Florida

Arrived in Orlando Monday 29th 

We had quite an eventful departure as our flight was delayed 40 minutes and as we had to change terminals,we were unlikely to make it if the BA flight to Orlando wasn't held for us. As it turned out they did hold the flight for two delayed flights - Glasgow and Dublin. 

On arrival in Orlando airport, we were allowed to use the automatic passport control. I got it to work but got no receipt but it wouldn't take my companion's fingerprints!!  However even if  it did, one had to join a line to see an emigration official!! 

When we were called, he advised me that I was not on the System!! I replied that the automatic passport control did not work and he agreed and replied that it was not my fault. He found me phh!! He was unusually friendly for an immigration official. 

We then joined a long line to clear customs. When we met that official, he said that we had only one customs declaration We thought that was all we needed but it appeared that because I was lost in the system I had a different form to John who was in the system. He perused  all our passport visas, looking up from time to time, but made no comment. I was hoping there was no visa the US disapproved of!! However, he sent us back to the immigration official, who informed us that the receipt that the passport machine produced was the other custom's form!! The bureaucracy!!  As we had been told not to queue again but come back directly, I realised that with the length of the line, we were unlikely to get next or near the aforesaid official, Espying an officer, I explained my predicament She looked at both forms and told us that we were free to leave customs without a return visit to the original official - I've never experienced such a debacle. They need to put up clear signage as to the required procedures. 

It was the same confusion as we tried tofind  the hotel shuttle bus - no clear signage and no - one to advise. We have travelled widely - my sympathies with the novice traveller. 

On arrival at the hotel, we heard that a Virgin plane bound for Las Vegas had had to return to Gatwick because of technical problems with its landing gear As they had not long departed Gatwick they had to dump fuel and were shaking the plane to get the landing gear to drop, which thankfully it did and as the airport has only one runway, the airport was closed for four hours. We were lucky we had departed. What with the Air Asia crash, one feels a little tentative flying at present, although we had an uneventful flight with the captain advising us to proceed quickly to Immigration as a Virgim flight was due to land just after us and it would make for a busy Immigration area,

Staying at airport hotel,  as the car was not due for collection until tomorrow, we ate at a nearby restaurant - very typical, shack type with a heavy emphasis on deep fried food but on the positive side, the menu boasted plenty of fish. We had an In-house brewed beer together with deep fried shrimp  for me ( starter portion more than adequate ) and a steak for my companion. 

Tired, as it was 2100 local and plus 5 hours Irish time, we slept but awoke at 0300 and slept fitfully thereafter. 

Breakfast was the usual fare, though I suspect the omelette was made from powdered eggs, juice, cereal, Turkey  sausage, hamburger, pancakes, an extremely sweet cinamon cake and biscuits!! Now a biscuit is not a biscuit as Europeans know it but a scone! It is amazing that although we speak the same language many words vary - line / queue, sidewalk / footpath, biscuit / scone etc not to speak of the different pronunciation of words 

We collected the car and set out for an outlet. On arrival it was mayhem as it appeared every Floridian ?? was shopping!! We spent 40 minutes looking for a parking space and finally got one having parked in a bay and waited for someone to return. 

Tommy Hilfiger and Polo had enormous queues- lines!! I did a little damage at the alternative  Polo - US Polo Association. Logo somewhat like Polo, quality as good, less expensive and no queue!! Hadn't come across them before on previous visits

We proceeded to a shopping mall It was huge - with a Macy's - not of NYC size but large. Again the number of shoppers was enormous. One purchase here a Michael Kors handbag - on discount with a further 10% off for foreigners.!! 

We returned to hotel, parked the car and made a return visit to the Fish on Fire restaurant; iwalking - it was either that Mc Donald's or 7 Eleven unless one drove.! They appear to Drink and Drive here. I decided to eat local so I had barbecued pulled pork with black beans and coleslaw  as accompaniments. It was delicious - a welcome relief from the deep fat fryer.

 I am not a fan of fried food of any description as I was reared without a frying pan. My late mother would not allow one in the house as her health food guru Lelord Cordell advocated same. He was a precursor of the Atkins diet as he advocated a high protein diet with steak for breakfast. I remember as a child copious leaflets from self same guru coming through the letterbox. 

