Malta

I then got off at the place that was my main purpose for this trip the neolithic temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. These ancient temples predate the pyramids of Egypt. Stonehenge or any other megalith.

We then went down to the Blue Grotto, not a place that really appealed to me to stop and visit, but I was able to get a few nice images from the bus as we passed by.

From Tarxien, I jumped back (after a fair wait) onto the bus and went through the three cities and down to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk for lunch and to see the colourful fishing boats. The colours have meaning, Yellow for local, Black for Goza etc... Much like the buses.

Unfortunately the magnificent Hypergien was fulled booked until mid-November, but I was able to see the Tarxien Temples. A excavated temple surrounded by houses and one graveyard.

Following the Cathedral, I left the Silent City and went to Rabat, the neighbouring “real” town of the area.

The Mdina is known as the Silent City. It is an ancient walled town, still inhabited. I wandered through the streets for a while before finding Ciapette for some lunch. The history was palpable at this family run restaurant, where inside and outside were merged, plants, open walls and dark woods transported you back to an earlier time.

Having seen much of Gozo, a few of us, ditched the big boat and took a small speedboat to Comino run by a bronzed man and his little dog. On route we passed through several caves including one with remarkable pink Coral.

After everyone had boarded we set off on the crystal blue ocean, the first sight we saw, the Statue of St. Paul overlooking the island where he came to write much of his religious work.

From the hotel I jumped on one of the Arriva buses and headed to Valletta. I got off at the main terminal, a locale dominated by the Triton fountain.

I slept through the flight, three hours passed pretty much instantly and we were disembarking into the Malta sun. I was deeply glad the fleece hoody I had been wearing in England was now in my luggage.

Silema is one of the wealthier areas in Malta, with upmarket shops and restaurants.