Malta in the Movies

David and I were a bit late to the party, but we finally started watching Game of Thrones this Spring.  After spending years successfully avoiding the spoilers involving insane plot twists and gruesome murders, we binge-watched all three and a half seasons within just a few short weeks.  Now we are finally caught up to real-time episodes, and all I can say is Oh.My.Gosh. 

I knew from the start that GOT was going to be beyond crazy, so from the first episode, I told myself not to get attached to any characters.  Chances were that they were going to die a horrible death.  But there were still some episodes that had me cringing or close to tears…

So for our second to last May bank holiday ever, David and I decided to visit Malta, one of the filming locations for our new favorite TV show.  Karen’s also a huge GOT fan and came along with us!  

Malta is a small country in the center of the Mediterranean Sea consisting of three islands (Malta, Comino, and Gozo), and is home to not only the real-life Westeros, but also the Rome sets for Gladiator and Count of Monte Cristo, as well as the filming locations for other hit movies like Munich, Troy, The Da Vinci Code, and World War Z, to name just a few. 

We flew into Malta late Friday night, arriving at Luqa International Airport around midnight.  This airport was used as the Jerusalem airport that Brad Pitt flies in and out of in World War Z.  So from the start of our trip, we felt like we were on a movie tour of the islands.

On Saturday, the three of us spent the entire day lounging in the sun at our hotel, the Corinthia St George’s Bay.  Unfortunately the water in the sea and the hotel’s pools was too cold to swim in, so we stayed warm and dry.  We also strolled through the hotel’s gardens, whose highlight is an ancient tower that used to guard the coastline.

Later that evening, we had dinner in St Julian’s at Vedell Bistro, overlooking Spinola Bay.

One of Malta’s specialties is rabbit, so for our starter, we ordered rabbit cooked with red and white wines, and garlic and herbs.  It was actually really delicious, like a tender, well-seasoned pot roast.  (I just tried not to imagine a cute bunny rabbit as I ate.)

Being on an island, we knew we were in for a lot of seafood.  Karen and David split the rockfish with potatoes and root veggies, but I think I was still seafooded-out from our last vacation, so I had the manzo e funghi pasta – fettucine with beef and mushrooms covered in a garlic herb tomato sauce, with a touch of cream and Maltese honey.  The honey was a sweet addition to the savory sauce.  Malta is just a short distance by ferry to Sicily, so there are a lot of Italian influences in their cuisine.

David's and Karen's freshly caught rockfish

And of course, we couldn’t skip dessert.  Karen and I had read about Malta’s obsession with ricotta, and their annual festival celebrating the cheese was starting the next weekend, so I tried the ricotta custard for my last course, while David had a chocolate pot nicknamed the ‘Snickers’ and Karen had chocolate fondant cake.  Yum! 

On Sunday, we booked the boat trip from hell.

At the time, we didn’t know we had booked the boat trip from hell.  We thought that we had booked a boat to take us to Gozo Island to see the home of the Dothraki from Game of Thrones.  Fans will remember the beautiful backdrop of the Azure Window at the wedding reception of the Khaleesi and Khal Drogo in one of the first episodes.  Also, the boat would be making a stop at the island of Comino, where much of The Count of Monte Cristo was filmed.

Early Sunday morning, a driver picked us up from the hotel and then began passing us off to tour operator after tour operator.  By the time we arrived at the harbor across from Valletta, Malta’s capital, we had talked to five different people!  The tour guides at the harbor pointed to a large boat for us to board, as it would be leaving for Comino soon.

We were told by the concierge that our trip to Comino would be about an hour by boat, and then we would head to Gozo to tour that island before catching the ferry back to Malta.  So we dressed in summer clothes, but luckily packed our jackets in case the boat ride was a bit chilly.  The seas were so rough on Sunday, and the temperature in the morning was cold. 

Forty-five minutes into the trip, the crew began passing out drinks and traditional Maltese bread.  We didn’t remember the concierge mentioning anything about food and drinks, but the crew assured us it was part of the package and we accepted.

An hour later, when we were still on the boat, we knew something was wrong.  What was taking so long to get to Comino?  David and I found a couple of crew members, showed them our excursion details, and they confirmed that we were on the wrong boat!

