Malta Diary - Day Eight (1/8/06)

3:10am - The alarm clock went off on time and I'm now up, washed and dressed. I've checked over the room and not found anything that I haven't packed, that I need to take with me. I've filled out the hotels questionaire and left it on the table for housekeeping to find. All that is left to do now and haul myself and my bags to the lobby, pay my bill, check out and wait for the bus to show up.

6:05am Malta International Airport - Well the bill came to 21Lm which is actually less than I thought it would be, so that was a relief. I had a relaxing (if somewhat hot and stuffy) ride in a big touring coach to the airport and I am now sat at Gate 8 in the Departure Lounge waiting to board Flight KM 5214 to Exeter. The flight is at 7am, so I've got a little while yet. I've bought a few items from the duty free shops, namely a big bag of Wine Gums (I love Wine Gums), and also a litre bottle of Blue Label Smirnoff Vodka which is 50% proof (the version you can buy in the UK is the same price but you only get 70cls and it is 45%).

I have also bought a better present for Mum than the candle I found, as she collects miniature model houses, I got her a Maltese Watchtower (as she doesn't have any castles or the like). There is quite a range of shops here and a Hard Rock Cafe too. Certainly a much better quality airport than Exeter, although Gatwick is far more impressive still.

11:00am Home - My good friend Richard Adams was waiting for me at Exeter Airport to give me a lift home, for which I am very grateful. It was good to see a familiar face. The drive home was relaxing, with only one odd occurence near the airport when for a minute at most we drove through torrential rain, which vanished as fast as it had appeared. Very strange. I'll leave the unpacking until later, as I have a couple parcels at the Sorting Office across town to go and collect.

All in all it has been a good week, and I now have a lot to think on. I want to go on holiday again and a lot sooner than the 8 year gap between this past week and the last time before that I had gone abroad (a weekend to Denmark in summer 1998). I think Malta was a good choice of vacation, and I'd be looking for something similar next time, a blend of sun and sightseeing. Somewhere like Crete or Italy...

Malta Diary - Day Seven (31/7/.06)

9:00am - I've allowed myself to sleep in late this morning (but not so late that I can't get breakfast). So it's off to Les Jardins to enjoy for the last time the incredible selection of breakfast foods availiable on their buffet. I've eaten very well this past week, think I'll go for cold meats, cheese and bread this morning.

10:20am - I've had breakfast and done some shopping. Bought a big bottle of cold water for the poolside, a couple big bottles of Kinnie to take home with me as well as a truly lovely candle which I think Mum might like. I've got to head to the pool now as the housekeeping lady is here.

2:35pm - I think that is enough pool for today. I'm tired from all the swimming and my brain aches from all the reading I've done as I've just finished the trilogy that I brought with me. So I've come back to my room to chill out for a while while watching music videos. Might take a nap thinking about it, seeing as I've got to get up at 3am tomorrow and I know myself well enough to know that I'll likely get no sleep tonight.

7:15pm - I feel fantastic after several hours of naptime. I'm about to head out to dinner now as I need food (didn't have much in the way of lunch) and then I'll visit the cyber cafe before coming back here and packing my things.

11:05pm - I'm watching Shakira shake her stuff on MTV as I write this. I had dinner at the Al Ponte at my favourite table again. Treated myself to a bottle of Rose Wine and I had the Irish Rib Eye Steak again. I was joined there not long after I'd finished my main course (and was trying to get the waitresses attention for the dessert menu) by Chris & Rachel. It was nice to have people to talk too for a while. Was a good evening all in all, and I chatted with them as I enjoyed a Fresh Sensation dessert (2 scoops of lemon sorbet, drizzled in Limoncello liqueor and raspbery coulis), a magical combination and only 1.25Lm!

I went to the cyber cafe for an hour or so, mostly spent reading webcomics and chatting to my friend Savanna. Time I got everything packed up and ready to go now though.

