This is our first time in Malta. I was told by various people I would either love it or hate it but I was a bit I between. We visited in August which was a big mistake as it is the hottest and busiest month. We stayed in an apartment in St Julians which was another mistake as we thought it would be fine not having a pool, we were wrong.
We decided to explore. The easiest way of doing this is by bus for a few reasons. The driving is a bit mad and busy and there was no where nearby to park a hired car,so the bus it was. We purchased a weekly bus pass for €12 each, this gave us unlimited travel on all buses. The normal single fare is €1.50 but this ticket can be used again and again within a three hour time frame. This proved to be useful to us during our second week when we only had occasional bus trips as to go to most places we had to get the bus to the large bus station in Valetta and then get another one.
The buses are all single decker and air conditioned which was wonderful. They were also very busy and it was not always possible to sit down for the whole journey.
We could walk along the seafront which is thankfully flat into Sliema passing many restaurants along the way as well as a few swimming pools which were attached to restaurants or swimming clubs. For €12 euro you could use the pool and sun beds all day but it did get very busy in the afternoon and that’s when I turned into Mrs Grumpy. Does no one teach their children that it’s rude to jump in the pool front of someone when they’re swimming? I despair!
Back in St Julians again and one of the things I have noticed is there are cranes everywhere, I’m surrounded by them. Not the feathered kind I’m afraid but ugly steel industrial cranes. In fact if I stood at the seafront outside our apartment and turned 360 deg I can count about 12 cranes. Which goes to prove how much building work is still going on. Or perhaps they just can’t be bothered removing them.
After spending many days gazing out from the balcony I spotted a little piece of history on the other side of the harbour. We were told that some of the restaurants here are in what used to be boathouses or boatyards and some have kept the original doors. I spotted what looks like the front of a mini castle right in the middle of modern buildings. I have enlarged the photo so you can see. The tall building on the left is an office block and the tallest in Malta.
There is a piece of artwork at the corner of the harbour. It’s an upside down LOVE sign. I didn’t know the reason why it was upside down until I came home but they say you have to look at its reflection in the water and will see it the right way up. Now the sea isn’t always calm and there are ripples and other boats tied up there and you can’t always see the letters, but they say you can’t always see love,it’s always there but sometimes you can’t spot it if the sea isn’t calm enough. Altogether now…aweeee!!!!
The railings and bollards near the sign are covered in padlocks, put there by young lovers who then throw the key in the sea so that no one can’t unlock the padlock and they’ll always be in love….I know! You’ll be in tears soon.
We did so much on our holiday,I loved Valetta and the Midina and will do another review on that. Malta on the whole was too busy for me and too built up but I’m glad it’s another country I have visited.
