MALTA.....for the first time!

[Dave Wilkinson]

At this time of the year, I usually have a couple of weeks in Turkey or Greek islands, but for a change have just booked a week in Malta. I'm really looking forward to the trip ( 2nd. week-October ) as by all accounts, it's a photographers paradise?. Obviously I've 'googled', and am not asking for a detailed tourist place list, - but any tips, things worth knowing that are not in the brochures would be appreciated.

Cheers, Dave.

[Abbazz]

Dear Dave,

Malta is indeed a great place for photographers. I have no shots online at the moment but I suggest you have a look at the online gallery of a great lover of Malta, our friend Roger Hicks:
http://rogerandfrances.com/gallery/g%20malta%200.html

Cheers!

Abbazz

[ath]

Plan a few days for Valetta.

[NickTrop]

Say hello, or take a pic of Baron Michael Secluna for me. (Let's see how many nitwits are on this blog who get that reference...)

[Dave Wilkinson]

Say hello, or take a pic of Baron Michael Secluna for me. (Let's see how many nitwits are on this blog who get that reference...)

Do explain Nick.......this nitwit-at least, is curious!! :confused:

Dave.

[Abbazz]

Do explain Nick.......this nitwit-at least, is curious!!

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=49700&forum_id=23

Cheers!

Abbazz

[xayraa33]

Say hello, or take a pic of Baron Michael Secluna for me. (Let's see how many nitwits are on this blog who get that reference...)

The great Baron Mikel Scicluna resides in Pittsburgh PA in the USA :D

[Dave Wilkinson]

The great Baron Mikel Scicluna resides in Pittsburgh PA in the USA :D........then I hope he and Nick will be very happy together! :rolleyes:

[xayraa33]

A very photo friendly place,






Also, do not forget to photograph the neolithic temples on the islands,EI: Hagar Qim, Tarxien,
Ggantija etc. some of the worlds oldest man made free standing worked stone structures.

[Rogier]

Go to M dina "the silent city".
Wide angle for the architecture and a 50mm for the craftsman working on the sandstone.

Don't eat the local specialty, "Maltese Rabbit" !!!!

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Dave,

I know of nowhere on earth that provides more opportunities for photography. Valetta is the least of it. Go to 'Clapham Junction' to see the prehistoric cart tracks and cave dwellings; to the prehistoric temples at Mnajdra (m-nai-dra), Tarxien (tar-sheen), Hagar Qim (ajjar 'eem) and (in Gozo) Ggantija (juh-gan-tee-ya), along with nearby Ghar Hasan (Ar Hassan, Hassan's Cave); to Fort Rinella to see the biggest muzzle-loading gun ever made, the Hundred Ton Armstrong; to the public gardens at Xemxija (shem-see-ah) to see the Phoenician apiary; to Mdina (mmm-dee-na), the old capital, and the Roman villa just outside the gates in Rabat; Bingemma, the early Christian catacombs; the Citadella and Rabat in Gozo...

Buy The mAZe, the only half-reliable street map of the whole island; hire a car (this is important!); and start exploring...

With any luck, the (paid) Malta travel guide on www.rogerandfrances.com will be free in the next week or two, on a new site (my web-master keeps saying 'next week').

The language is fairly close to Palestinian, but written in the Roman alphabet: hence 'x' for 'sh' and 'q' for the glottal stop (think of a Londoner saying 'gotta' -- the 'tt' comes out the same way as 'q' in Maltese, sometimes represented by an exclamation mark in transcriptions, hence gor!ah). It's phonetic but you need to know the rules: courgettes (zucchini) are qara baghli ('ara bah-lee -- g+h-with-a-line-through-it is silent), ghaxar (asha) is the number 10, and so forth. English is widely spoken but a few words of Maltese really wins friends.

When are you going? The whole place is pure magic, apart from the really awful tourist enclaves such as Qawra ('Ow-rah) or San Gwann (San Jwann).

Edit: to counter an earlier post, fenech stufat (fen-ek stew-fat, stewed rabbit), is delicious; hobz (Maltese bread) is among the best in the world; pastizzi (cheese turnovers in flaky pastry) are the perfect snack. The wine is indifferent and expensive; the best cheap stuff is Marsovin Rosé. Im-qarrun fil-form (im-ak-roon fill-forn) is baked macaroni and very good; and I like qarnita stufat ('ar-nee-ta stew-fat, octopus stewed in wine with tomato sauce).