Let me just say, first of all, at least we weren’t on the ferry to Sicily.  That would’ve been really bad.  Second of all, I realize that there are worse things than spending a day on a boat trip around the islands of Malta, in the beautiful Mediterranean.  But we were disappointed to learn that we wouldn’t be visiting Gozo.  Instead, our boat would only stop at Comino and then return back to Malta.  But even then, we didn’t stop at Comino.  When we arrived, the seas were so rough that we couldn’t anchor or even tie up the boat at the dock for us to disembark for lunch.

Poor Karen was suffering.  Not only was it cold, but the swells were so high that we were being knocked around on the boat, and I could tell that she wasn’t feeling well.  But she held it together, unlike the rest of the tourists we were with…

Those choppy seas were too much for some.  People all around us began throwing up their breakfasts.  The crew was scrambling back and forth across the deck, passing out puke bags.  The three of us couldn’t believe that people had paid money (and nearly twice as much as us, as our tickets were half the price as the tour we were actually on) to make themselves sick.  There were plenty of people that were violently ill, who eventually just laid down in the cabin and went to sleep.  I don’t think I’ve seen that many people puking and passing out since a college frat party!

After lunch, things improved greatly!  Although we couldn’t stop at Comino, we were still able to see the crystal clear waters of the Blue Lagoon.  The tower at the top of the island overlooking the lagoon is best known as the Chateau D’If from The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Count of Monte Cristo holds a special place in our hearts.  On our first date, David and I went to dinner and then watched the movie.  We’ve loved it ever since, and it was so fun to see all of the gorgeous landscapes from the film.  We passed the elephant rock and caves, which led the Count to his treasure.  And on the way back to Valletta, we saw the old harbor of Vittoriosa, which stood in for Marseilles in the movie, as it hasn’t changed much in the past 450 years.

That rock really does look like an elephant taking a drink of water

I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t get to see the Azure Window, but then I realized that I’ve seen more GOT film locations than I thought.  Before we even started watching the show, David and I were lucky enough to visit Croatia, where many King’s Landing scenes are shot, and Iceland, which acts as the barren, freezing landscape ‘beyond the wall.’

Eventually the sun came out and all of the sickly tourists emerged from the cabin.  We all enjoyed the sun and sea as the captain pointed out the island where St. Paul was shipwrecked in AD 60, the movie studios home to the mini-Coliseum built for Gladiator, and the beaches of Troy.

Statue of St. Paul commemorating where he was shipwrecked nearly 2,000 years ago

Cloudy and cold when we left Valletta...

but the sun and warmth made for some happy (and sunburned!) passengers by the end of the boat trip

After eight hours at sea, we reached dry land and we were hungry!  Karen, David, and I had dinner at Rampila, on the ramparts of Valletta.  Valletta was built in the mid-16th by the Knights of the Order of Saint John as a fortification against the Turks.  It is full of Roman Catholic churches, hidden alleyways, and steep, narrow streets.

View of Rampila restaurant from the bridge across the ramparts

The restaurant was built directly into the bastion walls and serves authentic Maltese food.  I had the homemade ravioli stuffed with local cheese and covered in a pistachio cream sauce.  David and Karen had had enough of the sea and fish, so they had the leg of lamb and steak topped with goat cheese.

On our final day in Malta, we visited Mdina and the Marsaxlokk fishing village.  The fishing village is in a beautiful azure bay dotted with colorful fishing boats.  We made a quick stop to walk along the shore and browse the market stalls. 

Mdina, also known as the Silent City, is the ancient capital of Malta.  Home of the nobility then and now, it is also the setting for King’s Landing in Season 1 of Game of Thrones.  As we began approaching the medieval town, the red-dome of St. Paul’s baroque cathedral (aka the Red Keep) peeked up over the walls and I announced, ‘It’s King’s Landing!’  (Maltese cabbies must be so sick of tourists like me.)

We passed through the Red Keep Gate, and then explored the city on foot.  We wandered through the myriad of streets, shopped for handmade blown glass, and had lunch in the courtyard of Ciappetti.   

We relaxed with a bottle of wine, a Maltese platter, caprese salad, and rabbit pasta before heading home.

And as our flight took off from the Malta airport, we were glad that there were no rabid zombies chasing us down the runway!