A Week in Malta

by David Whiting

[Note: This article is one of the older ones in the Travel SIG archive - 18 years now, but we haven't had many contributions on Malta].

Tuesday - after departing from warm and sunny London, we arrived at dusk - cold, wet, windy! Our self-catering apartment in St Julians, about 20 minutes drive from the airport, was well furnished, but there was no food or drink; fortunately, we had brought some with us - the shops were already shut.

Wednesday - weather was still cold, wet and windy. Still, we were determined to make the most of it. We caught a bus into Valletta, the capital of the island. Many of the local buses are really ancient, up to 60 years old, and we saw several broken-down buses during our stay - although all the buses we took arrived safely! Fares are cheap, but there are no doors, just gaps. Our buses took us along the coast road and waves were crashing over the rocks and beaches. So, occasionally, those sitting opposite the doorways received a soaking!

Valletta is the most heavily fortified town in Europe, with many forts and walls along its coast - it is the largest natural harbour in the Mediterranean. It was made the capital of Malta in 1565 and most of its streets are built on a grid system, although several are very steep. We visited St John's Co-Cathedral (which shares cathedral status with the main church in Mdina, former capital of Malta). It was built in 1577. Its plain exterior hides a richly decorated interior - every square centimetre of the walls, floor and ceiling is decorated with high reliefs, carvings etc. and tombstones on the floor bear knights' coats of arms and trophies. The cathedral museum contains magnificent 17th century tapestries, vestments and hymnbooks. Then we visited the 18-19th century baroque St Paul's Shipwrecked Church, dedicated to the saint who was shipwrecked off the island in AD60. Its decorations are almost as fine as those of St John's Church.

In the early afternoon, it stopped raining and the sun was visible for a while. We went into the former Knights' Hospital, dating from 1575, when it was especially well equipped and could accommodate up to 2,000 patients; it now contains the Malta Experience, a film theatre which shows the history of the island since its first settlement in Neolithic times. Each person uses headphones and uses a dial to select the required language. After the film, it was cold, wet and windy again, so we took the next bus back to our apartment.

Thursday - warm and sunny - as we had expected in the first place! We caught a bus to Valletta, where we were fortunate to see Malta's mounted police - all seven of them -awaiting the arrival of the Canadian ambassador for an official visit. Then we took another bus to Mdina - which had been the capital due to its central location. It is also the highest point of the island, 700 metres above sea level. The name Mdina means "the city" and it was named by the Saracens in the 9th century. The Mdina Experience is a museum with numerous rooms through which you walk to observe life and customs in the island's and city's history.

We also went for a ride in a Karozzin, a horse-drawn carriage. We were taken first to the neighbouring town of Rabat to see St Paul's 16th century church, St Paul's Grotto, where the saint sheltered for three months after his shipwreck, and the town's catacombs. We visited a museum on the site of a Roman villa, containing fine mosaics and other Roman antiquities. Then we were taken back to Mdina to visit the Co-Cathedral, built between 1697-1702. Together with its Cathedral Museum, it was very similar to the Co-Cathedral in Valletta. From its ancient city walls, there are magnificent panoramic views over most of the island. Before we left the city, we stopped at the Mdina Dungeons, a museum of torture and imprisonment from old times - extremely gory in places.

Friday - We took the season's first excursion to Sicily - a long day, beginning at 5.00am and ending at around 1.00am the following morning. We travelled there by catamaran from Valletta to Pozzalo, a journey of a little more than two hours. Local coaches took us into Pozzalo town for breakfast then through the attractive Sicilian countryside, past fruit trees (oranges, lemons, carobs, olives, almonds). The main purpose of the excursion was to visit Mount Etna, Europe's highest active volcano at 3,340 metres - we ascended to 2,000 metres. Snow had fallen earlier that week and was still deep in places yet, in other places, the lava was still warm from the last eruption a few year ago. We could see some houses which had been almost totally buried by lava and others which had survived by a miracle.

