Sicily & Malta Trip November Trip Report
Nov 26th, 2005, 09:44 PM
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Sicily & Malta Trip November Trip Report
3 Weeks in Sicily, Malta & Rome -Trip Report Nov. 2005
Author: Gil
Date: 11/26/2005
This is my 4th trip to Europe and my 2nd that did not involve skiing. This groups boards (and bobthenavigator)have been invaluable for information & ideas. This fall my wife and I were compelled to travel to Malta as our son (a Marine at the US Embassy) invited us to the Embassy ball suggesting that it was likely the only time we would get such an invitation. As Malta is only 60 miles from Sicily the trip grew. I would like to share my experience as everyone elses postings helped me so much.
I’ve been to Italy once but never Sicily. I only knew of Malta from the movies.
The flight: We flew from Oregon via Seattle to Heathrow, spent the night near Gatwick then flew to malta the next day. We traded Alaska Air Miles for British Air Business Class seats and they were worth it. The space, the drinks, the food, the bed and the use of the BA lounge in Seattle, Rome and London were worth it. In London they even have free showers and it was nicer one than I had at home.
I will try to give the weather report but we lucked out and had 70-76 degree sunny weather every day of our 22 day trip. It was amazing.
Day 1 (10/26/05)- Long flight day. Left Portland with rain on the horizon. Arrived in Seattle and made our first use of the British Air club rooms. Nice little sandwiches, drinks, free interenet etc. Very relaxing way to wait for the trip.
Day 2 (10/27/05)- arrived in London to 70+ degrees. Shirt sleeve weather til late.
Took the advice from tripAdvisor.com and stayed at the GATWICK GABLE END GUEST HOUSE, a B & B near Gatwick. www.gable-end.com. $107 (less if you pay cash.
The best bed of the whole trip. Nice room. Friendly people who pick you up at the gatwick airport for free.
We then walked to the Horley train station and headed into London to meet some friends from Jordan for dinner at a Lebanese place called ISHBILIA in Knightsbridge opposite the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel. This was great food and since the only patrons were muslims breaking the Ramadan fast we felt it was the "real thing.
Day 3 (10/28/05)- 75 and sunny in Malta. Got up early and took at cab to the airport ( 5 min. away). After 700am they will take you there but before then they arrange a cab. We weren;t sure who the cab was for til they said room 23. Once again we were in the British Air Club rooms enjoyng the restful atmosephere. We flew to Valetta Malta with plans to drop our "dress clothes for the ball" with our son and catch an Air Malta flight to Palermo. It was a roundabout way to go but the ball date had changed three times since we got our overseas tickets so we chose to keep those tickets and just change our internal timetables. This meant discovering that is was sometimes cheaper to but a one way ticket from Catania to Malta than it was to pay all the change fees. Today was our first problem day. As we tried to check in early the gal at the counter looked at us quizzingly? They stopped flying to Palermo 2 months ago!!! I guess there were so few passengers they stopped til spring. So now we are rebooked to Catania and need a bus to Palermo which means a long day of travel and arriving about 9:00 pm instead of 330pm in the afternoon. The Air Malta people were great. They bought us lunch and paid for our bus and even kept our bags for us.
We arrived in Catania and discovered that catching a bus is not like home. It is a madhouse out in the parking lot. There is no one to talk to , no one to help, no office. Just a bunch of signs none of which are reassuring. I found a sign that looked Like Palermo was one of the 22 towns listed but evry time a bus came by that said "Catania-Palermo" it did not stop. After 3 of these in 1 hour I was frustrated and could find no one who spoke enough english to even say I was in the right spot or why they did not stop. Finally we found Francesco who teached english and we all but put our hands in his back pocket to not lose him. Bus #4 finally stopped, we stuffed our bags underneath and got aboard. Upon arriving in Palermo he walked us to a taxi stand a few blocks away, found out the cost to our hotel and told them where we were going. Our first of many new friends. We arrived safely, checked in to the PRINCIPE DI VILLAFRANCA at www.principedivillafranca.it. This was a recommendation of BobtheNavigator. Rooms were good sized, nice bathrooms and helpful staff. Nice location as we felt safe wanderingt the streets at night. An easy walk to the Palermo sights. Cost was about $200 per night and worth it. We ate at the restaurant connected to the hotel and forgot the name. It was very good.
Day 4 (10/29/05) Sunny and about 77 today. So here we are in Palermo and what are people wearing? Very casual. Mostly jeans. Lots of scarves (so of course my wife bought 3 before the trip was done). I am not going to list all the places we walked to today as any good tour book can describe them much better than I can. I would say that the Norman Palace is a must see and you would be remiss to not wander over a few blocks to the south to see the San Giovanni degli Eremiti where there are 5 red domes dating back 900 years and also this wonderful walled garden. One trick to walking which is most sights are either north, south, east or west of the interersection of via maqueda and via vittorio emanuelle. But as we all know, reading street names in europe leaves a lot to be desired. When people give directions they fail to say that the interesection cannot be missed as each of the 4 building corners (known as Quattro Canti) have a niche in 3 tiers which are identical. When you get there you know where you are. Head south and you get to the fountain. Head west and the Norman Palace. Head East and you head to the national galleery. Head north to the old opera housem the Teatro Massimo. We were so tires that we slept through breakfast and headed out about 10:30am. We walked and walked and did not get back until 7:30pm+ in the dark. Tired but very satisfied.
The hotel sent us to a local place for dinner called LaVolte. So here were were at 8:30pm on this deck on the sidewalk surrounded by parents having pizza with their kids feeling we got a bum steer. I never looked inside to see the seating for 100 which was packed. As it was we had the prime seating and it was still warm and shirtsleeves weather. We ordered beef dishes and they were very very good. Then Ellen noted that the guy at the next table was smiling at our attempts to teach ourselves an Italian phrase. I turned and he spoke no english but his wife did. Next thing you know, Salvatore and Lilliana are our new best friends. We eat, we drink, we laugh and Salvatore and I try to finds words we both know other than beer and scotch. They invite us to a private club where a friends band is playing. We were out until 230am and returned to our hotel with our new 10 best friends. The band was called the Ed Sullivan Show and they specialized in the Beatles. A great night with great pictures. This is why I love to travel.
Day 6 (10/30/05). Another hot and sunny day in Palermo. All of a sudden my jeans seem to heavy for November. Today we visited the parks, some churches, the waterfront and the National Musuem. We stumbled down an alley at lunch time to discover the Osteria Dei Cavalieri di malta near the Chiesa San Domnenico. No one was there except the waitress but it looked nice and how could we not go to a place with Malta in the name? I asked in Italian if they took credit card and they said yes so we got fat and happy on wine, melon and prosciutto, pasta etc. Then the bill came and nope - they only take cash. So off I went in serach of an ATM which turned into a 40 minute exercise. I paid the bill and retireved my collateral (ellen) and we headed off in search of Gelato. Then shopping. Dinner was at the Hotel Excellsior which is near the Principe. An elegant dining room and terriffice food and service.
Day 7 (10/31/05) 74 degrees and sunny. yay. I am liking this weather.
Today we rent the car and begin driving like Sicilians. We chose to rent for AutoEurope as all the posters say they have had no problems and that is what we wanted. They delivered. the car was ready. All the damage was in the computer and no price surprises. The price was arranged in advance over the internet and pre-paid. The ticket counter was slow but that worked to our advantage as we were headed west to Monreale and further posts west and needed instructions out of town. Before I forget, the AutoEurope office is not at the main railway station but rather at the north railway station called Stazioine Ferroviarra near Piazza Notarbartolo (not the central station). Be sure to read your paperwork so you go the right place. We did NOT make a mistake only because other posters had warned us of this fact.
The directions out of Palermo mnade us think we could be driving in circles for hours then a man at the counter who spoke no english (have I mentioned that there is far less english spoken in Sicily than Northern Italy) said he would lead us to MOnreale.
So we followed him and learned how to drive "Sicilian" style right out the shoot. After we swerved, roundabouted, swept over lanes, ignored lanes, shot through intersections and basically learned to treat driving as "speed dancing" we were there and confident on both my stick shift abilities and my ability to drive like a local.
MONREALE - We orinally were going to stay in Monreale and day trip into Palermo. The bus goes from the Indepenze stop (right in front of the Norman Palace) to Monreale and if I had it to do over again I would might in MOnreale and take the bus to Palermo now that I know where the bus goes. MOnreale just seemed like a beautiful hill town with a great view. Lots of restaurants and easy access to Palermo. The MOnreale Duomo and Cathedral is something that should not be missed. It is so intact, so beautiful and so overwhelming. Read up on it and see it.
SEGESTA - next we drove to Segesta to see the Temple of Segesta which is free standing, intact and al by itself in a field. As it turned out we will go from here to the temples in Selinunte and then in Agrigento but you cannot have a better start that Segesta. It's a 5th centurt Temple with 36 Doric columns.
ERICE - now many of you said don't go. Other's said "don't stay". Other's said to watch the weather. I agree that staying there would be a pain as the drive up and down is quite a chore even in sunny weather. There is a Gondola that comes up from Trapini at the base and seems like a nice way to get up to the hill town but we drove. This is a 300 year old midieval town that is set at about 2500 feet above see level. Great views and sites. If the weather is good go there. It takes little time thought the signage for the drive up could be better. We made it wihtout any mishaps so can you.
