Sabbatikos

Mdina, greeted us with a warm morning glow at Mdina Gate. This gate, famously featured in Game of Thrones (Season 1, Episode 3), is where Catelyn Stark entered King’s Landing, and like her, we followed in her footsteps through the archway. Mdina is known as the Silent City because most cars are not allowed, and many of its winding alleyways are too narrow for even the smallest European vehicle. The tranquility and timelessness give it the feel of a film set, even though around 250 people live here full-time. It was amazing to walk these streets with only a few out tourists there this morning.

We found ourselves, almost by accident, in Mesquita Square, the iconic location for Littlefinger’s brothel. This is where Ned Stark, after confronting Littlefinger (Season 1, Episode 4), had his violent encounter with Jaime Lannister. We couldn’t resist stopping at a nearby café for a quick cup of coffee to absorb the location before continuing our wander through Mdina’s charming alleys. Along the way, we savored a creamy gelato and, just as we thought we’d seen it all, stumbled upon the very inspiration for the Great Sept of Baelor!

From Mdina, it is an easy walk over to nearby Rabat, where we had dined at The Golden Fork a few days earlier. We were looking for St. Paul’s Catacombs where we descended into the labyrinth of the underworld. Here, ancient Christian, Jewish, and Pagan burials once took place, the tunnels cool, narrow, low, and eerie, whispers of souls and bones long forgotten. The air was damp but cool, a welcome respite from the thick humidity and sun of the day. It was a nice complement to the Games of Thrones filming locations in Mdina as we could imagine ourselves as Arya exploring the crypts of the Red Keep. We do love a good Game of Thrones travel destination.

All those tombs left us feeling peckish, so we hopped into a Bolt and made our way to Valletta. It didn’t take long to score an excellent outdoor people-watching spot at 67 Kapitali. We settled in with a proper Maltese craft beer, a crisp Maltese cider, and a giant build-your-own charcuterie platter that we eagerly shared. The streets buzzed with the lively energy of tourists and locals alike, soaking up the sunny late spring day in this captivating city.

After lunch, we took Clara and Ian on a tour around Valletta, revisiting some of the places we had previously explored. This time, we stopped by a famous clock that, according to local lore, is the reason Maltese time is famously said to be five minutes slower than the rest of the world.

Nicky shared the tale of the clockmaker and the devil. As the story goes, a clockmaker was tasked with building a clock and clock tower before a major event, but he quickly realized he would never finish in time. In his moment of despair, the devil appeared and offered a deal: he would help the clockmaker complete the project, but in exchange, he demanded the soul to cross the plaza and see the clock strike midnight. Desperate, the clockmaker agreed. However, the clever clockmaker set the newly built clock to chime five minutes early. When the clock struck midnight, the only creature present in the plaza was a chicken, which inadvertently became the first soul claimed. The clocks in Malta are still set five minutes behind.

Next up was Yard 32 Gin Bar. We arrived early since it’s a small spot that quickly becomes popular for tapas (and once they’re gone, they’re gone). The bar takes its gin seriously. Hundreds of varieties stared back at us from the shelves, with bottles suspended from ropes along the walls. Each of us chose a different cocktail, while Hass selected a few tapas for us to share.

For more people watching we went to a nearby corner bar, The Barrister, for another drink. The bartender invented new cocktails based on the likes and dislikes of the ladies, well the guys all had an Old Fashioned we were told would be the best we ever had (it was good, but perhaps not the best).

We were hungry again but didn’t have a reservation, so we walked across the city toward the water to Sally Port Pizzeria, a favorite spot of Nicky and Hass for Sicilian pizza. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get in. Instead of giving up, we did something even better: we ordered three pizzas to go and stopped by the corner market to pick up some beers and ciders.

With our pies in hand, their crusts charred to perfection, we made our way to the nearby breakwater wall of St. Elmo Bay near the Fort St. Elmo. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky transformed into hues of orange and pink. We sat by the water, eating our pizzas with waves gently lapped at the shore and looking north towards Sicily, our next destination. Nicky said: “I feel like a teenager again!”. We all did! It was the perfect moment of food, friendship, and atmosphere, creating one of the best meals of our trip and making us feel like we had truly conquered the day, like many Maltese conquerors before us.

This evening marked our last night in Malta, and with a touch of sadness, we said goodbye to Nicky and Hass. We’d be staying at their friends’ place, known as “The Frenchies,” who live near the ferry we would take far too early the next morning, crossing the narrow sea to Sicily.