Hilton Hotel, Malta, December 2015

This year we were going to celebrate Christmas in Malta, a small island just south of Sicily at the sourthern tip of Italy.

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Hilton Hotel, Malta, December 2015

Roger was delighted that we would be staying at the Hilton.
"Five star hotels for five star bears..."
Grange was a new bear in our gang of travelling bears. He was a gift bear from the Grange Hotels in London to one of our humans.
"So, what d'ya think of Hilton?" Tom asked.
"Lovely, I'll grant you that," said Grange, "...and almost like Grange Hotels..."

Hilton Hotel, Malta, December 2015

It was nearly Christmas and the sun was blaring down. One of the days McBear and Roger enjoyed the sunbeds. As a polar bear, Roger needed to cool down regularly but at least the swimmingpool wasn't far away...

St. Julian's, Malta, December 2015

Much of Malta is residential areas around the capital Valetta. New houses were shooting up everywhere due to the increasing number of tourists invading the island.

Hilton Hotel, Malta, December 2015

We rented a car as we wished to explore Malta and its neighbouring island, Gozo. We sat down in the hotel lobby with McBear's laptop and started to study the road network on Google Maps.

Hilton Hotel, Malta, December 2015

Winter solstice marks the annual time, when the Sun is at its lowest point on the northern hemisphere, and in ancient times the people used the solstice as a starting point for the calendar.

Mnajdra, Malta, December 2015

The ancient people of Malta built some temples to help them settle the calendar days. We wished to visit the temple of Mnajdra on the south coast, so we got up one very early morning and tried to navigate our way to Mnajdra in the dark. Phew, it was hard work to find our way as the road signs wasn't always a help...

Mnajdra, Malta, December 2015

Here we are in Mnajdra at sunrise on the 21st December. The rectangular rock behind us is lit up by the first rays of the Sun.

We needed a selfie for our website...

Rabat, Malta, December 2015

Next day we did some more trial and error to find our way to Rabat and the old walled city of Imdina.

Here were are at the city limit sign at Ir-Rabat.

Imdina, Malta, December 2015

The old walled city of Imdina is protected by a severe wall thickness. People passing by noticed us, the Travelling Bears...
"I don't mind being a celebrity," Roger said.

Imdina, Malta, December 2015

Malta is associated with the Knights of St. John's. Our very own Roger saw himself as a knight, and Roger could see himself having been a great knight in a past bear life...

Imdina, Malta, December 2015

Many of the houses in Imdina dates back to the 16th hundreds. Here we are in front of the old cathedral.

Valetta, Malta, December 2015

To get to the capital of Malta, Valetta, we took the bus. Valetta has a great natural harbour and several fortresses. Here we are on top of one of the bastions.

Valetta, Malta, December 2015

Many of the streets in Valetta are narrow and very steep. In midieaval times this made it easier to defend the city because it made it difficult for the enemy to move forward.

Gozo Ferry, Malta, December 2015

One of the days we took the ferry to the island of Gozo.

Ix-Xewkija, Gozo, December 2015

We made a stop in Ix-Xewkija and climbed the stairs up the bell tower. The view was fantastic.

Xlendi, Gozo, December 2015

We went to a small village on the south coast called Xlendi. Like many other towns and villages on the island, financially Xlendi depends on tourists.

Azure Window, Gozo, December 2015

Before returning to Malta, the main island, we went to visit the Azure Window. The arch is formed by wind and weather, and it's deteriorating because it's made of sandstone which is a soft stone.