I embarked on the “Maltese adventure train” on December 26, with the clear intention of spending the very special evening segregating 2015 from 2016 in a more peaceful, tête-à-tête, special manner, and I succeeded in attaining my objective. Malta anxiously greeted with a warm embrace of about 17°C. “The Burrow” in Tarxien village joyfully awaited for new and curious travelers – I can now remark that I’ve experienced what being accommodated in a castle truly feels like. I was delighted to see what my home for the following seven days would be like: an incredibly tall suite with grey brickwork, an ebony wooden bed in canopy style, an ancient chest lying in one corner of the room, delicate embroidery items meticulously placed here and there, a tiny window reflecting the sun’s light inside, an interior wooden staircase towards a neat and simple relaxation and retreat spot upstairs. A sight for sore eyes and a good beginning for a marvelous holiday. Once renting a car at the airport, everything became possible. Although Malta’s transport system is greatly organized and not expensive during wintertime, my desire was to be able to freely and time-efficiently discover all the beautiful places around. As all maps prove it, Malta is primarily composed of three small islands: Malta, Comino and Gozo. You would miss out on many interesting, natural beauties if you decide not to visit all that this country has to offer. Some useful things I found out about Malta on the spot: the national currency is Euro, they implement the right-hand drive system, stores close at approximately 19:00, and they are excellent, innate English-speakers. One of the first things that tempted my eyes was the fact that each door front is painted in a particular colour and owns a peculiar door knob – ranging from dolphins and foxes to ancient gods, the diversity and amazing craftsmanship of the Maltese door knobs astounded me. You can easily breathe in and out history throughout the narrow steep streets of Valletta and Mdina citadels. Serving a hot cup of tea in the Upper Barrakka Gardens of Valletta while I sat and watched the sun set over translucent clouds covered in mellow violets and pinks was a moment of true serenity. The appealing Mdina allures visitors with its honey-coloured bricks equally caressed by sunlight and moonlight, its intricate labyrinths and well-preserved buildings. Since the sea and the sand are considered to be therapy for most of us, I strongly recommend taking along a good book, sunscreen and a blanket to sit on the sandy Maltese beaches (Ghajn Tuffieha, Golden Bay), and enjoy moments of profound relaxation. Sightseeing in Malta may become very interesting – visitors witness directly impressive nature-shaped landforms (the beautiful Dingli Cliffs and their panoramic walk, Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park, the Buskett Gardens, St. Peter’s Natural Pool). Travelling to the other islands of Malta is rather simple and not expensive. The trip from Cirkewwa to Mgarr port in Gozo takes about 40 minutes on a big ferry. The island of Gozo is a smaller replica of Malta, but chicer, cozier. One day is enough to reach this island’s main objectives. There are a few novel things to do on Gozo such as: visiting archeological sites dating back to 3600 B.C. (Ggantija Temple), exploring the unique Azure Window, discovering the Dahlet Qorrot bay, indulging in a bit of sun on Ramla Bay’s beach before reaching the mysterious Calypso Cave; for a scrumptious dinner in a tiny saucy place, followed by a comforting walk around the old city of Rabat (Victoria) in Gozo, my suggestion would be Café Jubilee. During wintertime, ferries from Cirkewwa to the island of Comino are not available. On December 31st, I was lucky to spend 4 beautiful hours on the small island of Comino (3 square kilometers) thanks to a Luzzu Cruises boat (leaving point: Sliema). This island’s main attractions are the amazing Blue Lagoon, the Crystal Lagoon and the famous caves consequently carved by the sea. The even smaller uninhabited island of Cominotto lies just opposite from Comino. A retreat in a secluded piece of paradise. Some tasty restaurants which confronted me with Maltese cuisine and not only and which I really enjoyed are: Omerta Trattoria and Wine Bar (Valletta), Bacchus Restaurant (Mdina), The Cliffs (near Dingli Cliffs), Hard Rock Café (Valletta Waterfront), StrEat Whisky and Bistro (Valletta). In the end of my trip to Malta, I reflected over what would the new year bring closer to me and savoured a good coffee in the Valletta Waterfront, glancing at neat and clean boats floating under the sun like white daisies wafting along a blue liquid plain, imagining long opulent princess dresses gently fondling Valletta’s old pavements…
0 Comments
|