ENG -- Malta - Mdina and Rabat

After visiting Valletta, we thought it would be interesting to see the former capital of the island of Malta, from antiquity to the medieval period: Mdina. From Sliema, where we had the accommodation, you can go directly by bus 202, paying just 1.50 euros and about an hour of your time, while you can admire several villages and towns in the center of the island.

Before we walk into the old fortified fortress, our attention was caught by the old gate with which you can easily imagine that, once you entered, you came back hundreds of years ago.

And the feeling of returning over time will continue if you keep walking the narrow streets full of history. Mdina Fortress is also called "The Silent City", being inhabited only by a few hundred people, of whom we have not seen too many.

We continued our walk among the walls of the city, admiring the architecture of the buildings, the balconies and the colorful doors specific to Malta, which charmed us.

You can also visit the fortress using the horses drawn carriage, but the prices are quite high and the city is not very large, you can easily walk from one edge to the other.

The day we chose to visit Mdina was, for us, one of the 2 days (out of 8) where we seriously considered whether the holiday in Malta in December was a good idea or not. The strong wind and our spring clothes made us feel uncomfortable at 10-12 Celsius degrees. The good part was that we could "hide" from the wind on the narrow streets, in all the souvenir shops that got out of the way (the Maltese are proud of the products made on the island of silver or glass) and even in two cathedrals with architecture and decors which can not go unnoticed.

In order to get from Mdina to Rabat, we only had to get out on the gate of the fortress. There we continued walking along narrow streets, where we found plenty of reasons to stop to take a picture.

After visiting the Medieval Fortress of Mdina, we wanted to go back in time, to antiquity, and we went to St Paul's Catacombs. The ticket cost 5 Euro and gave us access to Christian, Jewish or pagan cemeteries. At the entrance to the archaeological complex we were informed by a poster that the ticket was valid only for the St Paul's Catacombs (in Rabat there were several catacombs that could be visited). When we thought we had finished visiting, we had a pleasant surprise: just cross the street was another area that sheltered other catacombs in the same complex.

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To read about our first impressions in Malta, you can click this link : Malta in December or you can read about or visit in Valletta.

ENG -- Malta - Valletta

The main city of the island, according to the number of tourists it attracts, and, at the same time, the capital of the country, is Valletta. We visited it in the first full day of our holiday in Malta and on Christmas Day. From Sliema, where we had the accommodation, you can easily reach Valletta by bus (No. 13, 13A, 14, 15, 16) or by ferry. Unfortunately, on the first day the wind was heavy, the waves reached the promenade, and the ferry did not work. Because of the wind, the temperature was about 12 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, on Christmas day, at least in the sunny places, it was pleasant to wear only the T-shirt, the temperature even reaching 20 degrees Celsius. We've even seen people in summer clothes on the streets on Christmas day.

Arrived in Valletta we started walking down the narrow streets with old buildings but with balconies and colorful doors.

The first touristic objective we visited was the Grand Master's Palace. The ticket costs 10 euros and includes visits to the State Rooms and to the Palace Armoury. A portable audio guide with over 100 points of interests is included in the ticket price.

The inner courtyard of the palace with oranges

Inside the palace

A group of Maltese knights

Then we walked down the main street of the tourist area of the city to Upper Barrakka Gardens, a place at a considerable height above sea level where you can enjoy a spectacular view over the Mediterranean Sea, a part of Valletta, but also of neighboring cities: Vittoriosa, Senglea and Conspicua, also known as 3 Cities.

From Barrakka's upper gardens, below the promenade, every day at 12.00 and 16.00, you can watch a cannons show.

From there you can use the panoramic elevator to go down to the harbor where you can take a walk to the Valletta Waterfront, a promenade with shops and restaurants. Going down with the elevator is free, but for going up you have to pay 1 euro. 

Other gardens which worth to be visited are Lower Barrakka Gardens. The view is not as spectacular as the view from Upper Barrakka Gardens, but it is a very good place to rest after a walk with many climbs and downhills on the narrow streets of Valletta.

