Events of Sunday 25th November 2012
After breakfast in Flavours Restaurant I took a 'deep paddle' up to my waist in Golden Bay (still not warm enough for me to swim - I see a pattern emerging). I'd heard the roar of a number of motor bikes since earlier in the morning. When I left the beach for the main road, I discovered that Golden Bay is the 'Matlock Bath' of Malta.
At 9 o'clock, I counted 60 motor bikes at the Apple's Eye restaurant, with more arriving every minute. In addition to the usual range of Japanese machines, there were 'Triumph', 'Harley', off-road 'trials' bikes and, no doubt, many other types. There was plenty of exuberant driving, particularly on the straight road to Ghajn Tuffieha. There were also a few low-slung, expensive sports car in the mix so, from time to time, the distinctive roar of a 'V8' engine could be heard.
I walked up to Ghajn Tuffieha Bay which I shared the beach with just one man doing morning exercises near the (closed) cafe. The area is managed for the government by the Gaia Foundation and they have a website here.
Click here for an enlarged view of the Plan..
I tried the sea, but the water still wasn't warm enough for me to do other than a 'deep paddle'. I spent a while walking on the cliffs but, although the sun was very warm, it was still very damp underfoot on the cliffs from the heavy rain of a few days earlier. The clay in the soil mixed with the scree made a tenacious aggregate which attempted to suck my shoes off at every step (it was too rough for barefoot). By the time I'd walked back to Golden Bay, I found my shoes had acquired a layer of 'cement' which proved very hard to remove.
The number of motor bikes parked near Apple's Eye had increased to at least 150. In the hotel, I met up with Ann and Dean taking a late breakfast before leaving on foot for a horse ride. Ann and Dean remained in the hotel.
The stables were less than a mile from the hotel. It took a while for all the people booked to arrive and get mounted but we set off at 11.30 with a girl from the stables up front, a couple of experienced riders free and the rest of the riders on leads to what I took to be the proprietor. We took the public road for about half a mile, passing cars and a couple of buses before turning off into Il Majjistral Nature and History Park. This is 'Malta's first natural national park' - there's a brief description here. We trekked along rough tracks around the hillside behind our hotel. The area was fairly windswept and barren, sprinkled with small, abandoned buildings. Presumably because it was Sunday, there were numerous parked cars dotted around with families enjoying a picnic. We rejoined the public road where we had left it and, after running the gauntlet of various cars and buses, arrived back at the stables an hour after we'd left.
In the afternoon, we all went out by car. Ann wanted to visit the Ta' Qali Craft Village near Rabat. A series of Nissen huts on a World War II airfield have been converted into industrial units occupied by a variety of craft workshops. Since it was Sunday, only some of the businesses were open but Ann spent some time in the stonecraft workshop whilst Dean and I visited the large glassblowing business and explored some of the abandoned Nissen Huts.
We then drove to Rabat where Ann and Dean took me to the former railway station at Museum, the ultimate terminus of the metre gauge Malta Railway line from Valetta. First opened in 1883, the railway went bankrupt in 1890 but was taken over by the government and, after further rebuilding, re-opened in 1892, finally closing in 1931. Traces of the railway can be found in some places. The Museum station operated as a restaurant and railway museum until a few years ago but it is currently boarded up.
Some Railway references:
Wikipedia.
Malta Railway Website.
'The Malta Railway'.
The fortifications of Rabat loom over the old station and major restoration work is currently in progess.
Rabat itself was very busy and parking was a problem so, promising to return, we headed towards Valetta and the former film studios at Kalkara. Although Malta became a popular destination for film-makers, the facility we visited appears closed. The remains of various sets and the large outside pool used for 'tank shots' can still be seen but major building work seems to be producing a 'Smart City'. The MFS website is well worth a look and there's a list of films made in Malta here.
Valetta and the Three Cities is an impressive and confusing area where the ancient and modern meet in surprising ways. The massive medieval fortifications are everywhere, pierced to allow roads through in tunnels or huge arches. The sea is always at hand with a remarkable mix of small boats and large ships, particularly around Grand Harbour.
As it started to get dark, Dean drove us back to the hotel where we enjoyed a buffet dinner in Flavours Restaurant.
Photographs
Malta.
[Revised 27-Nov-2012]
