Topaz Bugibba

I've just popped over to Malta for a day &amp; 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).<br><br>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).<br><br>Anyway, I'll keep this blog short so ciao for now!<br><br>Anita x

... war, as a spit fire pilot. He was given money, a new set of clothes and the offer to immigrate when the war finished. He turned Australia down as he was scared of snakes and NZ down as he was scared of the 14000 sheep that existed at that time. He wanted to just stay in Malta and has remained there ever since. He really liked us because NZer's were allies in the war and just before we left told he did not like the Italians who fought beside the ...

... duped by the online descriptions that make the walk into the city sound rough.<br><br> Our tour guide is a dowdy English woman who is wearing a flower print dress and speaks with a breathlessly nasal English accent. &#8220;Thish ish a shtashtue of Shaint Jamesh, and-a&#8230;.&#8221; she speaks like this as we follow her along the cobblestone streets lined with stone buildings. Our first stop is the Upper Baracca Gardens, a ...

... excited to meet a real live pilot before. He shook my hand and just smiled and texted one of his friends. What a change from back home. His name is Andreas and I could tell he was excited to be starting a career in aviation. I started flying about his age, too and I remember back then when flying was still fun and not a job. <br><br>I also got to sit behind an elderly couple from the US and I have no clue how they happened upon the public ...

... everything. It's kind of like a European version of Kroger. They have wonderful things like Apple-Blackcurrant juice and jars of Nutella. There's also a fabulous cafe next to it called BR Guest that has great food and reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. This weekend has been so long. We've covered so much territory in such a short time. Friday we went to Golden Bay on the west side of the island. It was gorgeous. The sand is a yellow gold (hence Golden Bay) and ...

... islands. The top highlights of the trip: 1. MDINA: The small medival walled city of Mdina was easily one of our favorite little places in all of Europe to date. The traffic free, narrow alleys wound through the hill-top town and around into surprising courtyards and to walls overlooking the island all the way to the coast. We watched a bit of a local wedding, dined at a small wine bar on fondu and drank lots of Maltese wine. 2. VALLETTA: The capital city of ...

... is in a suburb called Gzira, which is situated just behind Sliema, in fact about 10 minutes walk from the hotel I was staying in. I appreciated the opportunity to live with a Maltese family in a traditional home for a time, as well as being able to take advantage of the familiarities of Sliema. Sister Christine called the house this evening and I spoke with her, I am going to visit her in the morning. A trip to Valletta and spending some time with her sounded like a great start to the day!

... 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 ...

... but of my entire trip so far. It was that good. In the afternoon we did some exploration around Valletta, taking a stroll along the south wall with spectacular views over Grand Harbour and Fort St Angelo. We sat down for a late lunch in Republic Street in a square, and were caught by surprise to see soldiers marching right along the street, and form a guard of honour outside the Grand Master's Palace. Next thing motorcades, horses, politicians, and ...

... see what I mean when you look at the photos. Tuesday 15th August - We were told that one hand luggage was allowed on and we think the restrictions were relaxed after all the problems we had from the terrorist plots. Electronics weren't allowed originally but had been told laptops and mobile phones and also cameras and mp3 players were now allowed so was ok but weren't taking chances so we put all of them in the luggage. Still weren't allowed any drinks or food ...