Index
Day 1: Flying
Day 2: London
Day 3: St. Julian's
Day 4: St. Julian's
Days 5/6: Valletta
Day 7: Mdina
Day 8: Gzira
Day 9: Gozo
Day 10: Return
Malta
Late morning arrival in London meant United's rather mediocre egg bites for breakfast, along with the not-remodeled-in-years arrival lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 2. Learning the tube to get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 4 was also fun and a bit confusing (turns out there's two separate "train" stations at Terminal 4, and this clueless American did a lot of running around to figure it out the hard way).
With such a long layover, Tiff decided she should visit her happy place-- afternoon tea at The Rosebery, inside the Mandarin Oriental. I will defer on detailed commentary as I am not a connoisseur of afternoon tea, but the unlimited refills on the food, particularly the very fresh sandwiches and the scones, were a nice touch and not something offered in the USA. The initial teas we both picked were also delightful, and I had no idea scones in London were going to be this much better. The Rosebery is also the right blend of elegance and formality, without being too stuffy for a somewhat travel-weary couple fresh off the airplane.
The following stroll through London was pleasant enough, with trees in full blossom, a crowded little street market in Notting Hill, and some excellent chai at Chai Guys Bakehouse before heading back to the airport.
Terminal 4 at London Heathrow is not nearly as nice as Terminal 2, but plenty of international carriers operate out of it, and it has a little tiny observation deck to compliment its two very overcrowded Priority Pass lounges. KM Malta Airlines operates a rather late departure with a ridiculously late arrival into Malta, which, combined with a painfully slow ground staff, meant our nearly 1:00am arrival had an extra hour's wait tacked on waiting for baggage, and an arrival to the hotel past 2:00am.