Malta Day 2 & 3

Day 2

Our second day in Malta was New Year's Day. It's a National Holiday so almost everything was closed. We took the Hop On, Hop Off bus to Valetta and then to the North side of the island.  We got off in the Walled City of M'Dina, ate lunch and took a horse and buggy ride through the town which we really enjoyed. If we go back, that's one spot we'd like to spend more time exploring. We hopped back on the city sightseeing bus and took the bus the rest of the way around the island. It was super cold and the winds were crazy on top of the bus, but we survived.  Be mindful because there are two different hop on, hop off buses and you can only ride on the one you booked.  Also, I have to say that I can't recommend the Citysightseeing Hop on Hop Off bus due to the quality of the buses and a rude driver we encountered.

Before dinner we stopped for a fish pedicure at The Fish Lounge.  We were all a little hesitant to try it (except for Scott of course). But, in the end we all decided to be brave and give it a try.  It felt so tickly that in the beginning we were all giggling and laughing.  In the end we all ended up with smooth feet and we got used to the little fishes kissing our feet all over.

Day 3

For our third day in Malta we hired a private tour guide (Vicky) to take us to see the south side of Malta. First we did a walking tour of Valetta and then we toured St. John's Co-Cathedral.

The Co-Cathedral is plain on the outside, but it's the most ornate church I've ever seen on the inside. There is a chapel for each country where the Knights of Malta originated from (12 in total). The knights are buried beneath the cathedral, but their tombstones or catacombs are inside the church. Many of them are in-laid in the floor in Limestone carvings. The limestone carvings in the cathedral are painted with gold leaf. This is the most densly and ornately decorated church we've seen so far.

We stopped at a big cafe in Valetta's city centre for a snack. I had the best Almond Macaroon and Ellie's hot cocoa was delish. Although, Vicky told us that the Maltese used to give chocolate to their slaves to keep them awake and help them work longer hours, so today many Maltese won't eat chocolate (their loss!;-) ) Next we went to the three cities, which are walled in together, and strolled around Vittoriosa for a while.

 After we toured Vittoriosa, we went to Gulam Dar Cave, where pre-historic pigmy elephants, hippos, and deer fossils have been found.We saw the state flower of Malta, the Maltese Centaury, and we learned about an insect that lives in the back of cave, both of which are endemic to Malta. This means they are only found here and aren't found anywhere else in the world.

From there we went to a quaint fishing village called Marsaxlakk and we had a windy lunch at Harbour Lights, an outdoor restaurant. All of the food was good especially the linguine with sausage and Burrata Cheese appetizer. Scott and Hayden enjoyed looking at the traditional fishing boats and spotting the famous Maltese eye painted on each.

Next, we made a quick stop to see the Blue Grotto.

Our last stop of the trip was to see the Hgar Qim temples. They recently carbon dated the Hgar Qim Temples and they pre-date the pyramids and Stonehenge (3600-3200) BC! They're said to be the oldest free-standing stone structures in the world.

For dinner we ate at Maltese Mamma near our hotel.  Ellie had rabbit spaghetti, which was excellent. Hayden had a mixed seafood platter, which Scott ended up eating most of and really enjoyed. Scott had rabbit which is a traditional Maltese dish. Rabbits are the only remaining wild animals on the island. Ellie asked Scott during dinner "Dad, is this rabbit... like bunnies?". "Yup, like bunnies. Is that alright? Is that what you want to eat?", she replied. "Yes, that's what I want." Then to herself a minute later we heard her quietly singing "Bunny spaghetti, bunny rabbit spaghetti... Buuuuunny spaghetti. Bunny, kitty, puppy spaghetti.". Scott interjected at that point, "No honey, just bunny. But we'll take a trip to Asia soon".

Overall, our guided tour with Vicky was our favorite part of the trip. She was so knowledgeable about the history, geology and archaeology of the island. She's a historian and worked previously at some of the sites we visited. Plus, she's a Mom, so she was great with our kiddos! We highly recommend her to anyone heading over for a visit.

If we go back (we'd like to, but with such a long bucket list, who knows...) we'd like to go in September or October when tourists are few, it's not stiflingly hot, but the water is still warm. There are many beaches (although we didn't see a lot of sand) and snorkeling and diving spots, but it was too cold while we were there. We'd also like to explore Gozo, which we didn't get to because of the high winds.