Once the dark of the night came, the celebration lights in the center of the city reminded us that, despite the high temperatures, we visited Valletta during Christmas.

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To read about our first impressions in Malta, you can click this link : Malta in December.

ENG -- Malta in December

If you are looking for warmer places to spend the holiday in December you can take into consideration Malta. We decided to spend last Christmas there. In this article you can read about our first impressions in Malta and in the next ones you can read about different places we visited by our own on the islands.  

We could not believe that this small island is Malta

After a few hotels reserved and canceled on Booking, we found the best option for us, a studio in Sliema with sea view, Labranda Rocca Nettuno Suites. The location is very good, close to the bus and ferry stations. Not all the rooms have sea views, but the view is the one below:

Being located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, like many other places in Malta, in Sliema you can take a romantic walk along the cliff to admire the sunset.

From Malta International Airport to different places of the island there are special buses (express lines) with fewer stops and normal buses. The price for a ticket is 3 euros for the express line and 1.50 euros for the normal line. It is preferable to take the express line because the buses on the normal line are full of locals traveling from one part of the island to the other and you will not have enough space for the luggages.

If you are thinking about renting a car you have to take into cosideration that the cars have the steering wheel on the right side and should be driven on the left side of the road.
Or you can use local buses, as we did. A ticket costs 1.50 euros (winter fare) and is valid for 2 hours (including changing the bus if needed). From Sliema there are direct buses to Rabat, Mellieha St Julian's, Cirkewwa or Valletta. The timetable is displayed in each station and there is an application called Tallinja. He did not help us in planning the route, but he indicated the time until the next bus arrived at the station we were waiting for.
There are also drawbacks for traveling by bus, such as: you can not be able to take it if it is crowded, it do not always respect the time of arrival and you have to wait for the next bus that sometimes could arrives in 30-45 minutes, and in that situation the validity of the ticket (2 hours) could expires and you have to bouy a new one. We checked all the listed drawbacks but all of them was part of our Maltese experience.

Another option to travel between Sliema and Valletta is the ferry. The trip is much more enjoyable and shorter than the one by bus. The price is 1.50 euros (using the public line), and the crossing takes 5-10 minutes.

You can also use the Hop on - Hop off buses to travel between different places of the island. We did not go with them, but we saw offers at 10 euro.

Thank you for reaching the end of the article. In order to be informed when we publish new articles on this site, but also to see posts that are only on facebook, we invite you to like our facebook page by accessing this link : Doi plimbareti.

To read about the places we visited in Malta, you can click on the following links: Valletta, Mdina and Rabat, Marsaxlokk, Popeye Village si the island of Gozo.

Malta - insula Gozo

Ultimul loc din Malta despre care scriem pe blog, cel putin pana la urmatoarea vizita, este insula Gozo. Fiind un arhipeleag, statul Malta este format din mai multe insule, dintre care doar 3 sunt locuite: Malta (cu capitala Valletta si principalele atractii turistice: Mdina si Rabat, Marsaxlokk, Popeye Village), Comino (vizitata adesea pentru Blue Lagoon) si Gozo, despre care vom detalia mai jos.

Din Sliema, unde am avut cazare, noi am luat autobuzul 222 pana la ultima statie, Cirkewwa. Fiind un loc de tranzit atat pentru turisti cat si pentru localnici, in Cirkewwa ajung autobuze din toate colturile insulei Malta, chiar si din aeroport. De acolo am continuat drumul catre insula Gozo cu feribotul, traversand Gozo Chanel pana in portul Mgarr. Pretul unui bilet dus-intors este 4.65 euro si se achita la intoarcere; la dus nu trebuie sa platiti nimic. Programul il gasiti pe site-ul oficial, iar calatoria dureaza aproximativ 15-20 minute. De cand am plecat din Sliema si pana cand am luat autobuzul din portul de debarcare din Gozo, am facut mai putin de 2 ore, motiv pentru care am putut folosi si pentru autobuzul din Gozo acelasi bilet pe care l-am folosit in autobuzul 222, si pe care il cumparasem cu 1.50 euro direct de la sofer.

