After 5 days enjoying my stay at Follow the Sun, I hated to leave.
This might be the best hostel deal in Europe.
For less than 21 Euro / night — including a terrific breakfast — you get a fantastic facility in a perfect sun / fun location. You can’t beat this value in expensive Malta.
Here’s the vista from my balcony. Though it’s a hostel, my room is called the penthouse. 😀
Valletta is the capital city of Malta, the European Union‘s smallest capital city.
UNESCO World Heritage site. A LOT of history.
Founded by the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the nights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Today the strongest influence is from 150 years of British colonial history.
About 30% of the population of Malta are expats ➙ British, Italian, Indian, and Filipino most prominently. You can buy a EU passport with a minimum €600,000–€750,000 contribution. 😀
Population of Valletta as of 2021 was 5,157.
At any given moment, there are far more tourists than citizens. More than 3 million tourists arrive in Malta each year. Most of them visit Valletta.
I started in the afternoon with a scramble around nearby, dilapidated Fort Manoel.
Fort Manoel should be a major tourist attraction — but, as of 2026, most is closed to tourists. Some project renovations to be finished by 2033.
I didn’t get to Valletta until after dark. More evocative than during the day. Mysterious. Even spooky in places.
I do recommend you visit at night.
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Another day I joined a free hostel walking tour to Valletta.
We started with 13 tourists from around the world.
Paty, our leader from Brazil, took us to many interesting spots.
We unexpectedly crashed wedding photos.
AND we had a birthday girl. Actually it was the day after her birthday — but the couple had been on the plane flying to Malta the day before.
Over the course of several hours, some of our group took off to meet friends. Or stop for dinner.
Only 6 of us were left by the time we got to Paty’s recommended restaurant, Alexanders by Zizka. Excellent.
I ordered that weird, delicious thin crust pizza. The rest had pasta, some with rabbit — a local favourite dish.
I loved Malta. But the highlights were all on hostel walking tours.
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We did take the ferry over to the Three Cities, but only had about an hour there. Time allowing, it would be even better than Valletta being so much less crowded with tourists.
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Excellent Malta hostel day trip with leader Paty.
Here’s our group in Mdina: U.K., USA, France, Spain, Colombia, Sweden, Canada.
Mdina and Rabat are two historic, neighboring towns in central Malta that effectively function as a single destination.
Mdina, the “Silent City,” is a fortified medieval citadel that served as Malta’s capital until the 16th century.
I’m surprised it’s only on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This place is amazing.
Rabat, which translates to “suburb” in Arabic, grew outside Mdina’s walls and is renowned for its deep religious roots and Roman heritage.
The biggest highlight ➙ Basilica of St Paul.
For us, Rabat had the best inexpensive restaurants we’d found in the nation.
We loved the savoury Pastizz (Pastizzi) snacks and traditional Maltese savoury pastry parcels called Qassatat.
But the highlight of the trip for us all were the Dingli Cliffs.
We took an Uber van to get there for sunset.
St Peter’s Pool is a popular tourist destination in Malta for those looking to cliff jump, swim, and snorkel.
A diving dog called Titti once appeared jumping into the water with its owner Carmelo Abela, creating an internet sensation.
We met up at Marco Polo hostel ➙ astonished to have so many young people. Most of this mob are a Squash team from a U.K university blowing off their midterm reading week, partying in Malta instead. 😀
We took the public bus to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.
At least a dozen of these small boats offer to take passengers to St. Peter’s Pool for 5 Euro each.
On board, skipper let the young people choose the music. First song played was Bad Bunny Tití Me Preguntó.
It was freezing — but at least 10 of the young people jumped.
This area is not all that clean. Nor officially maintained.
After seeing many rats in S.E. Asia, this was my first in 2026.
Before dark we walked the cliffs a half hour to a popular local restaurant. I had the Malta pasta. Very flavourful.
Yes, the eroding edge frequently collapses. I’d call this cliff walk dangerous.
Another excellent trip led by Paty for Marco Polo hostel.
Not counting airports. Not counting that time I stepped one foot into Bhutan. 😀
Here’s a map of my current list.
Quite good, if predictable.
False Impression is a 2006 thriller novel by Jeffrey Archer that connects a brutal murder before 9/11 with a priceless Van Gogh painting, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.
The plot follows a young woman who uses the chaos of 9/11 as a cover to escape and seek revenge, leading her on a global chase from New York to London, Tokyo, and Bucharest, involving the FBI, Interpol, and dangerous criminals, all while trying to solve the mystery of the painting.
In a predictable genre, this murder mystery I found original and interesting.
Eight Perfect Murders follows Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw, the owner of a mystery-focused bookstore in Boston called Old Devils Bookstore.
Years prior, Mal wrote a blog post titled “Eight Perfect Murders,” detailing eight fictional crimes from literature that he believed were truly unsolvable.
His life is upended when FBI agent Gwen Mulvey informs him that a serial killer appears to be using his list as a blueprint for real-life murders.
The novel deconstructs and often spoils the endings of these eight classic works:
London operates the world’s busiest city airport system ➙ 6 major airport hubs for international travel.
I often end up connecting in London as flights from that city are some of the best value in the world.
Each time touching down, I try to spend a few days in one of the most fascinating global cities.
Once again I stayed at Wombats near the Tower Bridge.
Here’s Tower Bridge without me in the way. 😀
And here it is from above.
Most of what I do is FREE — wandering the streets and parks. Something interesting around every corner.
London is expensive but I don’t often pay for much. The major museums are free.
This time I stopped in the Natural History Museum. And the Victoria and Albert Museum next door.
At the V&A, one of my favourites is the Cast Courts.
Without his sling, David ain’t so tough.
The rooms are jam packed with interesting stuff.
Another Michelangelo reproduction.
I had some good weather in March, surprisingly.
Love London.
I happened upon a rally where most of the signs said “Free Iran“. Many were protesting the killing of innocents in Palestine, as well. Anti-Israel.
Freedom of assembly is a fundamental human right. There were arrests, but it stayed mostly non-violent.
I really need a month in London to visit everything I’d love to see.
I flew out of London on dread Ryanair. It was excellent. Stansted airport excellent.
Often chaotic. Always entertaining. Walking tourist London is a lot of FUN. 😀
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This video edit was inspired by one on Learn Online Video.
A Drop of Corruption is a 2025 fantasy murder mystery novel by Robert Jackson Bennett.
It is a sequel to his 2024 novel The Tainted Cup.
Quite good — but not as good as Tainted Cup.
Dinios “Din” Kol, a gifted young engraver (with perfect memory) is Watson to the eccentric investigator Anagosa “Ana” Dolabra. An entertaining Sherlock Holmes genius.
This book is a locked room mystery.
Technology in this world is based on extracting blood from sea monsters called leviathans.
There’s an attempt made to keep leviathan marrow alive in the lab, producing blood. This is what motivated the bad guy.
His books explore politics through his fiction, often examining how societies maintain order and justice in the face of external threats and internal corruption.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was Jeffrey Archer‘s first novel, first published in 1976. It was said to have been inspired by Archer’s real-life experience of near-bankruptcy.
He was already a great story teller — even at the start of his career as an author.
Archer was Member of Parliament until 1974.
In this one a conman dupes investors in a North Sea oil drilling rights scam.
Four of those investors decide to get their money back, by conning the con.
Not realistic. But entertaining, for sure.
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Rick McCharles 