MARSALA - we took the long wasy to Marinella di Selinunte as we had time and knew there was nothing to do at night. So we skipped the freeway and headed down the coast. For us was the discovery of a bakery that had only been open for 3 days. Guess what? No one spoke english but they still let us use their toilette. The gelato and pastries were out of this world and we stocked up. It is on the highway and the name is GIGLIO, Via Nazionale, 284 (0923.962563) in STRASATTI DI MARSALA. We tayed along the coast winding our way SE and missed a turn. Getting farther and farther from the main highway as it got darker and darker. The coastline was beautiful but then it disappeared into the dark. Finally when no signage suggested Selinunte was on the horizon we stopped in a gas station. Guess what? no one spoke english. Between my broken italian and hand gestures (and a smile) a guy filling up his little 3 wheel truck said to wait 3 minutes til he filled up and he would lead us to the highway which he did. We arrived at the HOTEL ACESTE, another recommendation of bobthe navigator and the tour books. Only 70 Euros and we got the best room in the place. ROOM 215 is the central room with a patio that faces the ocean. Ask for it. Large with a good bathroom. Dinner was a bust. The place accross the street everyone reomended was closed for the season. We finally worked the one way street to get to the seashore restaurants and found one with lots of fresh seafood but after we sat down to order thay had no fresh seafood.
Day 8 (11/1/05) - 78 degrees and sunny.
MARINELLA DI SELINUNTE. The Archeological park is right around the corner (about 5 min. drive) and is just terriffic. A mix of standing and fallen temples and pillars. You truly get a sense of how large the sites were and how the constructions was. You can get right inside (unlike Agrigento) so you can sense the techical wizardry used 2000 years ago. This was a good solid morning and then it is off ot AGRIGENTO to see the Valley of the Temples at Dusk.
Easy drive to Agrigento
Checked into the COLLEVERDE PARK HOTEL. ($179 for room with temple view) which is at the top of the hill. Large room. Only carlet we saw on the whole trip. Best breakfast so far. Real light flaky croissants. There is also a wonderful little restaurant down the hill about 1/2 a mile called Le Promenade where we had a great seafood lunch and an Octopus Carpaccio that was to die for. The waiter would always speak english evenb when we tried Italian. Then off to the Temples. Iw will not write about them as so much has been already written. however, the audio guide is very good and late afternoon to dusk is great time to see the sites as their color changes as the sun goes down and then the lights get turned on. For you photo buffs that is the time.
DINNER AT RISTORANTE IL DEHOR AT THE FORESTERIA BAGLIO DELLA LUNA. The food was very good but I thought the restaurant was a little overrated thought the site was beautiful. The trick is finding it. All the books say it is hard so here is how we got there. Go down the hill through the valley of the temples past the entrance area where they sell tickets and have parking. Go straight through the roundabout. Then turn right onto the highway. Stay in the right lane and take the first right as soon as you see th eblue arrow which will come at you suddenly. You will not have time to read any signs. Once off the highway just head up the road and you will find it. Tomorrow we head to Ragusa for our last one night stand.
Day 9 (11/2/05). A little rain in the morning but then it became another 75 degree shirtsleeve day. We hit the Archeological musuem at Agrigento before we left town. A very very good museum though there is a limit to how many stories of ancient greek gods you can hear about pot and urn decorations. But the quality of the pieces in the museum is really something. Don;t see the temples without seeing the musuem.
Today we are going to see the MOSAICS at PIAZZA ARMERINA on our way to Ragusa. Lots of posters have voiced their opinion about the Mosaics. Personally the glass barriers and ceilings did not bother me. However its a lot of Mosaic and after a while it just becomes a lot of mosaics. The town on PIazza Armerina is worth seeing too. We stumbled into a little osteria in the main Centro square. I cannot remember the name but the sign is on a wine barrel hanging outside. For only 13 euros we got two large glasses of good wine, great crusty bread and a platter of 3 meats piled high. The best bargain of the trip. From there we drove to Ragusa. We learned that in southern and eastern Sicily "all roads lead to Ragusa" which means you never know if you are right. We foloed signs that broughtus through Comiso which became our most harrowing driving. Comiso has a cobblestone street runing through the center of town that headsd straight up to the clouds. Cars on the left and right, few signs, the skys getting darka nd threatening and I am still driving higher and higher. then as we get into the clouds the road becomse switch backs. It seemed like we climbed 3000 feet but I will never know becuase I just kept driving. Then we reached a plain only to find signs pointing 3 ways to Ragusa. We guessed and luckily were onte right road finally checking into the Eremo della Giubiliana wchih we chose based on a NY times artilce, some posters and the guide books. Very nice place and very expensive. I thought it was overrated both in terms of accomdations and food. This would be agreat place to stay if you have an unlimited buidghet and can pay the owner to fly you to Malta or Tunisia in his private plane but it is not worth the effort. Cost was about $270 fo one night. You can read up about it in the Frommers book. It reads pretty good but...
Day 10 (11-3-05) in my next post. HOwever, once again it was a 75 degree sunny day suggesting a warm afteroon drink awaiting us in Siracusa.
Author: Gil
Date: 11/26/2005
This is my 4th trip to Europe and my 2nd that did not involve skiing. This groups boards (and bobthenavigator)have been invaluable for information & ideas. This fall my wife and I were compelled to travel to Malta as our son (a Marine at the US Embassy) invited us to the Embassy ball suggesting that it was likely the only time we would get such an invitation. As Malta is only 60 miles from Sicily the trip grew. I would like to share my experience as everyone elses postings helped me so much.
I’ve been to Italy once but never Sicily. I only knew of Malta from the movies.
The flight: We flew from Oregon via Seattle to Heathrow, spent the night near Gatwick then flew to malta the next day. We traded Alaska Air Miles for British Air Business Class seats and they were worth it. The space, the drinks, the food, the bed and the use of the BA lounge in Seattle, Rome and London were worth it. In London they even have free showers and it was nicer one than I had at home.
I will try to give the weather report but we lucked out and had 70-76 degree sunny weather every day of our 22 day trip. It was amazing.
Day 1 (10/26/05)- Long flight day. Left Portland with rain on the horizon. Arrived in Seattle and made our first use of the British Air club rooms. Nice little sandwiches, drinks, free interenet etc. Very relaxing way to wait for the trip.
Day 2 (10/27/05)- arrived in London to 70+ degrees. Shirt sleeve weather til late.
Took the advice from tripAdvisor.com and stayed at the GATWICK GABLE END GUEST HOUSE, a B & B near Gatwick. www.gable-end.com. $107 (less if you pay cash.
The best bed of the whole trip. Nice room. Friendly people who pick you up at the gatwick airport for free.
We then walked to the Horley train station and headed into London to meet some friends from Jordan for dinner at a Lebanese place called ISHBILIA in Knightsbridge opposite the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel. This was great food and since the only patrons were muslims breaking the Ramadan fast we felt it was the "real thing.
Day 3 (10/28/05)- 75 and sunny in Malta. Got up early and took at cab to the airport ( 5 min. away). After 700am they will take you there but before then they arrange a cab. We weren;t sure who the cab was for til they said room 23. Once again we were in the British Air Club rooms enjoyng the restful atmosephere. We flew to Valetta Malta with plans to drop our "dress clothes for the ball" with our son and catch an Air Malta flight to Palermo. It was a roundabout way to go but the ball date had changed three times since we got our overseas tickets so we chose to keep those tickets and just change our internal timetables. This meant discovering that is was sometimes cheaper to but a one way ticket from Catania to Malta than it was to pay all the change fees. Today was our first problem day. As we tried to check in early the gal at the counter looked at us quizzingly? They stopped flying to Palermo 2 months ago!!! I guess there were so few passengers they stopped til spring. So now we are rebooked to Catania and need a bus to Palermo which means a long day of travel and arriving about 9:00 pm instead of 330pm in the afternoon. The Air Malta people were great. They bought us lunch and paid for our bus and even kept our bags for us.
We arrived in Catania and discovered that catching a bus is not like home. It is a madhouse out in the parking lot. There is no one to talk to , no one to help, no office. Just a bunch of signs none of which are reassuring. I found a sign that looked Like Palermo was one of the 22 towns listed but evry time a bus came by that said "Catania-Palermo" it did not stop. After 3 of these in 1 hour I was frustrated and could find no one who spoke enough english to even say I was in the right spot or why they did not stop. Finally we found Francesco who teached english and we all but put our hands in his back pocket to not lose him. Bus #4 finally stopped, we stuffed our bags underneath and got aboard. Upon arriving in Palermo he walked us to a taxi stand a few blocks away, found out the cost to our hotel and told them where we were going. Our first of many new friends. We arrived safely, checked in to the PRINCIPE DI VILLAFRANCA at www.principedivillafranca.it. This was a recommendation of BobtheNavigator. Rooms were good sized, nice bathrooms and helpful staff. Nice location as we felt safe wanderingt the streets at night. An easy walk to the Palermo sights. Cost was about $200 per night and worth it. We ate at the restaurant connected to the hotel and forgot the name. It was very good.
Day 4 (10/29/05) Sunny and about 77 today. So here we are in Palermo and what are people wearing? Very casual. Mostly jeans. Lots of scarves (so of course my wife bought 3 before the trip was done). I am not going to list all the places we walked to today as any good tour book can describe them much better than I can. I would say that the Norman Palace is a must see and you would be remiss to not wander over a few blocks to the south to see the San Giovanni degli Eremiti where there are 5 red domes dating back 900 years and also this wonderful walled garden. One trick to walking which is most sights are either north, south, east or west of the interersection of via maqueda and via vittorio emanuelle. But as we all know, reading street names in europe leaves a lot to be desired. When people give directions they fail to say that the interesection cannot be missed as each of the 4 building corners (known as Quattro Canti) have a niche in 3 tiers which are identical. When you get there you know where you are. Head south and you get to the fountain. Head west and the Norman Palace. Head East and you head to the national galleery. Head north to the old opera housem the Teatro Massimo. We were so tires that we slept through breakfast and headed out about 10:30am. We walked and walked and did not get back until 7:30pm+ in the dark. Tired but very satisfied.
