We took our time getting up on Saturday morning. The plan for Malta was pretty loose, the only booked thing was a free walking tour of Valletta at 10am. We got up, walked down to the bus stop and could our €2 and 40-minute ride to the capital city of Valletta. We walked into a demonstration put on by the emergency services so there were a lot of sirens going (and K9 unit dogs barking).
The tour started at 10 and went for 90 minutes, taking us to see some cathedrals, the prime minister’s office, the Upper Baklava Gardens (which is not how it’s spelled), the cathedral and another residence and square.
The city is small, beautiful, full of old buildings and a lot of stone. We got a good impression of the history of the place, involving the Knights of St John and the events of World War II. Unfortunately the guide talked just that little bit too long and considering we were standing in the sun, it got a bit frustrating. Always leave your audience wanting more.
Glen, Donna and I got lunch at a food hall and caught a bit of the Australia vs France match on the big screen, before heading back to catch the bus to Paul and Florent. We were going on a boat tour of the harbour (without Glen who gets seasick), but while on the bus we got word that the seas were too rough so we cancelled it. Donna and I got off the bus and went back to Valletta for more of a look.
I wanted to see inside the cathedral but, true to form, when we got back there, it had shut. So we walked around some more, seeing a lot of the city, and then returned to the city gates to meet Paul and Florent before going to a small wine bar—Cru Wine Bar—for drinks and food. The city is small enough to walk around and there’s always a beautiful streetscape to get a pic of.
We dipped our feet in the water at the harbour then Paul drove us back to his hotel where we lounged by the pool for a bit, had some drinks in the lounge, and then Donna and I walked back to the apartment. Glen had a nap and cooked pasta.
In the evening—after watching the latest (and very boring) episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race—we met Paul and Florent by the water polo pool (it’s famous now) and then walked around to have dinner at a restaurant by the bay in St Julian’s.
We chose the restaurant because they had an extensive vegan menu. Unfortunately out of the five dishes we ordered, Paul’s tagliatelle was the only one that was more than half decent. We left unsatisfied.
Plans to go out partying were scuppered—mostly by me. We wandered into Paceville, which is the nightclub district, and walked into a version of hell. It was full of 20-something-year-olds going to nightclubs and gentlemen clubs. It was vile and considering
I was by now pretty dead on my feet, I wasn’t really in the mood to wade through much of it. Glen agreed so we were keen to go home, which unfortunately meant it was easier for Donna to come home with us. (Poor girl, she’s got an old brother.) Paul and Florent went out for a drink but didn’t get much rowdier than that.
My head hit the pillow just before midnight and I was so pleased.
Travels with Dan 
What do you say, eh?