20 | LET’S MEET IN MALTA
FALL ‘HEAD-OVER- GUDDIES’ IN LOVE WITH MALTA- WITH NI COMEDIAN SEAN HEGARTY
BY SEAN HEAGARTY
WHEN you get home from a trip abroad and spend the three weeks following trying to convince your wife to give up her life, family, friends and career so that you can move there permanently, it’s safe to say that you’d go back in a heartbeat. Of course, your wife has nothing to go on, other than stories of how you explored a vineyard, toured a palace, met some new friends and fell in love with a country only 316 km squared. But, only three hours fifty minutes from Belfast airport, stepping off the plane, you’re
transported to a land
where there is very little rain, stormy winds or cloudy skies. The extra 8 degrees really do slap you in the face the second the cabin-crew open their big door. And it’s the best slap in the face you’ll ever receive. Believe me! Not only was I greeted in Arrivals by a gentleman holding up a page, with my full name spelt correctly (people at home often spell my name wrong. Plus… I’m not even ashamed to admit that I’d to Google how to spell the word “Malta”) but I was also upgraded on my room to an ocean view with balcony and broke the world record for the quickest person ever to devour four gifted truffles that were waiting to greet me as I checked into my room at the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa. After working on my cannon-balls in the outdoor rooftop swimming pool, it was time to get the head down and recharge the batteries before the adventure truly started.
I awoke to the smells of fresh linen and the sounds of crashing waves (I
DAY 2
play YouTube ambience videos to help me sleep) and slid open my double glass doors to find a beautiful real life ocean staring back at me. With only one hour time difference - I didn’t have to adjust too much from the 5.30am cries of a baby when I’m at home (I play Baby Crying ambience sounds on YouTube instead of a normal alarm) But as they say, it was up and Adam, whoever he is, and onto the first stop of the packed day ahead. But not before completing the ol’ NI tradition of eating four breakfasts because they’re included in the price and stuffing as many croissants into your pockets as you can as “that’ll also do your lunch”. Getting picked up at the door from Zarb Chauffeur Ltd, I felt like a Saudi Prince only without the Boojum gold card, and was whisked away to the Old Town and Silent City of Mdina. Minutes later and my phone storage was full from the hundreds of photos I’d taken of beautiful buildings that I’ll probably never look at ever again. Why do we always do that? But you just can’t help yourself. What followed was one of the highlights of my trip. A visit to Ta’ Betta Wine Estates. I’ll be honest here, this wasn’t one of my most anticipated stops as I’m not a fan of wine at all. But having arrived as an Ernest & Julio Galo ignoramus, I left feeling like an Ainsley Hariott meme from Can’t Cook Won’t Cook. I smelt the wine, I caressingly swirled the wine around the glass, I indulged in the history of the wine and even watched it grow for a few seconds in the summer-y fields below. It was glorious from beginning to end and I couldn’t help but picture myself proposing to my wife there, if flights
had of been available nine years ago, as it was picturesque, culturally perfect and stunningly glorious to be in the surroundings. We enjoyed cheese, breads (The Maltese love their breads and their olive oils!) and several glasses of different wines and I was on Cloud 9. St. John’s Co-Cathedral was up next and just being inside that building, made me realise the importance of longevity and seeing end-goals from hard work and not giving up, as it looked like the building took thousands of years to create. The architecture within the walls and floors leave you completely gobsmacked, and I couldn’t help but come away wishing I’d performed better in GCSE Art. If only we’d learnt pottery instead of drawing fruit bowls but such is life!
After a brief visit to The Grandmaster’s Palace in the new city of Valletta (we weren’t personally invited by the way,
you just pay in like it’s a museum) and an amazing history lesson all about the Great Siege of Malta and the Order of St. John, we travelled 59 steps across the square to one of the island’s top dining restaurants, 59 Republic. Brimming with creativity and a passion for food, there’s something for everyone with their outdoor seating experience, or dining underground at the bottom of the steepest steps known to man.
Day 3 started with a tuk-tuk tour of Gozo and Comino, courtesy of Yippee. We were taken in what can only be described as ‘motorbike cars’ to the coast in what I thought would surely be a trade-off with international pirates for a pallet of olive oil, but I was quickly assured that we were just getting to witness some of the stunning views of the surrounding areas.
DAY 3
www.nitravelnews.com
June 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
