On The Mediterranean Coast

Finally, the photos from Malta have been uploaded! It was a very great vacation, a very beautiful place, full of old-fashioned and quaint buildings, and deep blue sea. We were staying at an apartment in a suburb called Sliema called Chelsea Court, the quieter district, right by the beach. My cousin had pre-booked the apartment for us to stay for a week.

Just fifteen minutes away is St Julians Bay, the hippier district, where the major shopping malls, nightclubs and bowling alleys are. In other words, St Julians is the area for young people, the hip and happening place for yuppies and teenagers, something like our Clarke Quay back home.

Our trip to Malta started at London Heathrow Terminal 4, where we took an Air Malta flight to Malta Luqa Airport. We reached Malta at about 1:30am in the morning of Thursday 5th July, where my cousin had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at the airport and bring us to our apartment.

Air Malta (with the Maltese cross)

There was actually some confusion when we reached the apartment building. Apparently, there was no reception area. It was just an apartment building where people could come and go at will, so there was no guard or caretaker around. Furthermore, my cousin forgot to tell us which apartment we were in. Thus when we arrived, we had no idea which apartment to go into.

It was almost 2:00am in the morning. We did not wish to disturb all who were sleeping, but in the end we had no choice but to call my cousin to wake him up and ask him which apartment to go into. He told us we were in Apartment 5, the same as my second uncle. His family was staying at Apartment 6, and our other relatives Apartment 2.

So we rang the bell for Apartment 5 and woke my uncle up who then opened the door for us. My uncle and aunt were staying in the Master bedroom with the attached bathroom and air-conditioning. My parents were given the second room with the air-conditioning. My room was the smallest room with no air-conditioning, but at least there was a queen-sized bed!

My room in Malta

Our apartment building (the apartment second from the top was ours)

The street of Sliema where our apartment is

I slept the moment my head hit the pillow. The next day (few hours later actually), we woke up at 8:00am to go on a morning tour to Valletta, the current capital. Malta is very rich in history and culture, from the various influences of the Phoenicians, Arabs, Ottomans, Italians, French and British through the years. The rich culture is abundant in the buildings, as instead of new modern skyscrapers, the old-fashioned buildings are still retained.

Malta has had three capitals. The first capital was Mdina from eleventh to thirteenth century (the place where the wedding was held), the second capital was Vittoriosa from thirteenth to fifteenth century, and then Valletta from then onwards. So we toured Valletta where we had a good view of the Grand Harbour with the historical three cities in the background. A magnificent sight!

Statue of a Maltese revolutionary general in Valletta

The Prime Minister's Office

Albert Einstein in Valletta

Side view of the Grand Harbour (with the old buildings)

Waters of the Grand Harbour

The Grand Harbour (with the three cities in the background)

The other side of the Grand Harbour

Close-up of the old buildings overlooking the Grand Harbour

The Government Office

After the tour of the Grand Harbour, we went to St Paul's Co-Cathedral and Museum, one of the oldest churches in Malta. Imagine for a place with just over fifty thousand people, there are more than three hundred churches! The church's architecture is grand indeed, and it is even grander inside!

Entrance of St Paul's Cathedral

The clock tower at the side of St Paul's Cathedral

One of the altars inside the cathedral

A very big cross inside the Cathedral

After the tour of the Cathedral, we walked round the streets of Valletta and saw other old buildings, like an embassy, horse-drawn cabs and houses before reaching Manoel Theatre, our next destination.

I think this is an Italian Embassy

Horse-drawn cabs (a pity I had no chance to take any)

Streets of Valletta

Manoel Theatre is the oldest theatre in Malta, and one of the oldest in Europe. The theatre is non air-conditioned, so there are no shows in the summer. Most of the shows are in the cooler months. Even then, it is a very small theatre, with just about a hundred seats or so.

The ceiling at the entrance of Manoel Theatre

The theatre chandelier

Modern seats of the Theatre

Box seats of the theatre (the one in the middle is for the President)

The Orchestra Pit (somehow there was a musty smell emitting from the pit)

An old theatre flyer

Old theatre programs

Grand Master Manoel - whom the theatre was named for

The old Sound Effects wheel

Make-up used on the artistes

The old curtain rope

Old theatre costumes

After the tour of the theatre, we went to Fort St Elmo behind the Grand Harbour. Apparently, the fort was built by the Arabs to keep other invaders out, but it was so successful that it kept their own Arabs in the fort. Thus, no one could trade or go in or out.

