Awesome Adventure 2016: Malta - Mdina and Popeye Village

On Thursday we caught the bus into Valletta and back out to Mdina to see the sights that we didn't have time for on our last Rabat/Mdina trip - and to make the most of our combi entrance ticket. We saw Domus Romana where the house/meeting rooms of an influential family have been excavated to show some very impressive mosaics. There were several other items on display, including glassware and a Statue of Emperor Claudius. Malta has been influenced by so many other nations - from early migration through Italy, to Northern African influence, to the Romans and even battles between Napoleon and Nelson. There was also German and Italian occupation during WWII. After visiting Domus Romana, we walked through Mdina town (the old capital of Malta) - the Museum of Natural History, a Mdina glass shop, St Paul's Cathedral and museum and the city walls. We had lunch in a nice cafe set in a courtyard and then caught the bus to the Mdina glass factory to see artisans at work. Even though Sophie and Will had seen glass blowing on TV, they were impressed with it in close up. The tricky part of the day was a long wait for a bus, with us ending up walking, with others, to another bus stop. The buses are now on 'winter timetable' and those on smaller roads are becoming more random.

Friday was very much a 'kids day' with us having promised a visit to the Popeye Village. The village (Sweethaven) was created for filming the original Popeye movie, starring Robyn Williams. The buses, via the airport were slow and we ended up getting off one stop early - so we picked up some early supermarket lunch and then walked about 3km to the village. We were all impressed with village, not overly priced with plenty of free inclusions - a little boat ride to the cave, four staff in costume putting on shows, face/arm painting and a great swimming beach. We even saw Mellieha Beach on the way home, so even though it is one of the better beaches, I don't think we will do another trip back just for a swim.

I had promised Sophie some time in Valletta - the importance of buying some lip gloss from Claire's was overwhelming - so yesterday (Saturday) we all caught the bus into town mid morning. I managed to get a few loads of washing and some emails done before setting off. The trip gave us a chance to get Will's caricature drawn. He has wanted one done ever since seeing the artists working on some a week or so ago. I was also keen for us all to see 'The Malta Experience' which is a 3/4 hour slide show (with commentary in 19 languages) about the history of Malta.

Will has been getting very tired, especially after his Popeye day - so we have had a quiet day today (Sunday). We are all starting to slow down after so many weeks travelling in a row, I guess we have just needed a normal weekend. It has been raining this afternoon so we might have a cooler evening tonight and all sleep well. We walked down to the Marsaxlokk tourist information centre to enquire about options for visiting Gozo and picked up some groceries. Will finally bought half a watermelon and then carried it home in the backpack. He has been asking for one for a while but none of us have wanted to carry one home. I'm sure that he has found the highest weight possible for the lowest food value!