From Mountains to Mountains

We had a fantastic finish to our 2 month adventure. Our Swiss daughter and partner planned a week-end trip to the mountain village of Zermatt in the southern part of the country, close to the Italian border. The 2 bedroom apartment they booked had a direct view, from our spacious living room, to the pointed peak of the Matterhorn (4478 Metres). On Saturday morning we departed early to catch the cog wheel train, used for steep gradients, from Zermatt to Gornergrat (3135 metre peak). With the weather forecast calling for a cloudy afternoon, we got off the train at the Rotenboden station (2815 metres) one stop before the top. The blue sky allowed for some great views of the Matterhorn and many of the other 28 Swiss Alps peaks that were within sight and over 4,000 metres in height. We walked down to a small valley and frozen lake that offered mirror views of the Matterhorn during the summer. After returning to the station, Pocahontas opted for the next train to the top, while the rest of us hiked our way up along a steep, snow path. The views at the top offered a full 360 degree view that was impressive but the clouds were starting to roll in and the Matterhorn peak was slowly disappearing, to the chagrin of other travellers who opted to sleep in that day. While waiting for the next train down the mountain, we visited a small museum that offered a 3D, virtual paragliding flight to the Matterhorn and back, while sitting in a swinging chair off the ground. It was a fun experience and the new attraction was being offered for free till the end of the year, so our timing was fortunate.

Once we were back in Zermatt, we wandered around the town that had many similarities to Whistler with it's pedestrian-friendly streets. Shops and restaurants were at street level and rooms for accommodation above, not to mention the early-season skiers walking to or from the lifts with their gear. We found a nice spot for lunch and then walked uphill to our apartment, where we enjoyed 30 minutes in a sauna and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Another evening surprise awaited. A dinner reservation had been made prior to our w/e trip at one of the nicest restaurants in Zermatt, Brassiere Uno. Once there we were treated to a 7 course meal with wine pairings. The food was excellent, with artistic presentation, and appropriate sizing so that every course could be enjoyed. It was a glorious finish to an outstanding day, and to our time overseas.

We are now safely back in Canada, but it didn't come without some apprehension. Our pre-flight Covid tests both came back negative late on Sunday night, but my bride's confirmation was provided using her maiden name which obviously did not match her passport name. Our hugs were exchanged Monday morning and we headed to the airport early not knowing if we were going to be allowed to board our flights. Fortunately, the Covid test lab at the airport was open and they re-issued the correct document and we were on our way. We had also decided to purchase a Covid home-testing kit to bring back with us so that post-flights we could ensure we were still healthy in between visits with family and friends.

Hopefully, we won't have to deal with all the Covid-induced travel requirements next time around but if we do we will certainly be experienced with the routine! 

After arriving in Zermatt at night, the next morning we woke up to a beautiful view of the Matterhorn from our apartment window. It doesn't look like an easy climb but 3,000 fit trekkers do the technically challenging climb annually. Unfortunately, over 500 others have perished along the way.

Our pack leader checking out the surrounding views on our way up to the Gornergrat peak. There were a few spots like this with rock showing which was easier to navigate than the snow covered uphill path.

The view down to the Gornergrat hotel from the peak, with the cog wheel train stop further below. The impressive Matterhorn peak was no longer visible for the rest of the day, so our early start paid dividends.

Our daughter taking her turn enjoying the 3D virtual reality paragliding experience around the Matterhorn and back, on one of the 3 suspended chairs available. It was a unique activity for us, and a safer option! With limited crowds earlier in the day we were able to try the second option which was a 3D panoramic paraglide trip.

Walking along the pedestrian-friendly streets in Zermatt. It reminded us of Whistler Village which copied the successful street plans from the Swiss Alps towns and villages.

While wandering around Zermatt we came across this interesting tree art. Look carefully at the design, would you drink from this water source?

The view of the Zermatt village while walking back to our apartment. Notice the green taxi vehicle coming up behind us. Zermatt is a car-free town and the only vehicles allowed are electric taxi's and a few battery driven buses, making it a quiet and clean place to be. The taxis are larger than normal to accommodate ski equipment and up to six people squeezed in to the two bench seats facing each other. Anyone visiting Zermatt with a car, needs to park in a village 5 km's away and then take a train, taxi or shuttle bus to Zermatt.

This was how our dinner at Brassiere Uno started out, and this was only one of the two first course sharing platters delivered to our table. With two more servings on the second platter, one might have thought our advertised 5 course meal was sitting in front of us.....but 6 more courses followed in order.
This particular platter featured a stuffed mushroom, corn salad and baba ghanoush filled pastry.

A Dose of Vitamin D

Our Swiss daughter arrived safely in Malta and we found a quiet, relaxing seaside apartment to rent for the week in Marsaskala. With a private pool and patio facing the Mediterranean, it was indeed a respite listening to the waves crash against the rocky shoreline less than 100 metres away. We spent 3 lazy days in the large apartment, only venturing out for short walks, groceries, and a few meals. Our only distant outing was a bus trip for a short visit to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk where we walked alongside the harbour admiring the luzzu's, small colourfully painted rowboats, with the Eye of Osiris painted at the front of the bow for "protection" while out at sea. We also enjoyed a fresh seafood lunch of swordfish and sea bream.