The hotel sent us to a local place for dinner called LaVolte. So here were were at 8:30pm on this deck on the sidewalk surrounded by parents having pizza with their kids feeling we got a bum steer. I never looked inside to see the seating for 100 which was packed. As it was we had the prime seating and it was still warm and shirtsleeves weather. We ordered beef dishes and they were very very good. Then Ellen noted that the guy at the next table was smiling at our attempts to teach ourselves an Italian phrase. I turned and he spoke no english but his wife did. Next thing you know, Salvatore and Lilliana are our new best friends. We eat, we drink, we laugh and Salvatore and I try to finds words we both know other than beer and scotch. They invite us to a private club where a friends band is playing. We were out until 230am and returned to our hotel with our new 10 best friends. The band was called the Ed Sullivan Show and they specialized in the Beatles. A great night with great pictures. This is why I love to travel.
Day 6 (10/30/05). Another hot and sunny day in Palermo. All of a sudden my jeans seem to heavy for November. Today we visited the parks, some churches, the waterfront and the National Musuem. We stumbled down an alley at lunch time to discover the Osteria Dei Cavalieri di malta near the Chiesa San Domnenico. No one was there except the waitress but it looked nice and how could we not go to a place with Malta in the name? I asked in Italian if they took credit card and they said yes so we got fat and happy on wine, melon and prosciutto, pasta etc. Then the bill came and nope - they only take cash. So off I went in serach of an ATM which turned into a 40 minute exercise. I paid the bill and retireved my collateral (ellen) and we headed off in search of Gelato. Then shopping. Dinner was at the Hotel Excellsior which is near the Principe. An elegant dining room and terriffice food and service.
Day 7 (10/31/05) 74 degrees and sunny. yay. I am liking this weather.
Today we rent the car and begin driving like Sicilians. We chose to rent for AutoEurope as all the posters say they have had no problems and that is what we wanted. They delivered. the car was ready. All the damage was in the computer and no price surprises. The price was arranged in advance over the internet and pre-paid. The ticket counter was slow but that worked to our advantage as we were headed west to Monreale and further posts west and needed instructions out of town. Before I forget, the AutoEurope office is not at the main railway station but rather at the north railway station called Stazioine Ferroviarra near Piazza Notarbartolo (not the central station). Be sure to read your paperwork so you go the right place. We did NOT make a mistake only because other posters had warned us of this fact.
The directions out of Palermo mnade us think we could be driving in circles for hours then a man at the counter who spoke no english (have I mentioned that there is far less english spoken in Sicily than Northern Italy) said he would lead us to MOnreale.
So we followed him and learned how to drive "Sicilian" style right out the shoot. After we swerved, roundabouted, swept over lanes, ignored lanes, shot through intersections and basically learned to treat driving as "speed dancing" we were there and confident on both my stick shift abilities and my ability to drive like a local.
MONREALE - We orinally were going to stay in Monreale and day trip into Palermo. The bus goes from the Indepenze stop (right in front of the Norman Palace) to Monreale and if I had it to do over again I would might in MOnreale and take the bus to Palermo now that I know where the bus goes. MOnreale just seemed like a beautiful hill town with a great view. Lots of restaurants and easy access to Palermo. The MOnreale Duomo and Cathedral is something that should not be missed. It is so intact, so beautiful and so overwhelming. Read up on it and see it.
SEGESTA - next we drove to Segesta to see the Temple of Segesta which is free standing, intact and al by itself in a field. As it turned out we will go from here to the temples in Selinunte and then in Agrigento but you cannot have a better start that Segesta. It's a 5th centurt Temple with 36 Doric columns.
ERICE - now many of you said don't go. Other's said "don't stay". Other's said to watch the weather. I agree that staying there would be a pain as the drive up and down is quite a chore even in sunny weather. There is a Gondola that comes up from Trapini at the base and seems like a nice way to get up to the hill town but we drove. This is a 300 year old midieval town that is set at about 2500 feet above see level. Great views and sites. If the weather is good go there. It takes little time thought the signage for the drive up could be better. We made it wihtout any mishaps so can you.
MARSALA - we took the long wasy to Marinella di Selinunte as we had time and knew there was nothing to do at night. So we skipped the freeway and headed down the coast. For us was the discovery of a bakery that had only been open for 3 days. Guess what? No one spoke english but they still let us use their toilette. The gelato and pastries were out of this world and we stocked up. It is on the highway and the name is GIGLIO, Via Nazionale, 284 (0923.962563) in STRASATTI DI MARSALA. We tayed along the coast winding our way SE and missed a turn. Getting farther and farther from the main highway as it got darker and darker. The coastline was beautiful but then it disappeared into the dark. Finally when no signage suggested Selinunte was on the horizon we stopped in a gas station. Guess what? no one spoke english. Between my broken italian and hand gestures (and a smile) a guy filling up his little 3 wheel truck said to wait 3 minutes til he filled up and he would lead us to the highway which he did. We arrived at the HOTEL ACESTE, another recommendation of bobthe navigator and the tour books. Only 70 Euros and we got the best room in the place. ROOM 215 is the central room with a patio that faces the ocean. Ask for it. Large with a good bathroom. Dinner was a bust. The place accross the street everyone reomended was closed for the season. We finally worked the one way street to get to the seashore restaurants and found one with lots of fresh seafood but after we sat down to order thay had no fresh seafood.
Day 8 (11/1/05) - 78 degrees and sunny.
MARINELLA DI SELINUNTE. The Archeological park is right around the corner (about 5 min. drive) and is just terriffic. A mix of standing and fallen temples and pillars. You truly get a sense of how large the sites were and how the constructions was. You can get right inside (unlike Agrigento) so you can sense the techical wizardry used 2000 years ago. This was a good solid morning and then it is off ot AGRIGENTO to see the Valley of the Temples at Dusk.
Easy drive to Agrigento
Checked into the COLLEVERDE PARK HOTEL. ($179 for room with temple view) which is at the top of the hill. Large room. Only carlet we saw on the whole trip. Best breakfast so far. Real light flaky croissants. There is also a wonderful little restaurant down the hill about 1/2 a mile called Le Promenade where we had a great seafood lunch and an Octopus Carpaccio that was to die for. The waiter would always speak english evenb when we tried Italian. Then off to the Temples. Iw will not write about them as so much has been already written. however, the audio guide is very good and late afternoon to dusk is great time to see the sites as their color changes as the sun goes down and then the lights get turned on. For you photo buffs that is the time.
DINNER AT RISTORANTE IL DEHOR AT THE FORESTERIA BAGLIO DELLA LUNA. The food was very good but I thought the restaurant was a little overrated thought the site was beautiful. The trick is finding it. All the books say it is hard so here is how we got there. Go down the hill through the valley of the temples past the entrance area where they sell tickets and have parking. Go straight through the roundabout. Then turn right onto the highway. Stay in the right lane and take the first right as soon as you see th eblue arrow which will come at you suddenly. You will not have time to read any signs. Once off the highway just head up the road and you will find it. Tomorrow we head to Ragusa for our last one night stand.
Day 9 (11/2/05). A little rain in the morning but then it became another 75 degree shirtsleeve day. We hit the Archeological musuem at Agrigento before we left town. A very very good museum though there is a limit to how many stories of ancient greek gods you can hear about pot and urn decorations. But the quality of the pieces in the museum is really something. Don;t see the temples without seeing the musuem.
Today we are going to see the MOSAICS at PIAZZA ARMERINA on our way to Ragusa. Lots of posters have voiced their opinion about the Mosaics. Personally the glass barriers and ceilings did not bother me. However its a lot of Mosaic and after a while it just becomes a lot of mosaics. The town on PIazza Armerina is worth seeing too. We stumbled into a little osteria in the main Centro square. I cannot remember the name but the sign is on a wine barrel hanging outside. For only 13 euros we got two large glasses of good wine, great crusty bread and a platter of 3 meats piled high. The best bargain of the trip. From there we drove to Ragusa. We learned that in southern and eastern Sicily "all roads lead to Ragusa" which means you never know if you are right. We foloed signs that broughtus through Comiso which became our most harrowing driving. Comiso has a cobblestone street runing through the center of town that headsd straight up to the clouds. Cars on the left and right, few signs, the skys getting darka nd threatening and I am still driving higher and higher. then as we get into the clouds the road becomse switch backs. It seemed like we climbed 3000 feet but I will never know becuase I just kept driving. Then we reached a plain only to find signs pointing 3 ways to Ragusa. We guessed and luckily were onte right road finally checking into the Eremo della Giubiliana wchih we chose based on a NY times artilce, some posters and the guide books. Very nice place and very expensive. I thought it was overrated both in terms of accomdations and food. This would be agreat place to stay if you have an unlimited buidghet and can pay the owner to fly you to Malta or Tunisia in his private plane but it is not worth the effort. Cost was about $270 fo one night. You can read up about it in the Frommers book. It reads pretty good but...
Day 10 (11-3-05) in my next post. HOwever, once again it was a 75 degree sunny day suggesting a warm afteroon drink awaiting us in Siracusa.
Nov 27th, 2005, 08:15 AM
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TRIP REPORT CONTINUED
Day 9 (11-3-05). Another fabulous sunny and warm short sleeve day. We met two couples from San Diego at the Emelio and mentioned that we would all be in Taormina in 4 days. We told them where we would be staying and then headed off to Ragusa.