Saturday - we hired a car and drove along the coast westwards to travel on the midday ferry to Gozo, the second largest of the five Maltese islands. All roads lead to and from the island's capital, Victoria, and nowhere on the island is more than about ten minutes' drive from it. We first visited the Citadel, the old fortified centre of Victoria, which still contains some ruins abandoned since it was destroyed by the Turks in the 16th century. The cathedral, built between 1697-1711, is less decorated than those on the main island. Victoria has magnificent panoramic views over the island.

Leaving Victoria, we went in search of a sandy beach. First we tried Xlendi, but the beach is only a tiny strip of sand, so we crossed the island and soaked up some sun at Ramla Bay, where there were just a few other people. Three or four were swimming in the sea, but it was almost too cold for us to paddle in! We drove back by way of the Neolithic Ggantija Temples, circular temples with walls made of huge blocks of stone almost intact, dating from around 2,800BC.The people of Malta are quite friendly, but the Gozitans are so hospitable that, if they are expecting guests but have to go out, they leave their keys in the doors! Maltese petrol stations close at 6.OOpm on Saturdays and remain closed all day on Sundays, so we made sure we had enough fuel for Sunday before we left Gozo.

Sunday - we drove east to Marsaxlokk, Malta's largest fishing village. Napoleon's troops landed here in 1798. It has a large colourful market, selling mainly fresh fish and vegetables. The market is only really for Maltese people, but it's very picturesque. Leaving Marsaxlokk, we followed the coast south and west to Wied Iz-Zurrieq to visit the famous Blue Grotto by boat. There are short trips along the coast, in and out of several caves, giving wonderful views of the cliffs. The main cave is called the Blue Grotto because of the way underwater rocks catch the sunlight. Visit the caves in the morning when the sunlight enters them directly.

Near the Blue Grotto is the Hagar Qim Neolithic site, larger than that on Gozo. The temples are much more extensive and it is possible to imagine life in pagan times 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. We returned via Mosta, famous for its huge unsupported dome of St Mary's church, built 1833-1860. It is not as highly decorated as the other large churches we visited, but the size of its dome and proportions were most impressive. A German bomb dropped through the roof in 1942, but it failed to explode; some people call it typically German (or, strictly speaking, Italian, as that was where it was manufactured); others call it a miracle.

Monday - we returned our hire car and went on an excursion called Above and Below. In the morning we boarded a boat at Sliema and cruised around the various harbours and creeks of Valletta. We could see many of the capital's forts and docks during this 90 minute cruise, with a commentary on the places of special interest. After lunch (a big dinner in a smart hotel, although we weren't very hungry!), we boarded a second boat. This one had glass sides below sea level to view the underwater sights off the coast. There is little to see - just a few plants, some rather small fish and some sand.

Tuesday - we caught a local bus to Golden Bay on the west bay of Malta, where we had booked a short horse-riding session along the coast, away from the roads (and potholes!), among the farms and tracks. There were some lovely views along the cliffs and over the sandy bays we passed. The one thing we did not enjoy seeing was the large number of tiny cages used by local people to trap little birds - we felt they were cruel and unnecessary. On reflection, our week in Malta was very enjoyable - not too hectic. You can do things at your own pace - relax and do nothing, or see the sights during the day and go to clubs or casinos at night.

First published in VISA issue 26 (autumn 1997).

Malta in Winter

by Lynda Penhallow

Malta is the perfect place to visit for some much-needed sun during the British winter months. Around four hours by air from the UK, it is a bilingual country; the Maltese are friendly and happy to speak English.

The first time that we visited the island was because a friend invited us to join him and his wife on a half-board holiday which he had seen advertised in the Sunday newspaper offered at a price that was ‘too good to believe’. As we had never been to Malta before we were willing to give it a try. We should have known that you always get what you pay for! The holiday was based at Bugibba which is a holiday complex situated on a peninsula towards the top of the north-eastern side of the island. If they had tried hard I don’t think they couldn’t have produced a more unpleasant looking place on what is generally a beautiful island. Stark grey back-to-back hotels and huge apartment blocks are cheap accommodation and dominate the area. At the time we visited, the hotels were largely full of British pensioners enjoying the winter in a warmer climate. The deals offered at the hotels are very attractive and free weeks are thrown in to keep the places busy out of season. In the summer, we were told, the youngsters move in to enjoy the huge amount of bars and the karaoke.

