Monday morning 4:30 a.m. – ughh! We started our day of travel to Malta. Originally, we had booked a flight with Vueling Airlines that would get us to Malta by direct flight, arriving around midday. However, we were notified that the flight had changed and arrival was going to be something like 1:00 a.m. We didn’t want that since we didn’t exactly know what to expect upon arrival in Malta. So we booked a Lufthansa flight, but it wasn’t direct. We had to fly to Frankfurt and then to Malta, and with a nearly 4-hour layover in Frankfurt. Oh well, couldn’t be helped.
We took a taxi from the hotel to the airport. I think our driver was practicing for Spain’s Indianapolis 500. A 25-minute ride to the airport was over in 10 minutes. I was just happy to arrive in one piece. The Barcelona airport is a swanky, glitzy place, even at 6:00 a.m. Fortnately, we didn’t have any issues with our carryon bags upon checking in. However, we learned that we apparently booked “economy light” tickets, which meant we did not get one free checked bag each, so we did have to pay for our checked bags. We waited for our flight and finally boarded and were on our way to Frankfurt.
The wait in Frankfurt wasn’t too bad. What was nice is that the banks of seats did not have armrests so one could lay down across the seats, which Christine did, and napped for a bit. We purchased sandwiches for lunch and boarded our flight to Malta.
We arrived at Luqa airport in Malta on time. Being part of the European Union means that there is no immigration checking or passport stamping going from country to country. I wasn’t aware of that, but it makes it easy to just pick up your luggage and go; no long lines to stand in waiting for entry into a country.
The caretaker of the apartment we rented arranged for a driver to meet us at the airport. Miguel and his 4-year-old daughter met us and drove us to our apartment. We visited Malta in 1985 for two weeks. What a difference 30 years makes! Malta has been growing and building like crazy and it is now a big holiday destination for many Europeans, especially Brits and German. Where we stayed in 1985 along the seafront is now all glamorous high-rise apartments and condominiums.
The apartment we rented is in a building called Taormina Court. The caretaker Felix met us and took us up to the 4th floor apartment. Of course, Christine had booked this online and so we only had photos of the place to go by. TripAdvisor had reviews of the place as well. However, when we entered the building and got into the apartment, we were both somewhat disappointed. The place does have a million dollar view of the seafront, but the place has seen better days. The main living area is quite nice, but the bedroom is tiny and the bathroom, although adequate, is also small and a little dingy. And there is very little closet and storage space. But, I think our initial reaction was because we were also tired and a little dingy. We’ve been through 9 days of whirlwind travel and touring.
Shortly after arriving, Eve and her friend Michaela arrived. Eve and some ASL colleagues are spending their Easter holiday in Malta. The four of us went down the street to a lovely restaurant, Piccolo Padre. We sat in their covered patio overlooking Balluta Bay right at water’s edge. It was a great spot and I’m sure we’ll return there for dinner over the next 3 months. After dinner we walked a little around the seafront a bit to another place Eve and Michaela were meeting friends. Christine and I returned to the apartment and I began unpacking. We rearranged some furniture and I moved stuff around to make space in a cabinet. I think once we put our stamp on the place, it will work out very well. This flat is really used by folks on a week or two holiday, not for longer term living. So, we’ll needed to equip the place with daily necessities. Once we settle in, everything will be just right. Did I mention we have a million dollar view?
