Walking Along the Edge of the Mountains (September 28, 2026)

It’s called a suspended walkway by the walking notes. It is a paved path built into the side and I suppose out beyond the rock face. It’s a great feet of engineering and part of a pathway that is designed to eventually circumnavigate lake Garda. I sure hope that there is pathway on surfaces other than concrete. Of even more importance would be pathways not next to the primary road that seems to connect many villages on the western shore, the quietest part of a couple kilometers we walked. As we passed along the outside edge of the tunnel, motorized traffic was going through the tunnel which muffled the traffic sound. Left photo by Jonathan; right photo by Kenneth.

--September 28, 2026 at 12:27 PM .

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Today we were going to move a bit farther away from the hotel. One of the walks starts in the town of Limone sul Garda and heads north towards another town. It does this on what the notes all describe as a suspended walkway. We did not know what that meant though I was imagining some type of bridge and certainly nothing as long as it would turn out to be. We wanted a shorter walk with modest elevation gain and loss after the failure of yesterday. This walk also would give us the chance to use public transportation which we hoped would be fun and different: it was.

We had our adequate breakfast and got our stuff together for the walk to the ferry dock about 1.2km distant in the heart of Garganano. We gave ourselves plenty of time to allow for anything to go wrong, so we had about a half-hour of just sitting on benches by the lakeside Promenade and the ticket booth waiting for the 9:50AM ferry to motor on in. It was a lovely morning so this was not a problem for us. The ferry arrrived and we were soon on our way at a blazing speed of perhaps 14MPH (I realize that is quick for a boat). The lake wasn’t quite as glass-smooth as the day before but the gentle sways didn’t bother us. We moved past the mountains looking at how structures were built to the water’s edge and then up into the mountains. It is a rugged shoreline. We were crossing to the eastern shore and a tiny little town of Brenzone (Brent-zoh-meh) for a very short stop. Along the way we picked up the eFoil rider shown below. I think his home port was here. We then continued north, through a narrower part of the lake heading back towards the western shore as we motored towards Limone. At this point we started to see the remarkable road building that has been done to connect the small towns on the western shore: lots of tunnels with plenty of visible ventilation holes and perhaps places to let the driver catch a glimpse of Lake Garda as it zips on by down below.

The walk itself is pretty because Lake Garda is there to make it so. Even though it was a bit hazy it is a lovely place. We walked along the paved path that is built into the mountainside for a bit over a kilometer before deciding, perhaps just 600 or so meters from the end, to turn around. We weren’t going to see anything new but a municipal border.

On the way out we stopped at a food truck selling cold drinks and gelato. I enjoyed a nice tart lemonade. I hope the lemons came from here, because a few hundred meters further we saw another food truck selling cold drinks and snacks. Both of them are very well placed to gather up business from walkers and cyclists. We did not stop at the second food truck on our way out, but when we returned, it was definitely time for some chips and cold Fantas. We still had an hour to wait for the bus so returning back to the first food truck, which meant going down a bit of a hill, for gelato was certainly a treat we enjoyed.

The bus was a little late in arriving, but it did arrive: packed full of people. All the seats were full, and almost all the spaces where people could stand. We’re already full. We had just enough room to squeeze in. Fortunately, for us more than enough people got off a couple kilometers later on down in the town of Limone and we could take seats. The bus zips through the tunnels we saw on the ferry ride out. It stops at towns along the way and is clearly a major means of transportation for locals especially students. We were back in Gargnano pretty quickly and I am pretty sure we could’ve gotten off at a stop much closer to the hotel than the one we had chosen. But that just means we had an extra 1.2 km to walk back to the hotel. A large part of what makes this walk interesting is the getting to and from the walk itself.

One last little note: we found a restaurant in the harbor just north of us a couple hundred meters for dinner. We got two pizzas and two salads. The crust is very thin and the toppings are spare, but they are flavorful. I would say the pie is about 14 inches in diameter. We enjoyed this seemingly simple and fairly quick meal. Very nice change from the previous dinners at the hotel here. 

Photos

My room does have a little view of Lake Garda. Take what I can get.

--September 28, 2026 at 7:39 AM.

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We are a few minutes out from the ferry dock at Gargnano. You can see the mountains just coming right down to the waters edge. They certainly build right into the cliff walls.

--September 28, 2026 at 10:02 AM.

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That fellow came out from where we are heading to. At least that is what I think he did. I think it’s an eFoil. He is holding a wireless throttle control and makes turns by shifting his weight. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 28, 2026 at 10:08 AM.

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We were not entirely sure what the structure was until later in the day when we were returning from Limone to Gargnano. It’s part of an extensive tunnel system. We learned that while crammed into a public bus that was taking us back to Gargnano. We boarded a couple kilometers north of Limone and it was standing room only jam packed. Many got off in Limone. The majority of people on the entire trip were, according to Mom and Dad, high school students all on their phones.

--September 28, 2026 at 10:48 AM.

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Limone is a very busy, packed place. We started ascending out of town on narrow streets and the crowds did ease. But there were plenty of walkers and cyclists doing the same thing as us so crowds were still in evidence. Looking out and back.

--September 28, 2026 at 11:22 AM.

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Gargnano - Our First Full Day (September 27, 2026)

It is creeping towards 6:00AM and I have been awake for a rediculously long time already. I tried just laying in bed listening to the waves of Lake Garda lap against the shore a few meters away; didn’t lull me back to sleep. I tried listening to some podcasts to ease back into sleep but that did not work either. I suppose I am just awake for the day after 6 or so hours of sleep.

In two hours the sun will be rising over the eastern shoreline mountains and we can go to breakfast. That has been dissapointing here. I don’t expect all hotels to have varied large assortments of breakfast items let alone a chef dedicated to making you a personalized omelette. I do expec food items that should be served hot to actually be hot. That also applies to drinks especially in a country where coffee and espresso drinks are supposed to be vital to cultural existence. We are not reaching that level here. THe scenery is pleasing to the eye; the sustenance is sufficient but that is about all that can be said and even then I feel I might be stretching the point.

