Not everyone gets to go on a field trip to one of the
prettiest Mediterranean Islands (with all costs paid for, other than the cocktails...)!!
So I thought I'd share what I got up to in Malta with my Human Geography uni
course, partly just to make everyone jealous that we got a nice trip away in
the sun for a few days rather than being in lectures!
We stayed at a hotel in Sliema which was just a ten minute
boat ride over the water from the capital of Malta, Valletta. Sliema is on the North-East side of Malta, close to the busy city of St. Juliens, and is only a short 20-25 minute drive from the airport.
We had some great views of Valletta on the waterfront in Sliema, providing some perfect photo opportunities! So I may or may not have had a photo shoot here with my friends...
We had some great views of Valletta on the waterfront in Sliema, providing some perfect photo opportunities! So I may or may not have had a photo shoot here with my friends...
Sliema was a great place to stay because it has loads of
shops and lots of nice bars, pubs and places to eat. We enjoyed some reallyyy
good ice cream in the sun on the sea front too! I had my favourite flavour,
strawberry cheesecake which is usually very rare, so I was pretty pleased.
One night whilst we were there, there was a huuuge storm
which you may have heard about due to the famous Azure Window arch falling in
the sea as a result of the strong winds and waves! And the waves were CRAAAZY! They crashed so high that they soaked the road
and everyone walking by! I’ve never seen waves like it… We sat at a bar really
close to the waves as we were mesmerised by them, so close that they were
crashing onto the tables in front of us!
Info about the Azure Window arch:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/malta/gozo/articles/maltas-famous-gozo-azure-window-arch-collapses-into-sea/
Info about the Azure Window arch:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/malta/gozo/articles/maltas-famous-gozo-azure-window-arch-collapses-into-sea/
MALTA ISLAND TOUR
On our first full day in Malta we had a tour around the
whole island. We had a really sweet tour guide who seemed to know everything
possible about the island!
We headed round the cost road from Sliema, through St
Juliens and Buggiba, to the red tower known as St Agatha’s Tower. It was sooo
windy up there I nearly got blown away! But it was worth it for the amazing
views of Gozo, Comino and the rest of Malta.
St Agatha's Tower website: https://redtowermalta.wordpress.com/
St Agatha's Tower website: https://redtowermalta.wordpress.com/
Then we began down the West coast of the island and stopped off at the visitor centre at Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park– described on the website as “Malta’s first natural national park”. It was interesting to see how different species, areas of coastline and historical sites are conserved and protected in Malta.
Next we stopped off at Golden Bay beach! This is one of the
few beaches in Malta, and one that many people stay at if they come to Malta on
holiday, including my parents 30 years ago I found out! The beach was gorgeous
and definitely lives up to its name of being ‘golden’.
After having fun and ice cream on the beach, we went to ‘Mdina Glass’, a
handmade glass shop. I was so amazed by how striking and colourful all of the
items were! We got to watch behind the scenes where the glass blowing took
place which was interesting.
Mdina Glass website: https://www.mdinaglass.com.mt/en/home.htm#.WNVclm_yi01
Mdina Glass website: https://www.mdinaglass.com.mt/en/home.htm#.WNVclm_yi01
Our next stop was Mdina, a beautiful medieval city, full of historical architecture and buildings. Scenes from ‘Game of Thrones’ were filmed there, showing just how historic and pretty it is! All of the little streets and picturesque buildings were so nice to walk around. We had lunch at the Fontanella Tea Garden which boasted great views of the island’s countryside and coastline. Mdina is known as the ‘silent city’ due to there being no cars other than some in the centre, which creates a quiet and quaint atmosphere to the streets. The odd horse and cart trots through though if you fancy getting around the little town that way!
Visit Malta info about Mdina: http://www.visitmalta.com/en/mdina-and-rabat
Clapham junction is the next place we visited. It’s one of
the world’s greatest mysteries! Made up of grooves in the limestone ground, Clapham
junction has many questions behind it: who made the grooves, how did they get
there, why are they there?
Info about Clapham Junction: http://www.cartrutsmalta.com/clapham-junction-malta-guide/
Dingli Cliffs info: http://www.malta.com/en/attraction/natural-sites/dingli-cliffs
A DAY IN VALLETTA
We spent a day in the capital of Malta, Valletta, doing our
own research projects. Our project investigated ‘Mediterranean Britishness’
whereby we looked at the remaining evidence of the history of the British rule
over Malta. It was really interesting seeing red telephone boxes and post boxes
just like in England! We saw lots of British features including a statue of
Queen Victoria, the English coat of arms, and also witnessed the changing of
the guards very similar to at Buckingham Palace!
Valletta was a great city to wander around, with it being
easy to get around on foot and see everything in a day. One of the best things
we did was visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens to see the saluting battery gun
fire! There are some incredible cathedrals, decorated beautifully in different
designs and colours which are great to see. The war museum was of interest to
some others in our group in their research projects, which proved to be full of
interesting facts, stories and historic items that helped them loads. Valletta
is a fortress city, containing old city walls, forts and bastions which are all
pretty impressive to see.
Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has now been
awarded the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture for 2018, making
it a unique and interesting city that I would definitely recommend visiting!
A DAY IN THE THREE CITIES
The infamous three cities is made up of Vittoriosa
(Il-Birgu), Senglea (L-Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla), confusingly each having two
different names.
We arrived firstly in Birgu which consisted of some bars,
restaurants and cafes, and also a lotttt of boats and yachts. Some of the
yachts were amazing, especially compared to the little local boats on the other
side of the marina, bobbing up and down in their shadows. We came back to Birgu
for lunch later on and sat upstairs in a restaurant overlooking the stunning
view of the marina.
Our research looked at how different people were using spaces
in The Three Cities, whether it was tourists or locals. We also looked at what
services were available and who they were aimed at. The area appeared to be
very quiet with very few tourists; however we concluded this could have been
due to the time of year and that in the summer it would probably pick up!
However if you’re looking for a quiet and calm afternoon, this would be the
ideal place to come.
The Three Cities consisted of a lot of character and the
little back streets were incredibly charming to wander through which I loved!
Every time we turned into a street we’d be amazed at how pretty it looked expressing
lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahhs’.
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about what I got up to in
Malta, and if you’re looking to go to Malta in the future, I hope this has
given you a few suggestions of what to do there!
