Holidays – Page 4 – Fred Hartshorn

Malta 2014 Part 2

Dome

Day 3

Travelled to Mosta on the 31 bus route to the Mosta Dome.

Outside

Fitting the special front

Angel

Dome

Copy of the Bomb

One of the Alters

Inside

Dome

Statue of Mary

Statue of St Paul

A place of miracles during WW2 (9 April 1942) when a bomb came through its dome (St Marija Assunta Church) and didn’t explode with the church containing around 300+ people inside. Other bombs bounced off the outside of the dome into the square and also didn’t explode. A replica of the bomb is on display inside.

On our return to Buġibba after a great filling meal we went to watch Boċċi which is the Maltese version of the Italian game of bocce, French pétanque and British bowls. The main difference of this version is that the ‘balls’ aren’t round but cylinders like long baked bean cans that roll off in all directions when they land. The locals took it very serious but we just couldn’t stop laughing.

A grumble about Stansted Airport and Ryanair

It takes too long to get through all the queues then get to your gate.

Stayed at the Days Inn just outside the airport (great place to stay). Got up at 4:00am for a 6:45 take off to Malta.

Cup of coffee and no breakfast before leaving for the long stay car park a few miles away.

Queue to get in the car park through the barrier to get a parking ticket (but I’ve paid in advance, what do I do now?)

Find car park C, …… park; what now?

There’s a bus, should take 10 mins but takes more than that to go round the car park stops.

In the arrivals entrance – find Rayanair bag drop off – it’s 5:00 now. Big queues – free for all – is this the right queue? Wait, wait…

5:30 and we’re through, check information at the other end of the entrance hall to see if I parked OK as the blurb said I needed to register my car to avoid a parking fine … I’m OK they say….

Find security, massive queue… up one row, down the next, up, down, etc it’s gone 6:00. Up, down, We’re there, case up, take out electronics, money, watch, bracelet, belt, keys, liquids! and get through the detector without setting it off. The x-ray isn’t happy with the liquids as some are prescription items even though we have the paperwork for them …. send them through the x-ray again. OK, get dressed again and put everything away again. 6:20 and we still have to find which gate to get to… 54 .. where’s that…

Up the escalator, weave though all the shops selling stuff I don’t want. I’m hungry and thirsty, no I don’t want free samples or toblerones … 54 this way >>> down the escalator, up the next, more toblerones, W. H. Smiths grab a meal deal, down the escalator, up the next, and again and again, more toblerones, 6:40 and we’re at the gate, final call, but still a queue. Priority passengers push past… show our boarding pass… your bags will have to go in the hold – it’s free. Rush on to find our seats. We’re off…. at last.

No breakfast, tablets I should have taken, gone into the Hold. 1 bottle of water, 1 egg Mayonnaise sandwich, 1 bag of crisps that have blown up to a ball with the air pressure and I’ve gone deaf as usual so I can’t make out anything the stewardess says. ……………………… but after that it was a great holiday in Malta.