Malta - the golden island (or: A story about a restaurant-dilemma, the orient express and T-shirts in January)

When it comes to Malta, I had no idea what to expect before I started my 5 days-trip. Malta seems to be wrongly underestimated, not so well known as for example its Italian neighbor island Sicily. All I knew was that Valletta, Maltas capital city, is the European capital of culture in 2018. Can’t be too bad then, right? And in fact it wasn’t! Malta is truly amazing and deserves to be visited!! I'd like to share my experiences with you...

Day 1 – Merhba, Valletta!

My flight from Zurich was in the late afternoon, so I arrived in Malta’s capital city Valletta at around 8 p.m. It was already dark, but I found the bus terminal and took the local bus. It was a very old, shaky bus and I was the only women with around 10 old men , which made the Situation a bit strange. I didn’t understand the language they were talking – it sounded to me like a funny mix of Italian and Arabic. As I learned later, this language is called Malti and it’s the official language here together with English.

For the final kilometers, I was the only passenger in the bus and when the bus driver started shouting at me, I knew that I arrived at Vallettas bus terminus. I was welcomed by very loud noises – they seemed to be constructing and as I found out, they were constructing all over the town, obviously to deserve the Name «European Capital of Culture 2018».

It didn’t take Long for me to find the appartment I had booked with Air B’n’B. Andre, my host, showed me around. I was absolutely stunned by the appartment – a typical Maltesian flat with high ceilings and a mosaicked stone floor, almost too big for myself. It was quite cold in the appartment (no wonder with all the Stone – no good idea to wander around barefoot here!), so I prepared one of my beloved noodle soups (a must in my bag while travelling!) and felt cozier some sips later.

Day 2 – Valletta and its three sisters

I didn’t sleep long and literally jumped out of bed the next morning. I would like to say that this was due to my enthusiasm to explore the city, but honestly this was just a shock reaction: Put down your naked foot on an ice-cold stone floor wakes you up better than 5 espressi!

The view from my window: A lot of Maltesian balconies!

In this early hours when the sun had just come out, there was a very special atmosphere. It was still very quiet (unless some trucks that unloaded their goods) and nobody was out there. I could already feel the sunlight on my head and the sun plunged the stone buildings in a golden, honey-coloured shade. It was almost magical! At the end of the steep streets, I caught a glimpse of the blue shimmering ocean so I walked down to the waterfront.

I was fascinated by the cute, narrow streets, the tempting looking cafés and restaurants (that’s when the Dilemma began, I’ll tell you later!) and the famous Maltesian balconies that you could see on almost every facade!

I bought breakfast in the very cute, little Café Piadina and ate it outside - as I found out, this seems to be the Maltesian way to do it!

Later, I walked down to the Upper Barraka Gardens and was amazed by the fantastic view.

 

After the view from above, I wanted to explore the things I had seen, so I took a ferry to Senglea, one of the 3 towns on the opposite side of Valletta. Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua as they are called are all linked together, so it was quite easy to explore them all together – and as Malta is such a small Island, everything can be reached very easily and in no-time!

I walked along the harborside and was fascinated by the huge yachts (too bad I didn’t find out to who they belong!!) and strolled around the old towns with their beautiful alleys, colorful balconies, shops and cafés.

I took the ferry back to Valletta and continued to explore the little capital. Indeed: With 1 km x 600 m, Valletta is a veeeery tiny capital where you can’t get lost.

I passed by the impressive parliament building which was designed by the well-known architect Renzo Piano and was finished in 2014. With the old town walls in the background, this building is a fascinating mix of old and new!

My next stop was the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, recommended in every travel guide and known because of it’s impressive interior (Gold, Gold, Gold!) and the paintings of Caravaggio.

Now I really was in an exploring-mood, so I took another ferry that brought me to Sliema, another town opposite of Valletta, known for its nightlife and the language schools . The view from the Ferry was stunning – and reason enough to call Valletta «the golden City», don’t you think?

Day 3 – Malta’s South

Again, I was up early today, had breakfast in a local café called «Culto» (chocolate-stuffed croissant again, not healthy but sooo good!!), then I explored Maltas waterfront again. Everything was quiet and the cafés and restaurants closed, but I can imagine that it is a very busy place during high season!

The plan for this day was to explore Malta’s South, so I took a bus to Marsaxlokk, a very cute, Little village, known for its weekly fish market and the colorful, traditional boats. I really loved the place!! The sky looked quite dramatic and it started to rain, so I continued my bus ride.

My next stop was the Blue grotto. The unexpected view that surprised me when the bus made a curve was stunning!

I had lunch at the rooftop of a Little Restaurant and enjoyed the view.

My next stop were the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. For People that are very interested in history and archeology, this must be heaven on earth. Maybe I was already a bit tired of all the impressions during the day, but I was more fascinated by the nice view of the sea than of the temples… :-) 

 I then took the bus back to Valletta, relaxed in my appartment and then had dinner at «Il pup» - a small, «hipsterish» restaurant (the smaller the place the bigger the burgers!!).

Because it was still early after my dinner, I decided spontaneously to go to the cinema this evening. The ticket was half the Price we pay at home, so I rewarded myself with popcorn and enjoyed 2 hours of «Murder on the orient express». A fantastic movie – even if I have to admit that I had kind of a strange feeling afterwards, being alone in my huge, cold appartment…

Day 4: Malta’s North

Well, obviously, my fears were unfounded, there was no murder, I slept very well and the next day, I woke up with beautiful weather – blue sky, 16 degrees and a light wind.