Ragusa Superior is the new town and Rugusa Ilbe is the old hill town which is actually lower in elevation. The Road signs just say Ragusa til you are in the town itself. Despite our intentions to go to Ragusa Ilbe we followed the Centro signs and ended up in Ragusa Superior. Streets were fairly orderly which helped in finding our car. Parking onthe street requires buying time from the "metermaids" and placing the scratch-off sheets in our windows. Now I know those are not lottery tickets. Ellen once again found the best candi stores and I found the best Salumaria's (meat and cheese shops). Obviously we know our strengths. There are a number of nice buildings and churches and some good photo ops looking down at Ragusa Ilbe as long as you walk to the bottom of the town. Once again there was little english spoken. It is important, if you like to get wonderfulk meats and cheeses for snacks and lunches to to master "centro gramma" which means 100 grams or about 1/4 pound. I cannot tell you how many good lunches were secured with that phrase, poijnting and ending with a "Quanto costa?" to pay the bill.
We wandered around for about an hour then got back to the car for the narrow drive to Ragusa Ilbe. A beautiful hill town. I plan to lable some photos and upload them to a site where people can linkto a slideshow so hope to do that by the end of this report.
RAGUSA ILBE was very beautiful. Lovely buildings, architecture, views and just what you would expect from widning hill town streets. The main Duomo, like much of Sicily is undere restoration so there were not the shots we had hoped. Because of our RAGUSA SUPERIOR detour we arrived in town just as everything was closing. So we did not get into anything but we had the streets too ourselves which worked out well as many of the streets are only wide enough for one car and we chose to leave before traffic picked up.
NOTO - we drove through NOTO but to the dismay of the readers we did not stop as we wanted to arrive in Siracusa as the shops opened and the sun was up.
SIRACUSA - it is an easy drive to Siracusa and we were staying at the GRAND HOTEL on the waterfront. So far, except for the Emelio in Ragusa, every place has been relatively easy to find. The Grand Hotel is actually on the Island of Ortygia but I use the term isaland loosely. There are three bridges and the separation is a mere 50 years or so. The tour books make it sound like you have to park your car in Siracusa and roll your bags accross a small walkway bridge to the island but Ortigia is big and the traffic is like any other city or small town.
THE GRAND HOTEL upgraded us to a junior suite with a sleeping area and bath upstairs and living room downstairs. Cost was 240 euros or about $280 per night. The same cost as the Emelio in Ragusa except here we had a suite, a sea view & a whole town to explore outside our door. OUr money would have been better spent staying in Siracusa and taking day trips back to Ragusa or Noto though I hate retracing my steps.
ORTIGIA is a wonderful area to explore. The streets wind. There are narrow pathways up, down and sideways. HIdden shops and restauarants pop out all over and artistic and architctural discoveries appear as you wind your way around. A well lit, safe feeling easy walking town. We would wander the streets til midnight taking in the sights, sounds and smells and truly enjoyed it.
Our first dinner was at Don Camillo which is a very unique dininsg room. From the outside in the daylight you see a sign and steel shutter. At night there are wooden doors, a cave like dining room and wine evrywhere. Impeccable staff ad terrific seafood. A must and the price was suprisingly reasonable. There are plenty of shops for the shoppers in your group on Ortigia as well. When we arrive we walked along the water and found a nice plcae for antipesto and wine as the sun set. Very relaxing.
Day 10 (11/4/05). Sunny and 75 degrees. There is a protest going on by the fountain in the square. We figured it muist be labor due to the flags but it was about 200 men. Few women. This was the day we chose to walk over to Siracusa to the wonderful Archeological musuem and then from there to the Archeological park where the Amphitheatre, Nacropolis and other sites are accessible. On the way we found another "no english" Salumeria and picked up lunch which we ate at the archeologiacl sites. It is very interesting to start with Temples in Segesta, Siracusa and Agrigento then end up in Siracusa where the museum starts a mllion years ago (showing Sicily floating away from Africa towards Italy) and then proceeding through millions of years of hoistory until the 20th century discoveries. It is a nice r3ecap of the previous weeks tours and provides historical perspective. After more walinga nd walking at the park we head back for shopping and exploration in Ortigia. We never got in our car while in Ortigia and the grand hotel provides free parking for guests.
DINNER tonight was at another little place recommended by the hotel which proved to be a surprise. It was a place called the L'Ancora. If you are on the bridge facing Ortigia you head towards the wharf on the left rather than towards the wharf on the right and that is the direction to go. Another small place with a big enclosed patio on the sidewalk. This place had pastic chairs and seemed a bit cheap and the neighborhood was by the bus station and seemed a little questionable. But the food! The food was fantastic. We got a seafood mixed antipastor which was about 9 different things. Some that looked like straws made out of shell and others randing from shellfish to carpaccio. Every single dish was great. Then our pasta was great. Then our seafood entrees were great. When we could not decide on dessert, the waitree took a small sampl of all 6 desserts and made a combo sampler plate for the price of 2 desserts. Each dessert was terriffic. Add this place to your list. However, watch out for ordering your own whole fish. They price it by the 100 gran but I haver asked how much my fish weighed. Big surprise but my own fault. A lesson learned for the future.
Day 11 (11-5-05) Can this weather be any more perfect? 74 degrees and sunny for our drive to Taormina. We wandered the streets one more time and left about 1100am. It took longer to drive to Taormina than we expected partly because we were just unsure of where we were. The maps make you think you will be on the autostrade before you are. The Freeway starts below Catania but the tool booth is actually quite a ways farther up. It cost 1.4 euro's to drive to Taormina and exact change is nice. The roads are well marked.
TAORMINA - For those of us first timers, it s quite a site. It took us 55 minutes from the toll booth to our hotel. The second time I did it (see later report)it only took 30 minutes as we knew the route. You are driving and are not sure what to look for and just aboutwhen you get to the AUTOGRILLE (a gas and food stop along the freeway) you see two hill top towns stading all alone and you wonder, "I bet one of those is Taormina" and the one on the right is.
Even if you are not staying at the Villa Schuler, their website provides great instructions on how to drive into town and they were prefect. Up and around, widnig through tunnels, popping in and out as you climb and then you are on the edge of town going down very narrow one way roads.
THE VILLA SCHULER. This hotel is recommended by everyone on the Fodor site and trip advisor and for good reason. The rooms are large. the breakfast is made to order and can be served in your room. The views are great and the location is perfect. Walk up a flight of staiors and you are on the main Umberto walking street filled with restauarants and shops. We lucked out and they were running a november special we saw on their website. 20% off if you stay two nights. The cash price for the suite was $149/night. So we upgraded to a junior suite with a view of Mt. Etna and the ocean. Our deck was about 15 x15, the room was large and it had a scondary inside seating area to use if it rained...it didn;t. This was great place to relax, do the wash, catch some rays and explore. As we checked in there was a message waiting for us saying "Join your friends for dinner at 900pm at LaGiara." Our Emelio friends from Ragusa had tracked us down and planned dinner. After exploring ther town and being dissapointed that we could not get into the amphitheatre (it closes at 400pm) we wandered and shopped. This place is so unlike any place we stayed in all of Sicily. The dress of the locals (not the americans or germans) reminded me of Roma or Milano and more so as the evening wore on. All the women are in heels..mostly boots. Very stylish clothes. The men are also dressed very smartly. Jeans will work dirg the day but definitely not at night.
DINNER AT LAGIARA was terriffic. Service was impeccable. A great view. Food was perfect. Despite claims of its expense, dinner, wine and water (and tip) was $130 for 2 which although expensive is comparable to a fine dining experience in the states. We were there for 3 hours.
As the other posters say, every table at the most expensive to the most humble place, is yours until you are ready to leave. No pressure to "turn the table" At midnight they turn it into a disco and we saw the crowd change around 1130pm. It got youjger and dressier. All the men were in dress clothes and suits or sportcoats and all the women were in boots, low cut tops. They all looked like they could be in fashion magazines. As we left to return our friends to their expensive hotel, the streets were filled with hundreds of similarly looking young people. The clubs open around midnight and stay open til 500am. Two worlds
Day 12 (11-6-05). Did I mention the weather was beautiful? Today we toured the greek theatre and then decided to have alazy day. After all this traveling a day or rest seemed good. Another visit to the Salumeria (no english again but who cares...I got my meat, my cheese, my wine and my bread). LUnch on our deck.
That night our new friends wanted to dine again and we picked a less expensive place, Mama Mia's. A very nice meal on tables literally set out on the steps. Another shirt sleeve night in paradise.
Day 13 (11-7-05). Partly sunny today but we can see Mt. Etna and that is our goal. I also hope to stop in the next hill town (where we should have gone yesterday) of Castelmola. As we left I thought I would be smart and go right instead of left to the autostrade but of course that same sign to the autostrade said Castelmole. There was no turning around. We are on our way to the seashore and by the time we could turn we decided to press on to Etna. The road to Etna is beautifula nd even ifd cloudy you often will pop above the clouds. We have our own Volcanos in the pacific northwest so we were more interested in how this was different (less explosive) and how the soil and lava flows differed. Ellen would not take the rise to the very top feeling something could go wrong and we could miss our plane so we wandered the small towns on the roads down the Volcano and as we ate our meat and cheese on a park bench she realized she had no passport. The Etna feeling was right just the reason was wrong. A quick check of the car and then a call to the hotel and they had it. This is when I found that I could drive really really fast to taormia. We made it there and back in no time but by then the touring and exploration bug was out of us for the day and all we wanted to to was check in for our flight to malta so we headed to the airport.
CATANIA AIRPORT - the roads are marked really well. Can't miss it and lots of early warning on the freeway. The airport exit takes you ona a road directly there.
