15/1
Wow, Valletta is an amazing city! We started the day by taking our bikes around the marina and looked at some of the huge yachts in the harbour, somehow they are very impressive.. Then we continued to Manoel Island where we went to a place called Duck’s Village. Someone started to build small houses for the ducks where they can eat and live. Other animals saw the place and moved in, now there are ducks, cats, guinea pigs, hens, rosters, pigeons all living in harmony in the village. After that we continued on the beach promenade to Sliema where we took a ferry over to Valletta. We had a great view over one of the harbours and the city walls of Valletta from the ferry.
Valletta is surrounded by a city wall and is located on top of a hill so in some places it’s very steep. There are still old stone steps left to help the knights on horse when they descended the hill in their heavy armour.
Everywhere you go in Valletta you can see the colourful closed wooden balconies, gallerias, on the buildings. Apparently no one really knows why they started to extend the rooms with these balconies but maybe to get some more breeze in to the room and to identify social classes.
We walked around for a bit and had a look at some of the famous things in Valletta and then sat down at a restaurant for lunch and people watching. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the sun!
We went down to Valletta waterfront where all the huge cruise ships arrive. We saw one of them and it was massive! Along the waterfront there are old warehouses that are now turned in to cafes, clubs and restaurants. From here it’s possible to take an elevator all the way up to Upper Barakka gardens. We didn’t think we could fit the bikes inside so instead we made our way to the top cycling and carrying the bikes up the stairs.
We were quite surprised at how many tourist there were and very happy we’re not here in the high season. Now we could still see the streets and the old buildings and when it was time for the 4pm cannon salute at the Lower Barakka gardens we had a great view.
Text from VisitMalta: “For almost 500 years, its guns protected the harbour against naval assault. Its prominent position also ensured it becoming the island’s principal saluting platform. From here, gun salutes were fired on occasions of state, to mark anniversaries and religious feasts, and also to greet visiting dignitaries and vessels. From the 1820’s a gun was also fired at mid-day to signal out the exact hour of the day by which Ship Masters would calibrate their chronographs on board. These time pieces were used up to the early part of the 20th century to find the longitude at sea. These signals, along with the one at mid-day, served largely to regulate the pace of life in the city and its surroundings.”
We really enjoyed our day in the capital of Malta.
16/1-19/1
A day of sightseeing. We left the marina where we had stayed for two nights and headed to Marsaxlokk which is a small fishing village where you can see the colourful Maltese fishing boats, Luzzu boats. The bow is painted with a pair of eyes that are said to protect the fishermen when they are out at sea. We found a parking and went for a walk to have a look at the boats.
After an expensive espresso we drove to a viewpoint for the Blue grotto and then to Hagar Qim. We didn’t go in there and instead we continued to Gnejna bay where we will stay tonight. The road here was very narrow in some places with just a few centimeters to spare and we were happy to arrive here without a scratch!
We were very surprised a few hours after sunset to hear a lot of voices outside. When we looked out there were about 20 people going for a run with headlamps. A few hours after that there were some cars coming down to the parking to do burnouts. They skidded around and made burn marks on the ground for a while. Luckily they didn’t slide into us! A very busy parking lot in a small place called Mgarr. After that, the evening and night were very peaceful.
The day after we wanted to go to another beach called Golden Bay and stay there for the night, put the parking lot was not next to the beach and it was not a flat surface to park on so we continued to Mellieha instead where we found a stellplatz that overlooked the beach at Ghadira Bay.
We took our bikes for a small ride before chilling out in Snigel. We woke up to a sunny day and decided to take the bikes aaaaalllll the way uphill to Mellieha. It wasn’t really that much to see, we went for a beer at a view point and then for a pizza at a restaurant. Downhill was very quick.
The next morning we drove around a little bit to different beaches to have a look and ended up staying above Paradise Bay beach for the night. We went for a walk and enjoyed the view and nature.
20/1-21/1
We drove to the other side of the coast to Marsaskala where we found a good place to park just by the water. It was a bit ”longer” drive than usual and took about 1 hour. Malta is very small, only 27 km long and 14,5 km wide, it’s about 1/4th of the Swedish island Öland and usually we have been driving for 15-20 minutes to reach our next stop. We went for a walk, had lunch and then just relaxed in Snigel.
The day after we took the bikes in to the center of Marsaskala to have a look. We passed some salt pans where they make sea-salt by letting the water evaporate, then collect the salt and take it to caves to be stored and processed. We passed the abandoned Jerma Palace hotel. It was opened in -82 and closed down in -07. It used to be the largest hotel in the south of Malta, the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi had a presidential suite at the hotel. It is now collapsing, everything of value has been stolen and the walls are covered in graffiti. When we got back to Snigel we went for another walk.
Tomorrow Mike’s brother Magnus is coming!
22/1-24/1
We woke up to a sunny day and sat outside Snigel before we went to the airport to pick Magnus up.
It was really nice to see him again! First thing we did was to go to a store with fishing equipment so that he could buy a fishing rod. He loves to go fishing but wasn’t able to bring one on the plane. After that we drove back to Mellieha where we took the ferry to Gozo, one of Malta’s seven islands. We had to wait for the next ferry crossing for some reason but then it only took 20 minutes to arrive.
This is where we’re going to spend the days that he’s here. We rented a house close to Sannat which is close to Victoria (the ”capital” of Gozo). When we got to the house there was a guy meeting us with the key. He showed us around the massive stone house and then he and Magnus went to get a bicycle while me and Mike went to get Snigel to park her outside the house. When we closed the door it was very difficult to look it, but we managed after a while. When we all met again outside the door it was impossible to unlock it. After a while we called the guy and he came to have a look. Apparently you’re only supposed to close the door, not look it as well… When nothing worked one guy asked the neighbour if he could go in from their rooftop terrace and somehow climb down a small passage and then get in to the house. Ones he was inside he tried to open the look, but he couldn’t. Everyone was getting a bit frustrated and it was getting dark so we decided to take all our things in through the kitchen window. Finally they managed to open the door and went to buy a new lock for it.