Am vrut sa petrecem o zi relaxanta aici, asa ca am decis sa vizitam doar capitala insulei, Victoria. Statia de autobuz, din Mgarr pana in Victoria, este usor de gasit, fiind amplasata imediat dupa iesirea de la feribot si are afisat programul autobuzelor si traseul fiecaruia.

Ajunsi in Victoria, am hotarat sa ne incepem vizita cu o plimbare prin oras inainte de a vizita punctul cel mai important din punct de vedere turistic, Citadella. Asa am descoperit un parculet  decorat de sarbatori, ca doar era ajunul Craciunului si ne-am relaxat pe o bancuta in bataia razelor de soare. 

Dupa-amiaza ne-am petrecut-o plimbandu-ne pe stradutele din vechea Cittadella, plimbare care ne-a oferit sansa sa avem o panorama a insulei, sa admiram casutele si dealurile sale. 

In orice directie te uitai, puteai vedea marginile insulei si marea Mediterana care o inconjoara, ceea ce arata dimensiunile sale reduse.

La fel ca in majoritatea locurilor vizitate in Malta, si in Cittadella din Gozo te poti plimba pe stradute inguste incarcate de istorie care iti pot da senzatia de intoarcere in timp.

Cea mai impunatoare cladire este Catedrala din Gozo, chiar daca din cauza zidurilor de protectie si a umbrei acestora nu este foarte fotogenica.

Inainte de a pleca catre feribot pentru a ne intoarce in Malta, ne-am oprit la resurantul din cadrul cetatii pentru a lua masa. Am ales sa mancam preparate traditionale si nu am fost dezamagiti de alegerea facuta. Va recomandam si voua sa incercati traditionala friptura de iepure, dar insotita de privelistea spectaculoasa pe care v-o ofera restaurantul din cadrul cetatii. Primiti si cartofi prajiti si salata, iar pretul este unul bun, in jur de 12-13 euro, avand in vedere ca preturile in Valletta porneau de la 14-15 euro pentru un fel de mancare fara garnitura.

Malta - Popeye Village

Dupa ce am vizitat unul dintre satele care isi au originile in antichitate, satul pescaresc Marsaxlokk, ne-am gandit sa vizitam si unul dintre cele mai noi sate construite in Malta, Popeye Village. Acesta nu este de fapt un sat locuit, ci este platoul pe care a fost filmat in anul 1980 filmul musical "Popeye". In prezent este un parc tematic pentru copii de orice varsta. 

Cel mai probabil va amintiti de Popeye marinarul din desenele animate care isi umfla muschii imediat dupa ce manca o conserva cu spanac, avand nevoie de forta pentru a-si salva prietena, Olive, rapita in mod repetat de rivalul lui, Bluto.

Din Sliema am luat autobuzul 222 (care trece si prin St. Julian's) pana la Melieha de unde ne-am continuat drumul cu autobuzul 101 care opreste in fata platoului. In statia in care am coborat din 222 oprea si autobuzul 101, dar pentru a ajunge in 5-10 minute la Popeye Village, am traversat strada si am luat autobuzul 101 in celalalt sens. Din Valletta puteti lua autobuzele 41 sau 42 tot pana la Mellieha si apoi sa schimbati cu autobuzul 101.

Biletul de intrare pentru pachetul de iarna a costat 10.50 euro/adult (8.50 euro/copil) si a inclus: intrarea pe platoul de filmare, acces la terenurile de mini-golf, vizionarea unui documentar de 15 minute despre filmul Popeye, demonstratii live de creare a bijuteriilor din argint (si posibilitatea de a cumpara), vizitarea atelierelor lui Mos Craciun, o vedere gratuita si un pahar cu vin fiert. Biletul ar mai fi inclus si o plimbare de 15 minute cu barca, dar nu a fost posibil din cauza conditiilor meteo.

A fost pastrat decorul original de pe platoul de filmare, iar majoritatea casutelor pot fi vizitate si in interior. Astfel, puteti vizita primaria, scoala, posta si altele.