CAR RENTAL RETURN: Obviously we must have invented car rentals becasue all the signs say RENTAL CARS" so returning them was easy too. AutoEurpoe took the car back with no problem and no hidden charges.
As we waited for our plane Ellen was quietly practicing her singing for her groups performance on our return. After she and another woman went to the bathroom the plane got called. I joked with the other husband about the timing but of course he spoke no english. My minimalist Italian allowedus to share the joke and then when Ellen came outr he inquired if she was singing. Then he gave us his card as he is a Professional Choral Director. Then he gave her a CD of his choral group. More new friends.
We arrived in Malta to be met by two strapping marines and their private driver. As security guards they have their own driver and that was cnovenient when we were with them as Taxis' in Malta are expensive. Unfortunatley someone took my bag by mistake so I will be stinky for another 24 hours because all my washed clothes are in the bag.
THE MALTA HILTON IN ST. GEORGE. Our son had negotiated a govt. rate for us which worked out to about $150 per night including buffet breakfast for 2. The room he got us was amazaing. Very very large. King bed, Couch, table, bar area and then a patio at pool level that was big enough for a party for 20. From the patio you saw the pool and the Mediteranean beyond. I cannot believe I did not lie by the pool even once but that was not why we came to Malta. A great hotel. All the restauarants in it were very good, exercise rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, etc.
DINNER AT THE HOTEL - was a buffet that night and we were too tired to go out. Lamb, veal, duck and 5 seafoods just for the entrees. I was in heaven.
NEXT POSTING BEGINS THE MALTA PHASE OF THE TRIP
Day 9 (11-3-05). Another fabulous sunny and warm short sleeve day. We met two couples from San Diego at the Emelio and mentioned that we would all be in Taormina in 4 days. We told them where we would be staying and then headed off to Ragusa.
Ragusa Superior is the new town and Rugusa Ilbe is the old hill town which is actually lower in elevation. The Road signs just say Ragusa til you are in the town itself. Despite our intentions to go to Ragusa Ilbe we followed the Centro signs and ended up in Ragusa Superior. Streets were fairly orderly which helped in finding our car. Parking onthe street requires buying time from the "metermaids" and placing the scratch-off sheets in our windows. Now I know those are not lottery tickets. Ellen once again found the best candi stores and I found the best Salumaria's (meat and cheese shops). Obviously we know our strengths. There are a number of nice buildings and churches and some good photo ops looking down at Ragusa Ilbe as long as you walk to the bottom of the town. Once again there was little english spoken. It is important, if you like to get wonderfulk meats and cheeses for snacks and lunches to to master "centro gramma" which means 100 grams or about 1/4 pound. I cannot tell you how many good lunches were secured with that phrase, poijnting and ending with a "Quanto costa?" to pay the bill.
We wandered around for about an hour then got back to the car for the narrow drive to Ragusa Ilbe. A beautiful hill town. I plan to lable some photos and upload them to a site where people can linkto a slideshow so hope to do that by the end of this report.
RAGUSA ILBE was very beautiful. Lovely buildings, architecture, views and just what you would expect from widning hill town streets. The main Duomo, like much of Sicily is undere restoration so there were not the shots we had hoped. Because of our RAGUSA SUPERIOR detour we arrived in town just as everything was closing. So we did not get into anything but we had the streets too ourselves which worked out well as many of the streets are only wide enough for one car and we chose to leave before traffic picked up.
NOTO - we drove through NOTO but to the dismay of the readers we did not stop as we wanted to arrive in Siracusa as the shops opened and the sun was up.
SIRACUSA - it is an easy drive to Siracusa and we were staying at the GRAND HOTEL on the waterfront. So far, except for the Emelio in Ragusa, every place has been relatively easy to find. The Grand Hotel is actually on the Island of Ortygia but I use the term isaland loosely. There are three bridges and the separation is a mere 50 years or so. The tour books make it sound like you have to park your car in Siracusa and roll your bags accross a small walkway bridge to the island but Ortigia is big and the traffic is like any other city or small town.
THE GRAND HOTEL upgraded us to a junior suite with a sleeping area and bath upstairs and living room downstairs. Cost was 240 euros or about $280 per night. The same cost as the Emelio in Ragusa except here we had a suite, a sea view & a whole town to explore outside our door. OUr money would have been better spent staying in Siracusa and taking day trips back to Ragusa or Noto though I hate retracing my steps.
ORTIGIA is a wonderful area to explore. The streets wind. There are narrow pathways up, down and sideways. HIdden shops and restauarants pop out all over and artistic and architctural discoveries appear as you wind your way around. A well lit, safe feeling easy walking town. We would wander the streets til midnight taking in the sights, sounds and smells and truly enjoyed it.
Our first dinner was at Don Camillo which is a very unique dininsg room. From the outside in the daylight you see a sign and steel shutter. At night there are wooden doors, a cave like dining room and wine evrywhere. Impeccable staff ad terrific seafood. A must and the price was suprisingly reasonable. There are plenty of shops for the shoppers in your group on Ortigia as well. When we arrive we walked along the water and found a nice plcae for antipesto and wine as the sun set. Very relaxing.
Day 10 (11/4/05). Sunny and 75 degrees. There is a protest going on by the fountain in the square. We figured it muist be labor due to the flags but it was about 200 men. Few women. This was the day we chose to walk over to Siracusa to the wonderful Archeological musuem and then from there to the Archeological park where the Amphitheatre, Nacropolis and other sites are accessible. On the way we found another "no english" Salumeria and picked up lunch which we ate at the archeologiacl sites. It is very interesting to start with Temples in Segesta, Siracusa and Agrigento then end up in Siracusa where the museum starts a mllion years ago (showing Sicily floating away from Africa towards Italy) and then proceeding through millions of years of hoistory until the 20th century discoveries. It is a nice r3ecap of the previous weeks tours and provides historical perspective. After more walinga nd walking at the park we head back for shopping and exploration in Ortigia. We never got in our car while in Ortigia and the grand hotel provides free parking for guests.
DINNER tonight was at another little place recommended by the hotel which proved to be a surprise. It was a place called the L'Ancora. If you are on the bridge facing Ortigia you head towards the wharf on the left rather than towards the wharf on the right and that is the direction to go. Another small place with a big enclosed patio on the sidewalk. This place had pastic chairs and seemed a bit cheap and the neighborhood was by the bus station and seemed a little questionable. But the food! The food was fantastic. We got a seafood mixed antipastor which was about 9 different things. Some that looked like straws made out of shell and others randing from shellfish to carpaccio. Every single dish was great. Then our pasta was great. Then our seafood entrees were great. When we could not decide on dessert, the waitree took a small sampl of all 6 desserts and made a combo sampler plate for the price of 2 desserts. Each dessert was terriffic. Add this place to your list. However, watch out for ordering your own whole fish. They price it by the 100 gran but I haver asked how much my fish weighed. Big surprise but my own fault. A lesson learned for the future.
Day 11 (11-5-05) Can this weather be any more perfect? 74 degrees and sunny for our drive to Taormina. We wandered the streets one more time and left about 1100am. It took longer to drive to Taormina than we expected partly because we were just unsure of where we were. The maps make you think you will be on the autostrade before you are. The Freeway starts below Catania but the tool booth is actually quite a ways farther up. It cost 1.4 euro's to drive to Taormina and exact change is nice. The roads are well marked.
TAORMINA - For those of us first timers, it s quite a site. It took us 55 minutes from the toll booth to our hotel. The second time I did it (see later report)it only took 30 minutes as we knew the route. You are driving and are not sure what to look for and just aboutwhen you get to the AUTOGRILLE (a gas and food stop along the freeway) you see two hill top towns stading all alone and you wonder, "I bet one of those is Taormina" and the one on the right is.
Even if you are not staying at the Villa Schuler, their website provides great instructions on how to drive into town and they were prefect. Up and around, widnig through tunnels, popping in and out as you climb and then you are on the edge of town going down very narrow one way roads.
THE VILLA SCHULER. This hotel is recommended by everyone on the Fodor site and trip advisor and for good reason. The rooms are large. the breakfast is made to order and can be served in your room. The views are great and the location is perfect. Walk up a flight of staiors and you are on the main Umberto walking street filled with restauarants and shops. We lucked out and they were running a november special we saw on their website. 20% off if you stay two nights. The cash price for the suite was $149/night. So we upgraded to a junior suite with a view of Mt. Etna and the ocean. Our deck was about 15 x15, the room was large and it had a scondary inside seating area to use if it rained...it didn;t. This was great place to relax, do the wash, catch some rays and explore. As we checked in there was a message waiting for us saying "Join your friends for dinner at 900pm at LaGiara." Our Emelio friends from Ragusa had tracked us down and planned dinner. After exploring ther town and being dissapointed that we could not get into the amphitheatre (it closes at 400pm) we wandered and shopped. This place is so unlike any place we stayed in all of Sicily. The dress of the locals (not the americans or germans) reminded me of Roma or Milano and more so as the evening wore on. All the women are in heels..mostly boots. Very stylish clothes. The men are also dressed very smartly. Jeans will work dirg the day but definitely not at night.
DINNER AT LAGIARA was terriffic. Service was impeccable. A great view. Food was perfect. Despite claims of its expense, dinner, wine and water (and tip) was $130 for 2 which although expensive is comparable to a fine dining experience in the states. We were there for 3 hours.