11:25pm - Well I was going to go to sleep once I was done packing, but just as I was turning off MTV on comes Live Guns 'N' Roses from one of their 1992 concerts. I slept earlier, so I think I'll stay up and watch this for a while. The alarm clock is set for 3am, everything is packed and I'm ready to go in the morning. Not looking forward to the room service bill though!

Malta Diary - Day Six (30/7/06)

8:05am - Depression has abated a little, time for breakfast then going to stay by the pool for the day. I am tempted to take a boat trip around the islands tomorrow, as there is one that leaves at 11am and it was highly reccomended by a woman called Sheila who I was talking too last night in the Cocktail Lounge. It is also the same company that Charlotte was handing out flyers for earlier in the week.

2:35pm - Back from the pool for a bit. One problem I've found is that being on your own at a hotel where everyone is with someone else means you get stared at a LOT. I've never been one to stand in the limelight, so it frankly it is very annoying when I am trying to read my book in peace, and I can feel peoples eyes on me all of the time. So I've retreated to the solitude of my room for a while, and I will read some more out on the balcony.

6:25pm - A few more hours have slipped by at the poolside. Spent a while chatting to Chris and Rachel as they were interested in the islands history and I was keen to know about their year spent travelling around the world. I am back in my room now watching 25 Years of MTV on the Euro MTV channel. I can't understand a word the presenter says, or any of the adverts for that matter, but the music videos are all in english. I've just watched Eternal Flame by the Bangles and Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'N' Roses. Push It by Salt 'N' Pepa is on at the moment. I was about to head out for some dinner when I found this by channel surfing. Think I'll stay in and watch videos for a while longer as I'm not that hungry yet, and I do love 80's music.

11:50pm - Dinner (when I eventually grew tired of music videos) was at the Al Ponte. I've found a table I like there (#53 overlooking Mellieha Bay) and the food and service are both superb (as well as the prices). I had Garlic Bread for a starter followed by a main course of pasta (I've forgotten the dishes exact name but it was very nice) with a bottle of very cold white wine.
From there I headed to the cyber cafe and spent a half hour or so reading webcomics and chatting to a couple friends on MSN, before heading across the street to the Bar 120 where I remained for the next couple hours. Didn't drink so much this time, but because of the bottle of wine earlier still ended up pleasantly drunk. Very handy that the Bar 120 has a door at the back of it that leads into a room where the elevators to my floor are! Staggering distance indeed! Night World!

Malta Diary - Day Five (29/7/06)

9:00am - I've slept in later than I intended but not too late. I've got what I need to travel with me (Sun Lotion, Camera, USB cable for the camera in case I find a cyber cafe there, Rough Guide, Wallet, Sunglasses) so once I get some breakfast in me, I'll be off to the bus stop to catch a bus to Valletta. The #45 is the one I want... I think.

6:20pm - Valletta was brilliant, a very lovely city that is collectively a World Heritage Site (and rightly so!). I caught the #45 bus outside the hotel and was treated to a bone shaking trip that took about 50mins before we arrived at the gates to the ancient city. Maltese buses have high ceilings and powerful (AND LOUD) engines to get them up the insanely steep roads on parts of the island. Every bus also has some religious symbol in the window, fitting as the Maltese are some of the most pious people in the world.

A view from the top of the main gatehouse into Valletta of the terminal where buses to the city stop, and deposit visitors before the awesome fortified entrance!

Valletta was built to commemorate the the victory of the Knights of St. John in 1565 over the massive Turkish army that had attacked their base on Malta. The Ottoman Empire wished Malta conquered, as from its massive harbours the Knights were able to very effectively raid and pillage Turkish shipping. Had Malta fallen, Italy would almost certainly have been conquered and Rome itself would have fallen to the forces of Islam. For over three months the Knights fought a truly desperate siege against a force that outnumbered them at least 4 to 1.