Eager to mix with the locals, we hired an old red Jeep and explored the island. There is a joke that Maltese don’t drive on the left or the right side of the road but ‘in the shade’, Certainly the driving that we witnessed was at times uniquely Mediterranean! We were also amazed at the age of some of the cars and the ingenuity used to keep them going. What we saw on that trip made us determined to go back, but to make sure that we avoided the tourist complexes.

 We have been back twice since and both times have stayed at Sliema, wealthy and urban it has a mixture of Maltese residents and holidaymakers. We stayed in different hotels, but both were right on the seafront facing the Mediterranean. The hotels are quite basic but comfortable, reasonably priced and are in perfect locations. Along the promenade there are plenty of places to enjoy very good food. Our favourite was on the Triq il-Kbira walking towards St Julian’s Bay where it is possible to eat either inside or outside, both overlooking the sea. At night the floodlights attract the fish and it is very pleasant and relaxing – especially with a bottle of Maltese red wine.

Sliema is close to Malta’s capital city Valletta and there is a choice of using the famous yellow buses or the water ferries to reach the city. A ride on a Maltese bus is always an event as half the buses have no doors, the seats on most are past their best and they can get very overcrowded. Often they sound as if they are struggling to move at all! They are decorated with religious shrines and rosary beads but are very cheap and surprisingly reliable and get you around the island - albeit slowly.

Once, we decided to walk around the bay from Sliema to Valletta and, while cutting across a piece of common wooded land, we came across a ‘bird hunter/catcher’. We had read that they don’t like to be disturbed and can become very upset if approached, so we glued our eyes to the ground and managed to walk past without displaying any interest.

On our recent holiday I had taken a book The Great Siege of Malta 1565 by Ernle Bradford, which I would recommend to anybody interested in the history of Malta and the Crusaders. It was quite an experience to sit on the hotel balcony overlooking the bay where the events that I was reading about had taken place. Briefly, the Turks had captured a number of Crusader Knights and beheaded them. They nailed their decapitated bodies to wooden crosses and floated them across the Grand Harbour towards the Crusader camp. In retaliation the Crusaders had their Turkish prisoners beheaded and they fired the heads out of cannons back across the bay towards the Turks. Today the bay is beautiful, peaceful and the buildings almost glow golden in the sunlight but, as the forts still exist, it isn’t hard to imagine the cruelty of those events.

Our trips were ten years apart and we were very surprised when we returned in January this year to see the difference that Malta’s entry into the EU has made to life there. Most of the change is positive but, whereas previously we were free to explore all the old military forts and properties, this time we found them all fenced off and out of bounds, some in the name of ‘health and safety’. Definite action has been taken to try and stop the bird hunting, the Maltese lira has been replaced with the Euro and a huge amount of new building is taking place. The previous problem with stray cats also seems to be well in hand now and we didn’t see anywhere near the number of battered-looking, uncared-for kittens that we had witnessed on previous visits. Volunteers have built little houses for the cats in the parks and regular food is left for them. It looks as if there has been a very successful neutering programme. The most striking change was the way that some of the ancient monuments have been treated with EU intervention. Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples are the best example of this. Built and in use over a period between 3600 – 2500 BC, they stand within roughly half a mile of each other. One temple stands on higher ground and looks down towards the second. They are situated on the cliffs overlooking the sea and on our first visit the isolated setting, sun, warm winds, bird song and the scent of thyme made it an unforgettable experience. On our first visit, we walked to see them along a track and paid our small entrance fee to a man reading a book in a hut. He took our money and left us to wander around the Temple complex freely, as the only people there. It was possible to enter all the chambers, see the altars and carvings at close quarters and ‘feel’ the spirit of the place. It was such an awe-inspiring site that it had been respected by visitors. We returned this year full of anticipation, only to find that a huge grey visitor centre and café had been erected and that people were being brought to visit in coaches. Each temple now has a dome built right over the top of it. All the areas are roped off and it is only possible to walk around the outside and straight through the middle of the temples. The natural setting and lighting has been destroyed and the wonderful atmosphere has completely gone. Whilst I fully understand that they are doing this to conserve the structures, I couldn’t help but think that they have been standing there for over 5000 years in splendid isolation and, left alone, could have continued. To turn them into a tourist attraction must be helping to create the problem that they are trying to prevent. There are plans to look into alternatives to the domes so I will watch with interest to see what they do next.

