Around the Island

On Friday, June 23^rd, at 9:a.m. sharp we met our private guide and driver in front of the Stock Exchange, for a day out and around Malta.

First we drove to Mdina (which our guide said was pronounced not “muh DEEN uh” but “mm DEEN uh”).  The Maltese language is derived mostly from Arabic, with a lot of Italian, French and Spanish loan words.  While English is also an official language in Malta, the Maltese are very proud of their language and speak it to one another as a matter of course—it is not dying out.  They speak English with a distinct, non-British, “foreign” accent.

We looked around Mdina, the old capital, and stopped for a snack of the typical Maltese dish called pastizzi, a pastry stuffed with either ricotta or mashed peas.

Then we went down to the coast, to the overlook above the Blue Grotto.  Next, we visited the (very) ancient (3600 to 3400 B.C.) temple complex at Hagar Qim.

It was now lunch time, so we drove to the picturesque fishing port of Marsaxlokk (“Scirocco Harbor”), where we ate out by the water, at La Nostra Padrona.  Good.

Then we went to Birgu, since the Great Siege officially known as Vittoriosa, but still called by the locals by its original name.  This was where the Knights originally had their headquarters.

Our tour having ended, we went to the National Archeological Museum, to see the artifacts from Hagar Qim and also a special exhibition of the jeweled dagger that La Vallette had received from Spanish King Philip II after the Great Siege.

After finding various other restaurants not open and waiting in their associated wine bar for half an hour, we got into Trabuxu and had a very good dinner.