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.

Malta Day 1 New Year's Eve 2017

England can be rather dreary, wet and chili in the winter, so we decided to take a trip somewhere warmer, where there would be more sunshine over the Christmas Holidays. We only have sunlight from about 8:30 to 3:45 in December thus our sunlamp and Vitamin D have become necessities! So, we looked for cheap flights to warmer places and settled on Malta. If you’re American you may be scratching your head and wondering, where is Malta exactly? It’s just to the South West of Sicily beneath Italy.

So, off went to Malta on New Year’s Eve.We when walked into the Hilton, St. Julian’s lobby we were stunned at how beautiful it was! The view was three stories of glass windows overlooking the pools and the ocean. Just breathtaking! The hotel is enormous with  two outdoor pools, one indoor pool, a huge gym, sauna, creche, kids club, yoga room etc.

The room was very nice as well with a view of this little cove with lovely yachts docked all around it.

Being that it was New Year’s Eve, we knew that many of restaurants would have a prix fix menu that would be very pricey (which isn’t our style, with two little kids in tow). Instead, I made a reservation at a low-key pasta bar down the street from hotel that had good reviews. Ellie LOVES pasta and Hayden is happy with that too, so we figured it was a safe bet. But, as we turned the corner and saw the street sign, Scott had his reservations and was already coming up with Plan B. However, Impasta did not disappoint! The pasta is all homemade fresh, daily so you pick your pasta from the case and then choose the sauce you want to put on it.  I had the Salmon lemon sauce over a semonla noodle (yes, they had multiple Gluten free noodles for my GF friends) and it was mouthwateringly good. I’ve never had a sauce quite like it before! The kids both had the Carbonara sauce and Hayden loved it so much that he asked me to take a video of him eating it. In our family thumbs up means excellent, a sideways thumb means okay and thumbs down is well, you know...not great. Hayden gave it the thumbs past up, to the other side, which is apparently the best ever :-)

On our way walk back to the hotel we passed a little Gelato bar - L’Oast delGusto - which had great Gelato. Scott and I swooned over the dark chocolate hazelnut Gelato.  Hayden liked ours so much that he ended up sneaking some of ours! We found out while we were eating our Gelato that they had a pretty extensive menu that included crepes and sandwiches as well, which were all reasonably priced.

Our final stop for the night was at a Grocery store just around the corner from the Hilton (the Arkadia ) to pick up some breakfast food and snacks. I was ecstatic to find Vanilla Milk there! It can be difficult to find so I enjoyed quite a lot of it while we were in Malta. They also had pineapple milk, mango milk and strawberry milk.  It was interesting strolling through and seeing all the wonderful spices, prickly pears, fresh nuts and cheeses etc.

Travel tips:

• Ryan Air flies from Leeds/Bradford direct to Malta which was about 65 GBP per person. The flight was 3.5 hours in length.  
• We took the Malta Transfer Shuttle service from the airport to hotel in St. Julian’s for 34 Euros including the return trip. It’s cheaper if you book the return trip with the arrival trip. 
• If you stay at the Hilton, ask for a refrigerator for personal use. They will bring you one free of charge. There is a kettle and a couple of spoons in the room, so you can have oatmeal, yogurts and other breakfast foods in the hotel and avoid paying 18 Euros per person for breakfast at the Hilton. But, do bring some trash bags for the small trash cans in the room. Yogurt and the oatmeal cups can be messy and the Hilton doesn’t provide trash bags. We also brought a few plastic spoons and a knife to cut up the fruit.
• Although it was 65 degrees in Malta the winds were about 50 kmph, so it felt much colder. Definitely bring layers, including long sleeve shirts, a fleece and  a  windproof layer. I even wore my wool hat since the wind kept blowing my hood off! Many of the locals were wearing wool hats as well. I suppose it is winter for them after all! ;-)

We Moved to the UK! Plus our first trip to Northern Ireland!

Sadly, Blogger and I have grown distant over the last few years. But, now that we have moved to England,  I’ve set a goal for 2018 to update our blog at least once a month to capture all of our travels, and the unique experiences of living abroad. So, let’s start with a little catch up...

On July 27th we left Maryland and arrived in Harrogate, England! We lived in temporary quarters until the first week of September when we moved into our home for the next three years. It’s a duplex built around 1900 one block off the Upper Stray (a mile long park near the town center of Harrogate).

So far we love it here. The people of North Yorkshire are so friendly and welcoming and we love all of the travel opportunities. We've been learning about English History by visiting a bunch of Abbeys, Castles, etc.

For half-term break this term (the school year is split into Autumn, Spring and Summer terms) we took a trip to Northern Ireland. We did our first family trip with just carry-ons, and it worked! This will be a new trend for us. In fact, the kids got new carry-on luggage for Christmas. We spent our first day in the Cathedral Quarter and stayed the first and last nights at the Premier Inn there. The hotel was great (do bring your own blow-dryer) and they have a great all you can eat breakfast, which is super convenient for early mornings, since many places don't open until 8 or later for breakfast in the UK.

Belfast was an interesting city to see. We did the hop-on, hop-off bus tour around town, which turned out to be a great choice (much better than some others we've done). This one had a live guide who gave a great tour and we were fascinated by all of the murals and the history of the Troubles. Some of the murals were quite beautiful, while others were, well, frankly, quite scary! There are mural tours, which I think we'd do if we return. Belfast had the most murals of any city we've ever seen.

