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)

The Grandmaster's Palace is definitely one of the more impressive places to visit when you're in Valletta.  It is a Palace, after all.   When is the last time you were in a Palace?

Built around 500 years ago it was one of the first buildings in Valletta and remains one of the most beautiful, particularly the gold-leaf glittering interior.  This building has contained the seat of power in Malta from the first, when it was constructed for the Grandmaster of the Knights of St John, through British rule and right up to today, as it houses the modern parliament (at least until construction of new government buildings are complete).  So you can actually wander about the current government's parliament and sit in the speaker's chair, although not when government is actually in session - they frown upon that.  The president of Malta also has his offices here.

Public Art in Malta

Love Statue, St Julian's

Everyone likes a bit of public art-works dotted around the place.  A city with none would be a dreary place indeed. What would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower looming in the background?  What would Dublin be without the Spire?  What's that? You're not familiar with the Spire of Dublin?  Well it's an enormous metal spike in the middle of O'Connell street, winning entry in the search for a suitably impressive object to celebrate the millenium.  I had two fantastic ideas for this competition myself, since you ask:  an enormous statue of Finn MacCumhail to be placed in some remote field, or if you don't like that one, 200 life-sized statues of regular Dublin folk to be situated around the city in naturalistic poses.  Sadly, I was extremely busy at the end of the '90's and did not as a consequence have time to submit either entry.  Your loss, Ireland.

Nadur Carnival (Gozo)

This is what is referred to as a 'Grotesque' carnival.  It sprang up organically hundreds of years ago and reflected subversive political views and opinions, rebelled against traditional Maltese conservatism and often set out to shock.  Dead animals featured along with fake bloody operations and sexual shennanigans.  All of which took place behind masks to protect the anonymity of the participants.

As is the way of these things, the carnival has been somewhat tamed and restricted over time as it has become something of a commercial occasion, attracting thousands to this tiny village in Gozo.

Looking for a Good Book about Malta?

Okay, not exactly about Malta, but set in Malta and with such evocative descriptions of the place that the country itself effectively becomes a character in the story.  This is a detective thriller set against the backdrop of wartime Malta, 1942, a time when the country was under unceasing bombardment from German and Italian bombers trying to batter the island into submission.  Meanwhile the Information Officer (Max), who is essentially chief of British  propaganda for the island, stumbles into a murder enquiry.  Young 'sherry queens' or 'hostesses' working in the shadier parts of Valletta are being murdered.  We are given glimpses into the killer's mind at various intervals during the book but are told too little to reveal his identity, learning only how he has taught himself to blend in with others despite not being able to empathise or share the concerns of those he comes across.  Meanwhile a love triange (or is it a love square?) plays itself out as Max gets closer to the truth...