We got up bright and early, paid our bill and checked out of the hotel. We decided not to stop for breakfast to give us plenty of time to arrive at the airport before our scheduled flight.

The journey was not with us and we were beset with delays, arriving at the car hire outlet much later than we had intended. We fuelled up in the petrol station next door before checking the car back in with the gentleman that we dealt with on arrival.

Despite cutting it tight, we arrived at Rome airport in time for breakfast. Mr C still missed out on his cooked English breakfast because in Italy breakfasts are continental style. I chose a pistachio croissant which was something new to experience.

The flight boarded early and the pilot anticipated a timeslot ahead of schedule but this didn’t happen and our flight left on schedule. On arrival at Manchester airport, we passed through immigration and made our way to the baggage reclamation area.

Mr C always likes to position himself on the far side of the baggage conveyor so that he has plenty of time to recognise our luggage; he prints distinctive luggage labels that are easy to recognise. My fear always is that someone will grab my case as it travels slowly around to where we are positioned.

This was the day that that happened…

I had identified my case and it had the distinctive luggage label but before it made its way to me a lady grabbed it off the carousel. I ran across to her shouting excuse me and as I got nearer, I said ‘this is my case’. She looked down at the case and realised that although it was the same type of case as hers, it didn’t have the yellow ribbon that she used to identify her case. Thank goodness for Mr C’s luggage labels.

Luggage successfully retrieved we drove home via Wilmslow Garden centre for a late lunch where I settled for apple tart rather than something more substantial.

We picked up a ready meal on the way home (chicken Kiev) which we enjoyed after unpacking and watching the latest episode of Dr Who (no spoilers).

Before unpacking I put up my VE day 80 window display ready for the day of commemoration the day after.

The alarm woke us at 4am. We got washed and dressed then drove the short distance to Manchester airport.

When we arrived at the meet and greet car park, the barrier didn’t lift to let us in. Mr C pressed the intercom button to speak to someone who checked his details up on the system. Mr C was informed that he had booked a space in ‘Self-Parking’ rather than meet and greet which meant we had to travel the short distance to the carpark next door. The lower levels were quite full so we had to drive to a higher level to find a space.

It was the same distance from the car park to check in as it would have been from the meet and greet car park. Manchester airport operates a self-check in system where you weigh your own bags and attach labels before taking them to the desk for passports and boarding cards to be checked. Luckily there was a friendly Jet2 rep on hand to help us with the procedure.

The extra time needed to park the car meant that there wasn’t time for Mr C to have the cooked breakfast he was looking forward to. We grabbed a sandwich to eat on the plane and headed to the boarding area for our flight.

The flight was slightly delayed but once we were on our way everything ran smoothly apart from a bit of turbulence over the Alps.

We had booked a hire car rather than a private transfer. This also proved to be a saga. We were expecting it to pick the car up at the airport but we found that the car hire company operated just outside the airport and we had to wait for a shuttle bus to take us there. The shuttle bus arrives every 10 minutes but the first bus dropped passengers off but didn’t pick up the passengers that were waiting (us and another family). Mr C phoned the company and was told that the shuttle bus was currently on its way.

Eventually we got to the rental centre where we were informed that our insurance wasn’t fully comprehensive so we elected to upgrade our cover for an extra cost based on an incident we experienced in Cyprus several years ago.

When all the paperwork was signed, we were told that the car had been upgraded. Our allocated car was large and had damage in several places. There was a bit of to and froing and photographing the damages, including tape on the windscreen which we learned had recently been replaced.

Eventually we were able to set off towards to our hotel in Cassino. The car Lynk & Co was big, wide, hybrid and automatic, a whole new adventure for Mr C. We were now thankful that we didn’t have to drive through the busy airport traffic.

The journey to our hotel, La Pace ran smoothly except for some confusion about taking a ticket instead of paying at the motorway toll booth. We checked into the Hotel La Pace and were shown to our room. We had a balcony and amazing view looking towards the mountains and Montecassino Abbey. We had a refreshing drink in the hotel café bar and set up a time slot with the proprietor for his talk on WWII and the battle of Cassino. Then, Mr C headed into town to orient himself and find nearby restaurants, including Sir Jaspers that the hotel receptionist had booked us into for that evening.

He was gone for ages…

Eventually I receive a phone call, he was lost! I suggested he used Google Maps to find his way back. When he eventually arrived back at the hotel it was time to leave again to get to St Jaspers.

We were able to sit outside where we shared a bruschetta starter before our main courses. I had chosen ravioli pasta with a mushroom sauce. When my meal arrived it was gnocchi, not pasta. I was told that ravioli was finished and now they were serving homemade gnocchi with the same sauce. I followed this with light chocolate cake that had layers of pistachio cream sprinkled with pistachios. It was delicious.

