Thursday

Thursday 27th September

A routine forms

Breakfast

We fall in to a pattern of meeting up each morning for breakfast at the larger apartment. Jennifer does a good job keeping the fridge stocked.

A cup of tea, food, a chat, and a dip in the pool is a very pleasant way to start the day.

Winston's Pool

We enjoy the pool in the hotel complex. The pool is surrounded with sun-loungers, populated with "family units." The other holidaymakers look on amid mutterings of:

"Why have those two women got seven men?
"Who's married to whom?"
"Why have they got a boy with them?

They were probably apprehensive about potential drunken rowdiness, and disturbed nights. No, they would have no problems from the Nutters.

Maky camps it up a bit - just to wind up the tourists. Every time he gets into the pool, he screams like a girl.

Cars

Bernie and I planned to rise early so we could re-organise the cars. Our appointment at Avis is for 8:30. After a leisurely breakfast we get there at 10:00. We are late. It doesn't matter: we're in Malta.

We upgrade the 3 door car to a 5 door. Still no air con. Dave and Maky are added to the list of "named drivers".

The extra drivers are a useful backup, although I'm happy to drive - I enjoy the madness.

Valletta

Valletta, Malta's capital is the oldest planned city in Europe. A old fortress city. The regular roads are familiar - just like home in Milton Keynes - just several hundred years older. This is a splendid old city, steeped in history. Valletta has narrow streets with towering tenements with stone a bleached yellowy - brown. The main streets are geared up for tourists - lots of shops.

Feral cats greet us as we walk up the long hill up to Valletta.

Young Jack is not so impressed. He is not in to walking, especially if there's a possibility of a car ride. He said the city "Sucked ass", and rated the experience a one out of ten.

Bernie too was not very complimentary. He said he would be quite happy with a crane and wrecking ball. "Should be sorted in an hour or two."

We walked down the main street, past Fort St Elmo with deep wells to a cafe near the "Malta Experience." Tea, food and cats to fuss, feed and stoke.

Jack and I explore the rock shore line under the bastions of the city. There are pools that need examining.

Andy, Bernie, Gavin and I walk back to collect the cars. The back streets more interesting. They're lived in, and are used, not like the anonymous shops on the main streets.

Bernie stops off to buy some dried cat food - a treat for the many fluffies.

Sliema

We take the scenic route back to our bay at Sliema. Gavin navigates. All navigation is left to him. If he screws up - it doesn't matter. We're on holiday!

After a swim in the rock hewn pools we found the day before, we dine at the Tex Mex opposite an old fort.

We now ignore starters.

Evening

We return to Bugibba for a session in the hotel bar. Our conversations deteriorate from PGP keys to RFC's for tele-orgasmics, and beyond.

We retire to our rooms. Tonight it's the turn of one of my electronic appliances to disturb us. My radio chooses to wake us up with fading short-wave strains of "Land of Hope and Glory" emanating from my locked suitcase. Spooky.

Thursday