Holiday!

[ailbhe]

We arrived safely after a mostly pleasant journey - the bus to the airport and the flight were fine. We were very impressed with Air Malta - the plane was old neough to have ashtrays, so the seats were larger than we're used to, and the food was good. They had no difficulty providing us with dairy-free meals, and it was all edible. I actually finished it.

However, we arrived at the airport feeling shaken. Because there was no alternative to a taxi, and there were no taxis with infant carseats. I spent most of the journey sick with fear (it only took 20 minutes). We put her in the back seat behind the passenger, where we have been told it is safest, with the seatbelt on as a lap belt only; the crosspiece of an adult seatbelt cannot be made to fit her safely. And yes, we all made it alive. But for the return trip we intend to ask the concierge to find us a taxi with a carseat. Or I'll bloody walk. I never, ever want to have to do that again. It's terrifying, once you know the risks.

Our room was very pleasant and we settled in nicely. Bidets are big here. Our first dinner went well - burgers, because the eighth is a public holiday here and the staff weren't able to give me anything dairy-free, apparently.

After dinner we had a swim in the lovely warm pool, and a plodge in the jacuzzi. Linnea likes the jacuzzi.

The second day, we hung around the hotel, negotiating dairy-free food at breakfast (basically, a big greasy fry-up, or nothing). We had a little walk to the local town, St Julian's / Paceville, where we found a supermarket and bought some essentials - biscuits, ricecakes, breasdsticks, dairy-free margarine, fruit juice, cake. En route we met a man called John who clearly adores children - most people here seem to love kids - and on the way home we got rained on with several vengeances and great thoroughness. And on the third day we went to Valetta, the capital city, where we saw an entrancing statuette from 3000BC - a woman reclining on a bed, sleeping with one hand tucked under her face and the other resting on her elbow. Even her fingers are still distinct. It's so well-preserved I couldn't believe it was less than 100 years old. That was in the Museum of Archaeology, were I hope to go again before we leave. Apart from anything else, the building is fabulous - it's the old Auberge of the Knights of St John.

While we were trying to walk around Valetta to get our bearings, we were repeatedly accosted by very pushy horse-and-cart drivers, clearly despserate for business in the off-season. We did use one eventually, when we'd walked form one end to the other and wanted to go back to where we came from. Linnea enjoyed the horsiness, but we drove around the shady side of town and all got quite chilly.

Linnea had a little accident by the side of the pool yesterday, and Rob had to call me (where I was resting in our room) for the Emergency Mammy Rescue Service. We changed her into fresh togs, Rob bought a pair of sleek speedo-style trunks from the assistant (he looks very, ahem, dashing, and no sniggering at the back there), and we all plunged back in.

Every day, we phoned reception or left a note because periodically a smell of smoke entered our room, either from the hallway or the connecting door. This morning it was there when we woke up, and Rob called reception. Eventualyl a man came up to say that they'd checked and there was no smoke, no problem. I was pissed off. Very. I said "Yes, there is a problem, there is cigarette smoke in the room where my baby is sleeping. This is a problem."

The message got through - apparently they thought we thought there was a fire. So we've had a room change, no extra cost.

Now we have a door from the hall onto a lobby, where doors open onto the bathroom, bedroom, and sitting room. We've been upgraded to an Executive Suite, because they have very few non-smoking rooms available, because they are all being refurbished. We are pleased :)

(Things you get in an Executive Suite that you don't get in a pleb room: slippers, toothbrush kit, shaving kit, much better WiFi reception, sewing kit, extra TV, bigger balcony, sea view of fabulous rolling waves and foamy breakers with flotilla of white-sailed yachts laid on for extra picturesqueness.)

And yesterday morning, there was a conference on our floor for Malta Gay Rights Movement. And in the afternoon, the Reading Room housed the "Central Cigarettes Children's Party". Hmm.