October 15, Wednesday, we were feeling better but here’s what the day’s weather brought us.
The weather was awful all day, giving us another day of rest. There have been significant downpours all over Malta and Gozo causing considerable flooding. Malta and Gozo are very hilly and especially the streets are conduits for water running downhill and pooling at all the intersections. We’ve seen lots of videos on Facebook about flooding. In some places, especially Gozo, the flooding is pushing cars down streets towards the sea. Not a good situation. So Wednesday, we stayed in and watched the lightening and clouds from our window.
Thursday was a nice sunny day. I thought we just had to get out of the apartment and do something. We hopped on the bus and rode over to the Strand, which is the ferry side of Sliema. We strolled along the Strand and just enjoyed the views and being out in the nice weather.
The water between Sliema and Valletta is called Marsamxett Harbour. Along the waterfront is where all the sightseeing boats are moored and walking along the Strand one gets hawked by all the vendors. We’ve probably done most of the various tours during our Malta visits.
You’ve read my comments on the overbuilding in Malta. Along the Strand are lots and lots of high-rise buildings, condos and hotels. I think a significant number of tourists book into places along the Strand. The only thing that would make me stay on this side of Sliema would be the view of Valletta at night. With the fortress walls illuminated, it is a very pretty sight. But otherwise, it has no appeal to us. But we see examples of old Maltese homes that have refused to sell among the high-rise buildings. And you’ll note that many of the high-rise buildings are only as wide as the original house. The photo of the lovely Maltese balconies is only a block from the main road. Those types of buildings were all torn down to make room for all the high-rises. It infuriates me. The real Malta is slowly disappearing and it is sad.
We stopped for lunch at a very nice restaurant in Gzira, the town next to Sliema at the end of the Strand. The restaurant, Punto, was right on the water and offered a very pleasant atmosphere for relaxing and having a nice meal. Christine had a wonderful salmon salad. After lunch, she actually went to the kitchen to tell the chef how great her meal was.
After lunch we hopped back on the bus and returned home for a rest. Carol Farrugia sent us a message telling us to be at Dingli Circus (location of her apartment) at 10:30 the next morning and we would go somewhere for a meal. We stayed in for the evening, eating chicken and salad and watching BBC shows on TV.
Friday, October 17, we reported as requested at Carol’s. We piled into John’s car and were off. Carol said we would go to Qawra, which is in the northern part of the island and is a section of St. Paul’s Bay. It also is very touristy with many hotels and apartment buildings. Carol said that many ex-pats and immigrants live there because rent is cheaper than in Sliema. John is an excellent driver and manages the crazy traffic. He likes exploring and knows routes that are less traveled. It was nice of him to take us around pointing out things.
We went to a very nice spot referred to as Fra Ben Beach, also known as Qawra Point Beach. We had a nice view over the water and enjoyed a lovely late breakfast.
John drove around a bit pointing out places.
The watch towers were built by the Knights of St. John. I think there are about 13 remaining on Malta. Various Grand Masters of the Knights had them built and each Grand Master had a different design. During the years these towers were built, Malta was being raided by pirates. The purpose of the towers were to spot pirates and then build fires at the top of the tower to communicate with the towers up and down the line. Each tower was built within eyesight of the tower on either side of it. Most of the towers were large enough to accommodate a few soldiers within and when a signal fire was seen, soldiers were dispatched to fight off the invading pirates. I think the remaining towers are carefully maintained as it is such a significant landmark of Maltese history. Glad that something is being maintained of old Malta.
The Aussie’s arrived early this morning and we heard from them mid-day. We agreed to meet up later and Christine and I rested in the afternoon awaiting a call from Tony about timing of our gathering. In the meantime, Carol called saying that she and John were across the street at Peppi’s having a drink and invited us to join them. We went over and sat down with them. Within a few minutes, a call from Tony came in. He said they were across the street from Peppi’s and would that be a convenient place to meet. We said we were already there and to come over.
I met Linda, Dion and Tony at the entrance. It was grand seeing them. We went in and rearranged the tables at Peppi’s so we could all sit together. The Aussies had not met either Carol or John so we took some time figuring out the family connections and then we all talked with each other. I love Linda, she is so much fun. Her sense of humor is great. I don’t know Dion all that well, but he seems like a very nice guy. It was great seeing Tony. He has been so good to us on our visit to his place in Nana Glen. He named his place after his 3 children, Kristen, Shane and Linda. Krishanda is what his gorgeous property is called. Louis and Margaret have made sure that we drive the 8 hours north in Australia to visit Tony and Liz.
It was great fun having everyone there. The only one missing was Bernadette, who was apparently working this evening. I’m sure we’ll catch up with her again.
The Aussies came up to see our apartment. They like our view (so do we!). They are dead on their feet and so we sent them around the corner to their apartment so they could get some sleep. Their flights totaled about 25 hours and none of them slept much on the plane.
Tomorrow is the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Yacht Race. The race starts in the Grand Harbor and the yachts sail around Sicily and back to Malta. The fastest time sailing the course was 40 hours for a mono-hulled yacht. We plan to get into Valletta and find a good viewing spot along the waterfront for the start of the race. There are 119 yachts entered in the race so it should be something to see.