Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Malta – Northern Region – Oldest Carob Tree

    Malta – Northern Region – Oldest Carob Tree

    Not that I would have known this without the helpful nearby information board, but this is the oldest carob tree on Malta and it’s thought to be over 1,000 years old. Getting on for being 7.5 metres in circumference, it’s certainly a bulky little specimen. It’s suggested that the name of this tree is where the word carat, as in gold, comes from, a derivative of the Arabic word ‘qirat‘.

    Some of the tree’s branches. The information board mentions that a home-made syrup has been made from the fruit of the tree, which is thought to be useful in alleviating the suffering from colds, and during the shortages of the Second World War it was also used as food.

    And a little information board about the tree, which is apparently popular with bees. Just behind the tree is an apiary dating back to Roman times, which is where bees were farmed, or whatever the technical term is to get honey.

  • Malta – Northern Region – Mellieha – Sundancer

    Malta – Northern Region – Mellieha – Sundancer

    And after a busy morning of walking and food exploration, it was time for a little snack….. Mellieha beach was quite busy, despite it being the first day of March, with plenty of children enjoying playing on the sand. Judging by the photos of this beach in summer though, it gets much busier during the warmer months. Most of the food and drink kiosks were closed when we were visited, although Sundancer and a couple of other operators were busy and working as normal.

    The snacks of ice creams and drinks, very welcome in what was becoming an increasingly hot Malta….. The staff at Sundancer were friendly and the prices were reasonable, and we were fortunate to get the last table outside of the kiosk. The kiosk did a relatively wide selection of food, such as pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets and other essential culinary delights, along with ice creams, crisps and drinks.

  • Malta – Northern Region – Mellieha – Tal-Puzzu

    Malta – Northern Region – Mellieha – Tal-Puzzu

    To celebrate not getting run over on the road (more on which later) we thought that a little stop for lunch would be useful. Our walk had ended in Millieha and I had a sudden craving for pizza, which isn’t an entirely rare experience (the craving for pizza that is, not ending up in Millieha).

    I thought about beer, but a refreshing cold drink of Pepsi seemed more suitable, especially as craft beer wasn’t mentioned on the menu. This might be something that I go on about a lot this week….. We opted for the eating outside option at this restaurant and hoped that we wouldn’t be stuck with smokers nearby, although fortunately that eventuality didn’t come to pass. The restaurant was never full, but it remained suitable busy throughout, a mix of local and visitors to Malta.

    And the diavola pizza, which was perfectly acceptable and I think they have their wood fired pizza oven. A thin and beautifully crisp base, lacking perhaps a little in tomato flavour from the sauce (I like a rich tomato sauce on the base), but the toppings had some heat to them and for a lunch-time snack it met my needs. A number of reviews said that the rabbit was one of the specialities of the restaurant, but I’m deliberately not eating that, however much of a national delicacy and tradition it might be.

    Liam’s subtle little calzone, which had ham, mushrooms, tomato, mozzarella and, for some reason, egg, in it. But, it all worked well apparently. All the food seemed freshly made and was at the appropriate temperature, so I felt that we got value for money for the lunch.

    The service at the restaurant was attentive and polite, everything arrived promptly and they had balsamic vinegar from Modena, reminding me of Richard and his gift buying last weekend in Florence. After the meal it was time for some more discovery of the country’s history, with Liam discovering just how tiring this life of exploration actually is. I tell people that, but they often don’t believe it.

  • Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Michele’s Cafe

    Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Michele’s Cafe

    We had a choice of any cafe in Bugibba for breakfast, but this one was well reviewed so we walked out of our way to go and find it. The welcome at the cafe was prompt and genuine, although we probably could have ordered at the table rather than at the counter. Nonetheless, the staff brought out the food and drink and there was a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Many of the customers were sitting outside, but inside looked much more appealing to me away from the road.

    The cakes looked well presented and appetising, a rather delightful sight in the morning.

    The coffee had a touch of richness and appears to be Lavazza coffee, a reminder of Wetherspoons, although it tasted absolutely fine. The environment was clean and the cafe seemed to have as many locals in it as visitors, nearly always a positive sign. It’s also located opposite the town’s bus station, so a handy time to get a quick drink and snack.

    The Cannoli was sweet with a firmness to the fried pastry, with pistachios at either end to add even more texture and a creamy interior which I assume had ricotta in it. Liam went for a croissant and the prices for this little assortment were very reasonable, just over £3 each. The cafe got quite busy when we were there and they also offer full meals, seemingly getting ready to serve their roast dinners for Sunday lunches.

    So, a rather lovely start to the week of dining in Malta, a genuinely friendly little cafe and I can imagine that the quality of the meals that they serve is high. We could have stayed here for hours, but there is so much to explore, so we forced ourselves out into what was becoming an increasingly warm Bugibba….

  • Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Bugibba Salt Pans

    Malta – Northern Region – Bugibba – Bugibba Salt Pans

    These salt pans have, according to the historical information board next to them, been here for “a very long time”, with other sources suggesting that they’re probably Roman. They were rediscovered recently having been covered by the sand, once used by the locals to extract salt from the water. The sign also notes that the workmanship is much better than in other salt pans across the islands, with a level of professionalism to the set-up. Unfortunately, these salt pans were vandalised with paint a few years ago, but were swiftly repaired.

  • British Airways (Gatwick South to Malta) – Fourth Time

    British Airways (Gatwick South to Malta) – Fourth Time

    And my fourth visit to the delightful island of Malta….

    Earlier on in the day the flight was expected to be delayed by around ninety minutes due to adverse weather conditions, but there was then a change in aircraft and the delay became relatively minor. Not that this was a problem, we had arrived at Gatwick early, so we had plenty of time in the BA lounge. The gate was called and it was once again the set of gates at the end of the long corridor, a little bit of a walk from the main terminal. The boarding process was though very well managed, with all the customers boarded by group and this was carefully enforced. There are enough seats in the area as well for customers to wait before boarding.

    Parked up at Gatwick, the aircraft G-EUUT, which has been operated by BA since 2007, which I was on when I returned from Palma to Gatwick South in November last year. The aircraft that I should have been on today, before the aircraft change this afternoon, was the one which went tech last year en route to Palma…..

    I had an exit row aisle seat and Liam had the middle seat, although the window seat wasn’t used so we had the row of three emergency exit row seats between us. The flight was uneventful, which is a useful thing for a flight to be, with the buy on board seeming to be quite popular on this evening’s flight. Then there was just the matter of getting through border control at Malta airport and then the checks for the Coronavirus where everyone was corralled through a checkpoint….

    The flight wasn’t unreasonably priced, costing £44 for a single journey, which I reduced by using Avios. The flight, which took just under three hours, was around 80% full, which meant it wasn’t sufficiently busy to cause problems with space in the overhead lockers.

  • Florence – Boboli Gardens (Photos)

    Florence – Boboli Gardens (Photos)

    Photos from the rather lovely Boboli Gardens.

  • Florence – Museo della Misericordia

    Florence – Museo della Misericordia

    This museum opened in 2016 and it tells the story of the Misericordia of Florence, a charity established in the thirteenth century. It has provided charity, social care and treatment to the people of the city since its creation, with the members of the organisation always helping anonymously, so they would usually wear a mask covering their heads. The museum is located by Florence Cathedral, so it’s easy enough to find.

    I’ve already posted separately about:

    Tribute to the Misericordia by Cesare Riesch

    Saint Tobias by Santi di Tito

    Misericordia Brothers Collecting the Wounded

    Misericordia Brothers Offering Charity

    Saint John the Baptist by Giovanni Martini

    When we went to the museum the staff member was on the ground floor as there were no other visitors, so she guided us in the lift up to the fourth floor. There is a sheet of paper with English translations on, although the text around the museum is nearly all translated into English as well. The museum is clearly laid out, not too in-depth with the information and there are plenty of exhibits. The photographs are particularly interesting, although the head covering does make some of them look a little sinister. The museum is also fully disabled accessible because of various lifts located around, which isn’t always the case with historical locations in Florence.

    There’s a video at the start of the museum which gives some background to the charity, as well as featuring some of the work that they still do. The above photo shows that they still provide medical services at football games across the country. A visit to the museum isn’t likely to take much longer than 45 minutes, but it’s a fascinating look at how the charity has developed over the centuries and the good which it has done.

  • Malta – Safely at Gatwick Airport

    Malta – Safely at Gatwick Airport

    Unusually for me I arrived at Gatwick Airport by car, thanks to Liam’s excellent driving skills, which made for a smooth and easy journey. In three hours and ten minutes we had gone from being in Norwich, parking at Gatwick’s car park, getting Liam’s ticket re-issued (long story), through security (which Liam messed up) and into the lounge.

    So that means six hours or so in the lounge. I think we’ll cope.

  • Florence – Museo della Misericordia (Tribute to the Misericordia by Cesare Riesch)

    Florence – Museo della Misericordia (Tribute to the Misericordia by Cesare Riesch)

    As I mentioned in other posts about this museum, the Misericordia were a group of individuals who performed charitable works anonymously. This painting is in tribute to them and their charity, although I think it’s quite a disconcerting artwork. It was painted by Cesare Riesch (1906-1982) and was given to the museum by his family after he died. A nice sentiment, but a very direct image.