We planned to tackle the skinny loop walk that would let us see what is just to our north. But that plan fell apart as we climbed the 10-12 meters up a narrow alley. I was feeling crummy. Just not good in several ways. We changed plans and instead returned to lake level and ventured into, and not much beyond, the heart of Gargnano. Finding the coffee place along the way and having properly hot cappucinos help improve our mood. The numerous small shops along the way were interesting. You aren’t doing this walk to immerse yourself in nature (there may well be trails high on the cliff sides). For an adjusted plan and all things considered we did alright.

The afternoon was spent resting. At least that is what I did. Mom and Dad did check out the “beach” the hotel has mentioned but if there is a sandy spot on it they did not find it: stones, stones, rocks, and stones.

Dinner on the lakeside patio. We clearly are not the right appreciative audience. Even though it sounded like the lamb I had the first night should have taken longer to reach me (they noted that it takes 25 minutes to prepare) my beef steak with mushrooms definitely took longer. From sit down to departure we were there 90 minutes and the bulk, the vast bulk, of that time was spent waiting. We had appetizers too but the break between those and our main courses was not short. I enjoy a liesurely meal. But there is a difference from leisurely and just slow. I enjoy the afternoons doing the Sunday barbecues at home but that also feels more rewarding and, to be honest, I think I make better food more often than not. Perhaps we lack some proper meassure of sophistication but we are looking forward to eating dinner outside of the hotel the next night. We just need to avoid getting squished by the traffic.

Photos

Sitting on a bench on a lakeside promenade waiting for Mom and dad to return from a little exploring. I am feeling beaten down by the bug that I caught. We haven’t, and won’t, do much of the walk that travels a northern loop beyond Gargnano.

--September 27, 2026 at 11:15 AM.

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A beach of stones with a view of Lake Garda. This is given special notice by the hotel staff. I suppose because it’s also their boat launch area.There is a lakeside bar too. If you want to get wet, wear water shoes. The lake bottom is rocky too. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 27, 2026 at 3:46 PM.

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Gargnano - Our First Full Day (September 27, 2026)

 if you read my Blog post An Update and a Promise you already have an idea of how some of our time was spent in Verona. The long travel day with quite a few hours of waiting in two different airports before we even got to Verona did not have us in a good mood, but we finally got to our hotel. Well, dad‘s health was improving and Mom and I were ill. That’s why I would spend the next day sleeping. That would be when they discovered the great mall.

The second full day was a bit better and you can see some of how we spent that time in the previously mentioned Blog post as well as in the photos down below.

Then we had another travel day to get to the town of Gargnano on the western shore of Lake Garda. That turned out to be an over 2 hour Long drive which didn’t start anywhere close to on time since there was a problem with the car service not having the correct address for our location. Yes, these things do happen and you have to roll with it, but they should not happen and they put a damper on anyone’s mood. However, we got to the hotel - Gardenia al Lago - with just enough time to spare  for us to be able to have lunch. As we would come to learn the hotel serves all its meals on the patio right at the lake’s edge (I suppose they make exceptions if the weather is poor).

Photos

Photo taken Sep 25, 2026 at 2:24 PM

--September 25, 2026 at 2:24 PM.

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It may be touristy with shops selling all sorts of things including €900 pens but it was nice to walk towards Ponte Pietra. Getting small, just right really, warm sandwiches made with quality meats and cheese from a little cafe certainly improved our day.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM.

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The Adige Rivers flows below us as we stand on the Ponte Pietra.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:48 PM.

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This lovely duck ambled by us, perhaps 2 feet away, as we wait for lunch to arrive at our outdoor table right by the water’s edge of Lake Garda. I sample a collection of starters that we shared: fried potatoes, which were perhaps the best form of french fries we have had this entire trip; a warmed slightly wilted, perhaps spinach with garlic that was quite tasty, even if it’s not the most visually appealing item; grilled vegetables, a couple of which we never could figure out exactly what they were; and a mixed greens salad. It hit the spot for all of us.

--September 26, 2026 at 1:56 PM.

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My room is small and has character but has no view to speak of. Mom and Dad have a substantially larger room with character and a small balcony to gaze out upon Lake Garda. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 26, 2026 at 3:47 PM.

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I suspect I was having another day or two to get a better shot of this full moon, or nearly so if I’m not able to get a shot tonight, moon rising over Lake Garda. The hotel seems to serve all their meals outside but they do have what appears to be a lovely dining room . Perhaps they only use it during inclement or chilly weather. At the time I took this picture temperature was about 62°F and the sun had set about 27 minutes earlier.

--September 26, 2026 at 7:37 PM.

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Malta - From the Hotel to the Sea (September 22, 2026)

How people interact with the world around them then and now. On the left our ancestors interacting directly with each other in conversation; right: a young woman tapping on her mobile phone chatting with people unseen. In the middle is Dad and I would say that while he uses a mobile phone he is closer to the people on the left. He would reach down and pet the cat if he could. I wonder if the young woman would notice it.

--September 22, 2026 at 10:01 AM.

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On Monday Dad was fighting an illness so we had a day to just hang out by the hotel. The town around the hotel is a busy one and there may be things to do but it is not a town that we feel is friendly to pedestrians. No doubt if you are used to the narrow sidewalks and stepping onto the streets with their two-way traffic and little room to squeeze by parked cars you will do fine. We are not those people.

On Tuesday Dad seemed to be well on the way to full recovery so we were able to do one final walk. We had thought about doing a boat tour instead and while our reasoning for cancelling that made sense hindsight suggests we’d have been better off doing that. Oh well. The walk could take us all the way to Xlendi but we were only going to do a portion of the 13km walk; somewhere between 4 and 6km I think. It would take us through the town and then along the coast. We were hoping for good views and a pleasant walk. We got the views.