As the other posters say, every table at the most expensive to the most humble place, is yours until you are ready to leave. No pressure to "turn the table" At midnight they turn it into a disco and we saw the crowd change around 1130pm. It got youjger and dressier. All the men were in dress clothes and suits or sportcoats and all the women were in boots, low cut tops. They all looked like they could be in fashion magazines. As we left to return our friends to their expensive hotel, the streets were filled with hundreds of similarly looking young people. The clubs open around midnight and stay open til 500am. Two worlds
Day 12 (11-6-05). Did I mention the weather was beautiful? Today we toured the greek theatre and then decided to have alazy day. After all this traveling a day or rest seemed good. Another visit to the Salumeria (no english again but who cares...I got my meat, my cheese, my wine and my bread). LUnch on our deck.
That night our new friends wanted to dine again and we picked a less expensive place, Mama Mia's. A very nice meal on tables literally set out on the steps. Another shirt sleeve night in paradise.
Day 13 (11-7-05). Partly sunny today but we can see Mt. Etna and that is our goal. I also hope to stop in the next hill town (where we should have gone yesterday) of Castelmola. As we left I thought I would be smart and go right instead of left to the autostrade but of course that same sign to the autostrade said Castelmole. There was no turning around. We are on our way to the seashore and by the time we could turn we decided to press on to Etna. The road to Etna is beautifula nd even ifd cloudy you often will pop above the clouds. We have our own Volcanos in the pacific northwest so we were more interested in how this was different (less explosive) and how the soil and lava flows differed. Ellen would not take the rise to the very top feeling something could go wrong and we could miss our plane so we wandered the small towns on the roads down the Volcano and as we ate our meat and cheese on a park bench she realized she had no passport. The Etna feeling was right just the reason was wrong. A quick check of the car and then a call to the hotel and they had it. This is when I found that I could drive really really fast to taormia. We made it there and back in no time but by then the touring and exploration bug was out of us for the day and all we wanted to to was check in for our flight to malta so we headed to the airport.
CATANIA AIRPORT - the roads are marked really well. Can't miss it and lots of early warning on the freeway. The airport exit takes you ona a road directly there.
CAR RENTAL RETURN: Obviously we must have invented car rentals becasue all the signs say RENTAL CARS" so returning them was easy too. AutoEurpoe took the car back with no problem and no hidden charges.
As we waited for our plane Ellen was quietly practicing her singing for her groups performance on our return. After she and another woman went to the bathroom the plane got called. I joked with the other husband about the timing but of course he spoke no english. My minimalist Italian allowedus to share the joke and then when Ellen came outr he inquired if she was singing. Then he gave us his card as he is a Professional Choral Director. Then he gave her a CD of his choral group. More new friends.
We arrived in Malta to be met by two strapping marines and their private driver. As security guards they have their own driver and that was cnovenient when we were with them as Taxis' in Malta are expensive. Unfortunatley someone took my bag by mistake so I will be stinky for another 24 hours because all my washed clothes are in the bag.
THE MALTA HILTON IN ST. GEORGE. Our son had negotiated a govt. rate for us which worked out to about $150 per night including buffet breakfast for 2. The room he got us was amazaing. Very very large. King bed, Couch, table, bar area and then a patio at pool level that was big enough for a party for 20. From the patio you saw the pool and the Mediteranean beyond. I cannot believe I did not lie by the pool even once but that was not why we came to Malta. A great hotel. All the restauarants in it were very good, exercise rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, etc.
DINNER AT THE HOTEL - was a buffet that night and we were too tired to go out. Lamb, veal, duck and 5 seafoods just for the entrees. I was in heaven.
NEXT POSTING BEGINS THE MALTA PHASE OF THE TRIP
Nov 27th, 2005, 08:59 AM
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GIL'S MALTA AND SICILY REPORT CONTINUED
Day 14 (11/18/05). Did I say it was sunny. This was a 78 degree day and blistering sun. Malta is a pretty dry and rocky place so the heat is retained by the limestone exteriors of the buildings. Today our son Ben deciede to meet us for breakfast then took us by the embassy. he had not old us to bring I.D. so we did not goi in. We wandered old Valetta togethor and then he decided that we should make lunch for the marines at the Marine house. This was a good idea as it gave us the opportpunity to meet them days before the ball. That also paid dividends as a few of them arranged rides for us as well. Rabbitt is the national dish of Malta so all the stores sell fresh rabbit so we made rabbit risotto. It was a hit.
After going back to our hotel we explored our environment. Tonight we ate at Zest one of the many restaurants in Malta. There is a restaurant ghuide for the island and Zest was a pan-asian place. Very good food and interesting decor.
Dayy 15 (11/9/05) and today is Ellen's birthday. The sun remained high for her birthday. Wer chose to hire a guide for a half day today and a full day friday. OUr hotel Conceirge told us that a half day will be more than a half day and he was right. It bacame a 7 1/2 hour tour so we really got our moneys weorth. Our guide was VINCE DEBONO ([email protected]) his phone is 79448771. The car was a nice Peugout which was very clean and very roomy. We established early that we wanted his personal views not just the standard tourist tripe. So our tours included lots of personal history and political discsussions re Malta and the world. For example, leaving the commonwealth has hurt the average Maltese and they do not think the EU will be an adequate substitue for the Coomonwealth. They also had a period of socialism where North Korea, Cuna dn Russia were their main allies and life in Malta sounded just like the communist world of the 60's. One brand of one item. No choice. Controlled economoy where youwere told what to make and do.
Anyway, Vince is a very nice man and gave us a lot for our money. I think there may be other guides who probvide more historical knowledge but none culd be nicer, more aaccomodating and more desirous of you seeing as much as possible. We really liked him.
We started our morning at the HYPOGENIUM which his an underground temple that is hard to believ could be carved 4000+ years ago. The place is so sensitive to decay that they only let in 10 people per hour (70 per day). You have to get your tickets in advance and we pre-0rdered them over the internet. Many a person came to the door dissapointed because they had not doen their research. After the tour with Ben, he headed back to the embassy and Vince started our guided tour. We wen to the Tarxien Temples, the Haga Qim Temple, the Mnjdra Temple, the Blue Grotto (they have three tourist places called Blue something) then back to Valtteea to the Palce Armory, the state rooms, the St. JOhns Co-Cathedral (the other one is in Mdina, the silent city). If that was not enough he then made sure I got the photo ops of the THREE CITIES. First we walked and saw them from the west then we drove around to them. By nighfall we had been to RABAT, MDNIA, VITTORIOSO and MOSTA. No tip was big enough.
DINNER WAS AT THE HILTON AT THE BLUE ELEPHANT which is a Great Thai restaurant.
For Ellen's birthday Ben and his marine buddy took us drinking in Paceville which is the Maltese equivalent of Vegas for the younger set. We stayed as long as politically correct and then escaped. We were definitely too young and too married for Paceville. Maybe the Casino but we can lose money at home. Don;t need to travel overseasfor that.
It was really something to see these temples that are 6000 or more years old. Hard to imagine how or why they did it or where they went. This makes the greek and roman ruins in sicily seem like just yesterday. Malta is eerily beautiful and the buses do run eevrywhere but you can not cover the ground we covered without a car or guide. Driving is like Sicily but on the left side. I would not advise it unless you are very confortable driving on the left side.
Day 16 (11/10/05). 73 degrees
Today begins our social life in Malta as Ben has planned some society gigs for us. Today we are prepping for a luncheon at the US Ambassadors Residence in Malta. The Ambassador is from Oregon and though we do not share the same party she was nice enough to ask us for lunch. They even printed up special menus for us and it was avery nice residence and meal. A lttile stressful as we did not attend diplomacy school as our son did but we think no international incidents were started.
This afternoon we took care of personal needs and found the interenet cafe. 5 blocks from the hotel and only 1 pound per hour (or less) and you can use your time 24/7/ As oposed to the hotel chich has free wireless but if you need to use their business cetner computers it is $30/hr.
Ben took us to the Charge d'Affaire's home for dinner and we had a lovely Indian dinner. They rent a home that looks out on the harbor and the three cities. Great view. In my pictires it is the night shot of the three cities.
Day 17 (11-11-05). More sun and 70's weather. Today Vince picks us up at 800am sharp as today we take the ferry to the island of Gozo. We were gone til 730pm so it was an 11 1/2 hour tour. We saw it all. The Calypso cave, Xldeni, the Pilgramage churches, a million churches...this is one very religious country. The Citadel. I could list all the places we saw but you can see them listedin any book or website.
Suffice it so say that Gozo is more agricultrual than Malta and the towns are more disctinctively sepaarted. There seems to be a Dumo in evry town and you can literally cout them on the horizon. I forgot to mention that the main spoken language in malta is Maltese which seems to be more arabic then western. However everyone speaks english ere. The names of places and streets are generally arabic sounding so the transliterated english letter signs are pretty unpronoucenceable.
We thought Gozo was fascinating and could be worth more that a day.
Tonight Ben arranged drinks with the former Maltese Ambassador to the US, Mark Micallef. What a historian. One hour with him is like spending 3 hours at the best college lecture of your life. He is writing abook on political history through art and he was charming. A light and crummy dinner in Valetta and tomorrow is the BALL.
Day 14 (11/18/05). Did I say it was sunny. This was a 78 degree day and blistering sun. Malta is a pretty dry and rocky place so the heat is retained by the limestone exteriors of the buildings. Today our son Ben deciede to meet us for breakfast then took us by the embassy. he had not old us to bring I.D. so we did not goi in. We wandered old Valetta togethor and then he decided that we should make lunch for the marines at the Marine house. This was a good idea as it gave us the opportpunity to meet them days before the ball. That also paid dividends as a few of them arranged rides for us as well. Rabbitt is the national dish of Malta so all the stores sell fresh rabbit so we made rabbit risotto. It was a hit.
After going back to our hotel we explored our environment. Tonight we ate at Zest one of the many restaurants in Malta. There is a restaurant ghuide for the island and Zest was a pan-asian place. Very good food and interesting decor.
