Mark and I were trying to figure out where to go for Easter weekend. We had so many ideas: Rome? Greece? Paris? Barcelona? There are just so many choices! So when Mark looked at prices for flights out of Marseille on Easter weekend, we found a very interesting option... Malta. The flight was short and inexpensive. As a bonus for Mark, the Maltese speak English! We had never heard about the island before, so I had my mom send me info from the travel agency, and it seemed great - medieval towns, beautiful water and beaches, and of course - English.
The first adventure on our trip was our flight - our first time flying on RyanAir. Boarding was similar to Southwest Airlines, however not quite as organized. Once we were herded onto the plane, I was blinded by the bright yellow overhead compartments. While Mark and I tried to watch a movie during the flight, we were continually interrupted by various "advertisements" for food & drinks, souvenirs, and even lottery tickets! It was surely a new experience for us both.
It was about 11pm when we arrived at our little hotel. We decided to go out for a quick drink and found a few interesting little places: a pub called Muddy Waters playing American rock music, a pub owned by a Norwegian man with no teeth, and eventually a Karaoke bar. The last of the three was the biggest mistake because by that point I thought it would be a great idea to sing Karaoke. Not only sing Karaoke, but sing Baby Got Back. It was an awful mess. So awful that we left immediately after my fabulous performance. Luckily I will never see those people again, and I learned that Baby Got Back is for dancing only... not "singing".
Saturday was our day for the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour through the northern side of Malta. It was time to finally learn a little more about this new and impressive island. Here are a few details for those of you who are not familiar with Malta:
Malta has been inhabited since 5200 BC, originally by the African country of Carthage. Later came the arrival of the Phoenicians and the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabians, the Kingdom of Sicily, the Knights of St. John, the French and finally the British. In 1964 Malta became an independent state, and in 1979 the last of the British forces left the island, leaving Malta as a free nation which became a member of the European Union in 2004.
For more details, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Malta
What I enjoyed most about Malta was how many of the medieval towns still had the buildings from the times when the island was inhabited by the Knights of St. John, better known as the Knights of Malta. As hospitallers, one of their main tasks was to provide medical assistance, and even today the eight-pointed cross is still in wide use in ambulances and first aid organisations. The Knights Hospital is also one of the main attractions on the island.
Our first Hop Off was in the former capital, Medina. It was an adorable walled-in village located in the center of the island. Mark and I took some time to walk through and admire the beautiful buildings and churches, a great view of the entire island, and a visit to the stocks and pillaries. We rode past the Golden Bay, a beach that we would visit later in our trip, and hopped off in a town called Buggiba. We enjoyed a nice little lunch on the coast, surrounded by a bunch of British people sitting at the outdoor tables in the restaurant with no shirts on... I guess the Britts need to soak in as much sun as they can when they can.
Dinner on Saturday night was at a restaurant called Malata which had been recommended to us by a couple we know in Aix. They told us that it was a fabulous French restaurant in St. George's Square within the capital, Valletta. Mark and I figured it would be nice to treat ourselves to one really nice night out. When we arrived at the restaurant, we found it to be such a charming place, situated like a cave below the square. We enjoyed some wonderful Maltese wine while waiting for a table. Upon looking at the menu, my jaw dropped at the prices. We were both expecting to stretch a little on the evening, but this was beyond expectations. The prices in the fabulous restuarant were cheaper than most places in Aix! Chateau Briande was only 23 euros/person... and since that is what we were recommended to order, we did. I cannot even describe how fantastic that dinner was. The Chateau Briande just melted in my mouth, it was so delicious! We could not have asked for a better meal.
On Easter Sunday, Mark and I took a boat tour through the Grand Harbor around Sliema, Mancel Island, and Valletta. We saw many of the famous buildings created by the Knights of Malta (Fort St. Elmo, Fort St. Angelo, the Knights Hospital) and other interesting sights like The Black Pearl (Popeye's boat), a watch tower created by the French with eyes and ears engraved on the top (to remind people to keep their eyes and ears open at all times), and a yacht that costs 25,000 euros/person to rent for one week! Following the boat tour, we walked through the town of Valletta. Although most things were closed for the holiday, we were still able to enjoy lunch in one of the squares and visit St. Paul's Cathedral. Upon leaving the Cathedral, the gentlemen attending the collection plate looked at Mark and asked what his shirt meant (it was a Blackhawks shirt, of course). When Mark told him that it was a Native American, the man remarked that he thought it looked like George Bush... well... okay?
After another long day of sightseeing, Mark and I thought we'd try to relax and pay a visit to the hot tub at our hotel only to discover that the hot tub was not so hot. Instead, we enjoyed a giant caraffe of wine on our balcony. Since our dinner Saturday night wasn't as pricey as we thought it would be, we tried another really nice restaurant in Spinola Bay. Mark went all out and ordered a pizza, while I tried my hand at the fish of the day: sea bass. One great thing about living in Europe is that we've been eating a lot more fish. And with my acceptance of trying new food, eating a fish served whole seemed like a good next step (plus the additional glasses of wine always seem to help). When dinner was served, I kindly asked the waiter to explain to me how I was supposed to cut the fish. I thought I had done a pretty decent job for my first time eating an entire fish (I only got a few bones in my mouth), and I am so glad I gave the experience a try because the fish was, of course, delicious!
Dinner was followed by the random idea to visit the casino. Sure, we left Las Vegas to get away from casinos, but why not visit one in Malta? As it turns out, not such a bad idea. Mark won a few hundred euros playing Roulette! Our celebration brought us back to Muddy Waters where we continued to enjoy the evening with American rock music and a few drunk dial phone calls to our siblings (in France and in the States). Needless to say, it wasn't a typical Easter Sunday, but it is one we will never forget.
Monday was supposed to be our all-day boat tour through the Blue Lagoons. Sadly, the wind was too strong, making the waters too rough, and our boat tour was cancelled. Instead, we took the public transportation bus (which looks like a bus from the 70's) to Golden Bay for lunch and a relaxing afternoon at the beach. It ended up being the perfect way to wind down at the end of our trip.
Although Mark and I were both disappointed about the cancelled tour to the Blue Lagoon, it was still a wonderful trip. I'm delighted that we were able to learn about this island which contains such rich history.
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