Terenurile de mini-golf cu vedere catre un alt (mini) golf ☺

In interiorul satului se gasesc si atelierele lui Mos Craciun in care elfii pregatesc de zor cadourile pentru copiii cuminti.☺In anumite zile era prezent chiar si Mos Craciun care impartea cadouri copiilor.

Dupa ce am vizitat casutele de pe platoul de filmare, ne-am oprit la terasa pentru paharul de vin fiert inclus in bilet si pentru a admira privelistea.

Puteti admira satul lui Popeye si din exterior:

La intoarcere am luat autobuzul 101 pana in Mellieha, pana in statia comuna cu autobuzul 222 catre St. Julian's si Sliema. Autobuzul 222 vine din Cirkewwa, fiind deja plin cu cei care se intorc din insula Gozo, iar in statia comuna mai opresc si alte autobuze, motiv pentru care statia poate fi foarte aglomerata. Noi am ales sa mergem o statie pe jos (cateva sute de metri) in sens invers unde am asteptat autobuzul mai relaxati, pe plaja.

Malta - satul pescaresc Marsaxlokk

Dupa ce am vizitat cateva orasele din Malta, am hotarat sa vedem si satele care atrag cei mai multi tustisti de pe insula: Marsaxlokk si satul lui Poppeye. Desi distanta dintre ele nu este foarte mare, aproximativ 25 km, si teoretic ar putea fi vizitate in aceeasi zi, in realitate pentru a ajunge de la o locatie la alta trebuie traversata toata insula, pierzand mult timp in trafic. Noi am ales sa le vizitam in zile diferite. In ambele am avut noroc de vreme frumoasa si ne-am relaxat sub razele soarelui. In articolul acesta va vom povesti despre Marsaxlokk, iar despre satul lui Popeye in urmatoarea postare.

Marsaxlokk 

Pentru a ajunge in Marsaxlokk, noi am plecat din Sliema, unde eram cazati, si am schimbat autobuzul in Valletta. Din Valletta in Marsaxlokk poti ajunge cu autobuzele 81 sau 85. Poti folosi acelasi bilet de 1.5 euro, valabil 2 ore, cu care te deplasezi din zona in care esti cazat si pana la statia principala de autobuze din Valletta. In Marsaxlokk autobuzul te lasa chiar langa Marea Mediterana.

Marsaxlokk este un sat de pescari situat in sud-estul insulei, de aici provenind si numele. Marsa se traduce prin port, iar Xlokk inseamna sud-est. In acest port sunt ancorate faimoasele barcute viu colorate ale pescarilor numite "luzzu". O alta caracteristica specifica barcutelor este faptul ca au desenat in partea din fata ochiul lui Osiris cu scopul de a-i proteja pe pescari in timp ce se afla pe mare.

Te poti plimba pe malul apei admirand marea si barcutele, dar si cladirile vechi cu arhitectura de influenta araba insirate de-a lungul drumului principal dar si pe celalate stradute din sat.

Fiind perioada sarbatorilor, ne-a atras atentia si biserica satului decorata in spiritul Craciunului.

Dupa cei ai obosit plimbandu-te, te poti aseza la una dintre numeroasele terase ale restaurantelor de pe malul marii unde poti savura peste sau fructe de mare proaspete. Unii dintre proprietarii de restaurante se mandresc ca le-au pescuit chiar ei sau membrii ai familiilor lor. Acesta este si unul dintre motivele pentru care foarte multi turisti aleg sa viziteze Marsaxlokk. Preturile incep de la 10 euro de persoana daca alegi sa mananci doar peste, dar exista numeroase oferte de platouri pe care le poti personaliza. Noi am ales, pentru 25 euro, un platou pentru 2 persoane care continea 3 fileuri de peste, caracatita, creveti si inele de calamar, dar si cartofi prajiti si salata. Am profitat si de oferta restaurantului de a personaliza meniul si am schimbat un fileu de peste cu "cateva midii" dar am primit o portie mai generoasa decat ne asteptam. Din pacate, nu ne-am gandit sa facem poze decat atunci cand nu mai aveam la ce ☺

Artistii locali au vrut sa atraga atentia turistilor ca "Toti zambim in aceeasi limba".