I wish the title suggested the striking scenery in Malta but unfortunately that is not the case. All the buses, taxis and hearses (yes I did type hearses) are on strike. This is because currently the Malta buses, taxi’s and hearses have the monopoly in Malta and now the government has opened up the market for the hearses to the private sector.

The buses and taxi’s fear they will be next, and the reason they fear this is because they give the most appalling service and they would probably get squashed by any private company coming in and giving a good service. If the buses and taxis already gave the service that they should be giving they would not be so up in arms about this. We are totally behind the governments decision on this and hope that this will finally mean we will all receive a better service.

Don’t misunderstand me, everyone has a right to strike and make their voice heard, but it is how they are going about this that is despicable. Firstly of course this effects the broken hearted of the deceased as no hearses are in operation so the dead cannot be laid to rest.

Then of course there are the bus drivers, well that’s not fair I should just call them thugs and idiots from the start. They are obviously not running which leaves hundreds of people unable to get to work and the sick and invalid unable to get to doctors, hospitals etc. But that is not where this ends the bus drivers are still filling the roads with their buses, driving at snail paces (which they never do), blocking roads so the general public in their own vehicles cannot get through. The worse is though that the government provided transport for emergencies and these thugs actually mounted these vehicles terrorising the passengers beating up the drivers, smashing the windows and stealing the keys! As I write this I still cannot believe how they are behaving. It’s one thing to go on strike but quite another to behave this way. It is now complete bedlam here. This morning they have actually put soldiers at the airport to stop the bus drivers getting in and terrorising the tourists!. As of course if you are arriving in Malta for your holiday, there are no buses or taxis to get you to your hotel.

If you are coming to Malta for your holiday, it would be advisable to book yourself a hire car for your arrival. This would be best to do whilst still in the UK to ensure there will be one here for your arrival. Obviously if you are wanting to get about whilst here then you will be best keeping the hire car for the duration of your trip as at the moment there is no end to this strike in sight. A company our parents used when they visited Malta was Holiday Autos, who provided them with a good deal and good service.

The following was of the latest incident as described in the Times of Malta

‘A coach driver was forced off his vehicle and beaten in an incident near Zebbug this morning. Informed sources said the incident happened near St Dorothy School. The coach was transporting FISEC Games athletes when it was stopped by people who appeared to be striking public transport drivers. The coach driver was ordered down and beaten. His keys were stolen and the coach was left in the middle of the road. The police are investigating.’

Keep upto date with the situation on Times of Malta

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There are several British High Street Stores in Malta. Whether you are looking to move to Malta or just love to shop we have been asked what High Street Stores can be found in Malta. We have therefore listed a few of these below.

Most of the High Street Stores in Malta are located in Sliema. No matter where you are staying in Malta if you just get a bus to Sliema’s bus terminal you can find the shops from there. The bus terminal is located on the waterfront. Opposite here you will see Marks & Spencers, BHS and Dorothy Perkins, keep walking along and you will come to Zara’s on the corner. If you turn left here you will find Claire’s Accessories and Miss Selfridge take this street to the top to find Principles, Wallis, Evans and Oasis. Clarkes shoe store is on the corner then follow this street back down to the main street to find Miss Sixty, Accessorise, Monsoon, Top Shop and Next. It is set out quite well and all the shops are located on or next to these two streets. As you can see there is quite a good selection of British High Street Stores in Malta for ladies, men unfortunately struggle a little more but Marks and Spencers, Next and BHS in Malta all have men’s departments.

Malta opening Hours for Marks & Spencers and BHS are all day from 9am till 7pm Monday to Saturday. The rest of the stores close between 2pm-4pm, then re open until 7/7.30pm. All the stores are closed on a Sunday.

Valletta (Malta’s Capital) also has a few British High Street Shops but nothing on the scale of Sliema. Get a bus to the main Bus Terminal in Valletta, which is located just outside the city gates, you then enter onto the main street Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street). From here if you take the first or second right then the first left onto Triq Il-Merkanti (Merchants Street) here you will find Next and Principles. Turn left again at any stage to get back onto the main street. Proceed along here and you will find the Body Shop and if you wish to visit the large Marks and Spencers here turn left further along onto Triq it-Teatrul-Antik.

We hope you enjoy your Malta shopping trip!

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Is there a M&S in Malta? This is the all important question we are asked time and again. Not ‘what do we need to do to get an ID card?’, ‘finding the best place to live’ or ‘where to get a job in Malta’. No the most important question on any Brits list before moving or even visiting Malta is ‘is there an M&S?’. Where would us British be without a Marks & Spencers?. Luckily the answer is yes, as far as we know so far there are three Marks and Spencers in Malta. We have therefore put some details together of where the Marks and Spencers shops are located.

