Malta on Foot
“What?? You have never heard of Geocaching before?” David exclaimed.
It was my first and only morning in the charming island country of Malta. I had signed up for an AirBnB walking tour with an athlete, adventurer, fitness trainer, and a stranger who I can now call a friend. We had spent all morning discovering Valletta, the capital city. David is born and raised in Malta. He’s the best person to show you around the city’s popular sites and secret spots where he spent his childhood.
To answer David’s question, no, I’d never heard of Geocaching before. My childhood in Muscat was spent watching the Mr. Bean TV series with dad on hot summer afternoons. And going on weekend road trips and wadi-bashing adventures through the mountainous terrains of Oman during winter.
Even though I now live in a larger-than-life city, Dubai, big cities and tall buildings intimidate me. I’m drawn to rustic feels, nature trails, serene mountains and historic ruins. A little over 12 hours and Malta already felt warm and inviting. After an epic active volcano hike on Mt Stromboli, Italy, I arrived in this small Mediterranean archipelago for a 24-hour visit before heading to Portugal.
First 12 of my 24 hours in Malta: “No Trespassing”
Mdina, or the Silent City, is the least crowded historic gem there is. And I was thrilled to get there straight from the airport to join my first walking tour with Joanne, a Maltese historian. I clearly love walking tours. It’s the best way to get around with a local expert when you’re short on time.
But wait, a small warning about road networks and driving in Malta. It is known to be quite unruly. Cars are right-hand driven (!), essentially the wrong side, which I got to know only as I was waiting in the car rental queue. I did not take any chances. For the first time in my history of driving abroad, I bought full insurance coverage that cost me more than the car rental itself.
I’m relatively confident behind the wheel. But to this date, I haven’t figured out what happened that day. Did Google maps mess up quite badly or was it my lacking sense of direction that got the better of me? Or both…?
Within minutes of exiting the airport, I had driven down a narrow unpaved street and somehow landed up at a dead end on a private farm with a massive “No Trespassing” signage. It was siesta time. No one noticed.
Well, onwards and upwards.
Cultural Explosion
Mdina, the old and glorious capital of Malta, is an ornate limestone city packed with culture. It was once home to Maltese nobles and religious authorities, built and rebuilt by Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs, and Knights. Today, it’s virtually a ghost town with 250 inhabitants within the 4000-year-old fortified city. The quaint and gorgeous medieval town is also popular for its Baroque-style architecture and colourful doors.
Joanne ended an entertaining 2-hour walking tour by treating the group to an authentic pastizzi experience at the 100-year-old landmark pastry shop called Tas Serkin. For a mere 30-40 cents, the delicious savory ricotta cheese pastry is served hot with Kinnie to go with it.
Birgu: Must Visit in October
The only reason I ever wanted to visit Malta before this trip, was to see the streets of Birgu (or Vittoriosa) light up during the Birgu Candlelight Festival. Birgu is a small, old fortified city that oozes character. It exudes the most charming medieval feels with its cobbled streets and meandering slopes.
Now imagine thousands of candles lit across the city, adding a romantic flair to its historic charm, together with plenty of traditional music, choirs, and local and foreign bands.
I cannot quite explain my fascination with it, but it had been on my bucket list for a while. The festival is held in October and was a few months away. But that night, as I walked down the streets of Birgu with my new Brazilian-Italian friend from the flight earlier that day, I was enchanted. I yearned for more and knew I had to come back to the city again.
We spent the night strolling past the empty harbour and wonderful streetside cafes, soaking in the city’s serene vibe and maritime history.
Final hours in Malta: A Geo-Caching Victory
Call it beginner’s luck, but I was gloating away.
It was nearly noon. David and I had walked past all of Valletta’s scenic and historic sites for more than 2-3 hours that morning – City Gate, Opera House, Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens, Victoria Gate, St Paul’s Cathedral and Auberge de Castille, to name a few.
He briefly explained how geocaching works. It’s an app-based outdoor activity in which participants use their mobile devices, GPS tracking and clues to hide and seek hidden containers (called caches) in random public locations. There are millions of participants the world over. I wasn’t one of them. David introduced me to the app and showed me a location he had discovered earlier – inside a public phone booth.
We were now at the rocky coastal end beneath Fort St Elmo. He had seen clues of a new geocache location somewhere around here and we had spent a few minutes scrambling away. And voila! I found the hidden cache with a donkey keychain and dozens of notes in a box. Wasn’t an easy find (I think), and just like that I’d had my first geocaching victory!
We headed back to the main square to grab my last meal before I left for the airport again. Portugal was waiting.
Thank you for a wonderful time, Malta. It was 24 hours well spent and a week, too short.
Travel Date: July 2019
*These are first-hand experiences, findings, views or opinions, which are purely my own. They are not paid for or promoted content.
