Malta

Just yesterday my children were little, today they are young adults. They have their own duties, agenda, and friends. Sometimes I miss them and I'm glad they are gone at the same time. One of the things I like is hearing stories of how they cope with problems, spend their freetime,.. I think this is a way of expressing love and connections. Here is the story of my daughter's vacation in Malta written by her for my blog.

Še včeraj so bili moji otroci majhni, danes pa so že mladi odrasli. Imajo svoje zadolžitve, obveznosti, prijatelje. Včasih jih pogrešam, a sem hkrati vesela, da se sami znajdejo. Ena izmed stvari, ki mi je všeč, je poslušati zgodbe o tem, kako se spopadajo s težavami, preživljajo prosti čas,.. Zdi se mi, da je to nek način izražanja ljubezni in povezanosti. Tu je zgodba o počitnicah moje hčerke na Malti, ki jo je napisala za moj blog.

This summer my boyfriend and I decided to spend our vacation days somewhere outside the continental Europe, but not too far away. Therefore, the island of Malta seemed like a perfect idea. We started our journey at the Venice airport and landed on Malta after a two-hour flight. During this time, we got to see Sicily from the airplane window as well as Malta and two smaller islands right next to it, Gozo and Comino.

To poletje sva se s fantom odločila preživeti dopustniške dni nekje izven celinske Evrope, a ne predaleč. Malta se nama je zdela popolna ideja. Po dvournem letu iz beneškega letališča sva pristala na Malti. Med letom sva skozi okno letala videlia Sicilijo ter Malto in dva manjša otoka tik ob njej, Gozo in Comino.

The scenery upon our arrival was amazing. The Maltese airport is a very beautiful Arabic-style building surrounded with palm trees, the kind of airport I have never seen before. To go about the island, we chose to commute with the Maltese public transport, Tallinja. It is very convenient, not very expensive and of course better for the environment. However, it is not the most reliable means of transport, since the buses are usually late, or some do not even show up.

Pokrajina ob našem prihodu je bila neverjetna. Malteško letališče je zelo lepa stavba v arabskem slogu, obdana s palmami, letališče kot ga še nisem videla. Za potovanje po otoku sva izbrala malteški javni prevoz Tallinja, ker je najenostavnejši način, ni predrag in seveda najboljša izbira za okolje. Na žalost pa tudi ni najbolj zanesljiv, saj avtobusi običajno zamujajo ali pa nekateri sploh ne pridejo.

The next couple of hours we spent searching for our Airbnb. The bus ride to the location was very intense for me, not because of dangerous driving, but because we were driving on the left side of the road and I was convinced we were going to collide with another vehicle any moment. Luckily, the Maltese architecture captured my attention and I forgot all about traffic. The houses and other buildings on Malta are all built with the same material, light yellow stones which makes them look exotic and very different from the ones we see on the continental Europe. Later that day, we made ourselves some lunch, took a nap and went for a swim at the beach in Sliema during the sunset.

Naslednjih nekaj ur sva porabila za iskanje Airbnbja. Vožnja z avtobusom do lokacije je bila zame precej napeta, pa ne zaradi nevarne vožnje, ampak zaradi vožnje po levi strani ceste in se mi je zdelo, da bomo vsak trenutek trčili v drugo vozilo. Na srečo je malteška arhitektura pritegnila mojo pozornost. Hiše in druge zgradbe na Malti so zgrajene iz istega materiala, svetlo rumenih kamnov, zaradi česar so videti eksotično in se zelo razlikujejo od zgradb v celinski Evropi. Popoldne sva si pripravila kosilo, malo zadremala in se ob sončnem zahodu odpravila kopat na plažo v Sliemi.

The next day, we decided to visit the capital city of Malta, Valletta which is protected by a town wall. Valletta is very beautiful and not as big as other big cities around the world, which makes it feel cosy and more welcoming. It has a lot of narrow streets filled with souvenir shops and restaurants. You can admire lots of decorations, which I found very fascinating and later discovered them to be quite common in every village or town. There are also red phone booths, just like in Great Britain.

Naslednji dan sva se odločila obiskati glavno mesto Malte, Valletto, ki je zaščitena z mestnim obzidjem. Valletta je zelo lepa in bolj majhna, zato sem se počutila udobno in bolj dobrodošlo. Ima veliko ozkih ulic, polnih trgovin s spominki in restavracij. V vsaki ozki ulici je tudi veliko okraskov, ki so se mi zdeli lepi in posebni. Kasneje pa sem ugotovila, da so precej pogosti in jih lahko občudujete skoraj povsod na otoku. Na Malti sva videla tudi rdeče telefonske govorilnice, čisto take kot so v Veliki Britaniji.

To learn more about this amazing island, we visited the fort Saint Elmo that was converted into a museum. Personally, I am not a fan of history, but this museum really captured my attention and I soaked up all the information like a sponge. The museum is perfectly planned all throughout the fort presenting you historical facts and events chronologically with the help of short films, animations, artefacts and posters. For someone who gets easily bored in museums, I found the short films to be a great way for me to learn about the history of Malta. In my opinion, this museum is perfect for everyone, even for children. During the tour you are guided to the top of the fort where you can admire the view of the Three Cities.

Da bi izvedela več o tem čudovitem otoku, sva obiskala utrdbo Saint Elmo, ki je bila spremenjena v muzej. Osebno nisem ljubiteljica zgodovine, vendar je ta muzej res pritegnil mojo pozornost. Muzej se razteza po celotni trdnjavi in kronološko predstavlja zgodovinska dejstva in dogodke s pomočjo kratkih filmov, animacij, artefaktov in plakatov. Za nekoga, ki se zlahka dolgočasi v muzejih, so bili kratki filmi odličen način za spoznavanje zgodovine Malte. Po mojem mnenju je ta muzej primeren za vse, tudi za otroke. Med ogledom vas vodijo do vrha utrdbe, kjer lahko občudujete pogled na Three cities.

