Work, Save, Travel, Repeat...

Malta we have loved our autumn sunshine break, the weather could not have been better.  Our walks on Malta and Gozo have been varied and interesting.  Malta is full of contrasts, ramshackle buildings next to plush modern facilities,  there are cranes and building works everywhere you look. The Maltese and Gozitians are extremely helpful and friendly,  almost everyone is bilingual in Malti and English.  Indeed somethings are very familiar here, they drive on the left side of the road and have familiar shops, Marks and Spencer , Matalan and Mothercare. The food is excellent with a heavy Italian theme. Our journey back to the UK has so far involved taxi, ferry and taxi to the airport which has been seamless. Let's hope the French Air Traffic Control strike doesn't scupper our plans. 55 miles walked in total.

Our last full day  and walk on Gozo,  another beautiful day, wall to wall sunshine.  The walk was in the Eastern part of Gozo, coast to coast from North to South.  The first half was along rocky paths with great coastal views (we could see Sicilly in the distance). We also saw some bird hunters in their hides. This is a common practice in Malta and frowned upon by the EU. After our picnic lunch we headed inland through farm/ allotment patches, crops included lemons, tangerine, pomegranates and courgettes before reaching the town of Nadur. There was a display of military vehicles today.  When we left the main square in front of the church we were surprised by the amazing view from the promenade to Comino and Malta. The view from the Botanical Gardens was even better! From here it was down the valley to the sleepy town of......... brilliant Christmas decorations made from recycled bottles.  Soon we were back at the town of Mgarr where we will catch the ferry ...

 Day 6 Saturday  Another beautiful but very windy day especially along the cliffs on our 12km walk to Fungus Rock and the Azure Window. We took a short bus ride to St Lucianja, a very sleepy village. The surrounding land is apparently some of the most fertile in Gozo although nothing seemed to be growing in November. Soon the path was atop huge sea cliffs, lots of swell today because of the strong wind. Fungus Rock (named after a rare plant that can only be found here - and punishable by death if you were caught stealing it)! reminded us of the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Rd in Australia but without the hoards of tourists, we saw just a handful of people on this stretch of the walk. At Derja there is road access so the tourist buses arrive here, for the Inland Sea and the Azure Window which actually collapsed into sea in 2017! Our return journey was a climb back up the other side of the bay past a few huge limestone quarries, quiet agricultural tracks which double as roads...

Today we move from Malta to Gozo.  We had a London Cabby for our transfer to the ferry terminal (actually he has lived in Malta for 30 years and his proper job is in property but two of his children are in UK universities so he needs an extra job!)  Gozo is a small island and we are staying in the Duke Boutique Hotel in the capital Victoria.  Very much a City venue rather than a resort. The hotel is fantastic above a shopping Mall! The Cittadell dominates the City, from here you can almost see all of the island. Impressive as the defences are the Gozitians were attacked by the Ottomans in 1551 . Sadly most of the islanders were captured as Slaves!

Another warm sunny day 24°C. We got to use our bus passes again today and the buses are very popular,  I am not certain anyone else could have squeezed in! Our walk was mainly along the coastal path from Marsaskala Bay to Masaxlokk Bay. There were amazing views of sea arches, caves a horseshoe Bay, the layers of rock pristine.  The sea pool at St Peter's Bay provided much entertainment as locals, tourists and even dogs plunged into the water.  We have enjoyed our stay here very much,  tomorrow we move to Gozo.

Blue skies and warm sunshine again today.  We opted for the 10 minute ferry ride to Valletta giving us more time to explore Malta's Capital City. The City Walls are impressive defences so much so that it has been under siege and bombed from the sky rather than invaded. So many poignant sites today.  The site of the metal boom that was used to protect the harbour from U boats, the Siege Bell which is rung once a day to commerate the Island of Malta being awarded the George Cross and the nearby statue to the Fallen Soldier. We ate a picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens of Malta which was very peaceful and had a  memorial for  ANZAC soldiers.  Malta was heavily bombed in 1942 and this Church has recorded the date and time it was bombed on a plaque in one of the bell towers.  Perhaps the most moving was the ..... Monument  with it's very recent Remembrance Day wreaths. There were powerful tributes to the people of Malta from King George and Franklin Roo...

Our walk today was half of Malta's North Coast aka the Fish Tail. We took bus 222 for around an hour to our start at the Red Fort built by the Knights of St John in 1600's. The trail followed the coast path, dry and stoney underfoot. The geology is amazing, sea shells embedded in the rock,  limestone in the making! There were also pot holes that were like a lunar landscape.  Great views towards Gozo and the Ferry Port which we will be visiting later in the week.  Happy Hour at the Brew House when we arrived back at base so it would be rude not to stay for a drink or two. 

Nanna and Grandad daycare are redundant for a week so why not take a holiday? Malta fits the bill perfectly,  short haul flight and  24°C in November.  An early morning departure from a rainy Birmingham meant we were in our hotel in sunny Malta by 14.00. Hotel Verdi is a modern purpose built hotel, although overlooking a busy dual carriageway it is one of the quietest rooms we have stayed in and superb sea views.  We took a walk along the promenade to Tigne Point with great views across the harbour to Valletta.  For dinner we found the local brew house which served a brilliant  IPA. Tomorrow we start our walking tour.