A view from the other side of the main gatehouse, looking down into Freedom Square. The main road through the centre of Valletta (Triq Ir-Repubblika) can be seen leading off from the back of the square.

The Triq Ir-Repubblika which leads from Freedom Square all the way through the centre of Valletta to Fort St. Elmo at the far end of the peninsular which the city is built on.

First off I headed down the Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street) and I visited the National Museum of Archeology which is housed in a former chapter house for the Knights. The entrance fee was 1Lm, and while the upstairs level was closed for refurbishment, I felt I got my money's worth from the exhibits on the ground floor. What I could view was fascinating, with items from many dig sites around the islands detailing the inhabitants in the Neolithic Age as well as some excellent models of the megalithic temple complexes that were built here at that time. Malta was home to the most advanced society of the Stone Age, and the islands have been occupied for more than 7000 years.

From there I made my way to the Grand Masters Palace and Armoury, but was dismayed to find that it was closed due to state business (it is also the Maltese House of Parliament). Deciding that the War Museum was a good next target, I set off through the very busy streets, stopping to buy a few gifts for family and friends. I think it was not long after that that a cannon went off. At least that is what it sounded like. I was maybe 100' from it when it went off, and I felt like I'd jumped out of my skin! The sudden near-deafening boom came from the next street over (Triq Il-Merkanti) where a very lively festival was taking place. Asking a shopkeeper I was told that it was a Saint's Day festival. Every five minutes for the next couple hours this BOOM went off, finally ending in a loud and furious salvo of a few dozen such explosions in quick succession. Needless to say the noise provided a suitable ambience while I browsed the exhibits in the War Museum, which detailed Malta's crucial role in World War 2.

A view from the Lower Barakka Gardens of the Siege Bell, a frankly huge bell that tolls once each day at noon as a reminder of the lives lost in World War 2. It was inaugurated in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth II.

From there I took a walk alongside the Grand Harbour, taking in the Lower and Upper Barakka Gardens and getting a true sense of the awesome fortifications that the Knights surrounded their new capital in. As a point of reference, in harbour was a 110,000 tonne cruise liner which stuck something like 10-12 stories out of the water. As massive as it was, the wall it was moored near towered over it. I sure wouldn't have wanted to attack this place with muskets and ladders that's for sure!

I was again disappointed after lunch when I tried to visit the Lascaris War Rooms (where the WW2 Battle for North Africa and the Mediterranean was directed from. The Invasion of Sicily was planned here by none other than General Dwight Eisenhower himself) as they had shut at 12:30pm. I wandered for a while then, taking a couple photos from the top of the cities main gatehouse, and eventually finding my way to the Siege Experience a very interesting 3D tour through the Great Siege of 1565, with audio provided by a box & headphones that were worn as as you toured through the themed rooms, each room triggering a new audio track to play. From there I wandered a bit more, before heading back to the bus stop.

Once back in Mellieha, I got changed and headed to the pool for an hour to read and swim. I also spent a fair bit of time chatting with Rachel (and briefly Chris before he headed off for a massage), the couple from near Exeter whose names I finally got! As the pool slipped fully into the shade, I headed back to my room to relax, write this entry and get changed before heading out to find a place to have dinner.

12:00am - I had dinner at Les Jardins, yet another expense on my room bill, but I didn't fancy walking around to find a restaurant after all the walking I'd done earlier today. chatted to my mate Dan Shapter on MSN for a bit and had a few drinks at the Cocktail Lounge, but the self doubt that plagues me has finally caught up with me, and as a result of that I spent a fair bit of the night in a state of depression which is not unusual for me. Hopefully I'll feel more cheery in the morning.

Malta Diary - Day Four (28/7/06)

9:35am - Well I went to the bar in the end, had a few drinks and thoroughly enjoyed myself singing along to 80's rock tunes. I've overslept now though, so need to head to Les Jardins for breakfast while they are still serving it!

