Malta

1) The itinerary

Day 1: Departure for Toulouse

Departure from Campuac where I took Corinne, a carpooler and two carpoolers to Rodez.

We are off to Toulouse where I sleep before the big departure tomorrow.

Day 2: The great departure for Malta

Wake up at 7.15 a.m. for a departure at 7.30 a.m. And yes I was wrong about 30 minutes by setting the alarm clock. So it’s speed this morning. Here I am at the airport where I boarded the plane next to a super nice old lady from Montauban with whom I spent 3/4 of the time chatting.
Arrival in Malta

Arriving in Malta, I hurried to save time in order to visit as much as possible. Except that my transport was not there. I had to wait and search for about 10 minutes before I saw a gentleman writing my name and surname.

Then we left towards the hotel. Finally, no direction to the port where we picked up three men after long minutes of waiting. We dropped them off at their hotel then after 1:30 am I arrived at my hotel. There, a reception lady told me to wait a few minutes for her manager. The manager arrived, gave me the keys and asked me to pay the tourist tax. I was very annoyed, especially since the hotel is not my friend.
Valletta

After putting my stuff down, I left for Valletta, the capital of this island. After more than 15 minutes by bus, I arrived in this super beautiful city but one that inspires me no confidence. I wandered the streets for 2 hours. Then I decided to ask a policewoman for an address where I could eat Maltese specialties. She gave me a super classy and very good place. First, I was treated to slices of bread with tomato sauce and chopped vegetables (onions, olives and tomatoes). As a starter, I had a hot dish of Maltese sausage dipped in tomato sauce with pieces of garlic and peas. On the dish I had a kind of pizza with minced chicken, black olives, tomato sauce and parsley. It was delicious. All accompanied by a glass of Maltese rosé.

Then I went back to the hotel by bus for a good night’s sleep.

Day 3: Visit of Gozo

Wake up around 8:30 am, preparation for a departure to Gozo.

After having an unfamiliar breakfast, I asked the receptionist which local bus I needed to take in order to take the ferry. She wanted to sell me her excursion. After explaining my way of traveling, she told me that the bus was not the right one.

So I asked several people what the right bus was to take it.

After 30 minutes on the bus and getting to know an Ivorian and a Maltese, I took the ferry. Journey which lasted about 30 minutes.

When I arrived on the island, a taxi guide tried to sell me his tourist circuit, which I refused the first time and a second time after having stopped me again.

I decided to rent a car. A beautiful Kia Picanto. The beginnings were difficult because it is English driving in Malta, so everything is reversed.

Then I went to cross this beautiful island. I was able to put on my swimsuit to sunbathe and soak my feet in the sea. Too cool because in Aveyron it is cold duck. After refueling the car, an ordeal for me because when I arrived at the station I put the pistol in the tank but it didn’t work. So I searched for a while before I realized that there was a machine where I had to put the amount I wanted to put. I ended up visiting Victoria, the capital of Gozo. Very beautiful city where the celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception took place. Very nice party to do. Not finding where to eat, I asked a very nice policeman who gave me an address. I went there (without GPS) and there I came across the party parade.

After contemplating it, I ate at the restaurant that the policeman had told me about. I first ate zucchini stuffed with potatoes and drank a glass of a Christmas cocktail. Then I finished with two almond paste and date cakes with a scoop of nougat ice cream. Three succulent specialties.

After feasting, it’s time for me to go home. So I take the ferry and the bus. I came back to the hotel to change and went to see the world of the night at the mini Ibiza located 100m from the hotel.

First I was in a Root’s Bar with a reggae atmosphere (everything I like) where I tasted Cisk, a typical beer from Malta.

Then I left to discover other places. In the main street, various and varied clubs meet. There is something for every taste. Very good sound and atmosphere in the different clubs. Whenever I wanted to enter a club, the security guard asked me for the identity card. In the street people give tickets for free drinks. The police are present to avoid overflows.

Then I went back to bed.

Day 4: Visit to Malta

Today it is hard to wake up after the day and the evening before. After getting ready, I took the bus to Marsalokks. Very beautiful place and above all magnificent port with very colorful boats. I bought two typical sandwiches over there to eat them (I thought I bought an appetizer and a sandwich). Then I left for Hagar Qim Temples. Pretty temples but which were not worth the galleys to leave for the other place.

After running for the 2:00 p.m. bus that I missed, I waited 1:30 without seeing the bus I wanted to take. So I took another bus that went opposite to my destination. After a few kilometers, I went downstairs and asked someone how to get to my destination. I had to take a bus which took me to another bus for my destination.

Arriving at my destination, it started to get dark. So I put my GPS to visit the center.

After 5km of walking in the fine rain, in the pampas (where I had to stop peeing), with my headlamp and my hood, I arrived in a small dead village. I decided to ring a house so someone could tell me where the nearest bus stop was because I was lost. A young woman explained to me after describing my situation to her.

Then I hit the road again. 50m further on, a tourist car stopped to ask me where he could find a Christmas store (very common on the island). I explain my situation to them. They thank me and leave. And there, the young woman who had explained the route to the bus stop, called out to me and made me go into her house to tell me that she and her companion were going to take me where I wanted to go. Yesss!

After 15 minutes by car, I found myself very close to the bus stop where I stopped before walking 5km for nothing. The loose!

Then I visited Mdina and Rabat where I came across a huge Christmas market. It was super cool. I tasted a specialty. It was a kind of super good raisin donut.