Today, we will depart the Holiday Inn for Hobe Sound where Maria, my companion's cousin, has her winter condo -apartment to you and I. I love the Americans with their summer homes in the North, out of Florida's tropical heat while  wintering in the pleasant Florida sunshine. . However, in the advent of the Celtic tiger, we Irish aspired to the self same lifestyle, which has unfortunately been sorely punctured by the demise of same. 

November 17 - Mdina, Malta and the SE coast

Last night, when we returned to the hotel, there were people doing the tango in the main bar . We had seen them on Tuesday as we arrived at the hotel around midnight. We sat in to watch as some were excellent. It appears they were the Maltese Argentinian society who meet weekly on Sundays but had met on the Thursday  because they had a couple of dancers visiting from Argentina.

Today we started out later after a long day yesterday. We grabbed breakfast on the hoof - a delicious warm croissant oozing with chocolate and warm multi layered pastry filled with a ricotta type cheese. Street food is really excellent here, widely available and cheap. 

We boarded the 53 bus for Mdina - the former capital , prior to the Knights of St John's arrival in 1530, the Turks having taken  their Rhodes' home. The knights based themselves in The Grand Harbour, which became the focus of activity and Mdina declined. The Knights' original site of their settlement had proven difficult to defend against the Turkish Seige of 1565 and were it not for the cunning of the GrandMaster, they  would have been defeated by the Turks. Thus after the seige, Valletta, a defensive site, was chosen as the new capital.  

As we approached Mdina, we saw the walled citadel (medina means wall). We entered the city. It is carefully preserved with tasteful shops and restaurants. 

We walked the ramparts which provided a great view over the surrounding countryside, 

We had lunch in Palazzo de Piro

 

Thereafter we entered Archbishop's Square  and had just entered St Paul's Cathedral (said to be the site where St Paul converted Publius to Christianity in 60 AD) when it was closed to all further visitors as a funeral service was about to commence. I assumed it was someone of importance as numerous  wreaths were being placed on the altar. 

Dear reader you might wonder why St Paul? It appears St. Paul was shipwrecked off Malta in 60AD as he was being taken for trial to Rome where Paul intended to appeal for clemency from Caesar. He stayed three months in Rabat, adjacent to Medina, converting the islanders  to Christianity.

The Church was quite similar to its namesake in Valletta, with the beautiful dome, the knights' graves beneath the marble floor and the numerous side altars

Very well dressed people in black commenced arriving at the church and as we departed the Main Gate, the President  arrived with a slight wave to acknowledge her people. Shortly afterwards the hearse arrived followed by numerous limousines. It would not be the norm, I suspect, to have one's funeral in that Church unless one were of importance. 

We took the 101 bus around the south of the island as it appeared to be very scenic. We were not disappointed as the bus travelled by the coast. The bus driver drove very fast and I had visions of tumbling over the Dinglin Cliffs.  

We passed  Hagar Qim, another Neolitic site - the island abounds with them - an archaeologists' delight. As I had visited on Gozo yesterday, we proceeded to the Blue Grotto, 

akin to the one in Capri and then continued on 101 bus to the Airport where we picked up a bus to Paulo and thence to the picturesque village of Marsaxlokk where lies the largest most colourful fishing fleet in Malta.  The eye on each side of the bow is freshly painted each season to ward off evil out at sea. 

It was late evening and as it was getting a little chilly to eat outside, so we took bus 81 back to Valletta. 

We decided to eat at Guza; number 1 restaurant in Valleta. Unfortunately, as it was Monday night, we erroneously thought that we need not reserve a table. Arriving at the restaurant  at 20.50 we were disappointed to find that a table was not available til 21.30. We walked down Republic St. and discovered Strait St. It was the preserve of the sailors post WW11. It declined when the British fleet left in 1974. Now the street is being revived with some bars, sympathetic to the period architecturally at least, re-opening.