Fort St Elmo

Grounds of Fort St Elmo

We had to watch a documentary called "A Malta Experience", about the history and founding of Malta from beginning till now. The show itself was in a small theatrette in Fort St Elmo itself, so we had to pass by a tunnel to go underground, past a souvenir shop then the theatrette.

The tunnel leading to the theatrette

View of the Grand Harbour from Fort St Elmo

View from the side of Fort St Elmo

After the tour of Fort St Elmo, we went back to Sliema for lunch. The van dropped us off along the beach, so we walked to Surfside Restaurant, a cafe right at the beach, for lunch. I had Hot and Spicy Barbecued Ribs and Spaghetti Carbonara. Even though the weather was about thirty-five degree celsius, the climate was still relatively more comfortable as compared to the humidity and stickiness back home.

Surfside - Cafe by the beach

The beach down the street from our lodgings

The blue Mediterranean Sea

That night, we had a pre-wedding gathering at a restaurant in North Malta called Guiseppi, where I had seabass. My youngest cousin ordered Rabbit Stew, a traditional Maltese dish. I could not stomach the dish at first, but I got brave enough to have one bite. Not bad, the meat is rather tender, but once I started thinking of the poor rabbit, I could not stomach it anymore. But it was so tender and juicy that I started having another bite, and I stopped thinking and just continued eating. :-p

Interior of Guiseppi restaurant

The full Western meal setting (reminds me of "Titanic", where you eat "from the outside in")

Enjoying white wine in Malta

Apartment 5 (our home away from home for a week)

View from the balcony of our apartment

View of the Mediterranean Sea from our apartment

The next day (Friday 6th July) was the wedding day. We had lunch at Viva Veritas, a cosy cafe opposite the sea, where I ate a Chicken and Bacon burger, before starting to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was held at a church in Mdina (converted from an old Arabic fort), then the reception was at a hotel next to the church (converted from an old castle). Both venues were part of the location of the shows "Troy" and "Gladiator".

The third day (Saturday 7th July) we went to Gozo, the second island of Malta. There are three islands known as the Maltese Islands, the main one being Malta. Gozo is the second island, more natural, as compared to the more cosmopolitan Malta (although not cosmopolitan enough in the context of bigger cities). The third island is the smallest, uninhabited island, called Comino, where the Blue Lagoon is.

Gozo is beautiful! We took a ferry there, where we could drive the vans right into the ferry, park there, then take the stairs up to the deck, and then drive out when the ferry docked. The sea and landforms are so spectacular!

Before reaching the harbour in North Malta where we had to take the ferry to Gozo, we explored the old cathedral there. The cathedral itself is built on a hill, where we can see the almost the entire harbour and the sea from there. Somehow why can our local churches not look like this?

The old Cathedral of North Malta

In the grounds of the cathedral

The clock tower and belfry of the cathedral

Close-up of the Cathedral entrance

View of the sea from up the hill of the Cathedral

Air Raid shelter within the grounds of the Cathedral

Leaving Malta for Gozo

The dock of North Malta

The island of Gozo from the ferry

Upon reaching Gozo, the first stop was to a beach, where the famous Azure Window is. The Azure Window is simply a rectangular rock structure protruding from the sea, with a hole in the middle. Somehow that reminds me of the other rock structure I saw in the Twelve Apostles National Park on the Great Ocean Road in Melbourne.

Typical houses in Gozo

1st stop in Gozo

A fort on the beach

The side of the beach

I really love the waves crashing on the beach!

The white sands of the beach

The Azure Window

The tranquil sea

Posing right in front of the Azure Window

How did I get this picture? Actually the Azure Window was some distance away from the beach itself. Between them, there were several rock structures. So I did some rock climbing up and down the structures, jumping over the rocks and fearing I would end up dropping into the sea before finally reaching the rock I was standing on. Needless to say, I had no idea how to get back again, and my cousins had to help me out. :-p

Our next stop was the inland sea down the hill from the Azure Window. The sea is actually some sort of a lagoon, with water rushing out from a cave, where people can swim and drift. The water is warm and cosy, so my relatives ended up throwing pebbles into the water and soaking their feet inside.