We headed to the town square which was buzzing with activity and we sat enjoying a nightcap in one of the bars watching people, especially ladies, promenading backwards and forwards along the street. Eventually, it was time to go back to the hotel, the short way round, glimpsing the Abbey and Castle illuminated atop the mountains.

We woke up on time and left the Premier Inn. It was raining lightly (as it often does in Manchester) when we stepped out of the building.

After travelling to the airport, we checked our car into the meet and greet service which also gave us fast track through border control.

After checking in our luggage, receiving our boarding cards and proceeding through border control it was time to relax a little and enjoy breakfast. My breakfast, an almond croissant, was delicious but Mr C’s cooked breakfast was underwhelming.

We boarded the plane on-time but shortly afterwards the Captain announced that there would be a slight delay due to Air Traffic Control congestion. We took off 25 minutes late but the Captain was able to regain some of this time during our flight.

We cleared border control without any problems but the baggage reclaim was stressful. Some bags arrived on the conveyor belt and circled round and round without anyone claiming them but many bags did not appear. Just after Mr C’s case appeared (and was retrieved) some airport baggage handlers started randomly removing cases from the conveyor belt. Mine was one of them so we rushed to reclaim it.

Luggage retrieved; it was time for us to pick up our transport to our hotel. We were greeted by two Jet 2 reps who guided us to a place to wait for our driver. Eventually we were joined by a family who had been held up due to the baggage reclaim confusion.  Now that the travel party was complete, we embarked on a long trek up and down stairs and escalators before we arrived at the car park where our minibus was located. This wasn’t the end of our walking journey It was also a long trek across the car park before we arrived at our taxi.

Our journey to the hotel ran smoothly and our room was ready. We dumped our cases in the room and ascended to the hotel’s roof top garden for lunch. We chose to share a plate of charcuterie and cheese accompanied by focaccia. Whilst dining we were constantly misted with water jets fitted into the pergola.

Comfortably replete we walked into town passing a couple of lovely fountains, arriving at the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs. The church is beautiful and refreshingly cool inside giving us respite from the 90-degree heat outside.

Back at the hotel we showered to remove the afternoon’s heat before dining in La Locanda Di Bacco where I chose seabass accompanied by roasted rosemary potatoes. This was followed by a shared tiramisu which was delicious.

We returned to our hotel for a nightcap in the roof top garden.

We enjoyed our last breakfast in Malta before checking out of the hotel and leaving our cases with the concierge. Our taxi to the airport was due around 1pm leaving the morning free.

We walked into Valletta to visit Muza, the National Museum of Art, which is housed in the Auberge d’Italie. The Auberge building needed to be restored before the art collection could be displayed. We enjoyed the architecture of the building and also the excellent artwork within the museum collection. I particularly enjoyed some of the religious artwork.

Before returning to the hotel to wait for our airport transfer, we had just enough time for me to enjoy a fresh orange juice in a café we had used on previous occasions.

On arrival at the airport, we were greeted by a Jet2 rep who directed us to the baggage check in desk.

On our outward flight there were lots of pool players heading to Malta to compete in an international championship. The championship had concluded the previous day and as we waited to check in our luggage we were once again in the company of the competitors.

As we went through the hand baggage scanners, it was Mr C’s turn to be stopped and, his case, have his hand luggage and himself checked for ‘substances’! We still had time for a quick snack lunch before going through the gate to await boarding.

Our departure was slightly delayed but on take off I was treated to the sun setting over the clouds, then mostly darkness. For me the plane descent was a little unpleasant due to my recent cold causing excess pressure in my ears. The landing was a bit ‘wobbly’ and we arrived in cold and wet 39F Manchester which was a shock to the system after leaving 80F sunshine in Malta.

Our passage through immigration and collecting our baggage ran smoothly leaving us plenty of time to dine in the Tatton Arms once again before setting off on our journey home.

Photo taken by Mr C

The breakfast room was even more chaotic than it had been the previous day and we had to queue before we could be seated at a table. I sampled the Maltese options and found that they were not choices that I enjoyed for breakfast. However, I am glad I tried them.

After breakfast we walked to St Paul’s Shipwreck church hoping that it might be open. We had tried to visit as walked through the town on previous days but the door was firmly closed. Today it was open but, before we could locate the relics that the church is famous for, the preliminaries for an upcoming church service began. I was caught in an awkward place with no seating nearby, leaving me to stand quietly so as not to disturb the proceedings. When two ladies entered the church and walked down the aisle to sit at the front, I quickly found a seat and felt less out of place. We discreetly left the church before the priest arrived to preside over the main church service.

