05/21/2022: Final Day in Malta

So the end is in sight. Today is our final day in Malta and the end of our nearly 6-weeks of touring. What a great adventure it has been. We really hate to leave.

This morning we kept an eye on the yacht in the harbor. She departed, but then shortly returned and moored a little longer. We started planning our packing and pulling things together.

We had arranged with Christine’s cousin Carol Farrugia to meet for lunch so we met her in front of Fresco’s, the restaurant right next door to Peppi’s. It was lovely seeing her and catching up on the news. She’s a great one for storytelling so we were entertained. Lunch was delicious, although I ate way too much and might have stressed out my stomach. We walked Carol back to her apartment. Carol is experiencing knee and foot pain and so it was a slow walk. She and her husband are dealing with a fridge on the fritz and so we didn’t get a change to see Joe as he was meeting a repairman. At any rate, it was a wonderful visit with Carol and very nice to see that, in spite of knee issues, she is doing well.

After returning to our apartment, I did most of my packing so as to be out of Christine’s way a little later. We had made COVID test appointments at a clinic in St. Julian’s. These were made online several days ago. The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world that requires a negative PCR or antigen test with sample taken one day before travel. We walked over to the clinic and found it closed. We didn’t know what to do. The clinic window had various information about hours of operation, none very encouraging. There was a number to call, and so I did. I explained we had a 4:00 p.m. appointment and the man who answered the phone said he’d be there in 5 minutes. Meanwhile some other women showed up saying they also had appointments at 4:00. Hmmm, something didn’t feel right about this. I joked to Christine about the 5 minutes being Maltese 5 minutes, and I was right about that because 20 minutes later a guy came up to the shop and opened the door. Our stress levels were on the rise for sure. It was all quite confusing and didn’t feel very organized or professional. Christine had gone done the street to get a cold drink and so I let the other women get their tests done. With Christine back, we went in and gave our information to the first guy. He explained the process, that we’d know the result in 15 minutes and be given a report and then in an hour the report would also be emailed. That sounded good. Then another guy took our swabs which couldn’t be very informative because the swab was hardly in a nostril. I pulled out a credit card and the first guy said to please pay in cash and there was an ATM up the street if I didn’t have enough cash. Up the street I went, but the ATM was out of service. I scrounged around and got close to the 70 Euros due for the 2 tests, but was 6 Euros short. I explained this to the guy who took our swabs and he said of course he’d accept 64 Euros. Thank goodness for that because there wasn’t another ATM in sight. He gave me a receipt and sent us on our way. We asked about the written report that we expected and he said it would come via email in an hour, but he didn’t want to really deal with us anymore as he was turned away and not really talking with us.

So we left to return to the apartment feeling like we had been had. An hour later, no email; 90 minutes later, no email; 2 hours later, no email. By then I was pretty frantic thinking that we’d be stuck in Rome not being able to board the plane without a COVID test report. Finally, about 2-1/2 hours later, emails arrived with our reports. I double checked the info on the report against what the U.S. requires, and it was exactly right. Thank goodness! What a stressful episode.

With COVID tests at least digitally available, we breathed a sigh of relief and were able to relax and have our final dinner at Peppi’s. Christine, the smarty that she is, had reserved a table on the deck, and so we sat in a beautiful spot overlooking the bay. It was a nice evening and we watched the sun go down and enjoyed melon and parma ham and a really yummy walnut breaded brie cheese and blueberry jam dish. Both were delicious. After our trying afternoon, it was the perfect way to end our time in Malta.

After packing a bit, Christine was ready for a gelato, so we got gelato and sat on “our bench” below the terrace across the street from our apartment. It was lovely sitting there watching the sparkling lights on the water and hearing the sea. A very nice ending to our stay.

In the morning we get picked up by cab at 5:30 a.m. (ugh) to get to the airport for a 7:30 flight to Rome. Then we fly to JFK in New York where we’ll spend the night and then take a bus back to Binghamton. After nearly 6 weeks away, I am all too ready to be home. I’ll write a short post to let you know that we arrived home safely. Thanks for coming with us on our trip. I appreciate your comments and am happy to share our travels with you.

3 thoughts on “05/21/2022: Final Day in Malta”

  1. By the time you read this, you will be home. We will be so happy to see you and so happy you had such a great trip. You two are an inspiration. Sunday 10am EST. Will be at the bus station with Jo Ann and the van at 4 pm.

  2. Thanks for your travel diaries. I have enjoyed them immensely. It’s great that ” I can travel along with you” on your adventures.

  3. I have thoroughly enjoyed every post and all the pictures! Some weeks, I wait a few days to read more of your adventures. Hope you’re feeling better, Linda, and big hugs to both of you. I traveled by myself to North Carolina this last week, you should be so proud of all the planning and traveling the 2 of you did on your own. What beautiful memories you have. Love you!

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