Jackie Britton Blog: 4th and 5th week in Malta (including our trip to Sicily)

Monday 5^th May: Walked, Swam. Eat and drank wine….that’s it! It’s funny, when walking or sitting having a drink watching the Maltese go about their business…..they are mad drivers, and because of the weather they spend time outside their houses chatting and sitting around in the sunshine…but come 1pm till 4pm….no one is around, it’s siesta time. The elderly Maltese people all have black hair….haven’t seen any with grey hair and they are very smart wearing dark clothes!

Tuesday: Went to airport in the evening to collect our friends who have arrived for one week (Jenny and Ian) …..it will be great spending time with them. Wednesday – we took our guests around Mellieha and down to our favourite bar…then home, had a swim and had siesta around the pool Out for dinner in evening…lovely day …the sun shone all day …with no wind as like any Island it can be windy. Thursday…We took a trip to Gozo and Comino (to see the Blue Lagoon) on the ferry – it was a hot day. We hopped on and off a Red Tourist bus – which is really the best way to see the whole island. We first got off first at the Citadel in Victoria…..which is the Capital , walked around the narrow streets which are very quiet and beautiful with there colourful doors and flowers. Had lunch and hopped on and off the bus again to various places. Took ferry home, had drinks and snacks, exchanged photograph’s and all in bed by ten. Friday we took it easy around the pool….and went out to a local restaurant in the evening where, we think, the staff job descriptions all specify firstly…… “Can you sing?”. The owner, waiters and waitresses and chef’s, in their black and white trousers, all got up and sang. It was a different kind of Karaoke night…..we will definitely go again…….we like the chef’s voices best as they firstly, sang in tune, secondly, had a lot of rhythm and personality. They weren’t the usual Karaoke songs either….a must to go again because the food was good too! Saturday, our last day together, we hired a car and drove to Mdina and Rabat but alas, after at least 30 minute’s driving around, couldn’t find somewhere to park…people were obviously, up and about early today! We ended up at the Ta’ Qali Craft Village, where local crafts and artefacts are created by local experts.

The Ta' Qali area was a former RAF wartime airfield used in WW1 and WW2. The RAF vacated the area in the 1950’s and this wide open space now contains a National Stadium, National Park (with Amphitheatre) and National Vegetable Market known as Pitkalija. The Amphitheatre has had international concerts with artists such as Status Quo and Madonna and local artists. The US Embassy relocated to the area in 2011 from Valletta, where it had stood for more than 50 years.

Jenny and I were looking forward to seeing the Nissen huts, that made up the Ta' Qali' craft centre, but one caught my eye….HUT 137, OLIVEWOOD. Art, Sculpture – woodturning and gifts….must find this hut. It will be great watching craftsmen blowing glass, women making lace and making Filigree jewellery….which is unique to Malta. We left the men in the café and Jenny and I set off around the huts……Jenny wanted to buy a souvenir for her home so we looked at the Glass and Pottery - there were amazing pieces being blown and all so colourful and unique – the Glass has many twirls of colours in it….luckily enough we had a wedding gift, of glass from Ta' Qali, from our Maltese friends ….and next time we go there we will try and add to the two pieces as when the sun shines through it – it is really beautiful.

We finally arrived at 'Olivewood', where John and Ian were already inside chatting to the artist and John was paying for something! Hut 137 (designed in WW1 and was able to be erected in 4 hour by 2 men) is now being used by ‘Olivewood’. The guy who rents it now, told us a story that a man who was in RAF in WW2 visited him and gave him a photograph of himself and 3 other guys who were living Hut 137 during the WW2. The photograph is displayed in his shop….how wonderful.

I was eager to find out what John had bought as he opened the packaging to show me - it was flat and quite big…….It was a slice of Olive wood that could be used as a cheese board etc. I was thrilled - as I LOVED IT! The Olive wood was from Malta the darker and lighter wood resulting in differing growth parameters occurring in different seasons....so the guy told me. Olive wood is a popular choice for salad bowls and is easy to care for and can last for generations. Most olive wood products are handmade and are more expensive than similar items made from a softer wood. It was not an expensive item but I will treasure it and every time I use it – it will remind me of our memorable time in Malta 2014. We all enjoyed our time at Ta’ Qali and all had a keepsake to take home. We spent the rest of Saturday around the pool before our ‘last supper’ together. Jenny and Ian spent their last day on Sunday on their own and went to Valetta (they left early Monday morning for UK)….…but we embarked on our trip to Sicily leaving 4.30am Sunday morning.

