Malta... fun for all of the family
Mary Carr falls in love with this trio of Mediterranean islands, beloved by celebrities such as Brad and Angelina
WE OPTED FOR A BRACING WALK ON ANCIENT CART TRACKS ALONG A CLIFF EDGE
If there’s one thing on which parents of teenagers agree, it’s that it’s a tricky age for family holidays. Secretly teenagers prefer to be with their pals, rather than suffer the uninterrupted company of mammy and daddy so unless there’s something as awesome as a safari in Botswana on offer, the likelihood is that most would rather stay at home.
Granted for families who sail or ski together, it’s easier to stay together for long stretches at a time, but what for families of a more sedentary disposition, or even those like mine where both adults and teenagers have sadly succumbed to the modern malaise of smartphones?
So, understandably when I announced I was off on an action-packed adventure, en famille to Malta and Gozo, its small sister island, and a 25-minute ferry ride from the coast, some of my friends burst out laughing. That was nothing to my darling son and daughter’s explosive reaction. ‘Activities?’ my daughter spat. ‘Don’t you realise that I hate sports?’ It’s true we have missed out on the sporty gene and even as my kids made their protests known, I had to admit to some fears of my own. Like how would we feel surrounded by super-fit families with experience of high adrenaline hardcore sports? Thankfully my fears never materialised.
Firstly it’s true what the fitness gurus say. After a morning’s hike or a boating adventure we had more energy, not less. After a long day in the great outdoors, we still drank in the painterly views from Citadella, the fortress in Victoria, or Rabat as it is also known, the tiny capital of Gozo which was built as a redoubt by the Knights of St John against pirates and the Ottoman Empire.
Citadella has a cathedral, twisted streets and a walk along the fortified ramparts from where you can see all around you a necklace of villages such as Xaghra and Xewkija perched on undulating hilltops, their houses of local golden limestone, glistening in the dusty sunset.
Compared to the infinitely more urbanised Malta with its wide open sandy beaches, perfect for sunbathing and throbbing nightlife, Gozo is a timeless idyll, where the scent of wildflowers and herbs fills the air and the chink of bells from goat herds can be heard in the evening. Only 100km from Sicily, the culture of Gozo is like its Italian neighbour, centred around church and family. The cuisine which has influences of Lebanon and North Africa is also reminiscent of the south of Italy. In Ta’ Philip, a restaurant in Ghajnsielem close to the ferry terminal, we had a memorable feast of the Maltese national dish, stuffat talfenek (rabbit stew), island cheese and kunserva, a sundried tomato paste served on local bread.
We visited the Ggantija Temples, reputed to be the oldest freestanding structures in the world and comprising two Neolithic temples with UNESCO World Heritage status. We stood in awe at the archaeological marvel binding the third millennium BC to the world of today in a resounding echo.
But Gozo, a laidback island of breathtaking natural beauty and somewhat lost in time is primarily a mecca for walkers and adventurers. It has perfect terrain for climbing, abseiling and hiking while the crystal clear waters, warm from May to Christmas are ideal for snorkelling, scuba-diving and swimming. Local companies like Gozo Adventures organise activities from climbing to kayaking as well as special eco days. We went for hiking and mountain-biking on the premise that they were least likely to cause us serious injury or severe anxiety.
As expected the hiking expedition, at a gentle pace, was a pleasure. In the company of our erudite guide we enjoyed a bracing walk on ancient cart tracks along a cliff ledge to visit prehistoric sites and dramatic soaring cliffs. Alas our biking expedition may be a case of least said the better, from my perspective anyway. Unsurprisingly the teenagers were better able to intuit the gears and it was a bit frustrating having armies of lycra-clad cyclists glide past at every backbreaking uphill bend in the road. But after my baptism of fire in Malta where I tumbled from a Segway, hands first onto a rough gravel path – yes, I know, it’s practically impossible to fall from a Segway – I was more immune to humiliation than usual.
And besides there’s always the pay off that comes from exercise, no matter how reluctantly taken. You feel better for it and there’s also the joy of travelling distances to see sites you’d never manage on foot. In Malta, the winding Segway trip took us through the Golden Sands Rally, an unspoilt haven of golden beaches in the northern part of the country, with myriad natural paths and beauty spots. On mountain bike we careered through a great swathe of Gozo, an admittedly small island but large enough for our puny athleticism.
We passed quarries and salt pans carved in limestone which are still in use today 350 years after their discovery and into Marsalforn, a fishing village on the north coast.
A boat trip from Gozo to the even smaller island of Comino which only has three inhabitants saw us manoeuvre in and out of hollow caves, skirt around rocky coves and through a sparkling Blue Lagoon. On that tiny island we saw the lonesome looking Hotel Comino which can only be approached by boat, now closed for the season and only the waves lapping up on the beach puncturing the eerie silence.
Its unspoilt scenery and secluded beaches accessible only through secret tracks coupled with tax breaks has not surprisingly made Gozo something of a magnet for film-makers in search of spectacular locations. Its celebrated limestone arch, the Azure Window, was a backdrop in Game of Thrones
although since its collapse into the Mediterranean last year it has become beloved by scuba divers.
Parts of Gladiator, the Count Of Monte Christo and Popeye with Robin Williams were shot on the island, while By The Sea, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s cinematic swansong as a Hollywood couple was filmed in the bay of Mgarr ix-Xini.
No place is more spellbinding or unique however than Dreams of Horses Farm, deep in the Ramla Valley, between the villages of Xaghra and Nadur, a place like nowhere I have ever been. Local man Victor Muscat, on his return from Canada where he emigrated like many Gozitans as a youngster, bought the land as a sanctuary for abandoned horses and a therapy centre for children with special needs and emotional difficulties. The project is run by him, his family and a team of volunteers who are drawn to the tranquil surroundings and the owner’s extraordinary spirit.
Dreams of Horses is open to the public and for a tiny admission price, visitors will feel their stress ebb away among the ducks, geese, horses and ponies while trying old-style farming methods from milking goats to walking ponies.
Against that soothing atmosphere, the Maltese capital of Valletta might as well as be on another planet. Historically Valletta was a stomping ground for the Knights of St John and it has two outstanding attractions: St John’s Co-Cathedral with its sumptuous interior of marble tombstones, frescoes, gilded chapels and Caravaggio masterpieces and Hypogeum, a subterranean temple from ancient times that must be booked well in advance.
Valletta, this year’s European City of Culture, recalls Malta’s military and maritime past with the dramatic harbour and the views across the bay to the so called three cities where the Knights repelled the Turkish invaders in the Great siege of Malta in 1565.
M’dina harks back to the medieval period and the waves of settlers from the Portuguese to the Phoenicians and Arabs who left their signature in the city’s sudden, shady alleyways, opulent mansions and baroque architecture.
War and peace aside, probably my greatest discovery in the stunning Maltese Archipelago however was the enjoyment of activity holidays.
We might never get to trek in the Himalayas but we might knock out a few more family holidays in kayaks.