The Seven Story Street

photo by Anne Pflug
Amazing, this street goes down seven stories.

Malta, the country where I was born, tends to be very hilly in some places. Case in point.  The last time I was there, I spent time in a hotel  in Mellieha. The Preluna Hotel and Spa occupied seven stories and all of them went out to the street. The street itself is made up of steps, seven stories worth and all the  floors had an exit to the street. It had swimming pools on three levels, all street-side. At first it was very confusing and hard to imagine. Once we got used to it, it had advantages.  No matter what floor you were on, you can walk out to the street on that level.  This is not the only hilly street in Malta; the capital city, Valletta, a;so has its share.  Walking around town becomes an exhausting experience.

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

A Rare Sandy Beach

photo by Anne Pflug
one of the few sandy beaches in Malta

Malta is a very rocky island and most of the beaches there are quite rocky.  However, in Mellieha, I found a beautiful sandy beach, easy to walk on.  It reminded me of the beaches back home.  It was more enjoyable to set a blanket on the sand and relax there.  Spending a day here is pure heaven.

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

Another Parade, again…

photo by Anne Pflug
The parade has started
photo by Anne Pflug
It’s nice to see horses in parades

Malta is a country with many  churches and, of course, each church has a patron saint.  As a result, every week at least one church celebrates the feast of its patron saint.  Here we are in St. Julian’s, celebrating the feast of St. Julian.  This is a great opportunity for tourists to see  many colorful costumes, hear wonderful bands and learn something about the history and costumes of ancient Malta.  Most weeks, Malta  celebrates more than one patron saint so that tourists have many options to travel, not too far, to these “Festas”.  Restaurants and bars on the main streets  set up outside tables for watching the activities while enjoying their food and drink.

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

Continue reading “Another Parade, again…”

Returning ….

photo by Anne Pflug
Returning, past St. Julian’s

After cruising past the eastern coast of Malta, seeing coves, cliffs and a variety of inlets, we again reach the populated area of St. Julian’s, Sliema and then Valletta and arrive back ‘home’. It was a beautiful cruise.  Well worth spending the day on the Mediterranean.

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

The Blue Lagoon

photo by Anne Pflug
Entrance to the caves in the Blue Lagoon

Have you ever seen a more beautiful blue?  You should see it in person; it took my breath away!  The well named area is a popular tourist attraction although, it seems to me, that more divers seem to favor the Blue Grotto, on the other side of Malta for underwater beauty.   As I’m not a diver, I can’t compare.

All I can say is that moving through the caves with these fluorescent waters is an experience unlike no other.  There seems   to be another   source of light that we are not familiar with. Forgive me for being so excited but this is one of the places that I would visit again and again if I had the opportunity.  It impressed me that much!

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

We arrive near Comino

photo by Anne Pflug
on the bay between Malta and Gozo

We’re halfway through our cruise and stop for a while between Malta and Gozo.  In the middle of the bay is the island of Comino, seen here in the background, the third in the Maltese Archipelago.  There at several schooners here and the tourists are enjoying swimming, diving and otherwise having fun. Later we will take a smaller boat to go into the Blue Lagoon. Our schooner is very similar to the one seen on the left.

In this bay,  we also see the ferry that travels back and forth between Malta and Gozo, a trip we will take later in the week. It’s not in this area but in a more commercial section of the bay.

This blog annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book Return to Malta by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

Finally, my book!

 I would like to announce the recent publication of my book, Return to Melita, a travelogue and a memoir.

This book is a compilation of several trips I have made to Malta, the land of my birth.  I usually went there with friends and/or relatives and visited many tourist attractions and places of interest.  I tried to include comments made by new visitors as well as my recollections from the past, when I lived there.

Return to Melita is available in the Kindle version as well as hard book copy and can be purchased at most book stores as well as at Amazon.com.

You will note that I changed the title to Return to Malta.  I did this to make access to the book  easier on Amazon.  Melita was the original name of the islands, given by the Romans, many years ago.

This blog, annevisitsmalta.com enhances the book by visiting most of the places mentioned in the book with color photos.

Hope you enjoy both!

A Cruise around Malta

photo by Anne Pflug
On the Fernandes, a Turkish gullet taking us on a cruise to Comino and Gozo.

A beautiful day, a beautiful ship and lots of friendly people.  We started the cruise at the Sliema Marina and as we rounded the coast we could see the sea view of the Hilton and the Radisson Hotels. We had smooth sailing and passed by various harbors including  St. Julian’s, St. Paul’s Bay and Mellieha Bay. In  between these bays, we saw panoramic cliffs, inlets and coves. It was a perfect day to be on the sea.

If you enjoyed this, much more information is available in my published book:   Return to Malta which can be purchased from Amazon.com

Plenty of Sailboats

A Marina near Valletta with a dajhsa on the lower left.

It is obvious that there are many “sailors” in Malta. In this Marina, close to Valletta, one can see a variety of sailing vessels and yachts from a variety of countries, in the Mediterranean and beyond. Interesting to note, the dajhsa, a Maltese boat used by ancient fisherman and still in use today, is a sharp contrast to the sailboats, with all their  amenities, that sail the same waters. The dajhsa is the typical Maltese boat with “eyes” painted on the prow for “protection” and is seen throughout the island.

If you enjoyed this, much more information is available in my  published book:   Return to Melita which can be purchased from Amazon.com