We had a bit of time on our hands before it was time to meet Edouard, our Jet 2 rep, so we returned to Café Granelli where I enjoyed another of their delightfully refreshing fresh orange juices. Back at the hotel there was no sign of our Jet 2 rep. Mr C struggled with the Jet 2 app on his phone so I went to the hotel reception to enquire. I was intercepted by a concierge asking if he could help. I explained that we were waiting for the Jet 2 rep and he replied immediately that the rep had just phoned to explain that he had been delayed in traffic and would arrive soon.

When Edouard arrived, he was most apologetic and explained that the road had been closed off by police and he had no other option that to wait. He was very helpful in explaining the different excursion options for Gozo, leading us to choose the one option we had originally ruled out, a Tuk Tuk tour of the island. This tour takes you to places that are unreachable by coach. Due to a cancellation, he was able to secure us two places on this tour for the following day.

We returned to Valletta for lunch in the Haagen-Dazs cafe where I indulged in a Pistachio Wonder. A delicious scoop of pistachio ice cream served on a waffle with a drizzle of sauce on top. The advert had been tempting me every time we walked past the café. I wasn’t disappointed, it was delicious.

Photo taken by Mr C

Next, we visited the Lascaris War Rooms, an underground complex of tunnels and chambers that housed the War Headquarters during WWII. We were back in the upper levels of Valletta just in time to purchase tickets to view the time gun salute at 4pm from ground level rather than above. It was quite an experience; I felt the back pressure and heat from the firing on my torso. Included in the price was a visit to the recently opened Time Gun Museum.

Photo taken by Mr C

Photo taken by Mr C

This left us with enough time to return to the hotel to chill out with a cup of tea on our balcony overlooking the harbour whilst we awaited a phone call from Edouard our Jet 2 rep so that we could pay for our Tuk Tuk trip the following day.

We dined in La Sfoglia which offered a choice fresh catch of the day that could be seen on a chilled counter near to the tables. I chose Lampuki and Mr C chose Ambejeck both choices were delicious. Mr C had also opted for a starter of Calamari Fritti and we shared a traditional dessert called imqaret, a fried pastry filled with dates and spices.

On our way back to the hotel for an early night in readiness for an early morning start for our Gozo adventure we had a quick nightcap in the Grano Bar, soaking up the atmosphere.

(Unfortunately due to the loss of my camera, this post is lite on photo memories)

Our 3.30 am alarm call allowed us to get to the airport at 5am in time for our 7.05am flight. We encountered a slight hiccup when the in-car SatNav directed us to a blocked road which, too late we remembered had happened last time we flew from Manchester airport. It was four years ago so we can forgive ourselves for repeating the same mistake.

Once at the airport, we booked into the meet and greet parking leaving the car keys before making our way to check in where we found we had to weigh our own bags and print the labels before we could check in through ‘fast track’ which we had pre-booked. Our hand luggage passed through the scanner with no problems but for some reason I set off the personal scan alarm which meant I had to go through the electronic body scanner station. This was an odd experience. After a few questions about what might have set off the alarm I had to stand in a particular way as indicated by a silhouette on the wall facing me whilst the machine scanned my body.

After passing this test we had breakfast which for me was pain au chocolate and fruit juice. By the time we had finished eating, the boarding gate had opened and on checking in we found that we were sharing our flight with a large group of English and Welsh pool players on their way to an international tournament.

We left rainy, cold and dark Manchester on time arriving in Malta 3.5 hours later in glorious 80-degree sunshine. We had booked a private transfer which meant we would arrive at our hotel sooner than if we had waited for a bus. As our driver took us to our hotel, he pointed out various things on our journey and when we arrived in Valletta, he gave us several tips on how to get around.

As we checked into the hotel, we were greeted by the concierge who gave us a refreshing drink. Our room was ready but needed to be checked off by house keeping before we could get the keys. This allowed us to enjoy our refreshing drink looking at the view of the hotel pool and the harbour beyond.

Our room was fantastic with a sea view and balcony looking out over a small harbour and in the bathroom, there was a small vase with a carnation. We left our bags in our room and walked up the 88 steps towards the city gate to Valletta. It was time for lunch so we purchased a snack from one of the kiosks near to the city gate before heading into the city.

Photo taken by Mr C

Photo taken by Mr C

We walked around the city taking in some of the lovely coastal views whilst orientating ourselves for future excursions. I spent a while sitting, cooling off enjoying Lower Barrakka Gardens whilst Mr C went exploring. I was treated to the sound of birdsong and lizards peeping out from the undergrowth.

Photo taken by Mr C

Explorations, complete we headed back to the hotel where we had a drink in the bar before heading to our room to unpack and freshen up before dining in the hotel. In the dining room there was a bit of miscommunication, we had intended dine from the Al a Carte menu but we ended up sampling the Indian Style buffet instead. After dining, we finished our drinks in the hotel bar before retiring for the evening.