Re-energized, the next day we took a Bolt taxi, similar to Uber, over to the west coast to check out the Blue Grotto. The large waterside arch was picturesque but the windy day precluded small boats taking us out on the water and inside the small caves to view the blue hues in the water. Undeterred, we walked 1.5 km's slightly uphill to visit the coastal megalithic temples of Hagar Qim and nearby Mnajdra. Built between 3000-3500 BC, using massive limestone slabs, including one weighing over 20 tonnes, one wondered how the temples were assembled using manual labour only. Carbon dating has determined that these temples were built prior to both Stonehenge and the Pyramids. From there we took a bus to Valletta so that we could provide our daughter with a quick tour of the busy city, followed by a small boat ride over to Birgu to enjoy dinner at one of our favourite seaside restaurants in Malta (Cargo).

On another day we took a taxi from the south end of the island to the north end (40 minutes) and then a short ferry to the pedestrian only island of Comino (3.5 sq. km's). The major attraction there is the Blue Lagoon where a small, shallow, sandy beach with Caribbean-like blue hues stretching out into a sheltered bay made for heavenly views. Those views continued on our walk around the island visiting other bays and steep cliffs on the opposite side where weather induced rock formations ruled. Our final Malta day trip was to the small town of Tarxien, home of some additional megalithic temples, a continued theme to help us feel much younger than our passport dictates. Tarxien was also home of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a complex underground cavern dating back to the 3000-3600 BC times. The Hypogeum was carved out by hand and used to hold the bodies of over 7000 humans. It was discovered only when a cistern was being dug in the early 1900's. Because of the fragility of the find, it is kept climate-controlled, no pictures are allowed and only 80 visitors are allowed every day. It was amazing to experience the creations from so long ago, made without the tools of today.

We are now back in Basel, Switzerland, nearing the end of our 2 month trip. One more Swiss overnight trip is planned before flying back home, which will be a nice farewell with our daughter and her partner. 

The patio area for our 8 night stay in Marsaskala. Our 'sea view' apartment didn't match the one on the website, which would have been taken from the apartment above us, but it was still relaxing to hear the waves crashing against the rocky shore below.

The harbour area in nearby Marsaxlokk. The colourful luzzu's were a drawing attraction in this small fishing town.

Our seaside lunch in Marsaxlokk. My freshly caught Sea Bream is in the forefront and my bride's swordfish on the opposite side. Our daughter's vegetarian dish didn't make the day's headline. The Mediterranean tide reaches one metre and by the end of our lunch the water was starting to roll in under our table.

Our day trip over to the Blue Grotto on the west side of the island. This shot was taken from the viewpoint at the top and a combination of the waves crashing and no rowboats with tourists in sight we realized our hopes of visiting the small caves were dashed. Some nearby megalithic temples still made the venture worthwhile.

A special point of interest inside the South Temple of Hagar Qim, uphill from the Blue Grotto.

Notice the small hole at the back wall, where at summer solstice the sun would shine directly through onto a shrine in the chamber.......amazing technology for the time.

One of the many pedestrian and restaurant friendly streets in Valletta. This particular one was adorned with lampshades overhead.

After enjoying a harbourside dinner in Birgu, we were able to enjoy the night lights in the area.

The beautiful blue hues and limestone cliffs visible when walking around Comino Island. Looking at the almost treeless and rock coated island.....Gozo is in the far background.....it was easy to understand why the full-time population currently stood at 2 people. Due to it's history and the beautiful Blue Lagoon several hundred tourists still visited the day we went and thousands a day in the summer.

The South Temple at the Tarxien finding. Like most of the other megalithic complexes, the remaining limestone slabs were covered overhead with a protective shield against nature's elements, allowing future generations to enjoy the discovery. All of the more fragile artifacts (statues, utensils, etc.) have been moved to museums for additional protection.

While strolling from the Tarxien Temples to the Hypogeum underground cavern we came across this street view of the Paola Parish Church. The Maltese balconies enhanced the sighting.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

We flew from Italy to Malta more than a week ago on a ridiculously cheap Ryanair flight, one of many we have taken advantage of while in Europe over the years. Malta is such a small island country that we decided to return to normal public transportation, our usual mode of travel abroad......and an easy way to avoid driving on the left hand side of the road, with a right side steering wheel, while maneuvering around roundabouts. Between buses and ferries it is fairly quick to get anywhere around the country which is less than 30 km's in length and 15 km's in width.

