Malta log #3

On our second full day in Malta, we rode on one of those get-on get-off tour buses which travel all around the main island of Malta. This way we got to see much more of Malta than we had previously. After leaving Valetta, the first stop was at Medina; we knew not to get off the bus but we advised other travellers not to miss this. The stop after that was Medina Glass, a glass making/selling facility seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We did alight here, spent some time in the facility and unfortunately missed a bus, making the wait longer than it need be.

The next stop was in Mosta, which is almost exactly in the centre of Malta. This town boasts the third largest unsupported dome in the World, which we photographed from all sides before having a very rich - and cheap - lunch in a cafe across the road. The bill for the four of us was only slightly more than the cost of one portion in the restaurant in Medina the previous day, and the food was far more filling. Unfortunately, there isn't much more to do in Mosta so we had to wait there for more than an hour before the next tour bus came.

This bus took us around the northern coast of Malta, which is completely different from Valleta. There were a few small beaches, high rise hotels and a more resort- like ambience. There is a region called Golden Bay which is equivalent to any beach resort, except for the fact that the beach area is somewhat limited. The whole of the eastern coast of Malta was like this; every five minutes we would see a minute beach, a marina and a hotel.

Eventually we found ourselves back in Valetta, near the main bus station. We had to stop a taxi in the street to take us back to the hotel, but it transpires that where we stopped was only about a ten minute walk (for most people) from the hotel.

In the evening, I booked a boat trip for the following day; for this we would be picked up at the Castille Hotel, which turned out to be midway between the hotel and the main bus station, albeit up a steep flight of steps. When checking out the meeting place, we came across the Saluting Battery,and above it the Upper Baccara gardens. A very pleasant place to visit.

The following morning, a taxi took us to the Castille Hotel (there was no way that my father could walk those steps), and from there a minibus took us to the harbour from which the cruise ships leave. We went on the "Gozo, Comino and Blue Lagoon Fernandes" cruise which took us back up the eastern shore of Malta to the other islands in the Maltese archipelago, Comino and Gozo.

Comino is an almost unhabited piece of rock whose Blue Lagoon features another postage stamp sized beach. We stopped here for a few hours; some people swam whereas others went on a speedboat, investigating the many caves nearby. We opted for the (extra cost) speedboat, which was good fun. After an on-board lunch, we sailed for Gozo, made a 180 degree turn in the harbour, found another isolated spot for swimming (which seemed extraneous) and then headed for home. Most people by this time were nodding off.

This morning I made a quick excursion to St John's Co-Cathedral, which like everything else in Valetta, is only a few minutes walk from the hotel; I had to pick up some bits and pieces which we had tried to buy in a tourist shop the previous evening. I didn't bother taking my video camera, which was a shame, as there was an army trooping of the colour outside of the cathedral.

In another hour a taxi will come to take us to Malta airport. From there, we will leisurely make our way back to Prague, wait a few hours in Prague Airport, and then catch a plane back to the Holy Land. Estimated time of arrival is 3am tomorrow morning. This is going to be a long and boring day.

Malta log #2

Since the relations between Turkey and Israel started to deteriorate in the past few months, many Israelis have been looking for alternative holiday destinations (Antalya was a favourite of the Israeli masses). Greece has become a strong contender, but one minor contender for the holiday crown is Malta, a small island in the western Mediterranean. This is not the reason why we are in Malta.

My father's brother was killed here during the Second World War (1941), while he was serving on a minesweeper cleaning the entrance to the Maltese Grand Harbour. My parents visited Malta 35 years ago, but did not find any form of memorial, so my father initiated correspondence with the British Ministry of Defence, in order to set the record straight. Eventually he was sent a letter stating the events of his brother's death, along with a photograph of the listing.

A few months ago, my father got into his head that he wanted to visit Malta again while he is still capable of doing so (he is 88 and somewhat limited physically). I began correspondence with a few war museums in Malta but didn't get a conclusive answer as to where I might find a memorial for my father's brother (I have to call him that and not uncle as he was dead long before I was born). Once we decided to go to Malta, I saw that there were no direct flights to Israel which is why we 'stopped off for a week' in Prague on the way.

Anyway, today was our first real day in Malta. I suggested that we start our search for the elusive memorial in the War Museum, which was very interesting but not what we were looking for. At the very end I saw a reference to a Royal Navy memorial so I suggested that we go there. Whilst waiting for a taxi, my father began chatting to the Museum guard, and she suggested speaking to the museum curator. In the curator's office, we found a book of remembrance which did in fact list my father's brother.

My father was overwhelmed with emotion! We then 'held' an impromptu memorial session with my father reciting the Mourner's Kaddish.

Even though we had found what we were looking for, we went with the taxi driver to what we thought would be the Royal Navy memorial. We weren't able to find what we were looking for, so we abandoned the search. From there, the taxi driver to us to the old settlement of Medina, which was the most attractive part of Malta which we have seen yet.

After spending a few hours here (including lunch), we telephoned our friendly taxi driver who took us back to Valetta. He was unable to take us back to our hotel as he couldn't find the way although he tried; the back streets of Valetta are like a warren, and he was running back and forward in a brave attempt to find the right entrance to the maze. This included going the wrong way down several one way streets. In the end, he gave up and dropped us off in a pedestrian precinct which actually was not far from the hotel.

Here ends today's adventures.

Malta log #1

Most of today's energies were spent on getting from Prague to Malta. There is a direct flight, but we had to wait several hours in Prague airport before we could even check in. The flight itself didn't last long, but we managed to arrive in Malta just in time for the first rain of the year. After collecting our luggage (and not passing through customs, as this was an internal EU flight), our driver took us to the British Hotel.

I don't know whether the route the driver took was indicative of the buildings in Valleta, the capital of Malta, but judging by the state of our hotel, Malta has not yet reached the 21^st century. If one were to describe the hotel in one word, that word would probably be 'crummy'. The only good thing that I can write about the hotel is that we have a good view over the harbour. My mobile computer has picked up a wireless network, but the signal strength is weak and does not allow a connection to the Internet. So I am writing this offline and will post it whenever I get the chance – which may be only when we return home on Saturday. Apart from being unable to blog (the least of my problems), I had expected to be able to connect to work and also to check activities for Malta.

Update: it turns out that there is free wi-fi from the hotel's lounge, but not from the rooms - maybe it's the thick stone walls that causes the wi-fi signal not to be picked up.