We got ourselves confused a couple times by either mis-understanding the walking notes or, less charitably, the walking notes were just confusing. But we eventually made our way down to the sea where scuba divers were prepping to dive. THe water is lovely here and I believe they are diving shipwrecks which could be exciting I suppose. We plodded on along the path we thought we should take. We missed the easier path. We took the tougher route. Down the rough path, finally no paving but limestone and dirt, and worked our way slowly closer to the sea. It was rocky and the footing not ideal. Toss in the fact that the limestone and dirt are a uniform honey color and it becomes particularly hard to see undulations, dips, steps, in our way. It does so for me. I missed one and fell landing more on the left side/shoulder than not but I think my shoulder came through ok. My confidence: not so much. Mom and Dad had to wait a while while I collected myself and let my body calm down. But we were at another place where people were gathered to enjoy the beach. This was a place an Uber could come and pick us up for a drive back to the hotel and our intended end point. I think we had covered not much more than 4.5km. We were done.

Too many of the walks are under shade-free skies and on hard durable surfaces-not to our liking. We have had some challenges over the past week and sadly while Dad was recovering from the bug, it migrated to Mom and me. The next two-three days we felt pretty cruddy and since one of those days was the travel day to Verona that just made it worse for Mom, who got it first. Hopefully as I type this here just after sunrise on our first full day in Gargnano on Lake Garda we have all returned to something approaching proper health.

Photos and Videos

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I am not sure of the naming of the bay.Is it Ramla or Mgarr Bay. After we leave the artistic bench this is the region of sea we saw.

--September 22, 2026 at 10:54 AM.

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Steep descent down to the bay. Those ridges might help give this concrete one-car wide road more friction when wet.

--September 22, 2026 at 11:08 AM.

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Lots of people here getting ready to scuba dive the waters here. We paused for a bit to watch the scene. Then we pushed on and ended up taking the tougher route which was definitely not our plan. We should have followed the paths higher up on the ridge than the one we did follow, which was closer to the water and featured some awkward footing on limestone and dirt.It was a bit challenging.

--September 22, 2026 at 11:21 AM.

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An Update and a Promise

Left: just over 14 years ago Mom and Dad are standing on the Ponte Pietra . Right: On September 24, 2026 all 3 of us are back and I am once again taking their photo on this most-ancient bridge in Verona.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:53 PM.

Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map We have been in Verona for the past couple of days. Mom and I have been ill for the past couple of days. Perhaps we are well on our way to recovery as we wait for our car service to arrive and drive us to Lake Garda and the town Gargnano. I do have a bit more I can say about Verona but it is going to wait until I have settled down there and am feeling more properly myself. That is when I will also write about our final walk on the island of Gozo which had a bit more adventure than we wanted.

For now I will share these two photos of us on the Ponte Pietra. We managed to use the bus system to get from our Best Western CTC Verona outside the city to Castelvecchio in Verona and from there did a tiny bit of exploring (very slowly as I certainly wasn’t well) and in time we found our way to the bridge. Getting back to the hotel took a bit more effort and we had a period of doubt when we thought we had made an error. It all worked out. However, if we were staying for any appreciable length of time I would figure out how to purchase bus passes via the mobile app. One final very much in passing note. We initially had not planned to stay at this hotel but at an AirB&B in central Verona. Had we done that we would not have disovered the grand shopping mall about one-half mile away from our hotel. Perhaps I should have taken photos of some of the stores. What really impressed us was the staggering large grocery and-a-bit-of-everything-else store. From vast amounts of fresh veggies, to a active bakery, plenty of clearly fresh fish, and swaths of all sorts of meats being prepared as you watched, and more. Impressive. Then we found a nice clothing store where I bought two pair of pants. They required some alterations and, lo and behold,there was a seamstress booth just a few shops down. She took my measurements and had the two pants altered in less than an hour. I doubt that there is a shopping mall in the USA which has a tailor/seamstress.

Photos

Dad and Ken on the Ponte Pietra. The bridge was built around 100BCE but all but the leftmost arch was destroyed in 1945.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:54 PM.

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This was a lovely little park to sit in and watch people go by. Well that’s what Mom and Dad did. I rested. We looked at Ponte Puetra. We wondered about the trees high on a bluff beyond the bridge.

--September 25, 2026 at 3:29 PM.

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Malta - Ggantija (September 20, 2026)

After our greater than planned adventure of the day before we decided that a low-energy day was in order. The Ggantija (rougly, “Juh-gen-tee-yuh” or “juh-gant-EE-ah”) is a notable neolithic temples sites on Gozo. It’s not the only such site from 5,000 years ago but it is here and one of the best preserved. The temples are located in the town of Xaghra (“SHAH-ra”, more or less though I think I heard it as “Zah-ra” as well) which is a sizeable place, second only to Victoria, in population. We would only see a tiny portion of it as we did not choose to explore beyond finding a place for lunch.

Getting there was straightforward once we learned where the bus stop for the #322 was located. Perhaps on weekdays that bus (and many ohters) runs more than once-per-hour but we were not in a hurry so that wasn’t a concern. The buses have all been on time which is nice. The ride was quick and perhaps a bit nerve wracking for Mom and Dad who could see us squeezing by over traffic and parked cars on the just-wide-enough roads that twist through the towns. It is obvious that the buses drivers, and surely other drivers too, are comfortable driving here and they must have good training. We were dropped off pretty much right where we needed to be though we did not realize it right away.