We returned to Guza and had an excellent meal comprising if an amuse bouche of a rabbit (very popular here) to start followed by a very large rabbit cake , which we shared, then a rabbit ragout with home ms pasta - a variety I had never heard of and a penne with dried porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. We finished by sharing the best Tirimisu I have ever eaten. For wine, we were recommended an excellent Chianti from their Italuan selection. Italy, being so close has a major influence on the Maltese particularly their cuisine.  We returned to the Phoenicia immediately outside the main gate.

We had originally wanted some sun and considered Gran Caneria. After some thought, we decided against it and thought of Malta. I knew nothing of it and was pleasantly surprised to find it abounded with interesting sites to be seen and enjoyed. We could have spent longer here quite happily enjoying what we hadn't time to explore - home tomorrow Tuesday - spectacular trip - couldn't recommend Malta more highly.

November 16 - Sliema and the island of Gozo

We had intended to take the ferry to Sliema but as it did not run during the hours of darkness, we had to take the bus. 

I had mentioned to you earlier, dear reader, that after the taxi ride from the airport and the Maltese driving etiquette, I was putting my faith in ferry and bus modes of transport. I was to be alarmed when the crowded bus ( the bus station is conveniently situated 1 minute walk from the hotel) took off and the passengers were being thrown from side to side!! 

We arrived in Sliema and only alighted at the correct place by chance as there were individual stops in town but no mention of Sliema. We headed for a shopping centre namely The Point  ( as aforementioned ) for some retail therapy. It was very upmarket but the shops were international from Armani Jeans to M&S. No damage was done to the bank balance. 

Sliema was the first town to develop as a tourist resort. It was originally a retreat for the citizens of Valletta from the extremely high summer temperatures in the city. 

It has all the hallmarks of the excesses of an unplanned development with the scenic waterfront lined with cheap eateries, serving indifferent food and the promenade lined with stalls selling all types of tours.

As we sat in one of the restaurants a stretched white limo passed, reminiscent of Celtic Tiger days, followed some minutes later by another with the female occupants hollering out the windows at the restaurant patrons sitting by the pavements. We declined an invitation to join a disco cruise!! The Maltese are a refined people so I doubt they were natives!

After imbibing their excellent, inexpensive wine and indifferent pastas, we returned to the welcome sophistication of the UNESCO heritage site of Valletta. 

Having been advised that a visit to Gozo, the second largest island in the group, was a must, this morning we set off on the 41 bus for a 1.15 hour (€1.50 return) journey across country to the nortwest of the island to  Cirkewwa, from whence we boarded the ferry for a 30 minute  (€4.65 return) sailing to Gozo. Thankfully, this bus driver drove in a careful manner - much to my relief. We quitted Valletta by the spectacular 16th century Floriana Gate called Portes des Bombes; built as an outer ring defence for Valletta. We passed through countryside and each small towns we passed appeared to be vying with the next as to who could erect the most impressive church  - these were not churches by our standards but what we might term basilicas or cathedrals; one more spectacular than the next in terms of site and architecture. Malta is a very Catholic country but so is Ireland and each Irish village didn't produce church buildings on such a lavish scale.  

We journeyed on towards the town of Mosta, which is about the half way mark, people embarked and disembarked along the route. 

As we approached Cirkewwa, we hugged the coast along St. Paul's Bay and Mehieha Bay, where people were sunbathing in mid November! 

Arriving at Cirkewwa, we had only minutes to wait for the ferry to Gozo. 

After a 30 minute crossing we arrived in Gozo. 

We had been advised that the most efficient method of seeing the island was to take a 'Hop on Hop Off' bus. We took a bus across the island 30 minutes to Zwegra where my geographer/ geology colleagues will appreciate an excellent example of a sea arch and the unusual geological formations visible in the area. 

From there we adjourned to Ta ' Pinu where the church is a great centre of pilgrimage, 

thence back to Rabat/ Victoria , the capital, which sports a citadel and thence to two beaches; Xiendi to the south and Malsanforn Bay to the north. The highlight of the trip was a visit to thecGgantija temples; a UNESCO heritage Neolithic site, which was most sensitively presented and because of the time of year, I was the only visitor bar one exiting as I entered. It appears it is one of the most visited sites in Malta so it must be thronged in high season. 

We continued to Ramla Bay - one path leads to Calypso's cave said to be the site of Homer's Odyssey, (read my Orient Express blog!) where Ulysses was held captive by the nymph Calypso, another village by the coast, exhibiting spectacular scenery. 

