Malta 2020, Day 1 and 2

With the rapidly unfolding situation around the world with the coronavirus crisis, it seems almost surreal that we were in Malta at the beginning of last week. We were following the alarming situation in Italy and the cancellation of flights and closing of borders, but at the time it concerned only Italy and Asian countries far away from us and we decided to risk it and go on our long prepaid and expected short holiday to Malta. As of the date of our flight there were only 3 reported cases in Malta and 4 in Bulgaria and the situation seemed quite calm, with constant reminders to wash our hands and disinfect the surfaces.
So, off we went and spent two and a half glorious days on the small Mediterranean island, under a warm and brilliant sun, surrounded by a deliciously blue sea, away from all the news and pandemonium panic.
We were so lucky - we returned on the evening of the 12th and on the next day Bulgaria's government declared emergency situation and Malta introduced emergency measures like 14 days quarantine on all foreign visitors. Had we known we'll have such a narrow escape from the closing borders, probably we wouldn't have risked it. But we did and we lucked. We've been observing a self-imposed quarantine (we both work from home anyway, so it was not a problem) and eight days from our flight back we are fine, so far.

I've divided my reportage from Malta into two parts - the afternoon after our arrival and the second day, and then a second posting with our third and final day in Malta. We landed at Valletta airport around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and after all the formalities and the accommodation - we booked a airbnb apartment in Floriana, right at the gates of the old city of Valletta, we went for a walk around Floriana and Valletta.

:St. James Bastion

:The lift from the Upper Barrakka gardens to the port

: Auberge de Castille

: Royal Opera House

: Jean de Vallette

: The Parliament to the left and the Ponte la Valletta far in the center

: In Valletta, across the St. John's co-cathedral

:We walked along the streets and down to Fort St. Elmo and from there on along the coast line

: The Great Bay

:Fort St. Angelo across

: We continued our walk quite awhile after sunset, by the Valletta Waterfront and around Floriana, but it was drizzling and then raining, so no more pictures

The next day the sun was shining and it was time for our big excursion around Malta, to Mdina, Rabat, the Dingli Cliffs and the Blue Grotto and back to Valletta.

: Our apartment was in the building to the left on the picture, right next to St. Publius Church and the Granaries.

: Early in the morning we took a bus to Mdina - the old capital of Malta, which has preserved its medieval character and is a UNESCO heritage site.

: The view from the castle walls to the spring landscapes around

: We absolutely adored our walk through the narrow streets

: Mesquita Square

: Palazzo Santa Sofia

: St. Paul's Cathedral

: After Mdina we went to Rabat and visited the St. Paul's catacombs

: The catacomb's - the incredible underground cemetery of Mdina

: After the walk around the underground tunnels and the very interesting information booths, explaining the history, rituals and features of the site, we took a bus to Dingli, to enjoy some of Malta's amazing landscape.

:The Dingli Cliffs are a bit reminiscent of Dover's white cliffs over the Channel. The sun was shining and we had a picnic on the cliffs, enjoying our Cisk beers and sesame treats

: Then we traveled to the Blue Grotto - a complex of sea caverns on the east coast and caught the sunset over the sea.

: There was so much more to see and explore, but a day is only 24 hours long :(