12:05pm - I'm fed and have just picked up a bottle of cold water from the store across the road. Spent 2Lm on an internet voucher and have posted my first bday's worth of diary on the blog. Wrote up most of day two also and saved that to brief, as my time was about to run out. I was sat next to an italian bloke the whole time who was moaning about how slow the connection was on his PC. Mine was fine, but he was pissed because he couldn't access his bank account online. I managed to access my HSBC account without any problems. Guess he should switch to a better bank!

Pool now and I must remember to wear my sun hat when I'm sat reading as I have gotten sunburned on the top of my head now!

5:00pm - I've just spent the last few hours by the pool. As a result of having sunburn on my head, I decided to sit in the shade at the back of the poolside bar area. No-one else hardly sits in there anyway, and it was much cooler and more comfortable on the chairs there, than out on the sun loungers. I swam every now and then, but mostly I sat and read my book. I also got in a fair bit of women watching, particularly the exquisite brunette in a green bikini who was lounging nearby with her family. There are lots of very nice looking women here, a shame that they all seem to either be with their partners, their children or their parents. As near as I can tell, I'm the only single male in the hotel!

My eyes are stinging from the chlorine so I might well have a nap and then go out for an evening meal. I've also learned (much to my dismay) that there are no nightclubs or bars with dancefloors in Mellieha!

10:50pm - I've been sat out on the balcony for the past couple hours reading, after getting a truly wonderful dinner at the Al Ponte. Foccaccia for starters (very different from the foccaccia we are used too in the UK, which is quite a fluffy bread. This was flat and piled high with salad), and a sublime Irish Rib Eye Steak with chips (seasoned with paprika) and Gorgonzola sauce. Best meat I have ever eaten, the steak melted in my mouth . I might well have that again before coming home. Tomorrow I mean to catch an early bus to Valletta and go sight seeing. I'll take the camera as I can still get a few shots in its memory.

Got a letter from my travel rep who is called Amanda apparently. I've not seen hide nor hair of her yet. The letter contained leaving details (I need to be in the hotel lobby for 4am on Tuesday!) as well as a questionnaire, which can wait to be filled out. Sleep calls to me now.

Malta Diary - Day Three (27/7/06)

8:00am - I've not had a good nights sleep, a combination of the alcohol I drank last night, slight dehydration and the peanuts I ate doing nasty things to my innards. No more peanuts for me! Sat out here on the balcony it looks to be another glorious sunny day (this island may yet make me into a sun lover). The air raid shelter doesn't open until 9am, so I can take my time with breakfast. And with that in mind, off to Les Jardin I go.

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.

Malta Diary - Day Two (26/7/06)

12:00 noon - Well so much for not touching the minibar, the lure of icy cold water proved too tempting after the morning I've had. I decided to go and see The Red Fort today (otherwise known as St. Agatha's Tower), so I got up early and was downstairs when Les Jardins opened for breakfast... and what a breakfast. Everything you could possibly want to eat for breakfast was there. So I piled my plate with bacon, sausages, poached eggs, beans, cheese and bread and wolfed that lot down, washed down with orange juice and coffee (boy do the Maltese love serving coffee, I lost count of how many times I was offered coffee by a woman with a huge jug of the stuff in hand).

Then with my Rough Guide to Malta in my pocket (which has a very handy map of the Mellieha area in it), I set off walking. I had no idea exactly how far I had walked until I spotted a sign post on my way back. In all this morning I've walked a round trip of about 15km. The trip would normally be about 12km, but I took the scenic route so I could also take in the Ghadira Wetland reserve and the stunning Ras Il-Qammiegh cliffs.

Ghadira Wetland Reserve

The Ras Il-Qammiegh Cliffs

I got to the Red Fort shortly before 10am and was waiting there when the curator turned up to open the place. It is only open 10am-1pm, so going and seeing it when I did is really the only option if you are without a car, as walking up there any later in the day would be madness. The curator as it happens is British, an ex-pat, and she was glad to chat to another Brit, being nice enough to share her supply of very cold bottled water with me, which was much appreciated.