Then I ate my second midday sandwich in front of the Mdina and I left to take the bus to go back to the hotel. There, I met a couple of super nice old men who told me which bus I should take and which stop to take another bus to San Giljan.

After arriving at the Valletta bus station, I took the bus to San Giljan where there were lots of young people going there too to party.

Then I walked back to the hotel where I went to bed.

Day 5: The return

Wake up at 4:30 am for a departure at 5:00 am from the hotel where a very friendly but a little warm taxi driver was waiting for me.

He took me to the airport where I waited 1 hour 30 minutes to fly.

Then after about 2 hours of flight, I landed in Toulouse where it was cold and raining.

Here is my journey ended.

2) My ranking of places and restaurants

The 4 stars (essential)

• Gozo
• Marsalokks
• Mdina
• Cafe Jubilee (Restaurant Gozo): 8 Independence Sq | Independence Plaza, Victoria, Island of Gozo, Malta: A top restaurant
  I recommend this restaurant if you want to taste Maltese specialties.
  The staff are very pleasant, attentive and kind to the client.
  The restaurant is not excessive in price and there is a good atmosphere,
  Nenu the Artisan Baker 143, St Dominic Street, Valletta, Island of Malta VLT 1605, Malta Chic and classy restaurant located in Valletta where you can eat very good typical Maltese dishes. The staff are pleasant and friendly.
  The price is not excessive.
  I recommend this restaurant

The 3 stars (to see)

• Hagar Qim Temples: I don’t highly recommend this tour. First of all the price is 10 € and I find it excessive for what it is. The price includes a 10/15 minute 4D film retracing the birth of these temples. Then visit the museum which is very small (in a single small room) and visit the temples.
• flaps
• Valletta

3) Namely (timetables, money, capital, electricity)

Malta is part of Europe. Its capital is Valletta.

The currency is the Euro, so no exchange problems.

The electrical sockets are the same as in France.

The island is influenced by the English driving on the left.

It is a very beautiful island where the weather is nice and quite warm even in December (around 18 ° C) but which is marred by too much tourism and tourist attractions.

4) The memories to bring back

Here is a small list of souvenirs to bring back from Malta

• Gozo thyme honey
• Maltese lace
• Nougat
• Gozo wool
• Filigree handmade gold or silver jewelry
• Local liquor
• Black or green olives
• Dried tomatoes
• Wicker objects
• Ceramic
• Blown glass
• Charms inspired by local folklore

5) Gastronomy

The island is influenced by Italians, there are many pasta dishes.

The entrees

• Bigilla: a spicy bean pâté with hobza, maltese bread.
• Pastizzi are small triangles of puff pastry, traditionally filled with ricotta. Tal-pizelli pastizzi are topped with a pea puree. There are also anchovies and olives, but it is rarer. Even if they are salty, they are offered as pastries. Also popular, the qassatat look like short cheese dough made with shortcrust pastry.

The soups

• Aljotta is a fish soup with garlic, onion and tomato.
• Kusksu is a soup made from a paste of fresh beans and peas accompanied by Gozo’s typical goat cheese, gbejniet.
• The minestra (local version of the Italian minestrone) consists of a vegetable soup mixing potatoes, onions, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, pasta, lentils and chickpeas.

The dishes

• Brungiel mimli are eggplant stuffed with beef and pork.
• The timpana is a gratin with macaroni, garnished with minced meat. Cheap but not always very thin!
• Bragioli is a kind of thinly sliced ​​beef paupiette prepared with eggs, bacon and breadcrumbs and then returned in a wine sauce.

The fish

Present on all cards, they are sold by the piece or by weight (quite expensive). They are served in a sauce (tomato, capers and garlic), but more often grilled.

• The torta-tal-lampuki is the great specialty of the island made with this very popular fish which is the lampuki, sea bream which is prepared in a crust with spinach, cauliflower and nuts on a shortcrust pastry.
• The octopus (octopus) is eaten in tomato sauce, to accompany pasta, or as a stew (stuffat tal-qarnit).
• Seafood is offered fried or stuffed, or as an accompaniment to the famous spaghetti frutti di mare.

Meats

• Fenek or rabbit is one of the favorite dishes of the Maltese, who eat it in a stew or in sauce, with potatoes (or even fries) or pasta. It is available in torta-tal-fenek, marinated rabbit and cooked in a red wine sauce, then served in a crust. Fenek Mogli is a fried rabbit seasoned with garlic and bay leaves, cooked in white wine.
• Lamb is a popular dish, especially cooked over a wood fire.
• The Italian biz-zalza pikkanti is a tongue of beef served with a caper sauce.

The desserts

• Figolli is a dry cake with almond paste and lemon.
• Qubbajt or nougat is arguably the most popular dessert, closely competing with qaghaq ta’l-ghasel, a cookie stuffed with figs.
• Pudina (English pudding) is a kind of French toast, to which are added eggs, vanilla, candied fruit, raisins, orange peel and a drop of rum or brandy.
• The prinjolata is a cake made with spoon cookies, iced cherries and pine nuts.
• Some cookies are associated with religious holidays, such as kwarezimal, a chocolate cake with almonds and nuts that we eat during Lent, or pastini tal-rahal, a donut covered in icing that we consume for baptisms.

6) Traveling as a single woman

It’s not an island where you feel safe from petty theft (theft). The men are quite pleasant and you have to be careful if you are a single woman.