We  returned to the ferry terminal at Mgarr.

We had minutes to ferry sailing and we marvelled at how smoothly the day had gone only to have to wait 30 minutes for the return bus to Valletta. As we waited, we wondered if we'd get on the bus as the ferry passengers arrived at the bus stop in drives but mercifully a number if busses arrived together and the crowd dissipated as to our relief we not only managed to board the bus but to get a seat for the 1.15 hour journey back to Valletta in darkness.

November 15 - Valletta ....

Last night we walked from the hotel 

to Rubino restaurant on Baker's street, stopping on the way to have an aperatif in a gastro pub. The restaurant was alive and filled with locals. It was a small intimate restaurant on two levels. 

I ordered snails to start (snails are big here in Autumn - they're not like the French escargot, our very helpful waitress advised,  they were more like the peri-winkles I ate as a child on holidays in Lahinch, Co Clare.) The snails were cooked in oil, garlic and rosemary - delicious. John had a local delicacy an anchovy stuffed doughnut. To follow I had spaghetti with calamari - it was passable though I don't think the pasta was hommade which was  disappointing. John had veal with mushroom sauce, which was stunning. A cassata ice cream cake completed  an excellent meal. Wine is very reasonably priced by the bottle though a glass is rather expensive but not by Irish standards We partook of half bottle of local Chardonnay and a bottle of Lebanese red - both excellent.

This morning we adjourned to Cafe Cardino for breakfast.  En route we bumped into Samuel Taylor Coleridge - poets and writer always appear to search out the most attractive destinations 

We sat outside on this occasion as did half the population of V. in the warm Mediterranean sunshine, (It is hotter today - it must be in the mid 20s ) under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria.

 The service was woeful and the waitress quite rude. Up to now I would have said that everyone was so polite and friendly, but on this occasion not so. The breakfast was brought piecemeal and when a table in front of us asked for service, having waited more than 10 minutes, she 'ate them' ! On this occasion,  I did remember to take a photo of my Maltese breakfast - it reminded me of 'breakfast roll man' of Celtic Tiger fame. Their breads are quite delicious.

We retraced our steps and  set out to walk around the island c. 1.5 miles x 0.6 miles. We walked along the harbour and into the Upper Barrakka Gardens where we came across Lascaris War Museum

We may have taken the financial hit for Europe but Malta took the military hit of WW11 - they endured 12,000 bombing raids in one 5 week period - worse than what London suffered in the Blitz. Well worth a visit. 

We continued our Grand Harbour walk 

until we arrived at Auberge Castille. The auberges dotted  around the city were the palatial homes of the knights - this auberge now houses the offices of the Prime Minister.

 

From there we entered the upper Barrakka gardens which afforded a wonderful view of the Grand harbour

and the recently restored Upper Barrakka lift 

Though on the battlements one was almost as high as the lift would take one.

After a brief pause, relaxing in the sunshine overlooking the Harbour, we continued our journey

observing the beautiful Victoria gate below. 

Later we discovered a beautiful row of houses with spectacular views of the harbour

We continued to the Lower Barraka Gardens where we had an excellent view of the Siege Bell Memorial - the bell was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth 11 on her visit here in  1992 to commemorate the men who died in 1940 -1943 wartime convoys. The Britush and the Americans both recognised the bravery of the Maltese with the British awarding Malta the George Cross 

and the Americans honouring the Maltese with a salutation. 

It is interesting that even though Malta was ruled by Britain from 1800 -1964 there appears to be no animosity between the two nations and the Maltese   language is widely spoken They appear to be bilingual. Yet we, having fought for our independence and having harboured  very anti British sentiment for so long, lost our language - certainly the majority of the Irish are not bilingual.

We continued to Fort St Elmo - we had ended our walk here yesterday but by the shorter Republic Street route. On we went around the harbour, espying the ferry to  Sliema  which we propose to take tonight to have dinner and enjoy a little retail therapy there.  It is supposed to be the best shopping area on the island.!!

The Phoenician hotel looms up before us and we're back ... A siesta and onwards to Sliema .....