The third entire day was spent on the small island next to Malta, the Comino Island. We took a ferry ride to Comino during which they show us big caves and drop us off at the most beautiful beach. The water there is so bright blue and clear you think you just landed in paradise. We swam all day and decided to spoil ourselves with boat paragliding. I really recommend this to anyone who is adventurous and wants to enjoy great views of Comino and its caves, and also a bit of the Gozo Island from above. The only thing you have to be really careful about when in Malta or Comino are jellyfish. They are very common and they will sting you. However, they are not poisonous, but will leave a burning sensation and a scar afterwards. During this day I got stung by one and still have a souvenir on my leg. 😊

Cel tretji dan sva preživela na malem otočku Comino. Do tja sva se odpeljala s trajektom. Med vožnjo lahko občudujete velike jame, na koncu pa vas pripeljejo na najlepšo plažo. Voda tam je tako svetlo modra in čista, da se zdi kot v raju. Po celodnevnem plavanju sva se odločila za let z jadralnim padalom. To res priporočam vsakomur, ki je pustolovski in želi uživati v čudovitem razgledu od zgoraj na Comino in njegove jame ter delček otoka Gozo. Edina stvar, na katero je treba paziti, ko ste na Malti ali Cominu, so meduze. So zelo pogoste in vas lahko ožgejo ter pustilo pekoč občutek in brazgotino. To se je zgodilo meni in še vedno imam spominek na nogi. 😊

We spent the following day at Marsaxlokk, a small fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a beautiful harbour, where you can admire the traditional fishing boats that have small eyes drawn on them which are believed to protect and guide the fishermen. Marsaxlokk is also a great point from which you can take a boat ride to the astonishing St Peter’s pool.

Naslednji dan sva preživela v kraju Marsaxlokk, majhni ribiški vasici v jugovzhodni regiji Malte, ki ima čudovito pristanišče. Tu lahko občudujemo tradicionalne ribiške čolne, na katerih so narisane majhne oči, ki naj bi varovale in vodile ribiče. Marsaxlokk je tudi izhodiščna točka, od koder se lahko zapeljete z ladjico do osupljivega bazena sv. Petra oz. St Peter's pool.

We spent the rest of the vacation on Gozo Island, which is only 40 minutes away from Valletta with a fast ferry. Personally, I found Gozo to be the prettiest of all three islands. The island has small colourful houses with flowers and it also has more vegetation than Malta which makes it look more alive. You can see Nerium oleander flowers and giant Cacti growing along every road. While on Gozo, I recommend going for a swim at the Ramla beach, famous for its bright orange sand.

Preostanek dopusta sva preživela na otoku Gozo, ki je od Vallette oddaljen le 40 minut s hitrim trajektom. Meni se zdi Gozo najlepši od vseh treh otokov. Tam so majhne pisane hišice z rožami. Otok pa ima tudi več vegetacije kot Malta, zaradi česar je videti bolj živ. Ob vsaki cesti lahko vidite cvetove oleandra Nerium in velikanske kaktuse. Medtem ko ste na Gozu, priporočam, da se odpravite na kopanje na plažo Ramla, ki je znana po svetlo oranžnem pesku.

While in Malta, definitely stop at the old capital city of Malta, Mdina. We visited the capital early in the morning, which was a great idea, since later crowds of tourists gathered blocking the narrow streets. Mdina also has a town wall and is small, but nevertheless worth your time. During our visit, we also went to the Dungeons Museum which is really inexpensive, interesting and scary at the same time.

Ko ste na Malti, priporočam obiskati tudi staro glavno mesto, Mdina. To sva obiskala že zgodaj zjutraj, kar se je izkazalo za odlično idejo, saj se pozneje na ozkih ulicah zberejo množice turistov. Tudi Mdina ima mestno obzidje in je majhna, a vseeno vredna obiska. Midva sva šla tudi v Dungeons muzej, ki je res poceni, zanimiv in strašljiv in hkrati.

My boyfriend and I also went to St Paul’s Catacombs, the Malta national aquarium, the Blue grotto and visited Valletta in the evening. The entry fees to all museums and other attractions are not expensive, especially if you are a student. If you’d like a more romantic evening, definitely opt for a stroll in Valletta. We took a ferry from Sliema for only 2€. During the ride you can admire the city from the boat and see directly to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel decorated with lights.

Obiskala sva tudi v katakombe svetega Pavla, malteški nacionalni akvarij, Blue grotto in zvečer obiskala Valletto. Romantičen večer si enostavno pričarate s sprehodom po Valletti v poznih urah. Vstopnine za muzeje in druge znamenitosti niso drage, sploh če si študent. Iz Slieme v valletto sva se peljala s trajektom za samo 2€, med katero sva občudovala mesto z ladje in opazovala baziliko, the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, okrašeno z lučkami.

Overall, Malta is so far the most beautiful island I have ever seen. Not only for its Arabic-style buildings and the Mediterranean vegetation, but also for very nice locals. I will always remember Malta as an abundance of different cultures and races coexisting and complimenting each other. I hope to visit Malta again sometime in the future.

Na splošno je Malta zelo lep otok. Ne samo zaradi stavb v arabskem slogu in sredozemskega rastlinja, ampak tudi zaradi zelo prijaznih domačinov. V spominu mi bo ostala kot kraj, ki združuje veliko različnih kultur in ras, ki sobivajo in se dopolnjujejo. Upam, da se bom tja še vrnila.