We left our hotel by taxi at 8:00 Thursday morning. We had a relatively easy time getting through traffic to the airport and arrived with plenty of time to spare. We got checked in, bags dropped, and to security. Traveling with 2 laptops in a carry-on bag has been a pain with regards to getting through security as both have to come out of the carry-on and then out of their cases. At this particular security station the laptops went under special scrutiny and some substance was wiped on them, presumably for determining any bomb material. Both Christine and I set off the alarm as well and the security person swabbed the front and back of our hands. Guess we look like shady characters. But once through security we met up with Eve at our departure gate. She came by wheelchair and escort. We had a cappuccino while we waited for our flight.
We departed pretty much on time. Flying time from Athens to Malta is just a little over 2 hours. We landed at Luqa Airport, although Christine and I didn’t have the same thrill of seeing lots of recognizable sights because it was very cloudy. We couldn’t see the ground until we were nearly touching down.
We met up with Eve after we retrieved our luggage, again she with a wheelchair escort. Our Airbnb host had arranged for a taxi pickup and this time we saw Christine’s name with Xemxija (pronounced Shem-She’-A) on a little card. Tony, our driver with Bluebird Cabs, whisked us out of Luqa and we headed to Xemxija. The drive took nearly an hour and we loved going through the towns, villages, and countryside. We saw some places that were new to us and some old favorites. I’m glad that Christine and I had looked for and found our Airbnb when we were here is September. It made it much easier to find this time. It is right on a very busy main thoroughfare and not easy to see or to pull over into the top of the tiny driveway. But we arrived in good order.
The Airbnb flat is very large and we walked around the place remarking how big it was. Although not quite what we had hoped for, we all decided that it was a pretty good place. The covered terrace makes the place and the view of the bay and the view of the hills across the bay is quite lovely. The only downside is there is a building between us and the bay blocking our view, but we all agreed that it was pretty good being here.
After unpacking, we set off down the hill to find the Xemxija Cafe for a late lunch. It is a perfect little cafe and we enjoyed a yummy meal. They bake all their own bread and desserts and the environment was charming with chalkboard signs having inspirational sayings written on them. This was my favorite sign in the cafe.
After lunch, we stopped in at the convenient store to pick up a few essentials and headed back up the hill to the flat. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and having a light dinner out on the terrace.
We’re all very happy to be back in Malta and we love having Eve with us.