The main Marks and Spencers store is in Valletta. This store seems to stock everything a large store back in the UK would have. The store is huge and spread over five floors. The ground floor has a great Cafe with M&S sandwiches, cakes, soups, pastas and drinks on offer. On the ground floor there is also the food section. Now admittedly it is nothing like as large as the food stores back home but they do have quite a bit of stock. They have M&S soft drinks, wines, biscuits, sweets, chocolates, crisps, dry pasta, pasta sauces, sandwich spreads, soups, tinned veg, spices, sauces, onions, pickled beetroot, jars of peaches, pears, tea and coffee. A recent addition to the stores here in Malta is the frozen section. Here they store Bangers & Mash, Chili, Chips, Creamy Mash and Pizzas. This is not everything that the M&S food section stocks but you get the general idea.

The other floors house a home department-towels, bedding, pots, pans etc. Two floors for men!! one is casual the other smart-suits, shirts etc. There is also a children’s section and a large women’s section that expands across a bridge! You can find everything from pants and bras, to shoes, sleepwear, skirts, trousers, swimwear, tops etc. It is a really good store that covers most items you would want from home.

Here are a few directions to help you locate the M&S Valletta store. Get a bus from wherever you are staying in Malta to the main bus terminal in Valletta which is situated just outside the city gates. As you enter the city gates you will be on the main street called Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street). Follow this street along for quite a way until you get to a cafe called Cordina. This is situated on your left with seating area outside on your right.  You need to turn left here onto Triq it-Teatru l-Antik. You will see more or less straight away on your left a Marks & Spencer sign, this entrance is new and is housing the Per Una ladies clothing range. They have escalators that will eventually link up to the rest of the store but at the time of me writing this you have to carry on past this entrance to enter the rest of the store. Go past this Per Una section and take the next left, it looks abit like a back alley (well I guess it is) and here is the main entrance to the Marks and Spencer store.

The other M&S Malta store is located in Sliema. Get any bus to the main bus terminal in Sliema, which is on the waterfront, directly opposite here is the Marks & Spencers store. It is nothing like the size of the M&S store in Valletta but still stocks quite alot of items. Downstairs to the right is the small home section (ie: a few shelves) that has some towels, bathmats and kitchen utensils. Then there is the food section which pretty much stocks the same as the M&S Valletta store. The rest of this floor is home to the men’s department which has just about everything covered from casual trousers, shorts, shirts, tops, swimwear, nightwear, belts, suits, shirts and underwear. Upstairs is home to the children’s and ladies department. The ladies section covers everything again from underwear, swimwear, shorts, trousers, skirts, dressers, blouses, tshirts etc.

The only other M&S Malta store that I am aware of at this stage is one in the Baystreet Complex in Paceville within the St Julians area. This small store though is purely a food store and stocks about the same as the Valletta and Sliema stores.

Something to note is that anything purchased at Marks & Spencers in Malta you cannot get a card or cash refund on. You can only get gift vouchers back. These can be used back in the UK though, if this makes things awkward for you- try on first!

The M&S Malta opening times in Valletta and Sliema are open everyday from 9am to 7pm, (not closing at lunch) Monday to Saturday. The Paceville M&S Foodstore has the same times but is also open on a Sunday.

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There always seems to be a catch. Whenever you find a great place there will always be a downside somewhere, even if it, or should I say they are a small downside.

We have come to love the area of St Julians in Malta and no doubt this will be where we move to next. As we have already made two moves in the last few months this will not be for a while but it is certainly our favourite place so far.

Until you actually live in a certain town or city you cannot really tell what it will be like but St Julians is ticking all of our check list. It has a lovely marina, a beach with sand (a rarity in Malta), great restaurants, a good supermarket (which seem to be few and far between), good bus routes and an M&S food store!

The only downside so far seems to be that in parts of the St Julians area the sea seems infested with Jellyfish. We have not come across these anywhere else in Malta so far but around the marina and hotel areas in St Julians there are tons of them. It could just be the time of year and they may just be around the shore area and not further out in the water but we are not willing to think of a plan to get past the ones at the shore just to find out if it is clear further out!

So the only downside to St Julians so far is that if you want to go for a swim you need to be eating fish and chips with plenty of vinegar and getting drunk whilst needing the loo…….Well if you get stung apparently what helps with the sting is vinegar (not sure a soggy chip will work), alcohol (okay maybe not a G&T) and well I am sure you can work out the last one!

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Thank goodness that the weather men often get the forecasts wrong!

After getting a few extra grey hairs (and sore knees from praying to the weather gods) worrying the weather would be bad for the royal parents visit, it turned out to be perfect. In fact one day my Mum actually commented on it being too hot, phew…

That was a really close call to say that just a few days ago we had rain (as my last post) and then the following day the heavens opened again in the afternoon. I must say though we actually liked it! I know that might sound mad after escaping the British and Canadian weather, but when it’s hot and sunny all the time rain is quite a novelty. When we got caught out in it last week we were in no rush to escape the rain drops that were cooling our scorched skin. Funny how your perspective of rain can soon change.

The main thing is our parents saw lovely sunshine for all of their stay and since then it has been getting hotter each day. The weather center today says it is topping 32 degrees, which I can believe. We best get used to it as within the next few months the temperature rises to 40 in the shade!

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Each time we chat to friends and family from back home we cannot help but slip into the conversation that the weather here is beautiful.

