Malta

Bonswa, kif inti?

Day 1

We picked Dylan up from school and after a quick change we left for Manchester airport. The traffic was surprisingly quiet for rush hour and we arrived very early making me very popular as the travel planner! Our flight was delayed due to the French air traffic control strikes and we arrived at Luqa approx 3am where we promptly booked a scarily fast taxi to the hotel. We entered our room at the Corinthia Palace to find rose petals on the bed and complimentary wine and fruit.

Day 2

After our late arrival the night before we slept in and missed breakfast - luckily the plane food had been so good! After getting up we went for an explore and to find a shop to stock up on water and snacks. We made an attempt at finding a local shop, but in the end we bumped into an English guy who frequently visits the area and he kindly pointed us in the direction of the local Scotts supermarket and Santa Lucia cafe with excellent cakes. We got a few essentials from the supermarket as well as some debatable essentials such as a bottle of Cisk. In the cafe we tried our first Maltese food with a tuna ftira that was nice despite including green olives and capers both of which I am not typically a fan. We headed back to the hotel and decided to try out the pool which we found to be not heated and therefore relatively cold with it being September. The pool was refreshing nonetheless and kept us amused before getting ready for the Maltese night at the restaurant. We sampled some of the local cuisine which included Maltese Sausage, Gozo Cheeselets, Galletti, Rabbit Stew and Ricotta Kannoli.

Day 3

Today we made our first trip on the famous Maltese buses to Freedom Square in the capital Valletta. We headed to St Johns Co-Cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Masters then I sampled a bottle of the national soft drink Kinnie. After a customary look around M&S we headed for a walk around the hardbour taking in Manoel Island, Fort St Elmo, the Siege Bell monument, the Grand Harbour and Barracca gardens.

Day 4

On Day 4 we decided to go to Sliema and see what was there as it was mapped in the guide books so we assumed it must be worth the trip. After our experience in Paris we did wonder whether things would be closed with it being a Sunday and this turned out to be the case. However I don't believe we missed that much as it was just like walking through the high-street of any English town with all of the usual chain shops. We had a wander around the harbour which was nice, but full of tourist touts. We shortly headed back to the hotel where I sampled a Farsons Hopleaf Pale Ale whilst relaxing by the pool. For lunch we visited the Santa Lucia cafe again where I had a Ricotta Kannoli and Corrina and Dylan fed the strays with a box of cat biscuits from the supermarket. In the bar that evening I sampled a Maltese Coffee which was an Irish Coffee using Anisette rather than Whiskey.

Day 5

On Monday we headed to Mdina which didn't really have much of a write-up in the guide books, however we were pleasantly surprised by the Greeks gate and the picturesque narrow streets leading to St Pauls Cathedral. We stopped for a brew and another ftira in the Fontanella Tea Rooms. We walked on to the adjoining town of Rabat and past the St Pauls Church and Grotto, St Pauls Catacombs and St Agathas Catacombs. At the restaurant that evening we sampled a very sweet Maltese Wine which became sickly pretty quick.

Day 6

On Tuesday we decided to visit the Palazzo Parisio at Naxxar which was a venue we had looked at when toying with getting married abroad. Upon visiting the palace we pretty soon realised we had made the right decision as it was not as impressive in person as it appeared in images. The gardens at the palace contained many orange trees, which I learned are actually green and not orange, however they were not a patch on the public gardens available to visit in England. There was little else to see in Naxxar therefore we attempted to catch the bus to St Julians to see what was there. After narrowly missing the bus and then missing it again due to waiting at the wrong stop we decided to head back to our hotel and explore the San Anton gardens which are situated just outside the hotel. In the evening we used our HB allocation in the highly rated Rickshaw restaurant where we sampled steam chicken dumplings for the first time.

Day 7

When we awoke on the Wednesday we were pleased about making the decision to postpone our visit to the Blue Lagoon until then as the skies were also blue. We caught the bus to Ċirkewwa then the ferry to Comino. We were impressed by the Blue Lagoon despite being crowded with tourists and we swam in the sea and I swam the short journey across the lagoon to Cominotto. Once we had dried off we went for a short walk across the island where we came across a number of lizards on the desert like land and we could see St Mary's Battery in the distance. On the walk back to the hotel we stopped off at Cafe Papillon in Balzan where I sampled a bolgnese Arancini.