Sunday 6.30am we set sail on the ‘Jean de la Valette’ (named after a Frenchman who became Grand Master of the Order of Malta in 1557). What an amazing Catamaran, new, big and very comfortable seats and armchairs. It was built in Australia and bought over to Malta in 2010 and is the fastest Catamaran on the Mediterranean and the 3^rd largest in the world. It takes 800 passengers and 130 vehicles and took 90 minutes to get to Pozzallo in the southeast. We first went to a shopping village as Marisa’s two daughters wanted to buy some Nike trainers (about 45 Euro’s…so about half price to UK and Malta).

(Marisa's two daughter’s wanted to take her for a short break somewhere as it was ‘Mother’s day’ on Sunday in Malta and Marisa suggested going to Sicily so John and I could come aswell. Marisa loves it there and spent a lot of her youth there and knows the Island well.

We had some food and ice-cream (of course) and left the shopping village to go to our hotel which was built high on volcanic rocks with lava walls and lava flower pots and had a lovely view overlooking the sea on the terrace. It was a base to explore and served us well. The first night Marisa took us down to the fish restaurants in the area we were staying (Aci Castello). The owner was pleased to see her and they exchanged kisses..they obviously knew her well as she always goes there when in Sicily....and even dreams about the fresh fish she will eat, long before she gets there…..”it’s that good?” I ask, she nodded her head vehemently! It was good! I had just fish in a sauce on my plate and I have never tasted fish like it before. You mop up the sauce with some home made bread made with the best olive oil and Sicilian wine and leave with a smile on your face. The next few days we drove up and down the main roads going past the snow- capped Mount Etna….so impressive. Trips to Etna were 49 Euro per person so a little too expensive and a long walk up the mountain…so out of the question but we saw it every day looming in the distance. We drove to various Gelateria’s during the day to have coffee and ice-cream and 'sweets' (cakes) and in the evening to eat fish or pizza – all good. One night we had musicians sing to us so I got up to dance around them….which was duly filmed by the girls, who eventually danced with me while Marisa filmed it and it was duly put on Facebook by the girls. Gelato is an experience not to be missed. You can choose from at least 20 different flavours and it’s delicious. (Gelato is made with a greater proportion of whole milk to cream). We also went to a huge market where everything was so cheap (Marisa knew where every stall was to get the best products). Limocello was 7 Euros (in Malta it’s about 14 Euros and in the UK it’s a ridiculous price). I bought a good brand of sandals for my grandchildren for 10 Euros and a few T Shirts, (one/two euros each). Baby Nancy got a hand knitted jumper with hood from Gozo when we went there. Olives, Ricotta cheese, Melons, Tomatoes, wines and brandy all ridiculously cheap…so the boot was full upon our return with all sorts of goodies. The Italians ride their scooters and cars as if there is no one else on the road. You have to stop at all crossroads as the streets are not marked in any way and cars just come across the road without looking. We were safe hands with Marisa’s driving as she zig-zagged her way past double parking in the narrowest roads ever….with women with pushchairs just crossing when they wanted – as if they had right of way..….your car had to stop……….a great experience but a bit scary. Sicily is a country of diversity, it has a population of 5 million and became part of the Italian state in 1860…..it is also incredibly dirty with rubbish blowing around everywhere. The ever changing landscape with hill-top towns rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 are characteristic of this Island. Naturally, I bought some specialities of the Island….. Nougat …which is soft and chewy and abundant with almonds that grow there. I ate loads of Ricotta sweet pastries that were unique to the café’s around the markets, they were a warm pastry with a centre of Ricotta cheese and almonds that dripped down your chin when eating them …heaven......and better than our Danish pastries as they have a sweet and sour taste. Mmmmmmmmm! (I wish I'd bought some back to Malta). Marisa had a phone call early Wednesday morning (we were catching the 9.30pm ferry that night) to say that our ferry was delayed for over three hours due to wind in Malta so we finally left Sicily at 1.30pm Thursday morning and the crossing took 2 hours instead of the usual 90 minutes. It was a rough crossing with the sound of people being sick – poor things - but thankfully I slept the whole way. I think, one of advantages of growing older is you embrace everything and enjoy the moment you are in! It was a fantastic break in Sicily….and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Got back to villa 4.30am and in bed at 5 for a couple of hours sleep (after unloading the car!). I lazed around the rest of Thursday and went early to bed with my Kindle. It’s nice to be back to our ‘home’ in Malta. Saturday and Sunday did housework, went walking and pampered myself with the products I had from my kids for Mother’s Day…..I feel blessed!