The Red Fort is one of a series of coastal watchtowers that guard the approaches to Malta. In it's case it was built to keep an eye over the strait that seperates the main island from the smaller islands of Comino and Gozo and the view from the roof is stunning. The building is built with many arches and vaulted ceilings as the Knights who built it designed it to withstand cannon fire. In its day it was home to 49 soldiers in wartime. It was also used by the British as a signal tower during World War 2.

The plaque on the wall beside the fort's entrance.

A scale model of The Red Fort.

The same model from another angle. Originally there was a drawbridge at the top of those stairs, though nowadays it is a fixed bridge.

A view from the battlements of The Red Fort, looking across to the north of Malta. You can see the lesser islands of Comino and Gozo in the background, which serves to demonstrate how well placed the tower is!

This is an interior shot of the fort. Note the arched window. All the roofs, windows, corridors inside are arched, the reason being that the Knights who built the tower designed it specifically to withstand cannon fire. The inside is very cleverly laid out, so that any impact on the walls would be minimised by the interior construction. It would be very hard for cannons mounted on raiding ships to do much damage to this fort at all, whilst they would be pounded by the forts cannons!

The trek back was a lot quicker than getting there as I took a shortcut through an area set aside in the 1970's for an Afforestation project. All I can say is that they've got a long way to go if they ever do plan to grow a forest on that hillside, because all that is there right now is scrub brush and a whole lot of cactus. On the seafront I got talking to a very lovely girl selling boat trips, by the name of Charlotte. Another ex-pat (she is half-Maltese and half-Welsh), we talked for a while before I needed to be heading onwards. A shame that the boat trip I was interested in (A night trip to the Blue Lagoon on Comino with a BBQ) was sold out, else I would have bought a ticket.

I did buy a sun hat on the way back up the quite considerable hill to the Antonine. Time for pizza now though and then the pool (the one in the garden as the indoor saltwater one doesn't interest me and neither does the one on the roof). I am writing this sat on my rooms balcony in the shade. Ohh and I found the cyber cafe too, so I'll check that out later on.

1:40pm - Had a very nice lunch at the Al Ponte. Garlic bread for starter, followed by a 3 cheese and ham pizza with a glass each of Diet Pepsi and Kinnie to wash it down. Just got back to my room after finding a good local store that sells big (and painfully cold to hold) bottles of water for just 35 cents. The minibar bottles are a third of the size and 60 cents each by comparison!

The cyber cafe as it turns out is more of a cyber closet in that it is a tiny room with just 2 PC's. I will be making my way to the pool shortly so I will ask at reception about use of the cyber cafe as I presume it will have to be booked in advance. For now though the cool waters of the pool (and the semi-clad young ladies lounging nearby) call to me.

5:25pm - Back from the pool, my enjoyment of which was only spoiled by my goggles strap snapping when I put them on. The rubber of the strap had decayed to breaking point it seems, my own fault for not testing them back home. Still I've had fun by the pool, alternating swimming with rest periods where I would read a novel with a T-shirt on. I made sure to top up my sun lotion from time to time. I already have blisters from this mornings exertions, sunburn I can do without. I've bought a voucher for the hotels cyber cafe. 2 Lm for 100 minutes use is a pretty fair price I thought, so I've posted an entry on the blog just to let the folks back home know that I'm okay etc as I'm sure Mum is worried sick, she was having nightmares before I'd even gone anywhere!

I've applied after sun gel now and I have no idea what I'm going to do this evening. Tomorrow I think I'll check out the WW2 bomb shelter down the street and lounge by the pool some more now that I've bought some new goggles from the tourist shop across the street. Shame I had to leave the pool really, but they needed to get it ready for some big Fish BBQ thing out there tonight, which is both expensive and fish. I don't do fish. Think I'll grab a dinner at one of the little cafe/restaunrants along this street. An early night sounds good too as I ache everywhere.

