Sunflower Qawra

We arrived this morning, everyone on the top deck to witness our entry into port. It was so windy up top that one almost fell over. I enjoyed playing Winged Victory while watching the coastline.
The harbor is fantastic, ancient fortified walls, forts, escarpments, limestone, cobblestones, towers, ships. The colors hurt the eye they are so brilliant. From the sea to the sky to the boats and wooden ...

I've just popped over to Malta for a day & a bit (as you do!) to say a quick hello / goodbye to my parents (and bring them lots of goodies over for the last time in a while).

The weather is a little warmer than the UK, but not as warm as it's going to be in a week's time (ha ha ha).

Anyway, I'll keep this blog short so ciao for now!

Anita x

... price realized that had we walked out of the port gates we could have got a taxi and guide for a lot cheaper. Being kiwi’s we hate that feeling of being ripped!!! We visited a beautiful town called Sidi Bou Said, again painted blue and white with the most amazing patterned and painted doors we have ever seen. Tunis consists of the most colourful merchandise, fragrances from the aromatic essences, pretty sparkles from the beaten silver, and ...

... without her. She speaks no English and I’m starting to envision the scenario when she is left behind. She didn’t want to come with us because she was tired after the Montserrat tour and she was already mad at Juju for bringing her. I run back to the cathedral where Juju last saw her and I come back without finding her. Somehow she just shows up a few minutes later. Later we head to a museum and into a theater to hear ...

... well in advance as the number of visitors is limited. Anyway, I had a nice walk thru the winding streets to find the Tarxien temple. It is a small complex, still being excavated and renovated but provides a good glimpse of days gone by. I just could not believe what happened to me there. I was waiting for a man to move out of my shot at the entrance of the temple (you know me, no one in the photos please), and I'm ...

... and rolled and cooked in a tomato sauce. It was served with boiled potatoes, peas and carrots and was great. Back for a nightcap at the hotel and ready for my last full day on Malta. Monday I got the bus to Valletta, the walled capital city to wander the stone streets for the day. Once I got there I realized my mistake. Carnival prior to Lent (Mardi Gras) is huge here and today is the grand finale prior to Fat Tuesday. The streets were absolutely packed with people ...

... g nem sikerült kiismernem. Se a gozoi kompét, se a buszokét. A komp elvileg egyszerű, mert a nyomtatott és a netes menetrend is ugyanazt írja. Úgy látszik ezt csak a komposok nem veszik figyelembe. Akkor is indulnak, amikor a menetrend írja, meg akkor is, amikor kedvük van a kettő között. Ha úgy gondolják, hogy sok utas gyűlt össze. A komp egyébként nagy és kényelmes. Kb. 100 autó fér rá és 600 utas. Van könyvesbolt, büfé, napozóterasz, meg rendes fedélzet, de még ...

... we would call it a night. Well all hell was about to break loose! On the way to the car the heavens opened up and an absolute torrential rain storm hit Malta, and I mean torrential. By the time we got to the car it was as if all four of us had dived into a pool, we were soaked to the core. We could not stop laughing however (might have had something to do with the tequilas not sure!). So we pile into Michael's car and set off home. Not sure how much I have ...

On this Saturday we decided to visit Mdina, right in the centre of Malta. Mdina is the old capital of Malta, and the first of the fortified cities. I found Mdina like some place out of myth - a fortified city on a hill with a surrounding ditch, a large gate, and extremely narrow streets. The spectacular St Paul's Cathedral is the centrepiece. The saying is in Mdina that one can only see as far as one can shoot an arrow. We had a nice stroll ...

... full of high rises and European tourists, then Gozo is its Dahab counterpart. The smaller island has no skyscrapers and can be crossed in an hour. Its rocky coast is dramatic and the surrounding waters are a piercing turquoise. Getting there, though, is a bit more complicated. We hired another cab driver to take us to the ferry and he wasn't happy. Apparently this is a long and arduous journey, all thirty minutes of it, and he wasn't having a good day. He agreed ...