I booked through Viator and we were picked up by a van that brought us to the westernmost point and we were on the ferry:
There were options to tour by bus or buggy, but I chose jeep to see more of the sights and to have a smaller group. We were paired with Henry and Vicky who live near Oxford and were into seeing all the things - I later learned they loved history and were in the aerospace and defense industries. Here’s Mama Kim in the back of the jeep:
Our guide was Keegan who took us to this viewpoint and you can see Comino, the smallest of the three islands, and the main island of Malta in the distance:
Our first stop was the UNESCO site, Ggantija Temples, which means giants. It’s Neolithic and there are several megalithic temples in all over Malta. This is older than the pyramids and reminded me of my recent Stonehenge visit in February:
We met Keegan at the exit and we drove to the Xwejni Salt Pans. The last salt pans I visited were in Peru which were bright white, but here they were “not in season”, but we enjoyed the air and view of the ocean:
As part of the tour, we had a food tasting in a local shop where we tried prickly pear, pomegranate, and coffee liquors. We also had some small bites of antipasto. There were traditional Maltese souvenirs and crafts as well.
We then stopped in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu. In one area, were hanging various medical devices left by those who had been cured - felt very Lourdes-like:
We then headed to Dwejra Bay where the Dothraki wedding scene was held on Game of Thrones and there was a famous arch called the Azure Window, but it had collapsed a few years ago. Also, here is a version of the Blue Grotto, not to be confused with the one in Malta or the one in Capri in Italy - all famous sea caves. For €5 each, we all got to go through the caves and experience the strong waves:
Afterwards, we were driven to lunch where we had a pastry filled with ricotta cheese, Maltese bragioli or stuffed beef roll, and an ice cream scoop paired with white wine. This was all part of the day package. We enjoyed chatting with Henry and Vicky and on the 2nd floor of the restaurant, we had a view of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, also known as the Rotunda of Xewkija which we visited after lunch:
We then went to Xlendi Bay and I took this photo with the watchtower to the left:
As we shared notes about plans and what we’ve done in Malta, this is when Vicky and I both made a reference to BTS’ trip to Malta. They had come in 2018 as part of a vacation series called “Bon Voyage” and they just explored the country. Vicky is apparently a huge fan and has been to two concerts in the UK! Henry seemed to enjoy that someone else could relate to Vicky in seeing the show. She too enjoyed watching their content during the pandemic and I explained I was not a big fan prior, but got sucked into their positive and light programming.
We then visited the Cittadella which was an acropolis and reminded me of the Mdina in Malta with its alleyways. It was convenient to get to the top due to an elevator and we enjoyed the sun and some people-watching in the plaza:
Here’s a shot of Keegan driving us along the main drag of Victoria, the largest town on the island with about 7,000 people:
We then went to an overlook of Mġarr Harbor:
At the point was Our Lady of Lourdes church which my mom was drawn to since her name is Bernadette. Keegan also explained it was his neighborhood church as he lives nearby:
After driving around the whole island, we returned to the harbor and boarded our fast ferry. We swung by the Blue Lagoon of Comino where Henry and Vicky actually visited just yesterday:
And then upon our return to Malta, we boarded vans back to our hotel. We were tired from the all-day trip, and it was nice not to have to navigate, but not be in a large group. We opted to shower up and take it easy! We pondered venturing out, but decided we would try a little fast before our last full day in Malta!
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