9:50am - Just got back from the Bomb shelter (after a diversion to pick up a couple big bottles of cold water from the Home Made store). I was the first visitor to the shelter this morning (and the only one there at the time), which only served to add to the frankly chilling experience of walking along the roughly hewn tunnels with their uneven floors and ceilings and the tiny cubicle-like dugout rooms on either side of the main corridor. Adding to the sense of unease in the place were the audio recordings of children crying, bombs dropping and exploding and a priest reciting prayers. There were also numerous mannequins in period costume, which were very creepy. The full complex is over 500 metres in length, all of it dug by hand, but only the middle third is open to the public. Still what I saw was enough to leave a very vivid impression. I've been in the Underground Hospital in Jersey before now, but this was a far more evocative portrayal of wartime hardship.
Mellieha Church Complex. Much of the Bomb Shelter is dug out of the rock underneath these couple churches. Malta is the most devoutly catholic country in the world, and there are several examples from WW2 of bombs hitting churches and not exploding!Malta was the heaviest bombed country in World War 2, with over 3,300 air raid alerts in the course of the four years that the island was bombed for (one February saw 283 alerts alone, more than 10 a day!). Over 17,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on Malta by the Italian air force and the Luftwaffe, killing over 2000 people and destroying or damaging more than 55,000 buildings! No wonder the country as a whole was awarded the St. George Cross, the only nation ever to receive it (and they are VERY proud of that fact!) I'm in the mood for something more upbeat now after that, so I'm pool bound for the next few hours at least.
3:05pm - Just finished reading the first book I brought with me whilst sat out on my balcony with a couple ham & cheese sald rolls and a big bottle of cold Fanta. I've spent many hours by the pool today and will be heading back there in a little while. It's been fun watching & teaching a couple english kids. they started trying to copy me when I swim the pools width underwater, so I've been giving them a few pointers. The girl (Charmaine) has the general idea, but her brother is only swimming barely under the surface so he makes more splash than anything and cannot get further than half way across as a result.
I've also been chatting to a nice English couple who were on the same flight (and indeed the exact same holiday) as me. They only booked their holiday on Monday night, and I thought my booking was last minute! They are from near Exeter, but I forgot to ask what their names were!
8:40pm - Well a day has been duly spent by the pool, both swimming and reading. Had to leave there at 5pm as they were setting up for a BBQ with a live jazz band. The BBQ would have interested me, but not if I had to suffer a jazz band at the same time. So I headed back to my room, got changed and set out to get dinner. I fancied steak tonight but I couldn't find a good restaurant that does any steak that I wanted to eat. I did find one that did steak in a blue cheese and anchovy sauce though, which is arguably the most revolting sounding dish I've ever heard of. So I went into a small supermarket at the top of the hill intead and got myself a box of Oreo cookies (dipped in white chocolate no less) and a couple chicken and mushroom pies.
I've been sat on my balcony eating one of the pies and some of the cookies, whilst reading my second book for the past couple hours, my peace and quiet only disturbed every now and then by people heading down the lane underneath me towards Gorg Borg Olivier Street (where most of the restaurants and pubs are).
I ache from swimming so much today, so I've decided that a long soak in the bath would do me some good. A shame I didn't think to bring any of my muscle relaxant bubble bath with me really, but I'm sure plenty of hot water will do wonders none the less.
10:30pm - I had bathed and I was in bed for an early night, but it seems the Bar 120 (which is two floors down) has live music tonight, which I can clearly hear even with the balcony doors shut. It sounds like they are doing covers of classic rock tunes. Since it's not likely I can get to sleep with that noise going on, I'm half tempted to get dressed and go down there for a drink or two.
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