This day I wanted to discover the Northern part of the Island, so I took a bus and headed North… I passed by some wonderful sights:

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I stopped in Mdina, the former capital of Malta and also called «silent City». This city on a hill, surrounded by a big wall, made me think of the orient. Was it the big stone wall and the shadow in the streets that made me freeze a little bit while walking through the silent streets of Mdina? Or the special, historic atmosphere? 

The view from the top of the wall was very nice and I needed only 5 minutes to get heated up again by the sun.

After this cold, but wonderful pitstop, my journey continued to Golden Bay, a nice sandy beach. Whereas it will be very crowded in summer (2 huge Hotel complexes just some hundred meters away…) it was almost empty today and I enjoyed the sound of the waves and the crunching of the sand under my shoes.

The bus trip continued and we drove along all the famous Tourist spots: Buggiba, St. George’s bay, Paceville. Hotel after Hotel. Pub after Pub, Club after Club. I didn’t take any Pictures. This was not the Malta I wanted to see.

Once back in Malta, I walked down to the waterfront again. Here, everything seemed to be prepared for summer already. But the tourists were missing. Bad for business, good for me. I chose the restaurant with the best view of the harbor, sat down, enjoyed a coffee and the sun – without a jacket, in a tshirt, in january!! Perfect!!

One thing I hate and love at the same time while travelling: when there are more good looking restaurants and cafés to try than there is time to try them all. It’s a dilemma. My personal Food-dilemma. I had experienced this Dilemma every day in Valletta, I think I’ve never seen a bigger variety of great looking restaurants than here!!  

For the last evening in Valletta, I finally went for an Italian Restaurant that claimed to make the best pizza in town. It was very good indeed!

The next day, I had to say goodbye to Malta and flew back to (cold, foggy!) Switzerland again. This short trip to Malta was fantastic. There is so much to do and see here! Its history, the architecture, the mix of old and new, the easy atmosphere, the friendly People – it was amazing!

Maybe my Food-dilemma isn’t too bad. At least it’s a good reason for coming back, don’t you think? If you ever visit Malta and experience some good restaurants and cafés, let me know and help me making my Dilemma a little bigger, I'm looking forward! :-) 

Yours,

Valentina

Some tips if you visit Malta: 

TO DO IN MALTA: 

·         Valletta: Malta’s capital city is not very big, but there are many things to see!

o   The STRAIT STREET was formerly known as the red-light-district of the town but is more and more converted into a street full of fantastic bars and Restaurants. Make you sure you go there!

o   For Shopping visit the REPUBLICAN STREET

o   The St. John’s Co-Cathedral: An impressive church with famous paintings. The entrance is 10 euros, but you get an Audio guide !and can learn a lot of interesting Things!

o   The Parliament Building: Very nice to see from the outside as it is quite new

o   Valletta’s Waterfront: a «street» next to the Harbor with a lot of Cafés and Restaurants. Sit there and enjoy the mediterranean atmosphere while sipping on a Mojito and observing the yachts!

o   Upper Barraka Gardens: a Little park with an amazing view of Malta’s 3 sister-cities! Don’t miss it! From there, you can take the lift to Valletta’s waterfront

o   EAT & DRINK! There are sooo many nice restaurants and cafés, make sure you try as much as you can!! J

·         The 3 sister-cities

o   Valletta’s 3 sister-cities are very worth a visit! You can take the ferry from Valletta’s waterfront and you’re there in no-time! A ride costs only 1.50 and as the 3 cities are all linked together, you can easily explore them all-in-one.

·         Hagar Qjm & Mnajdra

o   For those who are interested in history and archeology.

·         Mdina & Rabat

o   Mdina was the former capital of Malta and is also called «silent city». It is located on a hill and surrounded by walls which give it a special atmosphere. Rabat is just on the other side of the street and also worth a visit!

·         Marsaxlokk

o   My favourite Little town in Malta! A fishing-village, known for its colorful boats and the fish-market on Sunday. Make sure you go there!!

·         Ferry ride to Sliema - only for the view

o   I didn’t really like Sliema, after quiet Valletta, it seemed to big, too loud, too busy (and it wasn’t even high-season!!!). But a Ferry ride is still worth a visit- you get a breathtaking view of Valletta’s Skyline!

TO EAT:

• Food and Drinks in Malta are not expensive. You could eat a lot of fish and seafood here, but you have also a lot of great vegetarian options
• For lunch, try the big variety of pastizzi (small pastries)
• Tr the local beer! I tried the ones from «Lord Chambray», a brand founded only in 2014! It was delicious!
• 59 republic: Probably the nicest restaurant I saw in Valletta. Small menu (quite exclusive), luxury interior – great for a Special Occasion!
• D’office: Very cute Bistro with cozy interior, loved also by locals!
• Angelica: another very cute Restaurant with local food
• Margo’s: Claims to have the best Pizza in town. Was very good indeed!
• 67 Kapitali: huge selection of local beers and a nice atmosphere
• Il-pup: Small Restaurant with yummy burgers and a funny interieur
• Café Piadina: My favourite breakfast-spot. Also loved by locals. You can have your breakfast while sitting outside in the street and observing the crowd passing! I loved it!

GETTING AROUND:

• Valletta is very small, so it’s very easy to explore it by foot. To go down to the waterfront, you can take the Upper Barraka Lift. To go down it’s free, to go up you pay 1 Euro. The ride is quite impressive!
• To get to town from the airport, you can take a local bus (e.g. X4). A ticket , costs 1.50.
• For all other destinations you can also take local busses, it’s quite easy to get around, as the distances are not long. The busses are on time most of the time, but make sure you plan enough time just to be sure! :-) A ticket costs 1.50, but you can also have a day- or week-ticket.
• There are rental cars all over the Island, but I was a bit afraid because they are driving on the left… :-) 

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