We found our way to the site of the temples and began our walk through history. I am not going to try and reprise the history of this place. There is plenty of information available that is going to be more convincing than my mere re-stating of facts from other places. I know what you can find out. Even a cursory reading of what is available is still impressive. The two temples were built around 3,600BCE through 3,200BCE. Though the temple building started several hudred years before these were completed and continued for centuries more. It’s thought the people who arrived here well over 4,100BCE came from Sicilly which is about 57 nautical miles (105 km) from here. I suppose on a clear day from a height of over 100 meters (higher is better) you could see the relatively flat top of Malta. Still a daunting water crossing over 6,000 years ago but it could be, and obviously was, done. When you think about that it becomes easier to imagine these intrepid people with simple stone tools deciding at some point to build neolithic structures such as we have here even though they only had use of their muscles, perhaps rounds stone balls serving as ball bearings, and I imagine basic pulleys which are pretty simple machines too though incredibly useful.

It’s too bad the roofs collapsed ages ago. I think it would be easier to imagine these structures being used for if the the roofs were still there. These were not, apparently, homes but ritual sites. What sort of events were celebrated here? I suppose we can never really know. We can see evidence of things done such as the use of fire or the marking of how things were to be built in etched stone (which feels different than graffiti of initials etched in just a couple hundred years ago). But we can’t really know. We can marvel at the dedication to biuld the temples. That is what we did.

We didn’t, and still do not, know much about the town. I am sure there are things to do here but we were not going to wander aimlessly to figure out what hidden gems might be about. We simply found our way to a bustling square and then the Coronation Bistro where we had surprisingly good pizzas for lunch. I was expecting a lighter crust, far more Neopolitan style, and a small overall pie. The pie was about the size of the dinner plate it came on and a crust any American would recongnize. Ample toppings of meat and vegetables (on mine) made for a good repast. Had we known they’d be what they were I think we would have gotten just one: we had to leave several slices on the plates.

We took an Uber, got the same driver as the day before, back to the hotel where as we arrived a cloud burst and poured a moderate amount of rain down for a little while. A lazy afternoon of doing pretty little but resting before dinner.

Photos

The first view of a temple at the Ggantija site. It’s named because people who saw the Neolithic temples millennia after they were built could not imagine anyone but giants making them. I think that shows a lack of imagination at the creativity m, capability, and determination of people from time way gone by.

--September 20, 2026 at 11:17 AM.

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Moving closer to a temple.

--September 20, 2026 at 11:23 AM.

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Inside one of the rooms of a temple structure.

--September 20, 2026 at 11:36 AM.

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Malta - A Refuge and a Storm

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We looked at the weather forecast for today and decided we could manage the 6.5km walk we wanted to do. The entire walk is just over 13km but we decided that ending at the village by Dwerja Tower and then taking a bus back to Victoria, cutting out the last 6.5km, would be fine. Chances are that the last bit would have been more road-walking which would not have been fun anyway. We were able to catch the 9:09 #301 bus to Victoria and start our walk under cloudy skies but with a temperature that was still quite warm.

We worked our way through the streets of Victoria. Just a few hundred meters into the walk we were checking the walking notes to be sure where we had to go next. A local person was pulling out of a parking spot and asked if we needed help. We were fine and Dad let him know that.

“Australians, ” asked the older fellow?

“Americans,” was Dad’s response.

Smiling the driver said, “Heil Hitler,” followed quickly by, “Heil Trump.”

He went his way and we ours.

As we continued, we soon came to the narrow Lumuzjata Valley. The signs we saw note that the valley has many natural springs and they must be the life-giving source for all the vegetation. There are caves in the valley walls but I did not see the caves let alone the cave dwellings. To be fair I didn’t really look either but I don’t think Mom and Dad saw them either. Up the several dozen steps and back onto city streets with their one-person-wide sidewalks with obstructions of entry steps or construction to make them more of an annoyance to walk along.

Soon the roads would become more quiet as we passed an old Coca-Cola machine and began passing by fields to either side of us. The fields appear barren but they are clearly used as the pungent aroma of manure filling our noses informed us. We think that perhaps there will be another growing season for Fall planting. Now and then large working trucks and tractors would pass by causing us to hug the wall on the road’s edge. There are no shoulders. We plodded on. We began to notice that the skies ahead were darkening. Then we noticed, now and then, a distant flash of lightning. The weather was turning bad.

When we finally reached what the notes call the Roman Pond and my map identifies as San Raflu Lake it was becoming quite obvious that our chances of not getting caught in the storm were vanishingly small. We still paused to chat with an English couple who were walking in the same direction as we were though they started somewhere else. We had a snack at the little rest area with tables and benches and wished for a roofed structure. We were pretty sure that the pause wouldn’t matter; we were going to get caught out before reaching the village, San Lawrenz I believe is name, by Dwerja Tower.

The skies continued to darken and the temperature began to drop. The wind picked up speed and the flashes of lightning were increasing in frequency along with the accompanying booms of thunder. As we left the minor road to start following an actual dirt and limestone path the storm with all its wind and rain arrived. Torrents of rain fell and the wind whipped the pummelling water about us. We were not going to stay dry even with our rain jackets on. The temperature dropped several degrees but it was still quite warm. We were getting quite wet but we were not getting chilled. We pushed ahead along the sometimes overgrown path that was turning into a stream. We didn’t have attention to spare to look out and around: heads down; watching our feet. We passed by small family-owned quarries but did not notice. After almost a kilometer and easily 20-25 minutes of pounding rain we came to a turning point. The apparent path seemed to go right. The plowed allotments on our left.The right went up a hill where Mom spotted a building. She thought it might provide protection from the storm. She forged up to check it out and then waved Dad and me to follow. About 110 meters climbing up about 20 meters and we were getting ready to enter the building through an empty window opening to whatever protection we could get from the howling wind and driving rain. Mom stepped through. Dad started to step through and came up short with a thud and an anguished cry. The footing required care but he gave that a bit too much attention and failed to duck his head sufficiently. The building made him pay a painful price with a big cut on his and no little amount of pain. I entered unscathed.

