Air Malta is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
Priority Pass Malta is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
For those that require a snack before traveling, here’s what was offered in the morning:
For those that like pictures of chairs, here is the lounge seating:
Overall
Almost home.
Scam Covid Test #3 is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
Later that day, I received this official handwritten note: 
I was negative! I could go home.
Overall
I once wrote Writing Trip Reports: How Old Is Too Old? This post was written about two years after the trip. While I prefer to have posts up sooner, waiting has reinforced my original opinions of the Covid situation. Indeed, most of my conjectures were spot on (If you want to go back to the dark time, read The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report). In short, most Covid measures were bullshit money grabs.
Malta Travel Guide is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
Across from the Hyatt is a mall with this treasure:
The beach in St. Julian’s can be skipped.
The main draw of St. Julian’s is the restaurants and nightlife.
TPOL’s Tip: Hugo Malta is located at St George’s Road, St Julian’s STJ 3340, Malta
Valletta
Did you know Valletta is the smallest capital city in Europe? It’s worth walking from the entrance with the fountain through the cobbled streets to Fort. St. Elmo’s for the view.
It’s also worth sticking around for lunch. Outside the tourist trap restaurants of the city square (see Don’t Pay $30 for Tacos), we found St. Paul’s restaurant. Excellent espresso, vino, cold beer, and the biggest mussels I’ve ever had.
TPOL’s Tip: St. Paul’s is located at VGX8+5X8, Lvant, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta.
Mdina
Did you know that the original capital of Malta was Mdina? It is even smaller than Valletta. 
Nothing beats getting lost in an old town (see Astray in Old Town: Great Places to Get Lost).
The pride of Malta is the doorknockers. I couldn’t help but take photo after photo.
Outside the city walls was a dessert place. Samples are freely given.
Cottonera (Three Cities)
The Three Cities is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. I went to take photos of the yachts and in search of Malta’s signature cuisine, the rabbit.
I found the super yachts but struck out on the rabbit. The first restaurant said they had it and then they said they ran out. The second restaurant also said they had it, I ordered it, but then 30 minutes later, they said they ran out. The concession prize was rabbit pasta.
Marsaxlokk
The highlight of the trip was going to the fisherman’s village of Marsaxlokk. We chartered a dinghy and set sail for St. Peter’s Pool famous for cliff diving.
TPOL’s Tip: It should cost 16 euros to go on a tour per the hotel. The best I could do was 20 euros.
From Puerto Rico, to Russia, (see Guns & Butter: Moscow Travel Guide ) to Malta, I have to say that I love rabbit.
TPOL’s Tip: Rampila is located at St. Johns Cavalier Il-Belt Valletta, VLT 1110, Malta
Odds & Ends
Rabbit is satisfying but, as they say in Malta, there’s always room for gelato and falafel. 
TPOL’s Tip: Falafel Street is located at 4 Ordinance, Valletta VLT 1021, Malta
And as they say in England, there’s always room for gin.
TPOL’s Tip: The Pub is located on 136 Archbishop St, Valletta, Malta.
Knock Knock
As I wrote above, I was enthralled with Malta’s door knockers. I searched far and wide to bring one home. The only place I could find one of sound quality was in Valletta. With limited luck haggling, I paid $110 for the beautiful lion (reference Bargaining Pricing Guide).
Covid Scam Testing
Reading this now, you probably have wiped all memories from of Covid from your mind. This trip ended in October 2021. During that time, America had the asinine policy of requiring Americans to test negative if they wanted to come home (see COVID Test for Return Travel Is Stupid). The cost of that test in Malta was $40, better than the UK prices (see Scam Covid Test #1: Entering the UK & Scam Covid Test #2: Leaving the UK), but a scam nonetheless (see Scam Covid Test #3: Leaving Malta).
This may have been my laziest month since I began this fine blog 9 years ago (see Simply The Best: TPOL, The Professor, Turns 9!). I blame trying to be too organized for my inefficiency (see Could This Be The Cure?). I’ll be better for the rest of my life. For now, here’s what was written in June:
I’ve tried all sorts of ways to improve my efficiency in blogging. I tried blogging on the go. That did not work. I tried blogging on a fixed schedule, M, W, F. That didn’t work. The more I tried to be efficient, the worse I became. Looking at my numbers from June, I have only published 10 times.
But this time I think I have found the solution. First, I am returning to my old schedule of writing 5 times a week. That’s the only way to ensure that I stay true to my promise to produce daily content (see TPOL Opens M-F at 9:07AM EST). Second, and most importantly, is the addition of this Google Pixel Tablet. With it, I can more readily edit photos (and videos), the most annoying, yet indispensable part of blogging. While I would prefer to rely on words, multimedia makes a blog come to life.
In addition to the Pixel tablet, I am attempting to use an old tool to complement this new device. Like my Blackberry, I love my Thinkpad stand-alone keyboard. I purchased one to be used with my iMac Studio, a computer that was supposed to aid in my production of high-flying drone videos (see Dronin’). Instead, it did nothing but set me back $3,500 (it has since been donated to Ms. TPOL who uses it for its intended purpose – making spreadsheets).
With the power of a portable tablet, the speed of a ThinkPad keyboard, the simplicity of Google’s photo editing app, along with the straightforward video editor, inShot, TPOL should be back, and unlike Greenie, better than ever.
Postscript: I am also going to be updating my website to mark TPOL’s transition from points blogger to entrepreneurial icon.
The contents of my wallet have changed since 2022 (see What’s in My Wallet 2022: Audits Welcome). Unfortunately, I have not. I am still disorganized and find myself missing out on points-earning opportunities and burning stay certs at uninspiring properties versus having them expire. The points game was a lot easier when my only job was keeping track of points. Nevertheless, here is what is in my wallet and why. Groceries: 3X
Hilton: 12x
How It Works
A magician does not reveal his secrets, so I will not give specifics. The important takeaway is that the bottle is never opened and the wine is preserved for months if not years.