Day 8

On our last day we visited the hotel spa again in the morning where we spent time in the jacuzzi, pool, steam room and sauna. For lunch we made one last trip to the Santa Lucia cafe and to feed the stray cats in the park. Corrina and Dylan went to feed the strays in the San Anton gardens where an over zealous cat clawed Corrina whilst I had one last dip in the outdoor pool. We had a safer trip in the taxi to the airport and made our journey home.

Grazzi & narak iktar tard

Pictures: picasaweb.google.com/g.t.hill/20100923Malta#

Hotel Everest View, Nepal

Gotta stay and drink a cup of tea here at least once in my life...

http://www.hoteleverestview.com/

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a temple complex built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

The Catherine Palace is the Rococo summer residence of the Russian tsars, located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), 25 km south-east of St. Petersburg, Russia.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Palace

Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan, China

The Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha

Sandbanks

Sandbanks is a small piece of land on the edge of England jutting out over the mouth of Poole Harbour on the English Channel coast at Poole in Dorset, England. It contains one of the most highly awarded and popular beaches in Europe.

Persopolis, Iran

Inscriptions indicate that construction of the city began under Darius I the Great (reigned 522–486 BC), who, as a member of a new branch of the royal house, made Persepolis the capital of Persia proper, replacing Pasargadae, the burial place of Cyrus the Great.

Persopolis Travel Guide

Bath Spa, Bath, England

The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The complex is a very well-preserved Roman site of public bathing. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level and has four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century.

Rialto Bridge, Venice

Designed by Antonio da Ponte and completed in 1591.

See: invenicetoday.com

Mudeford Beach Huts, Dorset

Hut rental: needleview.co.uk

Image source: http://www.ephotozine.com/u15627/gallery/890061

Arena di Verona, Italy

The biggest amphitheatre in northern Italy.

http://www.arena.it/

Gavdos, Greek Island

Gavdos has supported a permanent population since Neolithic times; nowadays, however, the island has very few people. The place has seen many uses in the different times it has inspired interest. Gavdos has sometimes been identified as the site of the mythical Ogygia where Kalypso held Odysseus prisoner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavdos

Merchant Adventurers' Hall, York

One of the world's best-preserved medieval guild halls, dating from 1357. Featuring the Great Hall, Undercroft and Chapel.

http://www.theyorkcompany.co.uk/

Sidi Bou Said

A town in northern Tunisia, located 20km from Tunis. The town got its name for a Muslim religious figure who lived there, Abou Said ibn Khalef ibn Yahia Ettamini el Beji and is a tourist attraction as it is known for the extensive use of blue and white colors all over the town.


http://www.tunisia.com/Tunisia/Travel/Tunisia-Travel-Guides/Northern-Tunisia/Sidi-Bou-Said

Maya Civilization

A Mesoamerican civilization, noted for its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world. Maya architecture spans many thousands of years, but the most dramatic and easily recognizable are the stepped pyramids. Each pyramid was dedicated to a deity whose shrine sat at its peak. During this "height" of Maya culture, the centers of their religious, commercial and bureaucratic power grew into incredible cities, including Chichen Itza, Tikal, and Uxmal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_architecture

Teotihuacán

Literally the "place of those who have the road of the gods" was, at its height in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, the largest city in the Americas. Teotihuacan also refers to a civilization, which at its greatest extent included much of central Mexico. The city was located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in Mexico.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/mexico/teotihuacan.htm

El Camino de Santiago

The Way of St. James or St. James' Way, often known by its Spanish name, el Camino de Santiago, is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where the apostle Saint James the Great is said to be laid to rest.

The Way of St James has been one of the most important Christian pilgrimages since medieval times and it has existed for over 1000 years. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which all sins could be forgiven, with the others being the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
There is not a single route—the Way can be one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. However a few of the routes are considered main ones. Santiago is such an important pilgrimage destination as it is considered the burial site of the apostle James the Great. Legend states that St. James' remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. In the middle ages the route was highly travelled. However, the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th century Europe resulted in its decline. In the early 1980s only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However, since the late 1980s the way has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from all around the globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987 and inscribed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社) is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsukushima_Shrine

Machu Picchu

The "Lost City of the Incas" is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located at 2,430 m in the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911, and wrote a best-selling work about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu