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.

Although we were both quite disorganised in our packing and preparations, we actually managed to set off on time for our overnight stay in the Premier Inn. We always choose to stay overnight in a hotel near to the airport when we have an early morning flight, it allows us to get to the airport on time without additional stresses.

The journey to Manchester was horrendous with torrential rain causing spray and difficult driving conditions on the motorway. In addition to this, too many drivers were travelling too fast for the difficult conditions. We had a brief stop at a motorway service station, then continued our journey to the Premier Inn where we checked in and relaxed in the room with a refreshing cup of tea before dining in the nearby Tatton Arms. I had a small portion of fish and chips accompanied by a delicious glass of Pinot Grigio blush.

After dining, we retired to the Beefeater bar  that is attached to our hotel for a nightcap. We didn’t linger too long; the drinks were expensive and the room was extremely chilly. We returned to our room where we warmed up with a refreshing cup of tea before an early night in anticipation of our 3.30 wakeup call to allow us to get to the airport on time for check in.