Malta :: Day 8

Last morning in Malta. We picked up some pastizzis and sat on a bench for breakfast. They are the traditional pastry of Malta, cost about 30 cents each and are amazing. Pea, cheese and chicken are the common flavors. None of them suck. Afterwards, we walked along Grand Harbor to check out the boats one last time. We walked to the end of Vittoriosa and around Fort St. Angelo, which is what our apartment looked out on. It's crazy, imaging everything that went on there over the years. Afterwards, we had to go back and finish packing. So sad. We had a taxi pick us up and take us to the airport where we caught our flight to London. The flight was great, but customs was a nightmare. There were two large flights ahead of us (from China and India) and it took over 2.5 hours to get through. It kind of ruined our plans for sure. All the restaurants were closed, as it was 11 pm by the time we got to our apartment. We ended up picking up cheese and crackers from a little all-night corner stand and calling it a night. I don't think we ate real food the entire day today. Thankfully we have a couple days ahead of us yet.

Malta :: Day 7

Today we took the water ferry to Gozo. It was about an hour drive each way to get there, but so worth it. Our first stop was the Salt Pans. They were created by the Romans and seriously look like they are from a movie set or another world. They are still in use by several families, and we even bought some salt from a vendor by the side of the road. Next, we drove to the Inland Sea and Blue Hole on the other side of the island. At the Inland Sea, we took a boat trip. Like a lot of this trip, we didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t very long, but such a fun experience. It cost 4 Euro each. It’s a little boat that fits about 10 people. It squeezing through a cave and into the ocean. The sea was pretty rough so it was crazy we were in a little boat like that, but so fun. We also went into 3 different caves and saw the rock below where the arch was (it collapsed only a couple years ago). The water though! Oh my gosh, so blue – it looked like melted sapphires. We also rented snorkling equipment for a little bit. We swam around the Inland Sea for awhile. Wasn’t super interesting, but fun. Next, however, we went to the Blue Hole and oh my gosh am I glad I had the equipment there. The hole is so deep (60 meters - 196 feet) and completely fascinating. There’s an opening that scuba divers go under that brings them out to the ocean. Amazing. The only regret is that we didn’t have water shoes. The rocks were so rough and there were a ton of sea urchins. I can’t believe we didn’t step on one.

After a fun day on Gozo, we drove back to the apartment, showered quick, then headed out to watch the England vs. Croatia World Cup game. The streets were packed, and after an unsuccessful attempt to go to the restaurant we went to on the first night, we ended up snagging the last table at the Snack Bar. I’m telling you, there’s nothing like being in a different country during the World Cup. We were bummed that we would be spending our last dinner at a snack bar, but it ended up being amazing. I had chicken, and it tasted so good, especially after eating pretty much only pasta and pizza the last week. Another amazing day in Malta. It’s going to be hard to leave.

Malta :: Day 6

This vacation has been so amazing. Honestly, it's definitely exceeded our expectations, and we all feel so lucky to be here. I feel like I never want to leave. At the same time, we are doing most everything we want to, so time wise, our week here is perfect. If we had more time, we'd definitely take in more historical sites. That's the one thing we're missing. The history here dates back to the Neolithic period, and the Megalithic Temples are still standing. Insane. Anyhow, yesterday had a lazy morning before driving towards Golden Bay. Our first stop was St. Paul's Bay for lunch. Then we went to Golden Bay. We had about an hour of beach time before we met up at Charlie's Discovery Speedboat for a boat trip that was going to take us to the Blue Lagoon. We first drove around Popeye Village, which was pretty cool to see. It's the original movie set from 1980. So wild. After a fun ride, he dropped us off at the Blue Lagoon. When we showed up, it was still swarms of people. We had two hours there, and by the time we got picked up again, it was just a few of us. Charlie was right -- later in the day was definitely the time to go. Besides the jellyfish the water was amazing. The color was unreal. Several people we were with got stung there, or got stung on other days. We saw a few but have been lucky. The other crazy thing that happened is the search and rescue helicopter came again! It appeared to be just a practice run, but how insane is that? After another fun boat ride back, we came back to our apartment to watch France vs. Belgium then headed down to the town to watch the second half and grab some dinner. H had been wanting pizza, so that's what we had. After a quick stroll by the boats, it was time to call it a day. Only one more left!

Malta :: Day 5

Another amazing day. The boys slept forever, so Brian and I went to the grocery store to pick some supplies up. After we sorted ourselves out, we headed for Mdina. It's not huge, but pretty amazing. Stopped at the Fontanella Tea Garden for cake before wandering around some more and visiting Rabat for a bit. We stopped by Crystal Palace to pick up pastizzis. They were the best so far. And cost 30 cents each. We had brought along some plums as well as that was our lunch. Perfect. Afterwards, we were traveling along the coast and stumbled along a small swimming place called Ghar Lapsi. Thankfully we brought our swim suits today, because it was amazing. So beautiful, and very local. No amenities, no tourists. Next was a quick stop at the Dingli Cliffs to take in the beautiful view. Our last stop was dinner at Diar Il-Bniet a traditional farm-to-table restaurant. The funny thing was, we had entered the address wrong and ended up at a farm where we were greeted by guard dogs on chains and a very friendly farmer who confirmed that we definitely were not at the right place. They probably were the gardens for the restaurant, but who knows. Glad we eventually found where we were really supposed to go! After a grueling day of driving, Brian decided to stay back while the boys and I walked along the harbor. It was a beautiful night, we just couldn't resist.