Not far from the Temples is the Blue Grotto and I would recommend taking the boat trip. The Grotto and the water colour on the day when we visited were absolutely beautiful and it is one of those things that have to be seen as photos just don’t do it justice.
The other area undergoing change within the next year or so is that Arriva are taking over the transport network and the famous coughing yellow buses will disappear. At the end of January 2011, contractors were cutting down the old trees at the bus station in Valetta in preparation for the change as the buses being brought in are bigger.

A 'hidden' garden in Valetta

Valletta has been designated as a World Heritage City and there is certainly plenty to visit catering for all tastes within easy walking distance and a choice of places with beautiful views to stop for a meal or a coffee. The Café Cordina is one of our favourite places to ‘people watch’ and the cakes and pastries are delicious. Just across the square from the café, there is a musical fountain which often danced to classical music for no apparent reason! We found some very pretty ‘hidden’ gardens in the city to explore and a path that seems to be little used running right under the St Elmo’s Fort next to the sea for a nice evening stroll.

A very pleasant afternoon can be spent exploring the ‘three cities’, Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, which are across the bay from Valletta and easily reached by bus. The Inquisitors Palace in Vittoriosa is a Baroque building that was used for the Inquisition from 1574 – 1798. The original building was erected by the Knights around 1530 and their courtyard is still intact. These days the tourists are drawn by the history of the Inquisitors and we found the old prison cells and their graffiti extremely interesting. The room where the inquisition took place was designed to intimidate. The Inquisitor sat on his huge throne facing a door that was built to half size to make sure that, when the prisoner was pushed through, he had to bow low on entry into the room and so appeared to be paying respect to the Inquisitor. He was then made to squat on a stool in front of the grand throne and, from this lowly position attempt, to defend himself. The large room had only the throne, the stool and a desk for the recorder to take down the questions and answers. After spending time in the damp, dark prison cells waiting for the trial, it must have been very hard to give a good account of yourself in those circumstances. 

Valletta is also where Oliver Reed died while making the film Gladiator. He was drinking in a bar ‘Le Pub’ and there is a little shrine to him with newspaper articles and photos in the corner where he used to sit. There is only one toilet upstairs in Le Pub and it is covered in graffiti to the memory of Mr Reed. On the subject of films, the set of the 1980 film Popeye still exists at Mellieha. It was developed after the filming finished becoming a tourist attraction and, although we enjoyed our visit, it is tired now and gets mixed reviews, depending on expectations and on the staff available on the day. It isn’t a theme park, but is a good place to visit with children who like playing with water. Mellieah Bay itself has a sandy beach and very shallow water for a considerable distance from the shore making it an ideal spot for paddling.

The walled town of Mdina, The Silent City, is considered one of Malta’s highlights and there are enough places to visit to easily take up a day. If you arrive by bus the city is an imposing sight constructed on the top of a hill. Founded by the Phoenicians, inhabited by the Romans and the Knights, it is small, with very narrow streets and few cars. For us, any visit to Mdina is not complete without a climb to the Fontanella Tea Rooms. Built into one corner of the fortification’s parapet, the tea rooms have an outside area with wide views right over the countryside back to the sea. We haven’t found a better location to sit and enjoy a coffee and choose from a large selection of delicious wedges of cakes.

If you have the opportunity and the time I would recommend a visit to Gozo. The ferries run regularly throughout the year and like Malta there is a bus network that will take you to see the historic sights and the incredibly beautiful steep cliffs near Xlendi. We went over on the spur of the moment in the red Jeep for a short visit, but I definitely will be going back one day for a longer stay. In short, Malta is the ideal place for walking, sightseeing or just relaxing with the friendly locals.

First published in VISA 99 (Oct 2011)