Saturday 19th May

Today we woke up to find things a little unusual - it was cloudy and there was no sun!!  However, not to be put off by this, we headed to the bus station and took a local bus back to Marsaxlokk again to have another look around on what would hopefully be a quieter day.  I was feeling a bit cold so bought a heavier T-shirt at the market - by doing that of course, the sun then came out!!

Grey skies to start with

Blue sky started to appear

Beautiful lace umbrellas for sale

We were back in Valletta for lunch and tried out the 282 Coffee Shop for a change - it was very nice indeed.  After that we had another walk up to Upper Barrakka Gardens then decided to chill out at the hotel for a while.  I never tired of the views from the gardens, or from seeing the cats while there!!

I took a few photos at the hotel.  As it had cleared, I had been hoping for a nice sunset, but the cloud cover came back!!

There was still loads of time to relax prior to our pick-up time of 9 p.m.  We had decided not to eat prior to leaving as we reckoned there would be food on offer at the village.  We had also decided to book this tour rather than just hopping on a local bus as we discovered that the last bus going back to Valletta was 11.15 p.m. and we were unsure as to whether that would be too early.  As it happened, it would have been too early and we'd have missed everything, so it actually had been better to book - we had made the right decision!!  The bus was a little late in arriving, but it was quite a big coach and it was quite full, but we were soon off and on our way.

On our arrival about 15 minutes later, we got off the bus and our guide took us through the streets to the church in the village, the Parish Church of Tarxien.  He took us into the church and also explained that the statues and the elaborate bandstand in which the brass band were playing were actually made from wood and painted to look like marble and are only in place during the festa.  They looked marvellous and you'd never have guessed they were all wooden!!  The guide also said that there would be an aerial firework display and also the huge Catherine wheels that were set up in the square.  He also told us that these fireworks are all made by the men of the villages, and that there have been quite a few fatalities as a result, with one family suffering six fatalities a few years ago.  The fireworks are all made and displayed free - no extortionate costs for the displays such as there would be here in the UK.  We had been right in thinking that there would be food stands - there were - lots of them!!  Most of them were selling fast food such as burgers and kebabs, but what the heck, we were on holiday after all!!  The whole place was positively buzzing!!!

All made from wood!!

Then the bangs began - the aerial display was underway!!  But, where to stand?  In the square near the Catherine wheels that the guide had said would be like nothing we'd ever witnessed before, or go for a better view to see the aerial display??  We opted to stay in the square so that hopefully we'd a get a good view, hence the reason my photos of the aerial display aren't that good!!  I had to rely on a (not so) steady hand or by placing the camera on a large speaker we were standing next to!! We thought it prudent to move from there before our ear drums were blasted with music!!  So, although I had a fairly good spot for the first few photos, I didn't have such a good one for the later ones.

Now, a note about health and safety in case anyone is worried about that aspect.  Well, don't be worrying - there is none!!  People were just milling about everywhere, even where the big Catherine wheel displays were but, the Police were on hand and they eventually put everyone, including us, behind portable barriers, and I had a great view.  Well, that didn't last long.  Soon, people were milling around everywhere again, and the Police weren't bothered one little bit!! So, if you attend one of these festas, just be careful where you stand, use a bit of common sense and enjoy the experience!

These photos aren't that good, but here's the best selection from the aerial display:

After this finished, preparations began to light the Catherine wheels.  People moved out of the way from each one, but not very far, and in fact some of the young lads who had obviously been instrumental in their construction, were running about under them and must have been getting covered in the flying sparks.  In fact, I thought at one point that I'd be going back to the hotel with singed hair and holes in my clothes!!  What an experience!!  This is really not to be missed if you have the chance to go.

I have some (not so good) photos of the Catherine wheels and did take some video, but I'm not sure if the videos will upload or not as they may be in the wrong format.  I'll start with some photos and will try to upload a video or two later.  The last four photos here are of a contraption that opened up as the Catherine wheel span round, revealing a lovingly painted religious scene to the tune of Ave Maria.  As it opened, the young lads cheered and danced and whooped in excitement!!