Dayy 15 (11/9/05) and today is Ellen's birthday. The sun remained high for her birthday. Wer chose to hire a guide for a half day today and a full day friday. OUr hotel Conceirge told us that a half day will be more than a half day and he was right. It bacame a 7 1/2 hour tour so we really got our moneys weorth. Our guide was VINCE DEBONO ([email protected]) his phone is 79448771. The car was a nice Peugout which was very clean and very roomy. We established early that we wanted his personal views not just the standard tourist tripe. So our tours included lots of personal history and political discsussions re Malta and the world. For example, leaving the commonwealth has hurt the average Maltese and they do not think the EU will be an adequate substitue for the Coomonwealth. They also had a period of socialism where North Korea, Cuna dn Russia were their main allies and life in Malta sounded just like the communist world of the 60's. One brand of one item. No choice. Controlled economoy where youwere told what to make and do.
Anyway, Vince is a very nice man and gave us a lot for our money. I think there may be other guides who probvide more historical knowledge but none culd be nicer, more aaccomodating and more desirous of you seeing as much as possible. We really liked him.
We started our morning at the HYPOGENIUM which his an underground temple that is hard to believ could be carved 4000+ years ago. The place is so sensitive to decay that they only let in 10 people per hour (70 per day). You have to get your tickets in advance and we pre-0rdered them over the internet. Many a person came to the door dissapointed because they had not doen their research. After the tour with Ben, he headed back to the embassy and Vince started our guided tour. We wen to the Tarxien Temples, the Haga Qim Temple, the Mnjdra Temple, the Blue Grotto (they have three tourist places called Blue something) then back to Valtteea to the Palce Armory, the state rooms, the St. JOhns Co-Cathedral (the other one is in Mdina, the silent city). If that was not enough he then made sure I got the photo ops of the THREE CITIES. First we walked and saw them from the west then we drove around to them. By nighfall we had been to RABAT, MDNIA, VITTORIOSO and MOSTA. No tip was big enough.
DINNER WAS AT THE HILTON AT THE BLUE ELEPHANT which is a Great Thai restaurant.
For Ellen's birthday Ben and his marine buddy took us drinking in Paceville which is the Maltese equivalent of Vegas for the younger set. We stayed as long as politically correct and then escaped. We were definitely too young and too married for Paceville. Maybe the Casino but we can lose money at home. Don;t need to travel overseasfor that.
It was really something to see these temples that are 6000 or more years old. Hard to imagine how or why they did it or where they went. This makes the greek and roman ruins in sicily seem like just yesterday. Malta is eerily beautiful and the buses do run eevrywhere but you can not cover the ground we covered without a car or guide. Driving is like Sicily but on the left side. I would not advise it unless you are very confortable driving on the left side.
Day 16 (11/10/05). 73 degrees
Today begins our social life in Malta as Ben has planned some society gigs for us. Today we are prepping for a luncheon at the US Ambassadors Residence in Malta. The Ambassador is from Oregon and though we do not share the same party she was nice enough to ask us for lunch. They even printed up special menus for us and it was avery nice residence and meal. A lttile stressful as we did not attend diplomacy school as our son did but we think no international incidents were started.
This afternoon we took care of personal needs and found the interenet cafe. 5 blocks from the hotel and only 1 pound per hour (or less) and you can use your time 24/7/ As oposed to the hotel chich has free wireless but if you need to use their business cetner computers it is $30/hr.
Ben took us to the Charge d'Affaire's home for dinner and we had a lovely Indian dinner. They rent a home that looks out on the harbor and the three cities. Great view. In my pictires it is the night shot of the three cities.
Day 17 (11-11-05). More sun and 70's weather. Today Vince picks us up at 800am sharp as today we take the ferry to the island of Gozo. We were gone til 730pm so it was an 11 1/2 hour tour. We saw it all. The Calypso cave, Xldeni, the Pilgramage churches, a million churches...this is one very religious country. The Citadel. I could list all the places we saw but you can see them listedin any book or website.
Suffice it so say that Gozo is more agricultrual than Malta and the towns are more disctinctively sepaarted. There seems to be a Dumo in evry town and you can literally cout them on the horizon. I forgot to mention that the main spoken language in malta is Maltese which seems to be more arabic then western. However everyone speaks english ere. The names of places and streets are generally arabic sounding so the transliterated english letter signs are pretty unpronoucenceable.
We thought Gozo was fascinating and could be worth more that a day.
Tonight Ben arranged drinks with the former Maltese Ambassador to the US, Mark Micallef. What a historian. One hour with him is like spending 3 hours at the best college lecture of your life. He is writing abook on political history through art and he was charming. A light and crummy dinner in Valetta and tomorrow is the BALL.
Nov 27th, 2005, 09:33 AM
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Day 18 (11/12/05) - Sunny again. Today is the US Marine Embassy Ball. NOw we find out if 2 weeks of pasta and 3 meals and one bottle of wine per day will still allow us to fit into the Tuxedo and formal gown. Test fitting at noon: Yay...we fit. Guess we walked enough.
Before I forget, one of the best meals of the whole 3 week trip was on Gozo. Vince took us to IT-TMUM 7944 6832 in XLENDI. I cannot pronounce the name but the tuna was tick, moist and tender. I had an grilled octopus that was so tender it melted in your mouth. The appetizers were also great. We had a fantastic lunch for three with wine and water and it cost $78. A steal. Vince asked us if we wanted a good lunch that would take time or a quick bite and we made the right choice as he took us there.
Anyway, back to the ball. Every year the Marines celebrate their birthday. The Marine Embassy Guards plan a ball at their respective embassy where the ambassador is the guest of honor. The last ball Ben was at was in Liberia and that was a bit different. Here they trade a few marines to Tunisia the week before for their ball and then they get tow Marines from Tunisia to cover for them on their ball night. Considering the mass quantities of alcohol consumed we can be glad of that.
The ball was at the Westin Hotel and had about 200 guests. First there was a recieving line of the 6 marines, then cocktails then we are seated in the dinig room. We were at the marine table and felt like Chaperones until we had had enough alcohol to relax. A wonderful group of young men and the Charge's daughter was at our table alongt with one marines girlfirend who had flown in from Ohio (she is in the air force).
The marines march in with the flags ina very stately manner. Then the ambassador reads a message from Condi rice and then gives her own talk. Each marine is called, and enters ther oom as they say his rank, when he entered the corps and where he is from. Next the marines wheel in a sheet cake with their logo and the state dept. logo. They cut it with a sword and then the oldest marine in the room gives a slice to the youngest marine in the room. Then the party begins.
Our young marines had bought Dom Periggon for the table so we had the best drinks in the house.
It was a hoot. A great disc jockey and dancing til the wee hours. Guiuests from all over the world from civilian and military life.
I hope to be able to post a short video of the ball if my son can show me how to do it. That may be a later link.
Day 19 - Sunny and on to Rome. Rome was partly cloudy but cold. about 15 degree colder. Finally got the jacket out (first time this trip) but by afternoon it was 70's again.
What can you say about rome? I would not dare to write much as too many others have covered it far better than I could.
What I would say is that we made a concious choice to stay in the TRASTAVERE area because tripadvior recommended the HOTEL SANTA MARIA as the #1 popular place. They were right. We haev stayed at the more expensive La Residenze near the Corso and enjoyed the Santa Maria more because the neighborhood was so rich in color. Our hotel only cost $166 per night (cash gives you a 10% discount). We had a nice room, very quiet with our own private patio. They serve a free antipasto bar at 500-700 each night which was very very good. Free computer for internet. About a 20 minute walk to the Vatican. I nevber time the walks to PIazza Navona, the Pantheon, Tazz d'Oro (coffee) or the spanish steos as I always got turned around, on the wrong street and ended up by the Tiber River and the Castello. It became our joke that in Sicily all roads lead to Ragusa but in Rome all roads leat to the Castello St. Angelo
Our first lunch was in trastavere and it was at a little place called Il Ciak. We went there because of the game hanging in the window. Food was good...duck ragout pasta....but as we fininshed our meal we saw the specialty. hand cut thick Italian T-Bone Steaks grilled on a wood grill, thick sliced and served with the bone. We made plans to return our last night for the T-Bone. It was sunday so we ate, drank, got sleepy and just wandered the neighborhoods.
Day 20 (11/14/05). Sunny and a little cool but by afternoon it was 70's again. last time we were here we saw the vatican museum and the Chistine Chapel but not St, Peters so this time we went there. Then we wandered into the heart of Rome visiting old haunts.
DINNER was back in TRASTAVERE and sicne many places are closed on MOnday we ate at a packed OTELLO restaurante. Very good. Met a German couple who we ran into the next day and who we are now exchanging emails.
Day 21 (11-15-05). Sunny but signs of rain for later. Today is the plan to WALK all the way to Villa Bourghese. I have made reservations in advance but I get lost again. Back to the castello. We need to pick up our tickets by 1030am and at 1005am I am still helplessly lost. We grab a cab. No english but I prounce things well enough. We get there in time and get in line but some Brit is making a scene. We we get to the front of the line we find out why. They have planned to go on strike from 1100am-300pm and we are out of luck unless we want to come back to tomorrow or at 300pm. We are leaving tomorrow so 300pm it is.
Back at 300pm and it is worth the wait. Why did we not go here 4 years ago???? This is a must see on a trip to Rome. Each room is amazing and there are over 14 rooms. Words cannot describve the ceilings, the art, the mosaics, the roome designs, the marble, the statuary...GO GO GO
We walk al the way back to Trastavere just to show it can be done but guess what? The Siren call of the Castello calls again and I am back there once more but now at night for my final picture of the trip.
