for my dad it was a special week having been based there for 2 years in the early 60's. We visited his old haunts in Sliema and valletta, including the 'gut'. He just stood there shaking his head and said, 'The old matlocks would turn in their graves if they saw this' Well I know where he was coming from, it looked bleak to put it mildly, as can be seen here.
We visited Marshall Court in Sliema where he had married quarters, of course, we took pictures, much to the amusement of a passing motorist who asked, 'Do you like this area? it's not really a tourist place you know'
My dad then explained at great length about his posting, the time he lived there and so on, I bet the guy was sorry he spoke!
Inside, my dad commented that the post boxes for the various flats were the very same ones that had been there in 1961. So he did the obligatory pose, pretending to collect his mail while I took this picture.
Although we had a car for the week (much needed) we did have a trip to Valletta on one of the old buses, and I can report (see the topic relating to the old buses being sold off) that many of them are very much in service!
Never in my life has my backside been so numb! A great experience though, all for 20 cents too.
As has been said elsewhere, we stayed in the village of Naxxar. The property that we rented was an old farmhouse and looked nothing from the outside, but inside was huge! A fantastic old place, although sadly let down by the finish somewhat.
The inside was amazing and just seemed to go on for ever, this picture is just of the 'lounge' area, and hardly does justice to the character of the place.
As you can see from the picture of the front of the house, it looks like a small domestic residence, but at the back we discovered this wonderful sunny area complete with pool.
We clocked up 250 miles during the week, which isn't bad for a small island!
For all the mileage though, we didn't see many of the places that we had short listed. We did see a lot of Valletta, Sliema, Paradise bay, (a bit of a misnomer in my humble opinion) Millieha bay, golden bay, anchor bay, Popeyes village et al. Also we got to Rabat and Mdina, the church there is amazing.
Sunday we headed for Marsaxlokk and took in the market, which was a bit too cramped for my liking but the women in our group seemed to enjoy it!
We saw many more places including St Pauls bay, St Julians, Marsa, hamrun, and more.
And on our last day, we got the ferry to Gozo, shopped in Victoria, swam in the inland sea, then on to the Gozo glass making factory before heading for Marsalforn, then on to Ramla bay and it's golden sands, before heading back for the ferry.
By tuesday morning, we were ready for the plane home, if only for a rest! We could have done with 2 weeks to see all that we intended, but we had a great time, and I'd recommend it to anyone. All i would say is, go with an open mind. It's not about loving it or hating it, just don't go expecting the Costa Del Sol, and explore! You'll love it!