Close-up view of the inland sea

Rushing waters of the inland sea

The cave where the water comes out

View of the inland sea back up the hill

Our third stop in Gozo is Victoria Shopping Mall, where the women of the tour stopped to buy some fruit and flowers for the bride's parents, for inviting us to their place for a barbecue buffet after the tea ceremony the next day. After which, we went on to The Citadel, which is an old Cathedral in Gozo.

Top of the Citadel

Belfry of the Citadel

View of Gozo from top of the Citadel

View of Gozo from the other side of the top of the Citadel

Part of the Citadel

Taken from the top of the Citadel

More from the top of the Citadel

Still more from the top of the Citadel

Farmlands of Gozo

This was an old punishment machine for prisoners

After the Citadel tour, we went to Pierre's Restaurant for dinner. The restaurant is right at the dock, which somehow reminded me of Boat Quay back home. I had Grilled Chicken Breast and red wine. I actually saw a huge statue of Jesus right on top of a hill in Gozo somewhere near the restaurant, but a pity it was too far to take a proper picture. :-( We took the ferry back to Malta after dinner. It was almost midnight when we reached our respective apartments, so everyone fell asleep fast.

Pierre's Restaurant where we had dinner by the water

The dockside by the restaurant

The sea next to the restaurant

Statue of Jesus on top of a hill

Enjoying red wine in Gozo

The ferry back to Malta

The fourth day (Sunday 8th July), we went to the Hypogeum, an underground temple built during the Phoenicians' time. It is amazing how the temple had existed for five thousand years underground, yet no one knew about it until the early twentieth century when someone started building houses on the site and stumbled upon the remains of the temple accidentally.

It was a rather interesting tour on the history and archaelogy findings, just a pity we were not allowed to take any photos inside! Since only ten persons were allowed in at any one time, I chose to go for the second tour, so some of us went to the Blue Grotto, a stretch of deep blue sea located in South Malta.

View of the Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto (close-up)

The Blue Grotto (with the "Greatest White Shark in the sea")

That lone island just juts out in the middle of the sea. Maltese calls it the "Greatest White Shark in the sea". No one knew how the island came about.

The Hypogeum (underground temple)

After the tour, we went to Vittoriosa (the second capital) for lunch at Tate Cafe and Bar, a place selling vegetarian pasta and salads. After lunch, we went back to rest for a while before proceeding to the bride's parents' home for the Chinese traditional tea ceremony.

Entrance of Vittoriosa

Streets of Vittoriosa

The harbour at Vittoriosa

Tate Cafe and Bar where we had lunch

The fifth day (Monday 9th July), we had a fun morning cooking porridge and omelette for brunch. After that, we went to a Maltese Crafts Village, where handmade jewellery, pottery and glassware are on sale. I managed to buy some jewellery for people back home, namely the rest of my cousins who could not make the trip, some of my colleagues, and my best friend. I also bought a few sets of Maltese glass coasters for my bosses and the guy's parents who would be coming for a visit. I hope they like what I got!

Entrance of the Crafts Village

Trinkets made from seashells on display

Streets of the Crafts Village

Portraits made from glass

That evening, we went to Mdina again, this time to explore the place further and for dinner. Mdina is the oldest city of Malta. It is right in the middle of the island, a walled city, so it is built on top of a hill. The top of Mdina right at the hill top is the highest point of Malta. From there, one can see practically the whole island.

Mdina is also a rather holy city. The buildings and architecture is steeped in Roman Catholicism. In just that tiny walled city alone, there are four churches, a Catholic school, and the street names are steeped in Catholicism. There are portraits of Mary and Jesus on almost every wall.

Entrance gate of Mdina

Feline perching on a window sill in Mdina

Cat sleeping on top of a car in Mdina

The narrow streets of Mdina

View of Malta from top of Mdina

Mdina at dusk

One of the churches in Mdina

The belfry of one of the churches in Mdina

The dome of one of the churches of Mdina

Mary and Child

Samples of street names

We had dinner at The Medina Restaurant, which was right out of medieval or Roman times. Going into the gate and doorway made me feel as if I had stepped back into time, and I could just imagine Roman soldiers sitting down enjoying beer and talking loudly. I ordered medium Beef Tenderloin with red wine. After dinner, we had a drive around St Julians' Bay (really a happening place!) before going back to our apartments.