We wake up to blue skies and bright sunshine everyday, it’s wonderful. So if I tell you that next week sees our first family visitors from the UK. I bet you can guess what it did today…yep you got it, it rained and not just a shower either put proper real rain!

Now I got on my knees and prayed to the weather gods that please please don’t let this be a change in the weather my parents are due in day’s and even though I honestly have no magical powers, it will without a doubt be my fault if it is raining when they come to visit. What makes it worse is all my parents are telling me is how the weather in the UK is great at the moment!! This obviously makes the situation 10 zillion times worse.

You may think I am over exaggerating, but you don’t know my parents, especially my sun worshipping step dad! Even worse I have just checked the five day weather forecast and its all clouds, rain and thunder and lightning!!!! what did I do to deserve this?, the weather men can get it wrong though can’t they?………

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Okay so lets say you’ve moved to Malta and you discover a new area today in Valletta called the ‘Waterfront’ and out of a selection of great restaurants available you end up in the Hard Rock Cafe!!! How did this happen??

Well firstly we had not ‘found’ this area before as it is where the cruise ships dock and thus we try to avoid that area as it would be busy with tourists and prices in the shops and restaurants in this area are usually higher (as was the case). However they have really set up this area nice, it is literally next to where the cruise ships dock and the one in today was humongous. It was eight floors high and ran the whole length of the docking area.

We had a stroll along the front which was mainly occupied by restaurants, all of which looked really nice. Each one had its own seating area outside next to the water, overshadowed by the huge cruise ship.

As it was lunch time we decided to eat at one of these restaurants and did we choose which restaurant by the gastronomical delights on the menu? Of course not we chose the restaurant with the most comfortable squishy chairs underneath a big umbrella and then picked up the menus. Which brings us to how we ended up in a Hard Rock Cafe and not some typical Maltese establishment. I must say though that the nosh was great and we will definitely be back!

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A beach is quite a rarity in Malta as the coastline is mainly made up of chunky rocks that are definitely not as comfortable as lying on the sand. However there are a few beaches in Malta and we got a bus to a lovely beach today called ‘Golden Bay’.

The beach has just one hotel as a companion that is just tittering on the edge of the sand. Surprisingly a town has not been built around the beach and it is devoid of anything else except the odd beach hut cafe.

Picture a beautiful clear day, bright blue skies, clear crisp waters and wonderful sand! We hired a sun lounger and relaxed under an umbrella whilst eating fresh fruit and sipping drinks, bliss.

The beach was quite peaceful today but no doubt this will soon change as we get further into the summer months as this is a prime spot for locals and tourists alike.

We cannot wait to return, we might be tempted to hire a car next time though as the combination of the roads to the beach and the old clapped out bus meant we were certainly ready to have a lie down once we reached the beach. Anyway don’t get me started on these crazy buses again!!

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We have been living in Malta a few weeks now, well nine weeks but who’s counting? With each week we seem to come across a creature/bug that we have not seen here before.

As the title suggests the most beautiful, none bug we have seen is a white dove. We were just having a stroll in St Pauls Bay and stopped for a rest on a bench looking out to sea when a dove came and sat on the railing in front of us and cocked it’s head to one side just checking us out. It was that close we could have touched it but seemed curious of our presence there. Now maybe this was the doves spot for three o’clock in an afternoon and wondered what on earth we were doing in his or her spot. We eventually felt that we were intruding and continued with our walk leaving the dove to it’s view.

We also came across a humongous Dragonfly, just sat on the pavement. I actually nearly squished it, what it was doing there we cannot say. It had no intention of moving so waited until we walked around it and then proceeded to follow us, maybe it knew we were on the way to get ice cream!

We tend to see little lizards everywhere. They are usually running about darting into cracks and crevasses as we are walking around, mainly in the late afternoon or evening. Luckily they are more scared of us than the other way round.

Today we have seen what we think was a huge locust sat on someones doorstep. We had to do a double take as it did not seem real. It was huge and just did not move even though we got really close. I am hoping we won’t see too many of these about.

No doubt there will be a lot more bugs crawling and flying about soon as the weather gets even hotter, not something that we are particularly looking forward to.

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We visited Mdina today, drawn by the fact that this is also named the Silent City. If you have read our previous posts you will know this is something we have been searching for in Malta, a bit of peace and quiet.

We were hoping to visit late afternoon into the evening as the guide books state this is the best time to visit, once the tourists have gone home. Unfortunately as we were traveling under the winter bus schedule times we could not stay for the evening as the last bus was at 5.30pm to get back home. However, yes there were a few tourists but quite often we found ourselves on our own wandering along some beautiful alley. This was surprising really as the walled city of Mdina is such a small place but so peaceful. We found a lovely cafe at the edge of the wall with amazing views and great home made cakes-perfect!

Just outside the walled city was an oasis of a lovely tranquil garden with huge trees offering plenty of shade whilst you rest on a bench feeling all relaxed-bliss.

We will definitely be back to Mdina and hopefully next time we will also explore the town outside Mdina called Rabat.

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