We were supposed to do some BBQ but it was to late for that. Instead we went to the store on the other side of the street and bought frozen pizza, local beer, wine and goat cheese.The owners were very friendly and they gave us some tips on where to go in Gozo.
The day after was a beautiful morning so we decided to take the bikes and go for a ride. We started by going the wrong way to a place where it’s mysterious tracks in the limestone. It was a very nice wrong way and we took many nice photos.
We had booked a tour at a micro brewery called LordChambray that was in Victoria so we started to head that way. It was a good tour where our guide told us about how to brew beer and showed us all the machines and the processes from start to finish. After the tour we got to taste some of the beer they made and most of them were good. We bought some to bring home to the house. We sat up late that night and had a long sleep in the day after, it was raining so we didn’t do much.
25/1-26/1
After rain comes the sun and the next morning was very nice but windy. We decided to bring some coffee, beer and fishing rods and take the bikes to see if we could find a good spot to do some fishing. Gozo might be a small island but it is very hilly and it was a lot of up and down. The first place we came to in Xlendi bay was not good for fishing but had really special nature. You could really see that the sea is eating away at the limestone and in some places the overhang was really big. There were some salt pans and a door leading to one of the caves where they store the salt.
We had some beer, enjoyed the scenery and Mike and Magnus climbed the rocks. They didn’t find anywhere to fish because the cliffs were very high, it was windy and the water was wild. We walked around for a while and then decide to go to the Blue Hole.
At the Blue Hole you can also see a place called Inland Sea which is a passage through the cliffs between the ocean and a lagoon. This is also where the Azure Window used to be, it has now corroded and fallen into the water but used to look like a window where you could see the blue water through. It was very windy and the water was wild so they couldn’t do any fishing here either. The way down to this place was very steep and neither of us felt like walking all the way up to the top with our bikes so when the next bus came we asked if we could bring the bikes on the bus. The driver looked around and said it was a lot of people but I think he felt sorry for us and said yes after a little while. We were all so happy! When we hopped off in Victoria it was only a short ride back to the house.
Today is the last day Magnus is here and we left Gozo in the morning and drow to Marsaxlokk. We walked around for a bit and then sat down to have lunch at one of the fish restaurants at the harbour. We were not very impressed with the food and felt a bit disappointed since neither of us eat fish that often and thought it would be good here in a fishing village. We continued to St Peter’s pool where the water has slowly carved away the limestone and made it into a natural swimming pool with clear blue water. We made coffee and had a small picnic at this beautiful place. We walked along the cliffs on our way back to Snigel and saw a man that was fishing far down. We couldn’t figure out how he got there but I think Mike and Magnus were a bit jealous they couldn’t get down there. After that is was time to go to the airport. It’s always sad to say goodbye. We’ve had a really good time together and it’s been great to have Magnus here.
For us it was time to go back to Sicily, so we made our way to the parking next to the port and stayed there for the night. After a few hours there were some guys outside that talked very loud and just walked around the parking lot. We weren’t sure who they were and after a while Mike went out to talk to them. They were some kind of ”parking guards” and everyone paid them to park there. They didn’t want anything from us and said we could stay for free. Part from that it was a very quiet night.
27/1-30/1
Before we left Malta, Mike installed the new lights that Magnus had brought. Snigel also got her new S-sticker and Swedish flags.
Now we’re back in Sicily. You would think driving on the right side would come naturally but we both had to concentrate in the beginning. I guess it’s because we’ve been so focused in Malta to drive on the left that it took a little while to reset the brain. We found a very nice place next to the beach where we parked. We met a guy from Israel that knew people from the Kibbutz we stayed at in 1999. The world is small… Mike did some fishing but didn’t catch anything.
We continued a little bit the day after and found another nice beach in Mollarella bay where we decided to stay.
From here we drove to Scala dei Turchi (the Turkish Steps). We had seen on the map that there was a camper parking very close to where you go down to the beach. We drove up the steep road to the camping but when we got there it was closed for the season… It was a very small space to turn around and we were very happy Snigel is not that long. Instead we parked along the road and went down to the beach where you can go to Scala dei Turchi. It’s a beautiful place where the sea, wind and rain have carved a natural staircase in the white limestone. When you come walking on the beach it’s easy to understand why it’s called ”Scala dei Turchi”. Legend says that the Saracen pirates used to dock their ships next to the cliffs where the water was calm and then climb up the “steps” of the cliff and raid the villages. We didn’t rob anyone but we did climb part of the stairs 🙂
We ended up staying at another camper parking that was open, Punta piccola park, for two nights and just relaxed
31/1
Sciacca is a small fishing village that was really nice. We found a nice spot at the harbour and took our bikes to a place called Castello Incantato. It was a lot of going uphill but it was worth it. Castello Incantato (the enchanted castle) is a garden where a man called Filippo Bentivegna has carved more than 1000 heads in stone. He also dug a lot of tunnels, looking for energy. He was considered a madman when he lived but now it’s a place where people come to look at his work.
When we came back in the afternoon we had a beer in the sunset and then we saw something really fascinating. There were hundreds of bats?? flying around two big trees. They flew in formations, split up in groups and then met again. It’s difficult to describe it but click on the video if you are interested to see it.
Tomorrow we’re going to Palermo to buy the tickets for Tunisia.