The Medina Restaurant in Mdina where we had dinner

Enjoying red wine in Mdina

My medium Beef Tenderloin Steak

An old school in Mdina by night

Mdina by night

Entrance of Mdina by night

The sixth day (Tuesday 10th July), some of my relatives were starting to go off, so it was a rather free and easy day for us. The ones remaining amused ourselves. We went to my cousin's workplace. He and his wife runs a physiotherapy clinic, specialising in geriatrics treatment and sports injuries. Seems like in Malta, the old folks are quite well taken care of!

The swimming pool of the clinic run by my cousin and his wife

We then had lunch at a restaurant in St Julians Bay called Paparazzi, right below the La Dolce Vita restaurant, where I had a Bacon Toast Set and then Ben and Jerry's ice-cream! Again, the restaurant is right by the sea.

View of St Julian's Bay

Paparazzi Restaurant in St Julian's Bay where we had lunch

After lunch, we went back to the apartments to pack. My cousin only booked the place until Wednesday 11th July, so we had to move out the next day. After packing, my dad and I went to the cyber cafe down the street, then I went on to stroll along the beach for a while before my parents joined me.

I did a real daring thing. I went to the cyber cafe bringing only enough money for an hour of internet access, and my camera. I left my bag, together with my mobile and my wallet, back in my room. Then I went for a stroll along the beach. Imagine if something were to happen to me, or I lost my way, it would have been really risky indeed with no money or mobile!

The cyber cafe down the street where we lived in Sliema

The Mediterranean Coast down the street from our apartment in Sliema

I love the sea as the backdrop!

Trying to get the sunset

Sun setting on the Mediterranean Coast

The other end of the seaside

TGIF in Malta

After walking along the beach, we went back to the apartment where we cooked a simple dish of noodles and vegetables before calling it a night. The next day (Wednesday 11th July), we moved out of the apartment into my cousin's place to spend the night. Since his place only has two bedrooms (one for the couple, my elder cousin and his family took the guest room), my parents were given the sofa bed in the study, and I was given a foldable bed in the hall, so I ended up sleeping in the hall that night.

We had lunch at my cousin's place. It was a homemade meal of potatoes and rabbit, then my parents and I went shopping and explored the rest of Malta. We ended up at Zara in Sliema (Zara in Malta is much cheaper than in Singapore) where I bought the guy a pair of gold cuff links (hope he likes them!), then Marks and Spencers, Dorothy Perkins, even Armani and Gucci.

Outside Zara in Malta

I saw these table cloths in a souvenir shop and found them useful. In case one of these days I get crazy enough to whip up some exotic dishes, the recipes will come in useful!

Recipe for Rabbit Stew

Recipe for Octopus Stew

Smart car - my favourite car!

We then had dinner at a traditional Maltese restaurant called Il-Merill. I had Rabbit Stew (again!) and my parents had fish and chicken. The Rabbit Stew in the restaurant is delicious indeed! Come to think of it, now I am wondering why do we not have Rabbit Stew here?

Name of the traditional Maltese restaurant where we had dinner

My rabbit stew

After dinner, we wanted to catch a bus back to my cousin's place, but we waited an hour and no bus was arriving, so we took a cab. When we went to the area my cousin is staying, the cab driver was nasty and wanted to just drop us off and let us find the way ourselves. He even charged us an exorbitant price for just a ten minute journey and almost wanted to pick a quarrel with us when we asked him to wait while we call our cousin for directions!

In the end, we were sort of thrown out of the cab after reluctantly paying the full price as stipulated on the meter. We called our cousin and he came along to pick us up back to his place. Then we showered and slept soundly while the rest of them went out for some night life.

My cousin kissed me twice before I went to bed - once on the cheeks and once on the lips. He has not kissed me for a very long time, and I believe this would probably be the last time. He used to kiss me goodnight all the time whenever he was here or I was there (not that many times anyway). For a lingering moment, I kind of miss the old days where we would go everywhere together. Now that he is married, somehow I feel that I am all alone now.

A Maltese bus stop

My bed at my cousin's place

The next morning, we woke up at 5:00am local time. Transport had been arranged for us to the airport. And that ends my Mediterranean trip as we went up the skies towards the United Kingdom.