M:Brace yourselves, folks. My cousin Marthese was going to take us for a drive, and she didn't leave too many sights out! We should have kept a record of all the places we saw as we went, because there were lots of them. This is our best effort at recollection!

First stop was Marsaxlokk, a fishing village which hosts a daily market that peaks every Sunday. All along the waterfront there are stalls selling everything from Maltese biscuits to Chinese kitchen gear, cheap linen, and fresh fish. We ambled along while Marthese parked the car, buying a few delicacies for the evening meal with Aunt Guza. Once Marthese found us, I set off to find a takeaway coffee which we drank on the water's edge.

We had no idea of the itinerary Marthese had in mind, so we were literally just along for the ride. The next couple of stops were Xrob L -Ghagin, a rocky bay to the east of Marsaxlokk, and then St Peter's Pool, near the erstwhile home of Dom Mintoff, a well known PM of Malta, and an appealing spot for a swim, even in the cool weather. We did not succumb to the temptation!

Next stop was the famous Blue Grotto and the other caves around it. The boat trip took us into several smaller caves with bluer waters, but for sheer size the Grotto gets the prize. The sun was in the wrong position to give the Grotto its beautiful clear blue hue, but in other spots (except the one with a small cluster of floating garbage) the emerald colour of the the crystal clear sea was enchanting.

The remarkable Dingli cliffs were next. The western side of the island is tipped up to create a coastline bounded by cliffs, and Dingli is where they reach their apex. From there we went to Mdina, the ancient fortified capital of the island, now blessedly traffic free, and wonderfully restored in recent times. Perched on top of a hill, it provides fantastic views over the surrounding countryside. We were getting more than a little peckish by now. We tried first in Mtarfa. The first attempt was the Nationialst Party club, but they had no food. Next attempt was what Marthese thought was a local soccer club canteen. When it turned out to be the Labour Party club, all bets were off! This was a stroke of good fortune, because our next stop was Rabat, at Is-Sirkin ( or the Crystal Palace) one of Maltas's most famous pastizzi makers. While M and A went off to park, I queued in the unpretentious little shop where everyone seemed to be drinking milky tea with their pastizzi of choice. I bought a dozen - 6 irkotta and six piselli. We ate them in the park outside the Mdina walls, wondering at the remarkable restoration work that has been done in recent years. Fantastic!

As nearly as we can remember, after a walk through Mdina, we then saw a bit of the Victory Lines (a ditch and wall construction from east to west of the island as a form of protection) and walked to the old Fort Bingemma. This gave wonderful views over the Coast. Somewhere in here there was also a small Chapel whose sign declared that one could not seek sanctuary within. We spotted families having picnics all over the place on the meandering roads in this part of the trip.

There followed a series of several bays and beaches: Gnejna Bay, Ghain Tuffieha Bay and Golden Bay, then Paradise Bay and the beaches around St Paul's Bay. The story at each of these gorgeous little beaches seemed to repeat itself - development vs preservation. Hotels vs locals. Far be it from a pair of tourists like us, contributing in our own small way to the problem, to have a view!

The last lap was down through Pembroke , Ta' Xbiex and on to Aunt Guza's house in Msida, delayed by the weekend traffic.

There then ensued a not totally unexpected scenario. Aunt Guza had been advised by Marthese just to provide a few sandwiches.In a style which we we remember from past visits this became baked pasta, sandwiches, three kinds of cake, a ricotta pie which went untouched etc The sweet things purchased what seemed like a lifetime ago at Marsaxlokk simply complicated matters. In the end even Aunt Guza was laughing.

We had a good catch up with Alex and Joe who joined us for the gathering. Bernard was unwell and one of Mario's girls likewise, so we didn't see them, sadly. Alex drove us home, and we all had a good laugh on the way.