From there we drove up the Causeway Coastal Route and enjoyed the breathtaking views of  the dramatic coastline around every turn. It was chilly and of course rainy at times, so warm waterproof coats were a must! Our first stop was at Carrikfurgus Castle.  “The castle was built by the Anglo-Norman John de Courcy over 800 years ago. Besieged by the Scots, English, Irish and French at various points throughout its history, it has racked up over 750 years of continuous military occupation until 1928, when it was transferred from the War Department to the Ministry of Finance for preservation as an ancient monument. However its days of action were not over. During World War II, it was used as an air raid shelter." It’s worth a stop as The Keep is interesting with four stories of the original structure still intact. There are some small displays throughout the castle and beautiful views of the seaside port from the Keep windows. Of course the kids enjoyed the cannons as well.

From there we were off to GlenArm Castle. “Glenarm Castle is the home of Viscount and Viscountess Dunluce and their family. The present castle has been in the McDonnell family since it was first built in 1636. The McDonnells have been in Glenarm for nearly 600 years and the Estate has been in the family for 400 years.” Only the Walled Gardens were open when we visited because the castle is still lived in, but the gardens were beautiful. It was just as I had imagined the “The Secret Garden” to be as a girl! We enjoyed running and chasing the kids through the garden in search of the secret door! The days start getting shorter in October, so daylight ran out on us at GlenArm Castle.

From GlenArm Castle, we made our way north to the Inn on the Coast in Portrush.  It was a blowing a gale since a hurricane was brewing off the coast of Ireland. Believe it or not, it's a cute beach town known for surfing in the summer time! The hotel was quaint and the rooms were large and spacious with two American size queen beds and a sitting table! The hotel staff were delightful and of course we loved their accents. They have a great little pub in the Inn, which was lovely since we didn’t feel up to going back out into the hurricane for dinner! Breakfast was included and Scott loved the toasted soda bread topped with smoked salmon and poached eggs.

We spent the next few days touring  beautiful sites along the Causeway Coast. Of course, Giant’s Causeway (National Trust) is the big attraction, and we definitely recommend going at low-tide. We were a little disappointed on our first trip down and then realized it was because the tide wasn’t all the way out yet, so we went back down the hill again and we were so glad that we did! It was magnificent! The tidal swing so so great that the last hour reveals several more feet of the coast and it makes a huge difference. We fell in love it with it so much that for Christmas we bought a photograph block mounted for the living room of the Giant’s Causeway at Sunset. (The shuttle from the visitors center is free with a National Trust Membership.)

The Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge was on Scott’s list, so of course we hiked 7/10 of a mile to get to the rope bridge. But, the winds kicked up to 40 mph just as we arrived at the bridge, so they closed the rope bridge just as our turn came up to cross the bridge! They were kind of enough to give us a photo op. The walk back was much more difficult with two disappointed kids and tropical storm force winds bearing down us. We literally had to hold on the railings and the kids to keep from falling over!

One of our favorite outings was to Kinbane castle (1547). This poor castle has nearly washed away into the sea, but you can climb 137 steep stone stairs down from the parking lot (free parking and entrance) and be almost alone on this tiny island with what remains of the castle. Now, going back up those stairs is another story, especially in tropical storm force winds.  Do be warned that like many of the castles in the UK, this castle is not child proof, so you’ll need to keep your kids close to keep them from running into the sea or tumbling off of a cliff.

We also visited the ruins of Dunluce Castle, one of the most picturesque icons along the coast.

We drove through the Dark Hedges, which look way cooler in black in white photos. It is reportedly one of the most photographed spots in all of Northern Ireland.

As a birthday gift for Ellie we went horseback riding for about an hour at Sean's Horse Farm. It was super cheap, I think about 50 GBP for the entire family for an hour. They provided riding boots and helmets and they were great with the kids. The last time we tried to get Hayden on a horse at my brother's farm, he was scared to death. But, the girls took him back to the stable, and to our pleasant surprise he came out grinning atop a pony!

On our last day, we drove back down the Causeway Coast and stopped in to see the Glenoe Waterfall. It’s a National Trust site, but there is no manned entrance. You just park and walk up on your own. It’s a very short walk to the falls, which were beautiful. Definitely worth a stop! On our last night, we returned to spend the night at the Premiere Inn in Belfast again. We visited St. George’s Market, which we really enjoyed. Lots of food vendors and locally made crafts. This is where we found our Giant’s Causeway Photograph.

We also went to Belfast Castle, which has beautiful views of Belfast Loc (lake), but not much else to see.

On our last day we spent the morning at the W-5 Science Museum so that the kids could burn off some energy before getting on the plane. We spent a few hours there and the kids enjoyed every minute. They wanted to stay longer! It’s really a great museum with loads of science fun for pre-schoolers to middle schoolers.

View our full photo album here.

Travel tips

• Bring Wellies for the kids and rain coats all around. Ireland can be very muddy!
• If you have kids, get a National Trust membership and the kids passport book. There are many National Trust sites in Northern Ireland and they will stamp the kids passports with their unique stamp for their site.
• Causeway Hotel at the Giant's Causeway was highly recommended to use but was all booked-up. If you want to stay there, book early!
• Things we didn't get to, but would do if we go back:
• Marble Arch Caves 
• Belfast traditional music walking tour
• Giant's Ring - ancient stone rings with dolmen in the center
• Belfast mural tour
• Raithlin Island - look out for lighthouses, puffins, and seals. 
• Titanic Museum in Belfast
• The Gobbins - cliffside walk
• Exploris Aquarium and seal sanctuary - look out for selkies!