Xemxija Heritage Trail

Very often we're so keen to travel abroad that we tend to overlook the beauty of our own country. However, if you just try to search what you can do, you can easily create a list of stuff that will keep your weekends packed while making you feel like a tourist in your own country. That's exactly what I did a couple of weeks ago when I stumbled upon the Xemxija Heritage Trail (you can easily google it and download the printable guide).

It's a trail along Xemxija's countryside, a northern seaside village in Malta. It starts off at the  place where a Roman road connected St. Paul's Bay with Mellieha. It is also known as the Pilgrim's route since, in the past, pilgrims used to trek all the way to Mellieha's shrine of Our Lady.

Along the route one encounters several historical remains from different periods, such as apiaries where bees were kept to produce honey, caves which served as a shelter for sailors or burial places, remains of dwellings for farmers, punic tombs, a grain silo which was later used as a well, an old carob tree, a Maltese Girna and a pill-box used under the British reign. All this is carefully labelled with interesting information about the history of each site.

Carob Tree

Girna

Cart ruts - remain a mystery as to who made them and for what purpose

Walking along this trail makes you realise how intelligent the Romans where at a time when they had no commodities as we are used to today. I was marveled at the way they created the Roman baths with cold, hot and lukewarm water as well as the road with a canal on the side to prevent flooding. 

You can also extend the walk by walking over to Mistra Bay, a secluded beach along the coast. If its too cold for a swim, sitting down on the beach listening to the waves splashing on the shore is just as nice to rest the weary feet before walking back to where you started off.

Overlooking Mistra Bay

Aleppo Pine trees grown in an unused quarry

The walk is not a long one and only takes a couple of hours, however, expect to take longer if you love taking pictures as it offers some great photo opportunities.

Selmun Tower

Photos: Chris Balzia

Riding the Children's Railway

A popular attraction, mainly with locals, is the Children's Railway, built in 1948 and now run by children under the supervision of adults. 

A girl selling tickets to ride the train

It runs through the forests found in the hills on the side of Buda. It provides a peaceful atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The only sound is the rattling of the train along the track and the whistling of the birds sitting on the branches of the trees.

We started the trip at Szechenyi-hegy and stopped at Janos-hegy stop. We walked along a footpath towards Elizabeth Lookout Tower. 

Elizabeth Lookout Tower

Panting, we arrived at the top of the tower where a breathtaking view of the hills of Budapest greeted us. We looked around us breathing in the peace and quiet which is so rare to find in busy cities. It was as if the time was on hold and we could stay there forever...

But unfortunately we had to go back to the city so we decided to take the chairlift down to Zugliget from where we caught a bus to the centre of the city. Being afraid of heights I was not very keen on going up on the open chairlift with my feet dangling in the air. However, after a couple of minutes I soon started to enjoy the calmness of the ride, quite different from the noisy buses or trains, while spotting some beautiful houses scattered among the trees.

It's a great trip if you are spending a couple of days in Budapest and want to get away from the touristy areas. In fact, it's more popular with the locals, which may explain the reason why it was so difficult to communicate in English with the staff.

You can easily find the schedule of the Children's Railway here and the opening hours of the Zugliget Chairlift here so you can easily plan ahead. It takes only a couple of hours to do this trip, but if you have more time you can even picnic near Elizabeth Lookout Tower.

What to do in Lloret de Mar

As I wrote in my previous blog post, there are plenty of great hiking trails which can take up most of your time in Lloret de Mar but there are also plenty of other things to do there.

Here I compiled a list of things you should not miss during your next summer vacation in Lloret de Mar.

Visit the Santa Clotilde Gardens

This is without doubt one of my favourite attractions in Lloret de Mar. Declared as a national treasure of Catalonia, it boasts several trees and flowers with ponds, fountains and sculptures scattered along the peaceful green gardens.

While walking along the paths breathing fresh air one can also admire the  beauty of the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea at the horizon.

These Catalonian Noucentista gardens provide a romantic setting for couples who want to spend some time away from the centre of the town. Santa Clotilde Gardens can be easily reached by bus or on foot and are found between Fenals Beach and Sa Boadella beach.

Eat paella at La Parilla

Lloret de Mar is filled with the fast food chain restaurants but it's no excuse to stop you from finding impeccable eateries. A little off the main road you’ll find La Parilla, a family-run  restaurant, serving mouthwatering Paella with succulent seafood, meat and poultry.

Friendly service, free tapas and genuine good food... what else could you need?

Party all night long

Nightlife is one of the characteristics of this town, popular with tourists during the summer months and all locals from the surrounding area during weekends. With several clubs next to each other there is a lot of competition and so each one tries to host the best night with several theme parties and renowned guest Djs.

One of my favourite places was Disco Tropics a club with buzzing nightlife all week, with various theme nights that will ensure you will have a fun night out. One party which must not be missed at this club is the infamous foam party. You can visit the website here to know what theme nights are planned. Also, make sure you watch out for any guest Djs as they get some really good ones. In fact, during my stay I managed to listen to Steve Aoki live. 

Have a couple of cocktails 

Cocktails are a huge hit in this town with several lounges and bars preparing various delicious cocktails at reasonable prices. One of my favourite bar is Mar I Tu situated just on the Lloret Beach. It’s famous for its huge cocktails which are ideal for sharing with friends. They have a large selection but one special kind is the champagne sangria cocktail...exquisite champagne mixed with fruit juices and pieces of fruit.

Touch the Dona Marinera Statue's feet

There is a belief that when you look in the direction where the Dona Marinera statue is gazing while touching its feet, all your wishes will come true. 

The Sculpture of the Sailor’s wife is found along the coast which can be reached by climbing a couple of stone steps on the side of the main Lloret Beach.

From up here you will get the chance to enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the coast.

Along the steps which take you to this statue there are several love locks put there by couples who throw away the key in the waters below, a trend which has only started recently in Lloret de Mar.

Visit Water World Park

A short bus ride away from Lloret de Mar there is the exciting Water World Park, filled with loads of fun rides to choose from. For the highly adventurous there is 'Speed Furious' ride which is sure to give you a thrill as you freefall down the slide. You can easily spend a whole day here going on various rides, ending the day sunbathing on the lush green grass or unwinding in the jacuzzi.

Visit the Sant’ Roma Parish Church

Boasting a beautiful Catalan Gothic Style, this church goes back to the early 16^th century.  It is adorned with colourful mosaics which you will fall in love with immediately. It is quite easy to reach as it is found in the centre of the town.

Swim, swim, swim!

Being a town along the Costa Brava coast, you cannot go to Lloret de Mar without swimming in one of its beautiful beaches. Choose the pristine beaches, such as Cala d'en Trons or Santa Cristina beach, which are less crowded for some relaxing time refreshing in the crystal blue waters and sunbathing in the Spanish sun to recharge after a long night out.