11pm - I've had a great night. I had dinner at a very nice restaurant (L'amigo), which was just up the hill from the hotel. I had a pasta dish, the name of which escapes me as I write this, the pasta was like very thick spaghetti though. It was served in a blue cheese sauce (I love blue cheese) with ham and mushrooms. I had a very nice (and very cold) bottle of white wine to accompany the meal. All in all, money well spent. A quick jaunt down the street brought me to the Bar 120 where I proceeded to try and find the right alcohol to mix with Kinnie, much to the barmans amusement and then amazement when he tried it with Cointreau, truly a winning combination!

From there I headed across the road to the Antonine's cocktail bar where I educated another barman in this mix (though it cost more there, 0.85Lm in the Bar 120, 1.40Lm in the lounge, harsh!). Having drunk that I proceeded onto the liquour coffees of which they do quite a range on their menu, though shockingly no Bailey's coffee. After trying their Calypso coffee (Tia Maria, had to be done), I ordered a Bailey's coffee and this actually surprised the man. The barman was a lot of fun to watch as he effortlessly produced some truly crazy looking drinks, many of which I'm keen to try at some point.

He also got the guy playing really sorrowful piano/organ tunes (lounge music) to play a superb rendition of Everything I Do (I Do It For You) at my request. I smiled all the way through (but that may have been the alcohols doing, I did have rather a lot of it in my system by then). I came here with 72Lm and after 2 days I have 35Lm left. Looks like I'm going to be needing that extra cash I left in my bank account after all. Not so much tomorrow though as I'm sticking close to the hotel then. Right now though, sleep beckons to me.

Malta Diary - Day One (25/7/06)

5:22am Home - Well I'm up, showered, dressed and ready for the off. Bags are packed & double checked. As far as I can think of I have everything I am likely to need. I'm catching the 6:47am train to Exeter St. David's station and will most likely have to catch a taxi from there to the airport. A shame that I couldn't get a lift down, but work scedules for family & friends wouldn't allow it. I'll likely set off for the train station in about half an hour or so. My heart is beating a lot faster than usual, thumping out an insane rythmn behind my ribs.

I'll be sure to take some money out of an ATM on my way through town. I have some on me anyway, but better safe than sorry. Not sure my bags are the right weight, but I can't take any less than what I am, so I'll have cash on me in the event there is a fee to pay. Part of me is terrified that my ticket etc won't be at the airport for me and that I'll be back in this room tonight. Ohhh my paranoia is having fun with me today!

6:15am Taunton Train Station - The sun is out, so the walk across town was very pleasant. I've bought a return train ticket for just 8.47. I might need to revise my opinion of rail travel. Dad thought it would be 12 pounds or more. Good thing I thought to bring a couple bottle of cold water with me, as the cans here are 70 pence and no doubt they'll cost more at the airport. I had the remains of last nights pasta bake for breakfast (I could hardly leave it sat in the fridge for a week), but I'm thinking I should have brought something to eat mid-morning. Ohh well.

8:35am Exeter Airport - So far so almost good. My trip has been spoiled only by the con artist I met on the way down here who got 30 quid out of me. Quite what I was thinking when I lent him the money on the promise of "I'll be back in a couple minutes with the van" I don't know. Still he lives in Taunton, works at scaffolding and drinks in the Coal Orchard. I'm sure I'll run into him again soon enough. He was going to give me a lift to the airport, in the end I got a taxi which cost me 14 pounds (including tip).

The airport is very nice and I am writing this sat in the Departure Lounge. I leave these shores at 10:10am, and after the morning I've had I can hardly wait to put Britain behind me. Facing me as I sit here is a large (and very gaudy) boutique selling perfume, sunglasses, alcohol and tobacco at Duty Free prices. I've browsed the shelves and spotted a few things I wouldn't mind, but I'm not going to spend any more money here.

