Scottish Daily Mail

Dark side to my holiday in the sun

- Bel answers readers’ questions on emotional and relationsh­ip problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Scottish Daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6DB, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters

ISN’T it always the way? We went away to Malta for a week, only to arrive in rain and a punishing wind, while the weather here did that characteri­stic flip and was beautiful!

As I hate leaving home this was a disappoint­ment, but the sun came out on Malta, too, and we enjoyed ourselves, visiting churches and palaces and looking at art and archaeolog­y as well as enjoying some lazy afternoons by the pool.

Valletta is friendly and interestin­g, while the old capital Mdina is enchanting.

But if holidays are supposed to make you relax and perhaps broaden your mind, this one had a dark side. How depressing it was to see the extent of ugly hotel and apartment developmen­ts, out of control all over the place, as well as inappropri­ate high-rises being built in the ghastly, overcrowde­d resort of Sliema.

They’re uglifying Malta and Gozo apace. Hordes of holidaymak­ers (including us) at the beginning of the season were a reminder that tourism (necessary for jobs) is destroying large parts of the world. And do you travel to Valletta in order to shop in M&S, Karen Millen and Accessoriz­e? Dreary.

Taking buses around the island, we saw many traditiona­l hides for bird trappers. It’s long been a favourite pastime on the island to trap thousands of poor song birds which stop to rest on their migratory routes, only to end up dead or in a cage.

Despite the EU’s efforts, the illegal trapping continues, with whole areas paved with nets in the spring. Even the thought makes me sad and angry.

Then we hopped off the bus at the famous Blue Grotto to take a little boat tour of the caves. Stunning rock formations and sparkling blue water full of jellyfish were ruined by the amount of plastic debris swirling around the boats. Do the boatmen not notice?

Does the tourist authority not think of a daily clean-up?

We came home counting our blessings that we do live in one of the loveliest, most interestin­g countries in the world.

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