Dry. No wind. Comfort.Refuge.

Mom used the supplies in Dad’s emergency medical kit to stop the bleeding.

We took refuge in this abandoned quarry building for a bit over a half an hour. We thought the rain was subsiding though it seemed like it wasn’t going to truly stop anytime soon. We zipped ourselves back into our rainjackets and braved the aforementioned opening to depart the refuge and hike the last slightly-less-than 1km to the village associated with Dwerja Tower. This little right hand path was an error. In fact, we were supposed to follow close to the allotment and pick up the path just a few steps further on. Perhaps we would have seen the real trail if we weren’t dealing with the weather. We continued on the limestone and dirt path. We listened to streams of water flowing down the limestone as we walked. We tried not to slip in the sections of near-frictionless mud. The path was taking us towards the sea and we followed it and the occasional blue-and-white way-mark. The storm was spent but it was still raining a bit as we approached Dwerja Tower and the couple we had met before, out for a 2-nights and 3-days hike around Gozo, caught up to us. They are staying at hotels along the way but we couldn’t figure out where they took shelter from the storm. They said, we thought, under a rocky ledge but nothing like that was noticed by us between San Raflu Lake and where they caught up to us. They seemed in good spirits as they moved on past having several kilometers to go to wherever their lodging for this, I think their second night would be.

If the flag is flying at Dwerja Tower it means the tower is open for people to visit. No flag was flying though I doubt we would have visited even if it had been. It’s the location of a centuries-old observation tower, restored in 1997. It had some cannons in ages past, 6-pounders I believe, but they were never fired in combat. During World War II it was strictly an observation post. We passed by and walked the final 400 or so meters along a road, though on the limestone and sand wide border that travelled the same way to the village of San Lawrenz. We settled in at the souvenir shop to wait for the Uber I ordered. We had no desire to explore the village.

The Uber ride was easy and after the 7 or so mile ride we were deposited back at the Grand Hotel. We were able to get out of our wet clothing and start to recuperate from the adventure we just had.

Mom called Mercedes about Dad’s head wound, and what additional supplies we needed to keep the cut clean. The visit to a pharmacy required a climb up a flight of about 50 stairs through a tunnel then a seemingly longer-than 0.25 miles (what the GPS map suggested). Navigating narrow sidewalks once again and getting wet once again. But we found what was needed at the pharmacy and returned to the hotel. Relax. Minister to aches and pains. An early dinner and then off to an early bedtime.

Photos

There may be more in this lush valley than we saw. The walk is taking us through Victoria but this valley is an oasis of quiet in the city. This is Lunuzjata Valley. There are several springs that count for the valley’s less than green at this time of year plethora of plants. There are also cave dwellings, but I did not notice them.

--September 19, 2026 at 9:53 AM.

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We have been tromping down this road past fields that seem barren but are clearly active (the smell of manure is the give away). Over 2km on this road as the clouds become more threatening. Looking back (top) and ahead (bottom).

-- September 18, 2026 at 11:16 AM Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map

We met an English couple, living in Malta, here at this little rest area. I wonder if they made it to the village of San Lawrenz before the storm hit. Perhaps we should not have spent the 10 or so minutes here having a bite to eat, but there is no way we would’ve beaten the storm.

--September 19, 2026 at 11:21 AM.

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The Inntravel notes say, assuming I’m reading them right, that this is the Roman Pond. On my map it’s called San Raflu Lake. It is home to Painted Frogs which are the only indigenous amphibians I believe here on the Maltese islands. We did not see the frogs, but the pond was surrounded by much greenery.

--September 19, 2026 at 11:33 AM.

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Our refuge from the storm.

--September 19, 2026 at 12:50 PM.

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Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, the temperature dropped as the wind picked up speed, and a few raindrops turned into a torrent. It really started to come down as we turned down a dirt and stone narrow path. I think we plodded along for about 700 meters before Mom spotted the building atop a hill off to the right (about 110 meters distant). We were quite soaked so taking cover from the wind and rain was wonderful. I’m sure we were there for easily a half hour if not closer to 45 minutes.

--September 19, 2026 at 12:27 PM.

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Ken snd Mom in our refuge from the storm. It’s been a few minutes since Dad gave himself quite a knock on the head as we came into this building. That was definitely an unexpected and unwanted extra bit of adventure to our already unexpected adventure in the stormy weather. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 19, 2026 at 12:29 PM.

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I expect an hour earlier this scene looked quite a bit different. I am sure the wind was ripping up whitecapped waves. But visibility was probably such that you likely could not really see them. Not a quiet scene now but it’s nice to see the turquoise sea as we neared the end.

--September 19, 2026 at 1:11 PM.

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Even if the flag had been flying, I doubt we would have stopped to Dwerja Tower. The rain had slacked off quite a bit, but it had not ceased. We were ready to be done, especially given the knock that Dad took. Just a few hundred more meters to the protection of the umbrellas at what I suspect is a souvenir shop. We certainly were not going to check out anything else around there.

--September 19, 2026 at 1:18 PM.

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Malta: Visiting Victoria and the Citadel (September 18, 2026)

Mom and Dad by a cannon - maybe a new piece of art for them (or what it is: a cannon at the Citadel in Victoria). Still not at the top of the Citadel. We spent a bit of time walking at top the walls and around the Citadel complex. It’s hard to get a sense of the place because there are a lot of buildings, passageways, courtyards, what appear to be fields, and more.

--September 18, 2026 at 11:16 AM.

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▶️ Play Enjoying the pool at the Grand Hotel Mom is easily seen while Ken swims by. His first swim since shoulder surgery 11 months ago.

The morning dawned with a swath of dark and heavy gray clouds massing in the sky. Soon it began to rain. As we got ourselves ready and went downstairs for breakfast fog rolled in completely obscuring even close by buildings from view. Since we didn’t have a big walking excursion planned it was fine to let the rain and fog pass on by which they did within a couple hours. They left behind the usual heat and a fair bit of humidity and a modestly cloudy sky which would, throughout the day, lessen.

It was time to catch a bus to Victoria (formerly Rabat) and see a bit of the capitol city of Gozo. Buses run frequently and they feel like they run fast. Perhaps that’s because we are inside the bus and the roads seem narrow. I think the speed limit was 50KPH and the bus was sometimes moving closer to 60KPM. I know Dad thought it was faster. Perhaps this is a case of being unfamiliar with driving on the left side of the road or just how people drive in general here. Would they feel anything odd driving curving American roads? I’m not in a position to judge. We got to Victoria in less than 25 minutes. We found a busy terminal station with traffic moving all around and little room for pedestrians to move on the one-person-wide sidewalks. Result: you have to step into the streets. This is a place not made to comfortably share space for pedestrians and vehicular traffic as far as I can tell.

Our goal was to pretty much follow the suggestions from Inntravel about some things to see in Victoria. That boils down to working our way to the Citadel and seeing things along the way. Through bustling car in streets too narrow - no doubt centuries old - lanes where if a car came down you would have to squeeze tight against a building wall, we worked our way through various plazza (like Pjazza San Gorg) to reach the Citadel. People, locals and visitors I am sure, moved about stopping at shops or having a bite to eat in one of the many eateries. We continued on.

I don’t really have much to say about the Citadel itself. We elected not to spend the money to get tickets for the museums in the Citadel. They might be worthwhile to visit but we just decided to explore the massive complex and absorb what we could. It is huge. As we moved up and then around the tops of the uppermost walls we gazed out across Gozo. I wonder what it must have been like for Gozitans to have to sleep within these walls for protections centuries ago. The Citedal has attempted to provide that for thousands of years though obviously it was far less substanial ages ago.

After some time just strolling through the twisting lanes between massive structures we eventually headed back down to the city proper. We were able to find a nice place for lunch called Manouche Bakery and Bistro. They’re open only for breakfast and lunch. My grueyere and ham toast was a far better meal than breakfast at the hotel. Mom and Dad had omelettes with tomatoes and mushrooms respectively and I’ve no doubt they were far happier with them then the hotel fare.

More exploration with a purpose: heading to the Ecco shoe store. While we didn’t quite follow the best path our mistake took us through a lovely park that we’d not have seen otherwise. Getting off the high-traffic road with its narrow sidewalk was a delight. After all, after we left the park with its trees surrounded by what seemed like higher-end apartments we had to return to another bustling road. Our quest to find the store was a success and I was able to replace a rather worn out pair of sandals with new ones: they sure feel better underfoot.

One final short walk, mostly on the edge of the bustling road where traffic squeaks by you, to the bus terminal and the waiting 301 bus that would take us to within a few hundred meters of the Grand Hotel. Hurray.

By this time the clouds has not gone away altogether but the sun was out and the temperature had risen several degrees. It was time to get spend the next few hours relaxing either in our rooms or at the pool. It might feel like we did not fill our day with a lot but it was a nice enough day nonetheless.

Photos

Lest you think it’s all sunshine and heat throughout the next couple hours it rained. During part of that time thick fog rolled in as well.

--September 18, 2026 at 7:23 AM.

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Victoria, formerly Rabat before the official name change on the Jubileeof Queen Victoria, is a city with narrow lanes like this and wide streets. At least here I don’t think cars come often though a slow-moving motorcycle could pass by. On the busier streets count yourself lucky to find a sidewalk now much broader than you are. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 18, 2026 at 10:35 AM.

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View looking northwest from the uppermost wall of the Citadel.

--September 18, 2026 at 11:25 AM.

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From a wall on top of the citadel here in Victoria, Gozo. This photo give you a sense of the size of the place, but it only gives you a sense since it’s only looking in one direction. In athe distance towering over everything is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Madonna.

--September 18, 2026 at 11:25 AM.

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Malta: The First Days (September 15 through 17, 2026)

Sunrise was about 15 minutes ago. This is the view from my room.

—September 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM.

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I woke up rather earlier this morning than I would have preferred. The jet-lag and mediocre sleeping on the planes caught up with me right after dinner here at the Grand Hotel in Ghajnsielem roughly said, ”Ayn-see-LEM”) on the island of Gozzo. I was asleep not long after 8:00PM and pretty much awake for good not long after 4:30AM this morning (September 17). I hope it doesn’t wreck my day. Let me give you a sense of the time spent travelling the several thousand miles from Michigan to here. It was easy and hard:

• Hour 0: Wake up and get ready (and forgot to do something that could become important in time but I can’t really fix).
• Hour 1.0-1.5: Get my ride to the Detroit airport with Lil. Traffic was a bit of a pain but we got there when we should and I got through security and to my gate with no trouble.
• Hour 3: Flight to Boston leaves on time.
• Hour 5-6: Landing in Boston. Figure out how to get from Terminal A to Terminal E and the check-in counters. That turned out to be tougher than it should have been. I misread a sign and added 15-20 minutes walking under the tarmac to somewhere that wasn’t necessary. But I found the shuttle and it took me to gate E13 in Terminal E. I had to find my way out so I could meet Mom and Dad at the check-in counters. Of course, I also had to deal with the just-discovered breeze where a breeze should not be: my fly zipper was broken. Fortunately I had a change of clothes so that wasn’t too much of a hassle.
• Hour 7-7.5: Mom and Dad find me at couner 74 where the Lufthansa check-ins are located. I feel that could be better managed. The signs saying what airlines are at which counters are tiny compared to the lovely big numbers identifying each counter. Once you find a display screen that tells you which counter is assigned to your flight getting where you need to be is simple enough but I did not find such a sign quickly. More extra walking that I did not need. But we got through ticketing pretty smoothly considering our flights had been changed just the day before by ITA Airways to route through Frankfurt instead of Rome. Lufthansa didn’t quite get all our information (KTN numbers for TSA Precheck) but they did mange to book us in 3 adjacent seats which was surprising given that the flights were quite full.
• Hour 7.5-10: Waiting to board. I was able to get a bite to eat at a restaraunt. It would turn out to be a far superior meal than what the plane had to offer.
• Hour 10: Boarding. Another passport check and scan of boarding passes and we got on the bus to take us to the plane. That was a long bus ride. W e did not lave on time. Our flight would end up being about 40 minutes late arriving into Frankfurt.
• Hour 17ish (time from getting up on the 15th; we also jumped 6 hours ahead): We had less than 2 hours until boarding for our flight to Malta. We had to clear European customs. The new Entry/exit System is in place. You stand at a kiosk to scan your passport and provide a photo and perhaps fingerprints. Then you get in a long long line to see a border control agent. We had requested special assistance. That caused us some trouble because we didn’t properly follow thorough but it certainly sped us past the long line at the control point. However, people on our flight managed to get through and catch the same Malta-bound flight as us so perhaps it wasn’t necessary. It both reduced and increased stress as we had to wait for carts and we got nervous having heard some horror stories about wait times. But it probably was wise to do what we did. I am sure I’d not have made it alone: I just am not a fan of needing to have a wheelchair. I can walk. Granted there were no wheelchairs used: just electric carts.
• Hour 19: Boarding our flight to Malta. This would be about a 2 hours-long flight. It went fine.Shockingly hard seats; think Spirit Airlines.
• Hour 21: Land in Malta. Thank goodness we don’t have to deal with any more border control points. We were able to get our luggage and then begin our next round of waiting for our driver to arrive to take us to Gozo. I am not sure if he was on his way already or not. We had to wait the better part of an hour for him to arrive. Hurry up and wait. Joy.
• Hour 22.5-24: The shuttle takes about 45 minutes to get to the dock where the car ferry to Gozo awaits. The ferry ride is about 20 minutes. The ride to the ferry was not particularly enjoyable. A combination of being in the way back, being tired, and the speed and curves in the road, made it less than ideal. The ferry ride was nice and smooth and pretty.
• Hour 24.5: Checking in at the hotel. Hurray.

We settled in to our respecitive rooms and took time to make ourselves feel more alive (hurray for a good shower). But that can only take you so far. We were tired and while we had the thought of exploring a little aorund the hotel we ended up not doing so. We hung out at the outdoor pool on floor 4 (an indoor pool is on floor 2) for a bit before finding dinner at the hotel restaurant. They have a rooftop dining space that several days a week does some sort of barbecue but we were not going to spend 40 euros each for that. On non-barbecue days you can either order from a set menu of choices a 3-course meal or do something ala carte. The ala carte option exists every day and that is what we did. A tasty spaghetti in rich beef sauce (beef ragu). Then it was off to bed.

Our First Walk

It warmed up quickly. We had breakfast just before 8:00AM which is a bit later than we were aiming for, but it our first full day. While the choices for food are comprehensive the quality is a bit hit or miss and certainly won’t hold a candle to a hotel like the one we stayed in during our time in Oslo or, if I recall correctly, Alesund, Norway: no omelet chef. By the time we were ready to start our first walk it was edging past 9:30AM and the sun was sitting in a nearly cludless deep blue sky.

Inntravel provides a very basic map for each walk. Where they excel is with the directions that describe how you are to travel. If your walk takes you past something distinctive like a trio of palm trees where you make a sharp left turn the notes will say so. If there may be a concern about certain sections being iffy in poor weather you will be informed. If you are likely to get confused by an area where the most obvious option is wrong the walking notes will note that fact. Having a nice map and downloading the available GPX files to use with a proper mapping app are good extras but you can get by without them.

This walk started from the hotel. We moved along the street navigating the narrow sidewalk with its bumps and dips (not a city friendly to people with any mobility issues) hoping we wouldn’t have to step into the road as traffic zipped past. Then we turned and began following the next road. This was the nature of the bulk of the walk: road walking. Usually along the edge of the roads which granted were often far quieter than the initial road. It isn’t hard but it is a bit tedious.

We ascended towards a higher point (about 80 meters) and were presented with panoramic views of, I think, Ramla Bay. We also saw less wondrous things like trash. We were heading into the village of Qala (pronounced, “AH-la”). I am not sure where the border between villages is in what feels like one big habitation.We passed by the Buket Bar where several jeeps carrying tourists, we saw many, had just pulled in for a late-morning drink. Personally, I think it might have been nice to get a cold drink there after the 1.2km climb. We ascended about 75 meters but with the sun already high in the sky it felt harder than it should have. Of course, our water was already warming up making it less palatable to drink.

One nice thing about walking through bustling villages is that you find the fine little shops that make the places work. In the space of a few meters we found a well stocked pharmacy which sold travel-sized shaving gel, sunscreeen, and toothpaste plus all sorts of other things; a small mini-mart where we picked up cold water and I wish we had (I was voted down) potato chips (crisps); and a very well stocked pharmacy which- seemed a bit higher-end, small grocery store where we managed to purchse some clementines (I wish I had a small grocery store like that one near me back home).

We worked our way through Qala along much quieter roads. Expansive views of the bays down below were frequent but they won’t blow your mind. We also wondered about what seemed like maintained fields for agricultural use but nothing seemed to be growing in them. Along the way we passed by home with American flags. I suppose their is an ex-pat community here. THe houses all had names like Big Apple and Sun Valley. When we reach the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady we found a modest shady spot to rest. It was just before noon and had I been on the ball I could have recorded the noon seranade of the bells. THe music sounded a bit dicordant to me as if the notes being struck were a bit off pitch. Dad thought it sounded tinny but I don’t think that is quite right. He stepped inside and surprisingly found it stuffy and not any cooler. I would have thought it would be cooler because it is a centuries-old church with thick stone walls but clearly it wasn’t and it also lacked ventilation.

