Weekend in Malta

It’s hard to believe that I can casually throw out “Oh yes, and last weekend when I was in Malta, I saw XYZ…” It sounds like I should be in the ladies-who-lunch set (coz I’m a little bit fancy that way, right Rosie?) Let me back up a bit. Early on during my time here at Harlaxton I learned about a travel website called last minute dot com, and decided to have a look to see what was available. In February there were some pretty fantastic deals from England to all parts of Europe, and I found a weekend in Malta advertised for about £200, flights and hotel included. Over dinner one night I impulsively asked one of the faculty from Belmont, Judy Bullington, who is an art history professor, if she was game for a weekend in Malta with me. The answer was an immediate yes, so soon we had ourselves booked for a quick Friday-Sunday trip.

We focused on Valletta, the capital city, but made the error of getting a hotel in Sliema, the town just across the bay. There was a convenient ferry into Valletta, which swayed our decision, but we didn’t realize it was on winter hours and stopped running at 7pm. Not really conducive to a leisurely dinner, and Sliema had nowhere near the character of Valletta (but remember, it was only £200).

We arrived at our hotel close to dinner time on Friday and had both read the in-flight magazine recommending several restaurants and places to visit, so we targeted a restaurant in Sliema about a mile from our hotel. Well. I think the owner must have been friends with the author of the article, because our dream of some wonderful fresh seafood cooked to perfection was not to be. Watery fish soup and two pucks of breaded fish was not what we envisioned! But, the wine was great (and cheap, and they sell it in half bottles!) (not a quitter, just strategically pacing myself)

Saturday morning was a brand-new day, and we took the first ferry over to Valletta and had a magical day. Of note, it is very hilly, with cobbled narrow streets, cafes, steps (!), great architecture, and a long and interesting history dating from Neolithic through Roman and now modern times. Malta is strategically located in the Mediterranean, so everyone wanted to control it, and many did over the years. The Valetta is built out of (and into and on top of) the local limestone (which is actually pretty sandy). The entire city is this color, except inside the churches!

We visited St John’s cathedral which was ridiculously ornate “one of the most baroque spaces I have been in” says Judy. One of the other recommendations in the air Malta magazine was spot on- a spice shop! We spoke with the owner at length about differences in the various blends they carried, and he told us about a special mix they created and delivered to all the local churches for use during lent. He started piling spices in a bowl: cinnamon, bay, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, anise, and about 8 other spices I can’t recall now, explaining that it would be mixed with wine, oranges, and apples and simmered in the church during lent. It sounded a lot like mulled wine, but he said it was not for drinking. I may test that out for myself since we were gifted with some of the mix.

After buying some spices we visited the coffee shop next door to try some Maltese coffee and biscuits. They use almonds and anise very liberally, and the coffee was spiked with an anise liqueur. Licorice flavored coffee may not sound that appetizing (it did not sound that good to us, but we were game for the experience—how hard can it be to choke down a cup of coffee???), but the biscuit and coffee combination was very complementary.

As the day progressed, we started to get an idea that something was up. A band was assembling, and the cafe tables were put away, and people started to gather. It turns out that the city was celebrating the feast of Saint Paul, and boy, once the sun went down it was magical! The band paraded down the street ever so slowly, stopping after every piece, and about twenty burly local men carried a life-sized statue of Saint Paul, parading along with the band. They moved so slowly they took about 30 minutes to move 100 yards!

During all of this, folks were throwing confetti from second story balconies, and it accumulated in the street shin-deep in places. Families were together singing and celebrating, and the kids would gather up the confetti and throw it in the air. It was really beautiful, and such an unexpected experience.