A bus, a boat and a glass elevator.

The day came for us to leave Gozo. After a lovely week, we packed our belongings managing to reduce our luggage by putting the small suitcase inside a larger one. This made it much easier as we didn’t have the luxury of a taxi this time. Our Airbnb host had kindly said we could check out as late as we liked. This was particularly helpful as it was raining. Just after 11am we locked up our luxurious apartment and set off for the bus stop. Fortunately, the bus came quickly and was almost empty. A second bus driver was riding on the bus and helped with the ramp and our luggage. With Racheal’s wheelchair safely strapped down, we settled in to enjoy the 30 minute journey to Mgarr harbour.

There was nearly an hour until the next fast ferry to Valletta. Time for a picnic lunch in the large glass-fronted waiting area, with a view of the boats and the church perched high on the cliff.

Gozo fast ferry is a passenger carrying catamaran which takes just 45 minutes to make the journey past Comino and along Malta’s north coast to Valletta. The ramp to board the ferry was quite steep and had a dip just after a right angle turn which made it quite difficult to manoeuvre. Summer was managing ok, but a well meaning crew member decided to help, breaking one of the wheel guards on Racheal’s wheelchair in the process. It’s relatively easy to repair, but for now we will have to make do.

We were first on the ferry and had the whole front section to ourselves. All the other passengers were directed to the stern section. Perhaps a catamaran can move through the water quicker with the weight at the back. Poor Racheal was directly under the air conditioning unit so she was a bit chilly. The windows were splashed with rain and spray, but we still had a good view as we rounded Valletta and moored in the harbour.

The walk from the harbour to our accommodation was not the easiest. 12 minutes according to Google Maps, though we knew it would take longer than that when we were both carrying backpacks front and rear, pushing Racheal’s wheelchair and with two large suitcases to negotiate through the streets. Valletta is built on a steep sided promontory; a characteristic which made the walled city easy to defend from enemies and potential visitors in wheelchairs! Fortunately, modern day visitors have the benefit of the Barrakka Lift to take them from the harbour to the city above, although the slopes within the city walls still take some determination to conquer going up, and nerves of steel to descend.

After what felt like a long time, but was probably about 15 minutes, we found a cafe to stop at for a drink and pass the half hour until we could check in. By now we were only five, downhill, minutes from the property and a treat felt in order.

It was quite a relief to arrive at 145 St Dominic St. The tiny, traditional house which would serve as our base for the next ten nights of our Malta trip. The entrance has a split door, one half of which obviously doesn’t get used very often and was a struggle to open to get Racheal’s wheelchair in, but with a bit of jiggling the lock we succeeded. Downstairs there is a single room with a basic kitchen, table and chairs and a single sofa bed where Racheal sleeps. Stairs lead straight into a bedroom, with two single beds, off which is a small shower room on one side and a small double bedroom on the other. Most of the walls are bare stone and the windows are covered by wooden shutters. Very different to our previous abode.