Kinsells in London: Malta, August 7-10, 2015

Josh came to me talking about a place he wanted to visit, Malta. I felt very ignorant, as I had never heard of it. Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast.

British rule in Malta lasted until 1964, when Malta became independent. The Maltese adapted the British system of administration, education, and legislation. Malta became a Republic in 1974, and joined the European Union in May 2004. Malta is also where the movie Popeye was filmed. There is a theme park on the island with the movie set and props.

Flag of Malta

My first impression of Malta, was how pretty it was. This trip was planned to be more of a relaxing one, rather than running around trying to see tons of sites. Malta was perfect for this.

Our hotel, The Westin Dragonara was fancy and more of a resort. It had many restaurants within the hotel, so you wouldn't ever have to leave. We enjoyed the 2 pools, and mini beach on the property. The beaches were not beautiful white sand blue water, but they were pretty in their own way.

Great view

In the Mediterranean Sea

We ventured out on the bus to the capital city, Valletta. This is the smallest and southernmost capital in the European Union.

Republic Square

Palace and guards

I tried a local soda, Kinnie, that was described as "bittersweet with a blend of Mediterranean chin otto bitter oranges, with an infusion of a dozen aromatic herbs and spices including anise, ginseng, vanilla, rhubarb, and licorice". It was fun to try a local soda, but not really something I would drink.

Spelt ravioli and Garganelle

Delicious dinner at Palio's located in our hotel. We had a great table overlooking the Sea. The customer service was also top notch!

Statue by the marina with a fisherman tossing a fish to a cat. We walked around and watched the boats come in with their daily catch. Then we enjoyed an amazing dinner at Truffle & Truffles. It was also a bonus that it was so close to our hotel.