This year there was another family trip planned for the end of the summer. My mother has become a great traveller. I totally understand her, travel as long as you are physically fit and can do it. Time spent with loved ones and family is probably the most precious thing in life.

As a family trip, my mother, daughter and brother were on the passenger list, but unfortunately my brother had to work, so I was left alone with the girls. We went to Malta together, for me it felt almost like going home, I lived there for almost a year and I know it like the back of my hand. The last time I was here with my wife was a year ago, so let's see what has changed in a year.

DAY ONE

Surviving the heat without the sea

We arrived late in the evening, so the first day was actually the second, but let's have a look at our first full day. It was sweltering in the morning and it would have been best to go straight into the water, but things turned out differently and we had to plan again. I thought the old town of Mdina has a lot of shady areas in the narrow little streets and the air moves better, especially if there is a bit of wind.

Historic stone archway with motion-blurred movement in foreground.

Hat meeting at the gate of the old town, Mdina

Indeed it did, there was a bit of wind and the shade was very nice. We had a long walk around the whole old town. For lunch we stopped for pizza and pasta. My favourite drink in Malta is the bittersweet Kinnie soft drink. I drank about as much as I could drink during our stay (it would be nice to know why they only sell it here in Malta and why they don't make it for export).

Classic red British telephone booth on a sunny street.

The girls are ready to explore

Mysterious green door with foliage in old stone building.

Horse-drawn carriage on cobblestone street with ornate street lamp.

Vintage horse carriage with yellow wheels on stone pavement.

People walking through narrow sandstone alleyway in Mediterranean town.

Historic Mediterranean street with vibrant bougainvillea flowers climbing up a sandstone building facade.

Ancient stone street with ornate statue and architectural details in a historic Mediterranean city.

Ornate white stone statue under a decorative canopy against bright blue sky on historic building facade.

Church window with illuminated stained glass cross pattern at night.

Narrow alley between historic stone buildings with sunlit courtyard at the end.

Shade and wind, what we needed

Ancient stone wall covered in weathered graffiti and inscriptions.

Modern-day hieroglyphs, Egypt is not far away from Malta :)

Red double doors with fanlight window and ornate hardware set in limestone archway.

Rustic olive green double door with ornate metal hardware framed by a stone archway in Mediterranean architecture.

Stone statue and vintage lamp on historic building facade against bright blue sky.

Narrow alley with stone walls leading to church dome through arched passageway.

Fresh wood-fired pizza with mushrooms and cheese served on blue plate with olive oil bottle.

Green Mini Cooper parked in front of traditional Maltese limestone building with blue door.

After lunch we went back to the hotel for some rest. After the power nap the next stop was Valletta. From the upper Barrakka Garden the views to the harbour is beautiful . But there is also a lower part, a few streets behind, which is less well known, but also has very nice sea views. We came here to watch the sunset. Two huge luxury cruise ships were just leaving the harbour. (One day someone could surprise me with a few days cruise , I would also love a river version with a smaller boat.)

A scenic view of a Mediterranean coastal town framed between buildings with golden sunlight illuminating the architecture.

Fort Saint Angelo fortress in Valletta harbor at sunset with warm golden light.

Historic archway passage with tourists walking through golden-lit limestone architecture.

Sunburst through decorative fountain at sunset in Mediterranean city.

Triton fountain - Valletta

A small boat floating alone on vast blue Mediterranean waters captured from above.

Classical stone columns with religious statues and ornate carvings framed by green foliage.

A large cruise ship docked in a Mediterranean harbor during sunset.

David and Goliath

A cruise ship viewed through a stone archway with a lighthouse in the distance.

Watching the first Behemoth leaving the harbour

A white cruise ship with smoking funnel docked in a Mediterranean port.

And comes the second one — almost hitting the Kayaking guy

A large Costa cruise ship anchored in Malta's Grand Harbor during sunset.

We were on our way back to the accommodation, but the Bridge bar was on the way. My wife and I used to come here a lot when we lived in Malta in 2015. But now as it was a Friday night this meant there was a live jazz concert here like every Friday. We listened to the concert for a while, had some refreshments and then returned to the hotel.

Candlelit outdoor dining area along stone walls with traditional architecture in Malta.

Jazz concert at the Bridge bar every Friday

Stone steps adorned with string lights and potted plants create an inviting evening dining atmosphere.

Bustling nightlife street in Malta with string lights and historic buildings.

Crowds on the main street of Valletta

Illuminated coastal cityscape at night with bright lights along the waterfront.

Watching the passing traffic from the roof

Nighttime terrace overlooking city lights with modern outdoor furniture.

Late night swim in the hotel rooftop pool

DAY two

brewery and museum

After breakfast the girls wanted to go shopping, so we headed for the mall. On the way, my mum remembered a hidden little jewellery shop where she had bought a Maltese cross pendant years ago. She thought she would surprise herself with a matching necklace. The owner was a very kind Maltese jeweller. When he found out we liked cats, he told us to wait until he was gone. We couldn't imagine what was going to happen, and lo and behold, he brought his 19-year-old cat out of storage. It was strange that I'd never seen a jewellery shop full of fur like that, but I did put the pieces of the puzzle to solve this mistery. So the cat had a jewellery shop and a butler — this is how it works. :)

Swimmers and sunbathers enjoying a rocky beach along Malta's blue Mediterranean coastline.

People swimming and relaxing at a concrete pier with turquoise Mediterranean waters.

Green banana bunch growing on tree against bright sky.

Bananas grow on the street

Historic Maltese church facade with ornate architecture and religious statue.

Churches everywhere we go

Yellow and white striped umbrellas shade lounge chairs by a pool area.

