Sliema, Malta

Sliema, Malta February 2016

Whilst looking for countries to run my marathon in, Clare found the Malta Marathon was around the date I was looking, reasonable temperature and a decent location to spend a week holiday as well…and we found it for a great price.  Booked and ready to go, there was pretty much nothing stopping us from going.  Then we had some great news, Clare was pregnant, and was due the day of the Marathon.

Malta was put on the back burner but not cancelled.  Our past history with pregnancy had been tumultuous at best, but as the months went by things were looking more promising to our family being blessed.  On the 17^th February 2016, Isabella was born.

Knowing how much training I had put in for this and the fact that I wanted to tick the marathon box complete and move on from the ridiculous distance, Clare pushed me to the airport.  I was off, without my family to spend a week in Sliema.

For the full details of the marathon please see my blog relating to that, this is about the holiday itself and what we did around the big day.

I had read that the temperature was going to be around 14 degrees, but the country had seen a unprecedented lack of rain and increasing heat, we were not complaining.  Checking into the basic but perfectly situated Carlton Hotel, I settled in for the night.

 Located in Balluta Bay, the Carlton Hotel was nothing too fancy, but exactly where we wanted to be.  Sea front views, ideal transport options and close to the start/finish line for the big run.  One of the first things I noticed was the amount of runners plodding up and down the coast.  The pavement was covered in healthy people!

Heading into Sliema around the coast we headed to check out the start/finish line so I knew where I would be heading in the early hours of the morning, grabbing a bite to eat on the way back and then into St Julians bay in the evening for a recommended meal at The Band Club.  Each district in Malta has a Band Club which organises local events and is a general meeting place for town folks, it had been recommended to us by local legend Big Eddie, a dear family friend who moved out to the small island a couple of years ago…but more on him later.

Sunday was Marathon day and was pretty much taken up by a 26.2 mile run meeting great people and struggling in the heat.  You can read more on this on my marathon posts, but rest assured once we had finished the run I quaffed a pint of Guinness in the Black Gold bar (again recommended by Big Eddie) and went back to the hotel to freshen up.  The showers at the Carlton hotel were incredible in the morning, however, in the afternoon the water pressure and temperature is something questionable.  This was not what I wanted after feeling as terrible as a did, but a cold trickle was all that could be mustered and endured.  Feeling a little under the weather, I ventured towards St Julians again (which because of all the Bays looping in and out, is a fair walk) where I met run friend John and his wonderful Mrs.  They live near one of our favourite destinations, Gadgrith, and I would love to meet up with them when we venture back oop North, even if John is a lot quicker than me with his run legs he is always up for a jaunt.  That night, still struggling from the fete tackled in the morning I ate my body weight in burger.  Known as the Double Big Daddy Burger, I sat looking at the behemoth burger unsure of how to tackle it.  My brain was not at full capacity so I just pushed it over and use a knife and fork…

The next morning we had decided to take in some of the sights and head to Valetta.   This fabulous city is on the crest of a hill and once you are in the centre, everything is up and down.  My legs were not having a great time but I struggled on.  I was not too happy though when my dad got lost on the outskirts of the city and we walked the full circumference.  A little sense of humour failure.  Valetta followed the same style that was evident throughout Malta, it is a lovely place but not yet finished.  I would love to own a scaffolding or crane hire company in Malta, it would be an absolute gold mine.  The main cathedral is recommended by Trip Advisor as one of the main points to see, but we struggled to take in its grandeur behind the steel tubes that adorned it.

We ate at another Big Eddie recommended restaurant that evening, and possibly the largest steak I had ever seen.  My folks had the ribs which struggled to fit on a serving plate.  These recommendations were far exceeding expectations.  Andrew’s Bar was the host restaurant for the Italian Big Brother housemates, but apparently they had caused a few too many arguments last season so will not be welcome back last time.  They are definitely missing on out some quality food there!

Tuesday saw us heading to the start line of the Malta Marathon, Mdina, the silent city.  Situated on the top of Malta there is a 360 view of the island.  An absolutely stunning place with far less scaffolding than elsewhere.  We ate in the neighbouring town of Rabat, rushed back to Mdina for a whistle stop tour before catching the hourly bus back to St Julians.  We had planned to stay longer, but with a meal booked at the Band Club we were pressed for time and needed to get back and freshen up.  A great meal with Eddie and Debs, and their half marathon running friends Karle and Vicki, but I was really struggling with legs and energy.

Wednesday my legs were feeling a little better, so I joined Vicki and Karle for a run around the bays.  I say run, it was definitely a quick hobble, but it was still great to be back out there.  Running around the bays seemed so much easier than the views I have at home, it seemed so much more refreshing.  I had opted for a nice relaxing day and let my folks venture off on their own.  The days of circumnavigating the country had taken its toll and I was happy to chill in the bay.  We opted for an Italian meal to close out the night at Sardinella.

On our final day, and I met up with John for a final run of the holiday.  Again, looping the bays but this time at a quicker pace.  Not by my choice, but with the intention of keeping up with a  far better runner than myself.

Big Eddie opted to be our tour guide with a difference for the afternoon whilst his wonderful wife Debs was working he took us on magical mystery tour of the little island.  There is a saying on the island that everywhere is 15 minutes away.  We pretty much covered the south of Malta with ease and venturing only minutes away from our starting point.  Our first port of call was …. Were we met a fantastic character that was f-ing and jeffing to my parents within minutes whilst explaining her experience of the UK (especially the Liverpool area).  This story was fantastic, and listening to it with a Maltese twist only made it more entertaining.  We sat down for a little drink and was adorned with tasty nibbles from our flowery language host.

Another 15 minute drive took us to …., a fantastic, quaint, laid-back, tourist free zone.  Stunning marina views and tranquil surroundings.  Again, the host of the bar we entered knew our tour guide as it seems so does everyone in Malta, he is big character that cannot hide in the background.  Chatting about the Maltese way, we whittled away the afternoon with a beer and a sandwich. 

That evening we were treated to dinner with Eddie and Debbie at their sea view apartment, chatting about future plans, family and adventures that Eddie had been on, this was a fantastic close to an enjoyable break. 

As enjoyable as the holiday was, full of adventure, new friends and challenges, I knew where I had to be.  Two people were looking forward to my return, two princesses needed me to come back and take on the greatest role in life.