Wow! This little holiday is flying by faster than I can say pizza on a stick. Don’t ask why but I am currently craving pizza.
Malta has been one of the most rewarding trips I have taken. And for our final day, we decided to explore Valletta and all the sights it has to offer.
To be honest, I will miss waking up to the sea every morning.
Right, so we decided to take the ferry across to Valletta from Sliema, and then take the bus back in the afternoon to get our luggage and head to the airport.
Valletta is a stunning city, word of advice – work on your squats before getting here. Why, you ask? It is incredibly hilly! I thought I was fit, but noooooo…..with the heat and sun, I was ready to pass out after one street climb! Sheesh but at least my ass is getting a workout! whoop whoop! Did someone say buns of steel!
The boat arrives at the bottom of a hill, I believe there are cars around which you can pay to take you up which is always useful.
First stop, Valletta city centre! The main street is aligned with all the flag poles – my guess is they are flags of the EU. What struck me the most are little things which reminded me of England, such as the red post box, and certain stores they have here.
We only have several hours so we are going to be strategic. We head straight for St. John’s Cathedral, got lost cause we found the back entrance instead of the main which is on Republic street.
10 Euros include an audio guide got us into this magnificent cathedral.
Please keep in mind this is a place of worship. If you are not suitably dressed, they will provide a shawl/scarf to cover up which is handy.
We easily spent few hours here, every painting and rooms have a history behind them. Oh and you are forbidden to take pictures or videos in certain rooms.
It was past noon by the time we left the cathedral and starving!
I heard of the oldest cafe in Valletta called Caffe Cordina located in the square. It looked normal from the outside, but the decor on the inside was a beaut! Oh and the cakes!
There are seatings inside but as most cafe and restaurants in Malta, they have beautiful outdoor seating. Naturally, we chose this option. Who can resist the beautiful weather especially coming from England!
Oh and I tried this traditional Maltese drink. No, not the wine but Kinnie! It’s a local soft drink which I thought looked like Lipton Ice tea but that’s where the resemblance ends.
It is served cold, and the waiter put it in a glass with a slice of lemon. It has a unique flavour, I can taste the oranges and some herbs added to it which reminded me of medicine. Once I got ice tea out of my mind and after a few sips, I quite enjoyed it – it’s very refreshing in this heat!
The locals love this drink and it’s sold everywhere! You must try it, it’s very different to a lot of drinks.
Ordered the Rabbit with salad and fries, and again this dish was just to die for. It was a bit bonier than the one we had in Sliema but the sauce was still good.
My friend had this beautiful rabbit ravioli with bacon bits and salad. The sauce of this dish was just divine! It was creamy and flavourful, all the flavours blended very well with the tender rabbit. I seriously could drink that sauce!
As tempting as it is to sit and enjoy a few drinks here, we head towards to the Grands Master Palace next door.
Unfortunately several of the rooms or areas in the Grand Master Palace were under refurbishment but we visited the main hall and The Palace Armoury.
This is the Palace Armoury section of the palace. Don’t you think these mannequins looked life like!?
Next, we roamed around the city snapping away at the sights, and soaking in the atmosphere.
There were loads more sights to see. If we had another day, I’d love to explore the museums of Archeology and Casa Rocca Piccola which I hear is an interesting tour led by an eccentric homeowner.
This is definitely not a goodbye. Malta, you have been kind to us.
Have you visited? Any suggestions on where to visit in Valletta or things to do? Love to hear your stories.
Courtney xx
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