Sunbathing at the harbour

Ok next stop is The Farsons Brewery Experience. It was getting close to lunch time and as I knew that there was a restaurant in the beer museum, I thought we would have lunch here. And how well we did I had the best seafood pasta I've had in a long time.

Row of yellow labeled Cisk beer bottles lined up on a shelf.

View through a wooden cabinet window showing a glimpse inside.

Large copper brewing tanks in an industrial brewery facility.

View through a small window opening in an interior space.

Interior view of a brewery showing copper brewing equipment and metal railings.

What happens if I rotate this?

Copper brewing kettles and fermentation tanks in an industrial brewery setting.

Mum, I'm not sure that's a good idea

Neon beer sign glowing through a window at night.

Illuminated orange and red neon Cisk Lager sign with beer glass icon.

Modern restaurant sign reading 'The Chapels Gastropub' on hexagonal wall pattern.

A brewery hallway floor with the word 'BREWERY' written in large red letters leading down a corridor.

Motivational wall art about drinking beer with friends against dark background.

Thanks for reminding me

Plate of pasta with shrimp served with wine glasses in restaurant setting.

Seafood pasta and craft beer tasting in the background

Row of beer tap handles at a bar featuring different brewery labels and logos.

Then a pint of each, thanks

Beer being poured from a chrome draft tap into a glass at a bar.

Flight of different colored craft beers arranged in a line on a wooden bar counter.

How about an ice cold Kinnie?

Carbonated beverage being poured into an ice-filled glass against a blue sky.

A glass of Parsons Blue Label beer with a frothy head against a window background.

And the winner this year again is the Blue label

Large copper brewing tanks in an industrial brewery setting.

"In the afternoon, we made reservations for the next day's boat trip. The destination is the Blue Lagoon, famous for its crystal clear beautiful blue waters."

DAY three

Going to the blue lagoon

Let's go to reach the boat. The boat called Jade was waiting for us in the port of Sliema. Gozo - Comino - Blue Lagoon was written on the back. This will be the itinerary for today. A full day of swimming and sunbathing, we were finally in the sea.

Aerial view of boats anchored in crystal clear turquoise waters of Blue Lagoon in Malta with beach umbrellas visible.

Boats floating in vibrant turquoise Mediterranean waters surrounded by rocky coastline under blue skies.

Blue and white beach umbrellas shading boats in crystal clear Mediterranean waters.

It took about an hour and a half, but first we dropped off the tourists visiting Gozo on the sister island of Malta, before the Blue Lagoon. Anyway, we were cruising along — we thought, it's not everyday for us to travel between islands. On the way we stopped several times to see spectacular caves from a distance.

Speed boat carrying passengers along Malta's historic harbor walls and fortifications.

Historic Valletta skyline and St. Paul's Cathedral seen from harbor viewpoint in Malta.

Valletta in the the background

Large decorative spheres displayed on top of a boat deck in Malta's harbor.

Our boat's name was Jade

Two people watching a boat sail across blue Mediterranean waters from deck viewpoint.

Tourist capturing photos of stunning blue waters and limestone cliffs in Malta's Blue Grotto.

Passengers enjoying boat trip on Mediterranean waters with equipment and safety gear visible.

Tourists photographing Malta's coastal town and harbor from boat deck perspective.

Gozo Island

Historic church perched on a hilltop overlooking a Mediterranean harbor filled with boats in Malta.

Church of St. Anthony of Padova

Dramatic cloudscape over Malta's rocky coastline with boats dotting the azure Mediterranean waters.

Getting closer to the Blue Lagoon

Crystal clear turquoise waters of Malta's Blue Lagoon with boats anchored near rocky cliffs.

Natural rock arch formation over turquoise Mediterranean waters in Malta's coastline.

Aerial view of boats anchored in turquoise waters between rocky cliffs in Malta's Blue Lagoon.

Many arrived by private boats

View through boat canopy of Malta's Blue Lagoon and rocky coastal cliffs.

All right, it's going to be another quiet day

Panoramic view of Malta's Blue Lagoon with boats scattered across the crystal clear waters.

Through-window view of ocean horizon from inside a boat cabin.

Passenger resting against white boat railing during Mediterranean sea journey.

A Malta Public Transport bus window reflecting golden hour views of historic buildings and architecture.

Valletta is reflecting back

DAY four

last walk last swimming

We got up a little later so we decided not to do anything special today, a bit of swimming would be enough, but we also wanted to visit the cat park and bring food for the residents.

Time was running out so we looked for a beach nearby, we didn't want to go too far. We found a nice one next to the cat park.

After two hours of swimming we were starving. I knew where was a good quality Asian restaurant nearby and we were able to quickly get some delicious lunch from the the wok. Everything was delicious and we wondered what to do next. From the boat we saw the Zaha Hadid designed Mercury Tower in the distance yesterday. We only had to walk a few streets to get a closer look. It's an amazing building, there are times when modern and old are in harmony, I think this was one of them.

Beautiful beach cove in Malta with historic church and limestone buildings overlooking turquoise Mediterranean waters.

Colorful benches in a Mediterranean garden with olive trees and cats being fed. Called cat park.

What's in your sandwich?

Large blue cat sculpture displayed on top of a sandstone building against cloudy sky in Malta.

Stylishly cat toilet in the cat park

Modern skyscraper building viewed through olive tree branches against blue sky. Mercury Tower by Zaha Hadid.

Zaha Hadid's new Mercury tower

Hand holding a rose shaped ice cream in front of a modern glass building.

After an ice cream we headed back to Valletta for a last walk before an early flight the next morning. It was a great holiday, I hope the girls enjoyed it too. We always like to return to Malta, as small as it is, it is always a good experience.