Malta, February 2010 - Saluting Battery - Boom!

Slept in until 8AM. Had the normal breakfast. Made plans to do the Saluting Battery and the Three Cities. At 9:30AM I left the hotel and walked down to the bus stop but decided to walk all the way to Silema again, need the exercise. When a got near the docks, I heard bagpipes and noticed that the bus stop area was blocked off. When I walked over to the docks, I saw that the ferry has not left so I went over and got on the boat. It was packed, probable from the buses not running. After the boat ride, I made my way up to the heart of Valletta. Valletta is very hilly, like San Francisco though I have never been there. The Saluting Battery is at noon so I had plenty of time to kill. I walked around, most of the shops were closed because its Sunday and early. I found a very nice court area that several restaurants use. I ordered a water and coffee. It was very relaxing and I pulled off my jacket because the temperature was starting to rise. I believe it got up to 75° today. After a very relaxing time I made my way to the gardens were the Battery is located. I got there right at 11AM and paid my 5€ for the show. Everyone can see the show from the platform above the canons but I wanted to be at ground level. I saw this once before last year but it was rainy. Today is a perfect weather day. I was the only one there so I got the VIP one-on-one treatment. This seems to always happen to me. I found a prime location for the show, it was nice having seen it before so I knew were to stand. I took many picture and I think I nailed the canon shot. Last time the photo was blurred because of the loud sound and shock wave. As part of the show, I was offered a free coach ride to the War Museum in Vittoriosa. Perfect that’s where I was going. The coach was full, about nine people were on board. On arrival, I started my walk through the area. Ended up at the docks, walked down to where the Maltese Falcon is birthed. This is a modern design of a sailing ship. She’s large with massive mast made of aluminum I believe. Started my way back and was contemplating eating at one of the outdoor cafes but decided to head back to Valletta. I walked up to the bus terminal and hopped on bus #1 that will take me back to Valletta. I texted Tracy to let her know what I was up to. She replied said she was cleaning up getting ready for her card-making day. Got back to Valletta and started walking in to the city for lunch but turned around and got on one of the buses back to Paceville. Got off the bus in front of the Le Meridien and walked over the restaurants in Spinola Bay. It was 2:30PM and every place was packed. So I just walked back to the hotel and changed my shirt and rested for a few then walked over the HRC for a burger and beer. Went back to the hotel and worked on pictures, uploaded a few and listen to music. Tomorrow the priority is hair cut and grocery shopping.

Malta, February 2010 - A lazy day

Woke up, I decide to go to breakfast. I was hungry, had the normal grub this morning. Got back to the room, laid down, and watched the Olympics for a few hours. Woke up refreshed, went for a walk down to Spinola Bay and had a large salad at the place I usually go to when I’m in Malta. Went to the Malta glass place near the Hilton and purchase more items. Headed back up to the club lounge for some OJ and water, I sat out on the roof deck and soak up some sun. Back in the room, I rested and worked on the photos and listen to music. Around 7PM I went to one of the three restaurants in the hotel. The one I selected was closed for renovation, which sucked because they have an Indian dish I wanted to try. Instead, I went to the same place I had dinner the first night I arrived. They had a large buffet setup but opt to order from the menu. I had a rib bye with potato and a salad. For the appetizer, I had a bowl of tomato soup. It was one of the best soups I have ever had, delish. Just watched TV until I got tiered.

Malta, February 2010 - Hop-on/Hop-off

Started with breakfast again in the club lounge. The weather was the same as yesterday. Went on line to go info on the hop-on/hop-off buses. I left the hotel a little after 9AM. I walked all the way to the Sliema docks were the buses start. I choose the Red (South) tour. My plan was to get off at the Fort Rinella stop but the bus did not go there, that was strange. Therefore, I changed my plans and got off at the Blue Grotto. I had lunch at one of the restaurants in the area. Had a delicious chicken dish with fries and a salad. Also had a few glass of local red wine. I walked up the observation area and shot a boatload of pictures. Went back down to the drop off point and had a beer whilst I wait on the bus. Got back to Sliema around 3PM, I walked up to an electronics store and purchases a pair of Sony mini PC speakers. They sound good for such small speakers and very easy to carry around. On my long walk back to the hotel, I ran into a couple AECOM peeps. They said that a group will be at The Dublin (an Irish pub) to watch the rugby match. I got back to the hotel, downloaded the photos and did some computer stuff. Headed up to the lounge for snacks and tea. Back to the room and called Tracy via Skype, and discovered I could conference in Mom and Dad at the same time, Cool. I headed over to the pub around 8ish. When I showed up six AECOMers were already there. They force me to pound my first beer. We all had a great time, I think I got home around midnight. Not sure, I was a bit tipsy and very tired. I skipped my nightly email to Tracy and crashed.

Malta, February 2010 - Take it easy and enjoy the weather

Woke up early, no sunrise from the hotel room. A perfect weather day, nice temperature, slight cool breeze and wispy clouds. Had breakfast on the club level, no charge. Headed out on a photo-taking journey. Found a nice spot for sunrise photos near the Westin. I will check it out tomorrow at dawn. I got a few good shots using the bracketing technique on my camera. Went back to the room and worked on the new photos then took a long nap. Three hours, I must have been tiered but did not realize it. I went up to the club lounge for afternoon tea and treats. I went out for a long walk, picked up a new small heavy-duty Tripoli and bought a bottle of dark rum for the week (to save money). Stopped by the lobby lounge for a ham and cheese sandwich and a beer. Played on the Internet, mostly Facebook. Went up to the club lounge again for happy hour, had a glass of champagne and some small hors d'oeuvres. (Did I spell that correct?) Around 9PM I went out for a long walk to see if I could run into other AECOM peeps. No luck, so I retired for the night.

Off to Malta, February 2010

Taking advantage of two holidays for a six day weekend in Malta - Left for the airport at 5:30PM. Had five people in the van. When we arrived, there was a group that had left the office at 4PM for an 8PM flight. The check in gate had not opened yet. Around 6:15 the check in gate opened, I was one of the few who bought business class so I was the first one to get checked in, ha ha. Went straight to the business lounge. Though only a few had business class seats almost everyone paid the 20LYD to get into the business lounge. We had over 20 AECOM folk in the business lounge. We were delayed 30 minutes for a group of Russians that ran late for some reason. Flight was good and had a small snack and champagne. I was sitting next to Andrew and we had a good conversation. In Malta, my driver was waiting for me at the meet and greet. Got to the hotel and was escorted to the 15th floor executive check in level. Its nice to have a glass of wine whilst one checks in. Unpacked and went to the 7th floor to one of the restaurant/bars and had Brochette and Tortellini with a few Rum and cokes. Had a glass of wine and wrote my journal before calling it a day.