DINNER BACK AT IL-CIAK. The T-Bone is amazing. If you are a beef lover...add this place to your list. Dinner for two was only $68 inlcuding wine and water.
Tomorrow we head home and I did use the shower at Heathrow and it was wonderful.
My next post will have some photo uplinks but whew...glad I finally finished this. Hope it is of some help to some of you.
one final note on communication to all you neophytes.
My Italian can be summed up as follows: good pronunication, a smile, a few numbers, asking how much, excusing myself, saying a speak very little italian, asking where and ordering cappacino's. 5 phrases and about 25 - 40 words. That was enough to do our self-guided in a world where english was rarely spoken. Don;t be afraid.
Gil
Before I forget, one of the best meals of the whole 3 week trip was on Gozo. Vince took us to IT-TMUM 7944 6832 in XLENDI. I cannot pronounce the name but the tuna was tick, moist and tender. I had an grilled octopus that was so tender it melted in your mouth. The appetizers were also great. We had a fantastic lunch for three with wine and water and it cost $78. A steal. Vince asked us if we wanted a good lunch that would take time or a quick bite and we made the right choice as he took us there.
Anyway, back to the ball. Every year the Marines celebrate their birthday. The Marine Embassy Guards plan a ball at their respective embassy where the ambassador is the guest of honor. The last ball Ben was at was in Liberia and that was a bit different. Here they trade a few marines to Tunisia the week before for their ball and then they get tow Marines from Tunisia to cover for them on their ball night. Considering the mass quantities of alcohol consumed we can be glad of that.
The ball was at the Westin Hotel and had about 200 guests. First there was a recieving line of the 6 marines, then cocktails then we are seated in the dinig room. We were at the marine table and felt like Chaperones until we had had enough alcohol to relax. A wonderful group of young men and the Charge's daughter was at our table alongt with one marines girlfirend who had flown in from Ohio (she is in the air force).
The marines march in with the flags ina very stately manner. Then the ambassador reads a message from Condi rice and then gives her own talk. Each marine is called, and enters ther oom as they say his rank, when he entered the corps and where he is from. Next the marines wheel in a sheet cake with their logo and the state dept. logo. They cut it with a sword and then the oldest marine in the room gives a slice to the youngest marine in the room. Then the party begins.
Our young marines had bought Dom Periggon for the table so we had the best drinks in the house.
It was a hoot. A great disc jockey and dancing til the wee hours. Guiuests from all over the world from civilian and military life.
I hope to be able to post a short video of the ball if my son can show me how to do it. That may be a later link.
Day 19 - Sunny and on to Rome. Rome was partly cloudy but cold. about 15 degree colder. Finally got the jacket out (first time this trip) but by afternoon it was 70's again.
What can you say about rome? I would not dare to write much as too many others have covered it far better than I could.
What I would say is that we made a concious choice to stay in the TRASTAVERE area because tripadvior recommended the HOTEL SANTA MARIA as the #1 popular place. They were right. We haev stayed at the more expensive La Residenze near the Corso and enjoyed the Santa Maria more because the neighborhood was so rich in color. Our hotel only cost $166 per night (cash gives you a 10% discount). We had a nice room, very quiet with our own private patio. They serve a free antipasto bar at 500-700 each night which was very very good. Free computer for internet. About a 20 minute walk to the Vatican. I nevber time the walks to PIazza Navona, the Pantheon, Tazz d'Oro (coffee) or the spanish steos as I always got turned around, on the wrong street and ended up by the Tiber River and the Castello. It became our joke that in Sicily all roads lead to Ragusa but in Rome all roads leat to the Castello St. Angelo
Our first lunch was in trastavere and it was at a little place called Il Ciak. We went there because of the game hanging in the window. Food was good...duck ragout pasta....but as we fininshed our meal we saw the specialty. hand cut thick Italian T-Bone Steaks grilled on a wood grill, thick sliced and served with the bone. We made plans to return our last night for the T-Bone. It was sunday so we ate, drank, got sleepy and just wandered the neighborhoods.
Day 20 (11/14/05). Sunny and a little cool but by afternoon it was 70's again. last time we were here we saw the vatican museum and the Chistine Chapel but not St, Peters so this time we went there. Then we wandered into the heart of Rome visiting old haunts.
DINNER was back in TRASTAVERE and sicne many places are closed on MOnday we ate at a packed OTELLO restaurante. Very good. Met a German couple who we ran into the next day and who we are now exchanging emails.
Day 21 (11-15-05). Sunny but signs of rain for later. Today is the plan to WALK all the way to Villa Bourghese. I have made reservations in advance but I get lost again. Back to the castello. We need to pick up our tickets by 1030am and at 1005am I am still helplessly lost. We grab a cab. No english but I prounce things well enough. We get there in time and get in line but some Brit is making a scene. We we get to the front of the line we find out why. They have planned to go on strike from 1100am-300pm and we are out of luck unless we want to come back to tomorrow or at 300pm. We are leaving tomorrow so 300pm it is.
Back at 300pm and it is worth the wait. Why did we not go here 4 years ago???? This is a must see on a trip to Rome. Each room is amazing and there are over 14 rooms. Words cannot describve the ceilings, the art, the mosaics, the roome designs, the marble, the statuary...GO GO GO
We walk al the way back to Trastavere just to show it can be done but guess what? The Siren call of the Castello calls again and I am back there once more but now at night for my final picture of the trip.
DINNER BACK AT IL-CIAK. The T-Bone is amazing. If you are a beef lover...add this place to your list. Dinner for two was only $68 inlcuding wine and water.
Tomorrow we head home and I did use the shower at Heathrow and it was wonderful.
My next post will have some photo uplinks but whew...glad I finally finished this. Hope it is of some help to some of you.
one final note on communication to all you neophytes.
My Italian can be summed up as follows: good pronunication, a smile, a few numbers, asking how much, excusing myself, saying a speak very little italian, asking where and ordering cappacino's. 5 phrases and about 25 - 40 words. That was enough to do our self-guided in a world where english was rarely spoken. Don;t be afraid.
Gil
Nov 27th, 2005, 01:18 PM
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Nov 27th, 2005, 01:42 PM
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Fabulous report-we are planning to take my daughter who is going to study for the semester in Ortigia in early January and want to hit other parts of Sicily so this was wonderful!!Thank you for the info on Malta too.
Dec 6th, 2005, 10:07 AM
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You can check out Gil's outstanding photos here:
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/001382.cfm
Thanks to Gil for being the first fodorite to publish pictures to fodors.com.
best,
Peter
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/001382.cfm
Thanks to Gil for being the first fodorite to publish pictures to fodors.com.
best,
Peter
Dec 6th, 2005, 10:33 AM
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Thank you for your wonderful pictures and trip report and thank you to your son for his service! It is great that you were able to attend your son's ball and turn that opportunity into an unforgettable trip.
Dec 6th, 2005, 10:48 AM
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That was a great report and wow, I loved your pictures! My favorite was the striking Pilgrimage Church on Gozo. Now you've given me reason to rethink our trip to the Rhine in favor of Sicily!
Tracy
Tracy
Dec 6th, 2005, 10:58 AM
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gfeibleman, how did you get to Sicily from Malta? Does Sicily or Malta have a small airline? I am planning a Croatia trip for 2007 and would love to fit Sicily in, if it would be at all possible.
Thanks!
Tracy
Thanks!
Tracy
Dec 6th, 2005, 11:19 AM
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Thanks so much for your wonderful and evocative trip report. We spent 8 days in Palermo, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina and Taormina in late September and stayed and ate many of the same places you did. I absolutely fell in love with Sicily and hope to return. However, the first order of business is to find time to write a trip report. Thanks so much for yours!
Dec 6th, 2005, 08:07 PM
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Tracy - There are ferries that run b/w Malta and Sicily plus Air Malta and AlItalia flies there too. We flew Air Malta but watch the luggage limits. Air Malta was 20 Kg per person (not per bag) plus 5kg for one carry on per person. Alitalia may be different. Did not know til we got our tickets. I was able to sweet talk the agents to be flexible but....
We mistakenly thought that ferries might be a problem in winter but apparently it is regular service.
We mistakenly thought that ferries might be a problem in winter but apparently it is regular service.
Dec 6th, 2005, 11:52 PM
#17
To Gil, loved your report. We had a month in Malta and Sicily this year with a few details posted on this forum.
Not sure where the problem happened but in your report on the front page of the Talk forum, it's actually the Knights of St John, not St George. It's also the Grand Harbour, not Valletta Harbour. Valletta has many harbours.
Hope I don't sound too picky
Kay
Not sure where the problem happened but in your report on the front page of the Talk forum, it's actually the Knights of St John, not St George. It's also the Grand Harbour, not Valletta Harbour. Valletta has many harbours.
Hope I don't sound too picky
Kay
Dec 7th, 2005, 11:14 AM
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Gil
I read your report just today-don't know how I've missed it (perhaps spending too much time on the Asia board lately). Anyway, I LOVED your report and have saved it for future travels. Your itinerary through Sicily & Malta is one I hope to do sometime soon.
I GASPED OUT LOUD when I read you ate at Il Ciak. I never hear it mentioned and I think it's a real find. I love that place. The veal chop there is a little piece of heaven.
Thanks for the great report.
I read your report just today-don't know how I've missed it (perhaps spending too much time on the Asia board lately). Anyway, I LOVED your report and have saved it for future travels. Your itinerary through Sicily & Malta is one I hope to do sometime soon.
I GASPED OUT LOUD when I read you ate at Il Ciak. I never hear it mentioned and I think it's a real find. I love that place. The veal chop there is a little piece of heaven.
Thanks for the great report.
