Topaz Bugibba

... lost. Things looked a lot different seven hours later and I had even written down landmarks to help me when I returned.

One of my references was a drugstore and would you believe I got off the bus right in front of it and didn't see it. So I wandered around and around and around looking for something vaguely familiar. Keep in mind Malta was already simmering and sweltering, and the hot sun was a good incentive for me to quickly find ...

... For those of you in the know, that British Airways 737 made our old ATRs look like luxury liners believe it or not.

Of course on EasyJet food and drink are for purchase but the offerings like hot sandwiches actually looked good and smelled good heating up in the oven. We got a "meal" for free on British and here is the offering...a wrap filled with shredded cheddar cheese, mayo, and a vinegary onion chutney. NASTY!! I eat most anything but couldn't ...

... br>Aber auch die vielen historischen Gebäude machen Malta wirklich attraktiv. Schließlich ist hier das vermutlich älteste Gebäude der Welt gefunden worden (Tarxien Tempel ca. 3250 v.Chr). Die Geschichte ist wirklich spannend und auf keien Fall langweilig. Den größten Einfluß auf das heutige Malta hatte auf jeden Fall die britische Kolonialzeit (1815-1964). Das fängt bei der Amtsprache an und geht über den Linksverkehr bis zum Frühstück (bääääh).

Und zum Schluß die vielen ...

Malta is beautiful. Everywhere you look, the Mediterranean sea is shining there, inviting you to take a dip. And when you're not being mesmerised by the beautiful blue waters, you're looking at the hundreds of historical sites and old, old buildings around the country. Not to mention the one church that Malta has for each of the 365 days of the year! It's hard to imagine how they can fit so much to do on to one tiny little island.

Not having been on a ...

... museum was that it was a working museum, it was a work in progress, it was not finished yet. In the first building there are display cases, and the main exhibits are set up in an orderly fashion with descriptions, but there are also miscellaneous parts laid under the planes and along the walls. Then if you go into the back room (and you can, there are even description panels), you can see several planes/parts of planes that they are currently restoring, as well as work tables ...

... our next stop - lunch. Around 2pm, in groups of 4, we boarded antique luxury cars (with a driver). Ours was a Rolls Royce. We were driven about 20 minutes away to yet another castle where lunch was to be served outside. Again, another beautiful place. They had another open bar, and little stations set up where Maltese people were showing food and other customs unique to Malta. We could all make our own bread or pastries, try our hand at ...

... my brothers. There was one of Jeff, Jamie and I with dad taken in 1975. I loved it. Around 4pm we went to a café in St Paul's Bay to meet up with a few more relatives that were unable to make lunch. Oh I forgot to mention that I was getting hassled for most of the day about my love life and any girls I had met on my trip so far. I naturally told them that nothing like that was going on at all. Mum would have been proud. Lillian and Joe drove me home at the end of what ...

... then filled it with the items they uncovered from the nearby dig site. You can walk through the villa and then out the back is where the dig site sits and you can see the remains that are being dug up for yourself. Two other sites I visited were ancient catacombs that were discovered as a sprawling series of caves and tunnels beneath the city, burial grounds of the place's inhabitants thousands of years ago and a limestone quarry site that depicts more recent history of Malta and ...

... but no dice. Al the other ways would cost even more and take way more time, so we had to drag ourselves out to the airport again, buy the tickets, and bus back to Valletta. First time I've ever paid for airplane tickets with a wad of cash, counted out several times to make sure it was right. 154.88 in Liri, which is around $450, for a tiny hop across around 200 km of water. Sigh. Well, at least we got the tickets and there won't be any major ...

... a bike. We hiked up to Ta`Pinu or something that looked like a monument to the cross. We basically walked straight up through a couple farmers fields. It almost looked like someone else had done the same. But it turned out there was a road going up to the place but it was on the other side of the mountain and right across from the Bastile. Ah well, it wasn't a bad hike. More when I have more internet time...