Saturday, February 23, 2019

A Few Last Maltesers


Dave and I are both safe and sound back in London, and Olga, who was returned to us last night, is snoring by my side as I write this. Of course everything is just as we left it, since we were only gone a few days. I have travel laundry churning away in the washing machine.

Here are a few more pictures from our final morning in Malta. Dave kept joking during our trip that we were visiting the home of Maltesers, a British brand of chocolate-covered malted milk balls. Hence the title of this post.

First, I was specifically asked for pictures of cats, so here you go!


We tried to visit the botanical gardens, located in a park-like area not far from our hotel. But I'm not sure they're open to the public. A school group was entering while we were there and Dave tried go in with them, but a woman stopped him and said we needed "permission." There appeared to be no ticket office or anything like that. So we were stumped. We just looked in over the fence.


It was a little early for the Bros Bar...


...so instead we found a sunny terrace behind the gardens where we had terrific views over the city. (That's not Valletta's big cathedral on the horizon, by the way. That's just another church. Malta has a million of 'em.)


Finally, we passed this construction truck with a creative name. It wasn't until we saw another truck at the same site called "Obscured by Clouds" that I realized the owner of the company must be a Pink Floyd fan.

We took a taxi to the airport at 11 a.m. and although our flight was delayed a bit, we were on the ground in London at 3:40 p.m. (with a one-hour time change). This time we traveled with the normal contingent of babies -- maybe one or two -- and the flight was much calmer. After passport control and the lengthy train ride from Gatwick we were home just after 6 p.m. Whew!

17 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Glad you are both home safe and sound, looked like you had a wonderful time. Malta looks like the kind of place that I would like.
Those poor cats, how do they survive?
Bet Olga was pleased to see you.
Briony
x

Yorkshire Pudding said...

What a shame they wouldn't let you in the botanical gardens as you and Dave are both botanophiles!

David said...

Welcome home! And again my thanks!

Ms. Moon said...

One wonders how things might be different if so much money and energy weren't funneled into religion and churches.
Just a thought.
Glad you're home and safe but also glad you got to go.

ellen abbott said...

how fun to be able to jet around for a few hours and be in totally different countries and cultural entities. you can jet for hours over here and still see the same stuff you see at home.

Jennifer said...

I love the Pink Floyd reference!

Wow, it seems like you just left. Oh wait, you did! I agree with Ellen Abbott that you're lucky to be able to access other countries/cultures so easily. As you know, it's not that way in America.

Red said...

I had never thought of Malta as a good place to go. You've changed my mind.

Sharon said...

Glad you hear you are home safely. That was a quick trip but then Malta is a small place. I enjoyed all the photos very much. The cats remind me of Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. That's another place where feral cats thrive.

Anonymous said...

Welcome home! Lovely journey and beautiful place to explore.

Catalyst said...

Nice tour of Malta even though we didn't get any photos of the food. :(

jenny_o said...

Thank you for the cat pictures!! I was mostly teasing you, but I am completely thankful :)

I bet Olga is happy you're home, even after a short trip.

e said...

I hope you have more photos, glad you had a good time. I'm sure Olga was happy too. She's probably guarded the whole time you are gone and then comes home and relaxes.

Linda Sue said...

easy travel, glad you went when you could. The Brexit no deal , horror of horrors, will make travel a right pain!

Sue said...

Oh I love that first photo of the cats with the reflections on the car. The gray cat looks like she's regarding the reflection with great interest. Thanks for sharing photos of your vacation!

Alphie Soup said...

Well, that's Malta done and dusted; with its steep streets, Colonial balconies and marvellous collection of signs.
Where to next?
Alphie

Comox Valley and beyond said...

Beautiful photos especially the cats and reflection on the car, looks like a trip worth taking.

Jomo said...

I am so glad you are both home safe and sound. I always think it's nice to go away but it is so good to get home. Olga must be very pleased to see you and have cuddles . Many thanks for the photos and the interesting info.