Yes, this chap was close!!

The painting began to open up as the Catherine wheel span round

Opened more

Fully open to cheers and whooping from the young lads in the crowd

The detail is incredible

At the end of the display we headed back to our coach, leaving the local people to celebrate - probably long into the night!!  It's just as well we booked the tour to see this festa - remember me saying that the last bus back to Valletta was 11.15 p.m.?  Well, we didn't get back to the hotel until 1.30 a.m. and we were the first to be dropped off!!

This was another night where I think I was sleeping before my head hit the pillow!!

Friday 18th May

This was it then, up early for a second time and downstairs to wait for an 8 a.m. pick-up!!  However, this time I checked with reception first and was delighted to learn that the trip was on!!  The wind had certainly dropped significantly and the sun was shining, so I just had to now hope that I wasn't going to be sea-sick!!

Our driver was a little late in picking us up, but on reaching Sliema where the boat was to leave from, other coaches were just arriving with other passengers, so there wasn't a problem.  Once the captain gave the say-so, we all boarded and my husband and I were lucky to get seats in the front section of the boat.  The captain went through some safety procedures and made sure we all knew where the lifejackets were, and off we went.  The music was playing (not too loudly), the sun was shining and the sea was calm, but then we entered open water and it did get a little rocky, so it wasn't too long before I began to feel a bit queasy!!  However, I was determined not to let that spoil my trip so just had to grin and bear it and I kept my eye on the horizon, which always helps to make me feel a little better.

As an extra to the cruise (10EU per person) a power boat trip was offered for the time spent at the Blue Lagoon in Comino to visit some of the caves, so we paid for that as it sounded quite exciting.  Not far into the cruise, the crew came round with sandwiches, but I wasn't too keen on them as there were olives and capers on them, two things which I just do not like, plus I was still feeling queasy, so I didn't eat much of them.  My husband enjoyed them and so did most of the other passengers.

On arrival at the Blue Lagoon, we stopped for lunch and some people took the opportunity of swimming and snorkeling in the clear blue water.  Then the power boat arrived, complete with its two 300hp engines!!  Wow, it looked superb and, although I was a bit wary of how I would feel on board, I was really looking forward to the experience.

There was quite a large queue waiting to board and we were at the back, so no chance of being on the first trip out.  However, it was probably better because by the time we boarded, there were only about ten of us on board, and we had a ball!!  The driver (can you call him a driver??) was totally and utterly mad and, after taking us round the caves, he took us for some short but very fast runs over the water, buzzing around other boats and then skipping across the waves and crashing down like stones!  I had no idea how hard water can feel when landing on it at such speed!!  It was totally awesome though and well worth the money spent.

Turkish Gulet that we sailed on

We were back on board in time for lunch which was a fantastic buffet which I couldn't do justice to because of feeling a bit ill!!  The crew were very attentive and made sure everyone had enough to eat and drink.  You could buy drinks on board from the bar, but during lunch soft drinks and wine were included in the price of the cruise.  We left Comino around 1.30 p.m. for the sail back to Valletta and the crew handed round some very welcome and refreshing melon slices.

Some views on board the boat:

 Some photos taken from the boat:

Gozo ferries

Dingli Cliffs

Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples

Cruise boats in the Grand Harbour

The cruise also incorporated a quick tour of the Grand Harbour then back to dock in Sliema.  We got back to the hotel around 6 p.m. just in time for a quick shower and change and out for dinner after a long but very enjoyable day.  After dinner, we could hear multiple loud bangs and discovered that a Festa must have been taking place away in the distance as we could see the fireworks.  I tried to take some photos of the night views, so here they are, but they may be a little sloping as I had to make do with an uneven wall for support!!

We walked back to the hotel for drinks on the balcony and then I think I was sleeping before my head hit the pillow!!