And the pizzas I've had in Malta are the second worst I've had anywhere (only India has been worse).

Cheers,

Roger

[Dave Wilkinson]

Dear Roger, and others, thanks for all the helpfull info, we fly on October 6th. ( I think!) and you've really fired my imagination! - I think a week is going to be way too little!, but as this was a late opportunity that arose, we are allready planning for two weeks, next spring!. A couple more points please, are the streets reasonably safe to wander on an evening? - I'm quite a big Yorkshire lad, but am getting a little 'long in the tooth' to be fending-off footpads and beggars, etc.!!! also is there a Maltese equivalent to the local Raki that I'm quite partial to when in the Greek islands?? :angel:

Cheers, Dave.

[xayraa33]

Dear Roger, and others, thanks for all the helpfull info, we fly on October 6th. ( I think!) and you've really fired my imagination! - I think a week is going to be way too little!, but as this was a late opportunity that arose, we are allready planning for two weeks, next spring!. A couple more points please, are the streets reasonably safe to wander on an evening? - I'm quite a big Yorkshire lad, but am getting a little 'long in the tooth' to be fending-off footpads and beggars, etc.!!! also is there a Maltese equivalent to the local Raki that I'm quite partial to when in the Greek islands?? :angel:

Cheers, Dave.

The streets are very safe, the equivalent to Raki is "Mastika", but it is not very common now a days.

both these anise spirit drinks give the worst post drunk condition possible in my opinion. ;)

I would stick to Farson's Hop Leaf pale ale and Cisk lager.

well stocked bars and pubs are most numerous and very close at hand, it is an alcoholic's paradise.

Actor Oliver Reed died in one of the well stocked pubs in Valletta, from a heart attack and over indulgence.
he left a huge bar tab.

[Roger Hicks]

Seconded: I can't think of many safer places in Europe, if any.

It's an expensive paradise for alcoholics, though: Maltese liquor taxes are among the highest in the EU.

Cheers,

R.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Thanks, gentlemen......I'm not a big drinker....honest!! so it won't be a problem! BTW - did Oliver Reed like a drink?? :o
Dave.

[xayraa33]

Thanks, gentlemen......I'm not a big drinker....honest!! so it won't be a problem! BTW - did Oliver Reed like a drink?? :o
Dave.

He was known to take a tipple once in a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Reed

[Doug]

We were there in April and found the locals friendly. :)

[Roger Hicks]

The bit I said that I hoped would soon be available free, now is:

http://www.semiadventuroustraveler.com/pst%20malta.html

The initial para refers to a previous page that is on another site, and the link to McTiE doesn't work, but the rest is mostly OK. It loads a bit slowly, though, and there are three pics missing at the end.

Aaargh: and the currency is now the euro and it doesn't look as if the web-master has used the revised version of the text, which explains (some of) the problems.

But it may still be better than nothing...

Cheers,

R.

[Dave Wilkinson]

The bit I said that I hoped would soon be available free, now is:

http://www.semiadventuroustraveler.com/pst%20malta.html

The initial para refers to a previous page that is on another site, and the link to McTiE doesn't work, but the rest is mostly OK. It loads a bit slowly, though, and there are three pics missing at the end.

Aaargh: and the currency is now the euro and it doesn't look as if the web-master has used the revised version of the text, which explains (some of) the problems.

But it may still be better than nothing...

Cheers,

R.
Thanks for the update Roger, - and the exellent information and pictures on the link, our anticipation is on a high! , we fly on 7th. October, ( if we still have some solvent airlines!! )

Cheers, Dave.

[350D_user]

Malta's a country you'll either fall in love with, or you'll find nothing to make you return again. As has already been said, the currency in Malta is now the Euro. The local public transport is an... experience, the newer buses are being slowly introduced. Each time I go to Malta, I'm drawn to its capital for some unknown reason.

The touristy bits are very touristy. San Julien is one such place. Don't overlook trips to Gozo though. The older generation of the Maltese population tend to be more welcoming than the younger generation.

I took my Standard to Malta one year, and left the lightmeter in the hotel room all the time. "Sunny 16" was all that was needed.
63626 63627

Enjoy the holiday. :)

[Roger Hicks]

Malta's a country you'll either fall in love with, or you'll find nothing to make you return again. The touristy bits are very touristy. San Julien is one such place. Don't overlook trips to Gozo though.
Seconded without hesitation. For the first, a great deal will depend on your imagination and resourcefulness: the really touristy bits are indeed a disaster area. For the second (Gozo) -- GET LOST! I mean this in the friendliest possible matter: you never know what you'll find on the back roads.

