The Tuesday after Clarkie’s Hampton Court splash run was her birthday, and to celebrate we flew to Malta. I mean, maybe it’s just that her birthday is a good time to go and find some sunshine, but why not celebrate with a little trip?
We arrived mid-afternoon, and picked up a 7-day bus pass at the airport. The bus was really easy, and with the passes we could just jump on and off as we liked.
We were staying in Sliema, just North from Valletta across an inlet. It was much cheaper than staying in Valletta would have been, and for us it was probably better. We made a fair bit of use of the promenade between Sliema and St Julian’s, which was a lovely stroll. We were very near to the Point shopping centre, and had a massive array of restaurants to choose from within very easy walks. Which was good, because the food was excellent and we kept slightly over-eating (and drinking) and in need of a gentle stroll afterwards!
We took the ferry across to Valletta, because it felt right and proper to appreciate the scale of the walls from the sea! They were very imposing. And fortunately it was a pretty short crossing, or I think the impromptu singalong that some of the passengers were having may have caused Clarkie to do something drastic.
Valletta is impressive. It’s still an extremely visibly fortified city, with a consistent colour sandstone used pretty much throughout. It definitely looks like they dug the moat out and used the stone. We started at the main gates and walked all the way through down to Fort St Elmo. It houses the National War Museum, and was really fascinating! It was amazing to be able to see the George Cross awarded to the island.
So yes, a really enjoyable few days off, with lots of lovely food, sunshine and interesting sights. A++, would visit again!
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