4:30pm Maritim Antonine Hotel & Spa, Mellieha - I'm here and I have a stinking headache despite taking 3 Nurofen's already today. My room is very brown and seemingly it has no power. There is also a very annoying sound of dripping water, but as far as I can tell it is not coming from my en-suite bathroom.

My Room

It is very hot here and very dry. On the drive in the minibus across Malta I got the impression that the entire island is being reconstructed. I've never seen so many large cranes and roadworks in all my life. The view from my window is across flat rooftops and down into a narrow side street.

The View From My Balcony

I've yet to explore the hotel. I think I'm going to have a nap first and see if I can shake this headache. Then I'll see about learning my way around this place. The in-flight meal was delicious, chargrilled chicken with risotto. A shame that if my headache remains I'll likely be seeing it again a lot sooner than I would have liked!

9:30pm - Well I wasn't sick so that's a plus. Slept for 4 hours or so and then got dressed and set off to explore the Antonine. There's quite a bit to the place, which is oddly on both sides of the main road (Gorg Borg Olivier Street), the two halves linked by an underground tunnel. The hotel has a bar on my rooms side of the street which I visited before coming back to my room. Bar 120 is quite nice, though the lack of a jukebox was strange. I had a pint each of Cisk (a local slightly sweet lager) and Kinnie (the very strange yet kinda moreish local soft drink made from bitter oranges). On the other side of the street are all three pools (1 is on the roof), a buffet restaurant (Les Jardins) where I had dinner and also a pizzeria (The Al Ponte), where I woul;d have had dinner if I'd found it first. I've not yet found the cyber cafe. I'm sat here writing this watching BBC World which is the only english channel on the satellite TV (or at least the only one I've found after surfing though 50 channels).

There is a minibar in my room, but I doubt I'll be making much use of it as the drinks from it cost extra. Ohh and the power is on, apparently I need to slot my door opening card into a receiver inside the room to switch on the power while I'm in there. Would have been nice to have been told that when I checked in. Breakfast starts being served at 7:30am, so I'll be getting up early for that. I think I'll go explore the big red castle on the ridge, which overlooks the far end of the town tomorrow. Nite World.

Ohhh This Is My Island In The Sun...

Reports of my demise have no doubt already been circulating. They are as usual greatly exaggerated, sorry to disapoint folks. I'm keeping a diary while I'm here, but can't afford to type all of that out in the cyber cafe, so I'll get all of that (and the photos) posted when I get back. This is just a quickie post really to say that I'm here, alive and I'm having fun. Walked a 15km round trip this morning to go and view this big red castle that overlooks the other end of the town, and have just spent several hours crashed out by the pool, alternating between reading and swimming.

The food is good, and the drink is better, they have a very odd soft drink here made from bitter oranges called Kinnie, it's an acquired taste to be sure, but then I'm a soft drink addict so it didn't take me long to acquire it. As to the title of this post, well anyone who's ever watched The Muppet Christmas Carol can probably spot the reference. I'll likely post again before my week is up.

Ohh and it is hot here, damn hot, no hotter than what you are thinking of I can assure you. There's not been any rain here for months and the Maltese aren't expecting any until September at the earliest! Kinda puts England's heatwave in the shame.

A Holiday For One

So after writing about maybe taking a holiday to get away from it all, I browsed the windows of the travel agents in town for any tantalising late deals. Only one leapt out though, a holiday in Malta for £215. Not bad, except that price was based on 2 people sharing, and thus a single holidaymaker taking that holiday would have to pay a substantial extra fee. So not really an option. I came home and after talking to a friend online decided to try some websites and search those for last minute deals.

So I browsed sites like lastminute.com, ryanair.com, easyjet.com and a couple of the high street travel agents websites also. I found a holiday to Crete for £129! "Great", I thought, Crete has tonnes of ancient history, I'd love to go there and that was a fantastic price... which turned out to be too good to be true. Again, as a single holidaymaker I get punished by the way travel agencies work, and it turns out the company running that holiday deal do not take single holidaymakers. I visited a site especially for singles (I think it was called justyou.com or something like that), but their prices were too high.

