Sunday 11th October 2026
Mdina and Rabat
Slept fitfully for some reason – probably worrying about paying the bills back home- before facing up to a breakfast around the table with a couple of confused Italians who spoke no English who finally worked out their places were set up in one of the other nooks around the place and didn’t have to wait for our spots before they could eat.
Brochures and map, plus a bus timetable indelibly etched in the mind we set off for our trip to Mdina and Rabat.
Arrived well before the scheduled time and to our surprise the online and bus pole timetables did not match. Found a lovely older lady and enquired about which was right. That started a 30 minute conversation about her whole life and famous sister Mary Spiteri who finished 3rd in Eurovision many years ago. By that time her bus had come and gone and our question remained unanswered.
After 40 minutes the bus arrived and promptly drove past as it was full to capacity and we had no idea if we would suffer the same fate next time around.
Tested our luck with Uber and got another racing driver with a penchant for rap music where every second word had an F or C at the start of it. About 10 minutes into trip he realised it might have been offensive so turned it town and decided to chat.
Finally arrived in Mdina known as the SilentCity which was the secondary Capital of Malta and like Valetta was a bastion surrounded by a moat and with a strong Knight history.
The place was teeming with tourists and a wander through the narrow streets with their beautifully restored houses. It inevitably led us to the magnificent Cathedral which was holding service for about 50 locals with a hymn singing lass with the voice of an angel.
Next visit was to the old Palazzo Falson which housed an amazing collection of artworks and artefacts owned by Olof Gollcher. It was an amazing walk through history.
Walked some of the City Wall before heading out the gate to the very lively town of Rabat. It had double the number of tourists and the sombre mood of Mdina was replaced by a lively town with bars and restaurants full to the brim- again with the quest to have the longest happy hour in Malta.
Enjoyed a couple of the famous patisizzi’s after queueing for 20 minutes before heading for another queue- the ever reliable Maltese bus service. Not only was there confusion with times, buses were dynamically changing routes. Forty minutes later we were forgetting mannets and elbowing our way onto a bus that quickly filled to capacity and left with many passengers stranded at the bus stop.
We were going to get off at Mosta where the world’s second biggest domed church was situated. It’s other claim to fame was being bombed in WW2 with the shell piercing the roof and fallling to the floor without detonating. Might be something in the power of prayer.
Decided the risk of getting stranded was too high so we opted for a photo out of the bus.
The throng thinned slightly just as we reached our stop, but it was still a bit of push and shove to alight.
Got home and had a swim, spa and mad moment under the cold water bucket treatment before freshening up and returning to the tapas bar to watch Liverpool get thrashed. Then it was off to the restaurant which was full last nigh, but had just over 20 guests.
Jane still missed a feed of rabbit but the substitute of a local delicacy worked well and I was very pleased with the Donald Duck.
Took a wander around streets before our last night on the main land and went to bed pondering what Gozo would have to offer for next 7 days with 6 walks on an island 14 kms long and 7 km wide.
