About ½ the shops, restaurants and bars are closed for the winter, but there is still plenty of choice. About 100 yards down a slight slope to Burgibba Bay, where the wind was blowing force 5-6, the sea was very green and there was a hint of rain in the air. So I retreated into the Victoria – a bar/sport bar/night club with cans of Hopleaf (3.8% bitter) and Blue Label (3.3% mild) at E2.70 for 660 ml. Free peanuts and a good loo. I think it has free wifi, but I did not have the notebook with me. I will find out later.
Back to the hotel to unpack. I looked for wifi – the best rate they are offering is E12 for 600 minutes. I will subscribe if I do not find a cheaper option – just means that I will be composing messages off-line and only logging on when I actually need to.
In the evening it was quite cool, and still damp in the air. I returned to Bugibba Bay and turned left to a restaurant (Villa Mare) that seemed to have several family groups of Maltese. The menu included some local dishes, and seemed fairly priced.
I went for the Maltese pizza, topped with, among other things, Maltese sausage and Maltese cheese. About 12”, thin crust, and very cheesy. The Maltese red (Maltese Falcon, Merlot, Euro 9.75) was hearty, but a little sharp
without food – it was much better once the pizza
arrived.
Bed could have been better – a thin single mattress on a low
frame – but I slept quite well.