Almost in despair and about to give up, I tried thompson.com, again a high street travel agent and entered the search details... and struck gold! A week long holiday to Malta, taking off from the local Exeter airport at 10:10am this coming Tuesday for £324.99, well within my budget. I didn't umm or ahh over this, I booked the sodding thing there and then before I could talk myself out of it. So now either I'm going, or I'm throwing over three hundred quid down the drain.

I'm both thrilled and terrified at the idea of this. I've never been on holiday by myself before (apart from a weekend to Denmark in summer 1998, and then I was going to spend that time with many friends at a convention, not really the same thing), and I've not been on holiday at all since 1998. Still I'm a Capricorn, and we are nothing if not a practical starsign. So this morning I composed a list of what I needed to buy, to make up the gaps in what I'll be taking with me. The list read as follows:

1. Suitcase - I don't own one, and the ones I could borrow from my parents are all a bit big and cumbersome for my tastes. Luckily I have been spared the cost of buying one of these as my good friend Richard Adams has offered to lend me his. Cheers Rich!
2. Travel Guide to Malta - Still need to pick this up, will likely drop by WHSmiths on my way home from work tomorrow and grab it.
3. Money - Obvious really. Malta's currency is the Maltese lira (they don't change to the Euro until January 2008). I got £120 worth earlier today and if I need more while I'm there, I will be taking my Maestro card.
4. Sun Lotion - After reading a newspaper article this week about how it is best not to rub lotion into the skin (unless it is both UVA & UVB lotion) and instead leave it as a white layer on top, I definately wanted one that I could rub in. So I grabbed a bottle of Factor 25 lotion from work, and a bottle of Aloe Vera hydrating after sun gel also (because my Mum was forever nagging me as a kid to put after sun on, I figured better safe than sorry).
5. Goggles - Chlorine plays havoc with my eyes, so if I want to swim in the hotel pool (and boy do I!), goggles are a must. Luckily I found my old pair in one of my drawers.
6. Swimming Trunks/Shorts - Almost certainly it will be shorts, I have an old pair but they are not a good fit. I'll go shopping for some new ones on Sunday or Monday.
7. Sandals - Comfy open shoes for by the pool basically. Bought a nice pair for £9.99 from Shoe Zone on my way home today.
8. Shaving Kit - Not going to bother taking my electric razor with me (it doesn't work well on damp skin anyway), so I bought a cheap can of shaving foam and some disposable razors at work today).
9. Towels - I have a couple bath towels already, but they are very old and a bit tatty in places. I bought a nice pack of a couple new big blue towels from work.

I think I have pretty much everything else. Need to do a lot of laundry on Sunday, so that everything is clean and ready to pack on Monday. Main thing I really need to get sorted out now is a lift down to the airport on Tuesday morning and one back in the evening of Tuesday 1st August. Thankfully my parents and my friends have said they will see what they can do to help out in this regard. Muchly appreciated people.

The hotel is 4 star rated, and boasts two pools (the indoor one is saltwater oddly enough), a gym, free sauna, and a cyber cafe. So I might well post an update or two to this blog from Malta (with any luck complete with photos), most likely around noon (as it strikes me as a good way to stay out of the sun at that time of day). My accomodation is on a Bed & Breakfast basis, so I'll be heading out to sample local cuisine in the evenings, likely just grab a sandwich for lunch most days, or if I'm in the hotel, get something from the all day Bistro. My room is en-suite and has a balcony, so I'll take a couple books to read while I'm there (a good way to pass time and relax that doesn't cost me money).

So in just over 3 days time I'm jetting off to an island with lots of history and sun, for a week away from everything. I'm 30.5 years old, it's about time I had an adventure!