Holiday in Malta

17/6/2025

#malta #muza #nationalmuseumofart #maltaclassiccarmuseum #maltanationalaquarium #mdina #melliehabay #popeyevillage #gozo #victoria

#Valetta #MUZA The National Museum of Art

On the day that we visited Valletta, the capital city of Malta, two cruise ships had docked in the harbour and at least two thousand people also decide to visit as well!
It was a very hot day and walking down the main street, with this many people. proved to be an unpleasant experience. Having to navigate our way along the road, it was a shame that we couldn't enjoy the architecture and views, so we decided to explore the less crowded side streets.
This proved to be a wise choice and we could appreciate the city and be able to take in the beautiful buildings.

It was a very hot day though, and after a cold drink we were pleased to find The National Museum of Community Art, where we could view the artwork in air conditioned rooms.
An enjoyable hour was spent going from room to room although it seemed odd to view the more modern art work, before experiencing the older work. This would have been the other way round in most other galleries.

Visit to Malta Classic Car Museum Tourist Street Saint Paul's Bay, SPB 1020,

One thing we always like to do is explore the area near our hotel. On one walk, nearby, we came across a classic car on a street corner. I had read about the museum but the building didn't seem big enough to be a museum, especially one dedicated to classic cars!
Going down a small flight of stairs, we we surprised to find that the basement opened out into a huge area and we were soon exploring these beautiful machines. I can remember many of these cars being on the roads and even owned an MGB Gt for many years. As well as the nostalgia, it made me realise that many of them were works of art, and not the mass produced vehicles often seen today.
An enjoyable couple of hours spent away from the heat.

The Classic Car Collection was the brainchild of obsessive petrol-head Mr. Carol Galea, an avid and self-confessed car enthusiast. He first began customising and building his own cars for local hill climbing races and but his hobby evolved into a full-blown passion for classic cars.

Malta National Aquarium

Another interesting place that we visited, near the hotel was the aquarium, which was a short walk along the sea front. This was another opportunity to for us to escape the unexpected heat.
Although, not as big as others we had visited, it was another fascinating insight into the many types of fish that can be seen. Some are very colourful, and others ranged in size. We even found Nemo and Dory!
There was a chance to design my own fish on computer (the one in the middle of the first picture) and we enjoyed walking under the covered walkway, where the sharks lurked.

Not being great sunbathers anymore, it was nice to be able to explore the island. We also visited Mdina, The Silent City and took the ferry to Gozo, visiting the capital Victoria. For nostalgic reasons we took a bus ride to Mellieha Bay, where we stayed nearly forty years ago. It came as no surprise that it had changed quite a lot from the quiet beach we had known!
As had Popeye village, which had been just a few partially built buildings originally used as the film set for the 1980 film, 'Popeye,' starring the late Robin Williams. It had been transformed into a complete village and had lots of activities for visitors to enjoy.