We found our way to a 600-meter detour walk that would take us out to near the edge of the cliffs overlooking Hondoq (Hon-dok) Bay. We didn’t go quite to the end of the recommended walk but came close enough. If the sun had been pouring heat down upon us I think we have stayed to have our handmade-at-the-hotel-by-us little sandwiches. We returnd down the slightly rocky path, past the supposedly millennia-old cart ruts. They did not look like much to Dad and I don’t think I saw them at all. We returned to the fly-inhabited shady spot for lunch.

Down a winding road, the steepest descent down to the sea, and the joys around Hondoq Bay. For us that meant sitting down under the umbrellas at the beachfront set up by the soda and ice cream truck. Orange Fanta and Magnun Ice Cream bars may not be the healthiest things to devour but under the certainly well above 80ªF they were very welcome treats. The notes say you can spend hours here in the bay but we certainly did not do that. We walked onto the small mostly-rocky beach, typical of so many we have seen in Europe, and watched people playing in the water. Lots of small kayaks and other things were bobbing in the calm blue-green and clear water. For Mom and I it was a lovely chance to take off our shoes and step into the lapping waves of Hondoq Bay. The water is quite warm; a far cry from the chilly water of Lake Superior. As the waves lapped at our legs and the undertoe pulled sand out from under our feet we relaxed in the pleasant embrace. Of course, then we had to step out and take the few irritating (maybe others find it less so as they pick better stepping spots) steps back to rocks to sit on and put socks and shoes back on.

From the beach the walk would spend the next few hundred meters gradually ascending along a coastal path of hard sand and some rocks: a hard surface but at least it wasn’t a road.Views of inlets and the blue-colored waters were lovely. But we certainly were getting tired as we made our way. A final ascent up to another road and we had about one mile to go. Too bad we had to first climb the ascending road over a distance of 600 meters perhaps gaining 40-50 meters along the way. I found myself wondering if we could have taken the coastal path around and then returned to the hotel from there. It might well have been longer but the climbing would have been considerably lessened. We found ourselves back on the street where we started.From here we would retrace our steps back to the hotel. Down and down we went. Mom was feeling it by this point and we paused for her to rest a few times along the last 1.3km of the walk. We managed to navigate the narrow sidewalks of the last couple hundred meters and once again were back at the hotel.

I’ll end with a quick note about our first three-course meal. Mom and Dad tried a pasta starter in a tomato sauce while I had a creamy risotto. I found my starter a bit bland and the rice may have been a bit undercooked. But I admit I don’t eat risotto often so what do I really know. I prefer its cousin the arancini balls which I realize are really rather different. I don’t think they were too excited about the chicken they had. My braised lamb shank was tender, very mild in taste, and came with plenty of nice vegetables. The chocolate cake with whipped cream and a cherry sauce made an excellent dessert leaps and bounds ahead of Dad’s strawberry ice cream.

Photos

After about a 45 minute drive from the airport, we would reach the dock for the car ferry that would take us to Gozo. It’s about a 20 minute ride on the ferry and we are about 1 km from Gozo at this point. As it would turn out, that means we were not that much farther away from the grand hotel, which is where we are staying.

—September 16, 2026 at 2:35 PM.

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—September 16, 2026 at 7:36 PM.

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Our first panoramic view of Ramla Bay. We are ascending along a road with, overall, no sidewalks ; and when they exist they’re meager. We probably have nearly a kilometer of climbing to still do. It’s a gentle climb but it’s in full sunshine and already over 80°F.

--September 17, 2026 at 9:44 AM.

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There are some intriguing home in Qala (sounds like, “AH-La”). But I think this one might be scheduled for demolition, which would be a shame. The Buttigieg family seems to have quite a presence here. I don’t know if that’s the same family as American Pete Buttigieg but I think it is.

--September 17, 2026 at 11:09 AM.

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This is just perhaps 20 or so meters from the end of this path at the cliff’s overlooking Hondoq (pronounced more or less like, “Hon-dok”) Bay. If the sun hadn’t been punishing us relentlessly I think we would have had our modest lunch here.

--September 17, 2026 at 12:42 PM.

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This is just perhaps 20 or so meters from the end of this path at the cliff’s overlooking Hondoq (pronounced more or less like, “Hon-dok”) Bay. If the sun hadn’t been punishing us relentlessly I think we would have had our modest lunch here.

--September 17, 2026 at 12:43 PM.

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We took a respite here at the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady just before and after noon (I wasn’t able to record the noon bells concert which sounded a bit off key to my ears and Dad called it tinny) and then after our jaunt down to near the top of the cliffs about 750 meters southeast of here.

--September 17, 2026 at 1:28 PM.

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The water here in Hondoq (Hon-dok) Bay is quite warm. It sure felt good on aching and hot feet. The beach here, like so many we have seen throughout Europe, is rocky. You will feel it as your stroll barefoot into the water. But it is a beach and the water is inviting so, as you see, people come to play. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM.

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We are following a coastal path of hard sand strewn with rocks up out of Hondoq Bay. It is definitely a change of pace from the road walking we’ve done up to this point. But it is hard to enjoy the glorious shades of colors dancing through the calm inlet below. The heat is exhausting us. I wonder if it would have been easier, if possible, to continue on the coastal path and climb to the hotel from the sea. In a few dozen meters we will turn inland and climb this path to a road before starting a 1.2 km descent down the road we ascended earlier.

--September 17, 2026 at 2:48 PM.

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