We started off with one night in the busier than expected tourist city of Valletta, and then took a 10 minute ferry ride across the large harbour to the quieter and closely knit Three Cities side where we rented an Airbnb apartment for the week to use as our base. Before departing Valletta we, along with thousands of other interested observers, were able to watch the start of the Middle Sea Sailing Race, a prestigious race with boats from around the world attempting to be the first to return to the Grand Harbour after sailing around Sicily and back. To avoid congestion at the start, the 114 sail boats, ranging in size from 9 to 43 metres, departed in groups of 15 or so, with a cannon blast from the fort above signaling the start for each class. We returned to the harbour 2 mornings later hoping to see the winning boat arrive and break the 47 hour time record, which they did in favourable wind conditions, but while we were sleeping. While checking out the sites in the Three Cities for the next few days we observed the boats being cleaned up in the marinas, and the young, athletic crews celebrating not following off their sailboats in the middle of a race and being left behind to swim to shore (my interpretation).

Malta has an incredible history, which we have learned more about everywhere we go. Being in the middle of the Mediterranean, every mainland country around them has taken their turn of ruling the island, right up until 1964 when they gained their independence from the UK. As a result forts were built everywhere by different rulers, and renovated following extensive WWII damage (Malta was the only Allied country surrounded by Axis countries.) for those of us wishing to visit and understand the past. We toured some underground WWII tunnels below the Valletta fort which were quickly built to relocate troops and house radar tracking and strategy rooms where the key decisions were made. Medieval castles and palaces also exist, making for interesting walks every day. St. John's Co-Cathedral, the crown jewel of Valletta, was a sight to behold with it's immaculately decorated interior that included marble floors, ceiling paintings and baroque art that extended to the 9 side chapels as well. We encountered the first rainy days of our trip so we postponed our visits to the other parts of the country. With no flight booked to leave Malta, that flexibility worked to our advantage once again.

We received some exciting news that our Swiss daughter was going to come and join us here for a week so that she could get some rest........does that mean she thinks we move around very slowly? With that in mind we moved on from the Three Cities to Sliema, just north of Valletta across another ferry accessible bay to spend a few days in another area while waiting for our daughter to arrive. The Sliema area was much busier than Birgu, one of the Three Cities, where we stayed previously. Waterfront promenades connected several towns, making for a leisurely walk over to the neighbour town of St. Julian's. We also made two day trips, the first was inland to the original capital of Mdina, with a walled pedestrian friendly Old Town, where we learned more about the Knights of Malta and their Grand Master leaders (1530 to 1798 with some time outs in between). The second trip was to the island of Gozo, accessible by a 20 minute ferry ride. Our highlights there included a visit to some megalithic temples (Ggantija, 3500 BC) and to the Ta'Pinu Shrine where small miracles are documented on the walls from the grateful recipients. Sadly, our request to continue enjoying travel for another 50 years would have been classified as "non-urgent", and will likely never make its way to the top of the pile. 

Addiju.

With Valletta positioned on a small peninsula, from the small hilltop centre everything sloped down to water on both sides. That didn't deter outdoor dining where wide steps facilitated chairs and single stem tables. The Bars also used large cushions for their patrons to sit on leaving just enough room for pedestrians to get through. 

The start for one of the smaller monohull segments in the Mid Sea Sailboat Race following the official cannon blast. In the background is Fort St. Angelo at the tip of the Birgu peninsula that we visited while staying on that side. There were marinas with beautiful boats on both sides and a promenade allowing dreams to take shape.

While visiting Marsaskala on the southern coast we came across some salt pans, just one of many around the island. A lot of them are still being used with harvest season lasting from May to September.

A typical side street in the older part of towns. This was was taken in Birgu while making our way to the Cathedral in the background. Note the colourful Maltese balconies that were prominent on the island.

This shot was taken from the top of Fort St. Angelo in Birgu, looking down towards the luxurious boats parked in the marina. The superyacht on the left had a small pool and a helicopter pad on top. The sailboat beside it was the Skorpios monohull that came second in it's division of the Mid Sea Sailboat Race.

The majestic St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. This was one of 9 side chapels in the Cathedral, with each one of them artistically designed and none that looked alike. Audio guides provided excellent descriptions of the works in front of us.

While taking a guided tour of the WWII War Tunnels of this top secret area....at the time, we were able to see many of the war rooms where high level decisions were made. In this case radar tracking, not nearly as sophisticated as it is today, was then conveyed to officers in other rooms that we visited.

We saw this entrepreneurial venture while walking along the promenade in Valletta. My gelato-loving bride would love to convert our camper van into something similar, with no intent on selling any product. It would be primarily for personal consumption, and perhaps sharing with some close friends.

On our way to the Ta'Pinu Shrine (background) on the island of Gozo, we came across this piece of art. It was composed of recycled plastic bottles (bottom end showing) and came with a dire warning of the harm plastic was doing to our planet.

Inside the Ta'Pinu church we saw several side rooms adorned with thank you notes on the walls for small miracles asked for and received. It was heartening to read some of them.

The remains (and re-work) of a small section of the North Temple at the Ggantija ruins in the town of Xaghra on Gozo island. This World Heritage site was built prior to both Stonehenge and the Pyramids, sometime around 3600 BC. An attached museum provided models of the original layout  and the tools used back then, based on the findings of archeologists.