do vegetarians eat animal crackers?: Please Remain Seated While Bus is in Motion.

In order to fully express my experience of the last few days spent within the stunning islands of Malta & Gozo, I will be taking you on a bus tour today. This is a hop on/hop off system, where at each stop you have the option to "hop off" the bus. When you hop off the bus at any site, you can then hop back on another bus at the same point, at this tour company's scheduled times.

This double decker bus is designed to fully maximize your experience in Malta and Gozo by throwing you on top, no roof, and driving you up steep mountains, through tiny alleyways, and along roaring Mediterranean shorelines. We want you to see the island from the front seat, you will never want to leave.
Now to get this thing rolling, please first plug in your complimentary headphones, and select your language.

Please select your language.

Welcome to.. Shannon's Malta and Gozo sightseeing tour! Today I will be taking you across the islands of Malta and Gozo, first starting on the main island of Malta, and finishing our day on the north island of Gozo. Also, in purchasing the ticket for our whirlwind bus tour of Malta and Gozo, we are giving every ticket holder a complimentary '2 Harbours Cruise' ticket. For free, we will take you on a tour of the Grand Harbour, as well as the Marsamxett Harbour in one of our brightly coloured boats with an energetic host and driver. This is an opportunity you will not want to miss. For scheduled time please see me after the conclusion of today's tour.
Please remain seated while the bus is in motion, and keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. If there are any questions, please feel free to ask myself or our driver, Marco, when the vehicle is stopped at any one of our hop on/hop off stations. Please fasten your seatbelt, as we will now begin our journey into the breathtaking views of these tiny islands.

For todays tour we are starting in the two small cities of Sliema and St. Julian's. These two cities are very similar; full of life, hotels, bars and restaurants. As well as many tourists filling the streets throughout the warmer summer months. Malta explodes with tourists and visitors in the summer, and these cities are packed with luxury hotels and resorts, as well as a huge selection for fine dining.

The Triq It-Torri in Sliema will be our first hop on/hop off stop in todays tour. Here, you can explore the harbours and take a walk along the seafront. The Triq It-Torri (Tower Rd) is famous in Sliema for couples and families, who often take their evening walk here. Tower Road is the most famous section, but the walk stretches along the entire length of Sliema and St. Julian's seafront. Another tour bus will arrive at the scheduled arrival time where you will be able to 'hop on' the bus and continue your tour.

View from Sliema to St. Julian's

In St, Julian's you will also be able to explore, and take a seat while taking in the beauty that is Spinola Bay. A massive patio of concrete, it is at first overwhelming and extremely hot in the beating sun. But, take a wander through down to the end, grab a seat on one of the many benches, and take in the fresh sea breeze and dozens of brightly painted fishing boats. Just don't doze off with a book on your lap, you will feel the burn on your cheeks (face cheeks) by dinner. I speak from experience.

Continuing on our tour, we will now take a stop at the capital city of Malta, Valletta. A fortress city, Valletta is a narrow promontory, with large natural harbours on either side. This is a great city, it is flooding with Malta's history and looks as if it has not changed since it was built in the late 1500's. The main street we enter the city on is Triq Ir-Republika, or Republic Street, and from this street, there is a well organized grid of smaller streets leading away and down towards the water at slopes that would never pass any Canadian standards. Sidewalks that line these small streets are transformed into stairs, so that people can actually walk them. If you choose this silent city as a "hop off" spot, expect a work out!

View from the Upper Barracca Gardens

There are many things to see in Valletta, including St. John's Co-Cathedral, the National Museum of Archeology, the National Museum of Fine Arts or the Upper Barracca Gardens, where you will find a stunning view of the Grand Harbour.
If you are worried about time, and are interested in seeing the city as well as the museums and gardens, do not worry. Both the Museum of Archeology and Fine Arts are extremely small, and can be done in less than an afternoon.
Key features of the National Museum of Archeology, a must in everyones Malta itinerary, are the famous 'Sleeping Lady' and the 'Venus of Malta', two small very significant sculptures dating back 7000 years. You will also find dozens of very similar, less famous sculptures here too.

Venus of Malta

Some things you may be thinking of while walking through this history packed museum:
-Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, when Blake Lively (long blond hair) goes abroad to study some form of archeology, and find pots.
-"What is a living rock?", in learning historical farming strategies.
-"This stuff is OLD.", the oldest freestanding structures in the world, 5200 BC.
-"They sure do assume a lot.", on reading the uses of massive stones and the story behind tiny sculptures.
-"Neat.", to a case of bone hairpins.
-"HA!", to a case of 'probably phallic' sculptures.

But these are just some examples. I am sure you will have a vast library of your own thoughts when going through this museum. It is full of information and definitely gives a great overview of Malta's extensive history.

Valletta is a wonderful city to visit during the day, but shuts down after dark. You now have the option to hop off the bus, and re-join the tour by hopping on another bus at this tour company's scheduled times.

Part of Mnajdra, a 'Calender in Stone'

Continuing on, we will now make our way down to the West side of the island to the Blue Grotto and the Ħaģar Qim and Mnajdra Temples.

Said to be some 7000 years old, it is hard to understand how such magnificent structures made of such enormous stones were created, and how they have lasted this long. Through endless studying it is shown how complex these temples are, with astronomical alignments and carefully placed stones were organized and set to the finest of details.

The temples are located on the west coast of the island, set on a cliff-top, they are among rocky fields of wildflowers.
Here you are now have the option to hop off the bus, and explore the temples and the surrounding fields. Take a picnic at the edge of cliff, with a view of nothing but the sea below.

View from Ħaģar Qim towards Mnajdra (under the white dome).

From here, you are able to wait for another bus, or walk down towards the Blue Grotto, where you can also hop back on one of our company's tour busses.

The Blue Grotto is a natural feature of the landscape located within a small fishing town known as Wied iz-Zurrieq. The Blue Grotto is a huge natural arch in the cliffs, and gets its name from the sparkling water beneath. It was said that mermaids were believed to live here.

Some of you may be familiar with the Blue Grotto from international headlines back in 1987. This small fishing village made news when a local fisherman pulled up a gigantic great white shark. Claiming the shark was 7m or 23ft long, locals were amazed. This length was to make it one of the largest great whites ever discovered. Unfortunately, for the tiny town of Wied iz-Zurrieq, after scientists did their tests, the size of the shark was revealed to be only 5.5m or 17-18ft in length, no bigger than any other great white found in the Mediterranean (Eyewitness Travel, 2009).

Moving away from the old stuff and local fisherman towns, let's head up north to the island of Gozo. In order to get to the island, we must all 'hop off' the bus, and 'hop on' the big ferry. The ferry will take us all over to Gozo, where we will then hop on another bus to continue our journey through Malta's extensive history and stunning landscapes.

Please now take a break, sip a complimentary cappuccino in the cafeteria, while we ride across the sea to new adventures ahead.

Also excuse me, your host, while I also take a break, sip a cappuccino and crawl into bed. Please join me again in the morning, after your quick ferry ride and we will continue our fantastic explorations into the flickering blue waters of Gozo.