We went to Malta for Christmas from 10 Dec to 17 Jan. Due to the paucity of winter flights between Spain and Malta, we had to drive to Madrid for our flight. We used AP Hotels Parking, and apart from the slight difficulty in finding it, once there the to and fro from the airport was efficient.
We went from airport to Hilltop on an Uber. I had the app from South Africa, and they were able to take fares directly off my card, so no fiddling with cash, as I had had to do with eCabs
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First up was a dinner at Bahia, a Michelin Star restaurant that we had been too before in their previous location, and they had now moved to the Corinthian Palace Hotel in Attard. The ambiance was very good, the service not too poncey, but was a bit let down by the food, which was not up to standard.
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We had a trip into Valetta, and soon I spotted - well you could not miss spotting it - Rudolph's Wheel right at the entrance to the old city. Chris was a bit reluctant, but it was a bright sunny day, and the was no queue, so she decided that we could take the wheel. You got three turn of the wheel for your ticket, and there were very good and very interesting views over the harbour and the city
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The boys got very excited, well they always do, when Father Christmas is in the offing. They duly hung up their stocking's, and once again they were disappointed. Somehow the big fellow always seems to miss them, so they are going to have to wait another year,
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On Christmas morning we had a walk to the Cake Box in Mosta. It was a bright sunny morning, if a little crisp. We walked back to Hilltop past loads of decorations on houses and public buildings. Christmas lunch - duck with all the trimmings - was then enjoyed on the balcony in the sunshine. And a (albeit small) christmas pudding to finish it off.
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An interesting excursion to see an aqueduct at Attard. We walked down to the Corinthian Hotel for lunch - smoothie and sandwich - to fortify ourselves for the walk along the aqueduct The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground. It was remarkable how much remained in this area. Having followed it for three kilometres, it suddenly ran into the side of a house and stopped
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Lunch with Liz and Louis at St Pauls, in a hotel restaurant on the beach. A part of Malta that we had not visited before. Chris went to play Bridge with Phyllis at her seaside house, and enjoyed dinner and whisky there as well
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One of our "walkies" was to St Julians, past the spot where Chris fell over years ago and smashed her knee. We had a look up at our old apartment and ended at Portomaso for a pizza lunch
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Another walk which we aborted as the path ran along the top of a wall which was too narrow to feel safe. A lunch again with Louis and Liz at one of the promenade restaurants at Baluta Bay
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Lunch and an explore at the Three Cities. We opted to take the gondola back to Valetta, and walked back from the landing point to the Triton Fountain to get our Uber
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Medina for lunch and a walk. We eventually found our way to the moat, which we had not managed to reach before - they are not keen on you getting there
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A lunch that never was at Palazzo Parisio . Nice sunny day, we thought we would have lunch in their gardens. Flunky opened door to let us in to the garden, then nobody came to take our order. So we had a walk round the garden and left. We had a sandwich and quiche at a new cafe that we had not been to before
And before you knew it, it was time to get onto Mr O'Leary's flight back to Madrid