Cheers,

R.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Well, - the bags are packed, and we fly in the morning!, just need to go to town for a few more rolls of Velvia 100. I suppose at this point I should be listing all my gear, and asking which to take and which to leave behind! - starting another marathon thread of 'should I, or should'nt I', but I've shot on holliday enough times to know that I soon tire of a big bag of bodies and lenses!. This time the M2 plus 35 and 90 will have to suffice,- plus the little Nikon digicam that my wife likes to use occasionally - often putting my efforts in the shade! :bang:.......now, I wonder if any more airlines have gone bust? :(

Cheers, Dave. :)

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Dave,

Have fun!

IF you have a small, light ultra-wide (15 to 21mm) that is no trouble to carry, take that too, as there are many narrow streets and small interiors -- but 35/90 or 35/75 would be my first choice too.

Cheers,

R.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Dear Roger, thanks for all the helpfull info, - just one more querie - if I may, I often feel uncomfortable about car hire, given the cavalier driving attitudes in many places!. Being a lifelong motorcyclist, and used to hauling my Yamaha FJ1200 around, I often take this option when in Turkey or Greek islands for visits to outlying villages, etc., and srangely enough feel more comfortable than in a 'tin box'!. Surprisingly, I've had decent machines, and no problems so far!, what's the situation like n Malta?.

Cheers, Dave.

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Roger, thanks for all the helpfull info, - just one more querie - if I may, I often feel uncomfortable about car hire, given the cavalier driving attitudes in many places!. Being a lifelong motorcyclist, and used to hauling my Yamaha FJ1200 around, I often take this option when in Turkey or Greek islands for visits to outlying villages, etc., and srangely enough feel more comfortable than in a 'tin box'!. Surprisingly, I've had decent machines, and no problems so far!, what's the situation like n Malta?.

Cheers, Dave.
Dear Dave,

I've always hired cars. The Maltese themselves say that the French drive on the right, the English on the left, and the Maltese in the shade!

Yes, you can hire bikes, but I believe it's mostly scooters and with the size of the potholes on Maltese roads, small wheels would frighten me.

Sorry I can't be more help.

Cheers,

R.

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Roger, thanks for all the helpfull info, - just one more querie - if I may, I often feel uncomfortable about car hire, given the cavalier driving attitudes in many places!. Being a lifelong motorcyclist, and used to hauling my Yamaha FJ1200 around, I often take this option when in Turkey or Greek islands for visits to outlying villages, etc., and srangely enough feel more comfortable than in a 'tin box'!. Surprisingly, I've had decent machines, and no problems so far!, what's the situation like n Malta?.

Cheers, Dave.
Dear Dave,

I've always hired cars. The Maltese themselves say that the French drive on the right, the English on the left, and the Maltese in the shade!

Yes, you can hire bikes, but I believe it's mostly scooters and with the size of the potholes on Maltese roads, small wheels would frighten me.

Sorry I can't be more help.

Cheers,

R.

[horosu]

Plan a few days for Valetta.

This is a bit excessive, don't you think? In the evening, there is almost nothing going on over there. It is almost deserted.

I have been there last year (Malta) for a week and , frankly, I have been a little underwhelmed, but, you know, tastes may differ

[Dave Wilkinson]

This is a bit excessive, don't you think? In the evening, there is almost nothing going on over there. It is almost deserted.

I have been there last year (Malta) for a week and , frankly, I have been a little underwhelmed, but, you know, tastes may differ

Thanks for the input, - I'm at an age - and probably have always been at an age! where night clubs, discos, theme bars etc. hold little or no attraction, so the the scene you describe could be a positive bonus!....but as you say, tastes may differ :)
Cheers, Dave.

[xayraa33]

We traveled by tour coach while there just like the other european countries we visited, this was in the early 1990s.

like in the UK they drive on the left there, something a Canadian person finds strange.

[horosu]

Thanks for the input, - I'm at an age - and probably have always been at an age! where night clubs, discos, theme bars etc. hold little or no attraction, so the the scene you describe could be a positive bonus!....but as you say, tastes may differ :)
Cheers, Dave.


I didn't want to necessarily imply that, just the fact that after 19:00 Valetta resembles a deserted city. This is not your typical Mediterranean town where people are out in the streets until midnight.