{"id":892,"date":"2023-02-18T14:35:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T14:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/?page_id=892"},"modified":"2023-02-19T21:37:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T21:37:13","slug":"malta-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/malta\/malta-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta – 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bu\u0121ibba Square to St Julian’s bay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decided, since this was my last day on this trip, to stay off the cliffs and just meander around the coast. A lot of this day was through built-up areas but it gets it out of the way and was quite pleasant anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Starting at the square which is much emptier at this time of the day, a 500m walk from my hotel. I can’t find a chemist that is open so, I am without paracetamol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The promenade. I’m playing guess the jogger. A hint of laundry conditioner on the wind hits me and I pick a sex and ethnicity from the scent. The jogger eventually catches and passes me and I award points. Have enough for a free Tesco rib-eye. Note the electric scooters. No Boris bikes here – just those. Better or worse?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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There’s no one around and I still wouldn’t use it. Does anyone?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Into the bay and then round that point. Getting cloudy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I was wrong. I thought that these were car garages but, they are boat garages. Still end up as summer houses though.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Another abandoned beach-side resort thing that I wandered into and got trapped inside. Had to retreat until I found a way up from the beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This one, although trapped behind the glass, is obviously not a hunter. She gets fresh flowers delivered every day. I suppose the preponderance of female icons of worship suggest a female driven take up of the religion. No female priests of course – that would not do – but the engine of Christianity here undoubtedly the women folk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Salina bay. The old salt pans now turned into a wetlands sanctuary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The wetlands may be set aside for their wild cousins but their edges are patrolled and jealously guarded by the locals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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While they are breakfasting, an interloper sneaks ashore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cement puddle boy. After many complaints from women wandering along his path, the council decided to drill out his eyes – poor blind cement puddle boy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Send your kids to bin their litter and they must learn to swim or die in the attempt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A red racist post box. I dare you, as a foreigner, to put your hand into that slot – go on – do it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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St. Michael’s Chapel of the Annunciation. There is nearly as many churches here as in sweet home Belfast Town.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Unfortunately, not a giant hutch with play slides and grass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Salina catacombs. Call me a hypocrite if you will but it was on my path (nearly) and I needed somewhere hidden from the road for a pee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Might as well take a pic of the inside since I’m here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Seems perfectly clear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We aren’t caravans so F you council.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This guy is taking the piss. Doesn’t even have any wheels anymore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The wind knocked over all these – I think – Yuca plants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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There is a large area of the shore roped off and this very informative plaque explains why.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This next tower. I can imagine these back in the day. Every few miles or so standing far above most other buildings and signalling to each other with a series of flags. Gold star to the Knights.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I shall have a cappuccino and water at that blockhouse cum caf\u00e9 on the right. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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How the Romans got their salt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Along the next part of this bay they allowed caravans and look at what happened. They built houses around them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Solving the water problem for your caravan cum compound, a giant water tank in its own little van. Something has become stuck to my head and I can’t get it off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Excellent idea. There are special stupid people targeting lasers, manned by a robot redcoat, built into the doorway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Approaching the Torri tal-Madliena and this massive development long abandoned. As with all these, I am taken by the fact that all the windows and frames have been removed, probably to be re-used elsewhere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The sea’s eaten the pathway again.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Torri tal-Madliena is on the edge of the Pembroke ranges still in use by the military. Range is live so I have to divert inland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I can imagine Alex visiting here one day to let a few rounds off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A view back to Pembroke etc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Spoil sports didn’t want colourful window frames and have ruined it for everyone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Even the feral cats get a little summer house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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St. George’s bay, once I get round that pier thing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The sea’s been chucking the stones at the farmers again.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It says, ‘You shall not pass.’ This is going to be tricky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Exquisite timing. I’m still dry. Well, thanks to that set of steps that bypassed the pier that is. One of the canon that defended the bay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I’m in the upmarket part of the island, St. Julian’s. Sort of wandered into a marina with all these yachts and classy apartments. What does a Greek urn? Is the old joke.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sea bass swimming between the boats.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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You could spell your name this way, Alex.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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She’s thrown her ear-ring away in a tantrum again. Poor smuck has to find it before the ambassador’s ball tonight.
.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nice. Bend the building to save the ancient Acacia tree.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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St. Julian’s bay. Loads of people. WTF is it like in summer?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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He’s parked his traditional fishing skiff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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While he fixes his net. ‘Give us a fish. Go on. Just a wee one.’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The supposedly famous ‘Love’ statue. The finish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The photographic self-image of me about to treat myself to a lovely rib-eye and 0% beer – class.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ok. The beef must be well rare, they’ve given me a machete to chop it down as it stampedes through. Home soon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bu\u0121ibba Square to St Julian’s bay I decided, since this was my last day on this trip, to stay off the cliffs and just meander around the coast. A lot of this day was through built-up areas but it gets it out of the way and was quite pleasant anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":673,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-892","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1164,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/892\/revisions\/1164"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}