The Yellow Buses
I fell in love with Malta when I visited as a child. I loved the people, the history, the food and especially riding the old yellow buses. Unfortunately, even the resourceful Maltese have had to bow to the inevitable, now that they are members of that bureaucratic stronghold, the European Union. As I write this, the old yellow buses have disappeared, having been replaced by modern buses lacking in character. My daughter and I also love Malta for the sea and the scuba diving. My wife is not so enamoured, preferring to laze in the sun while we half kill ourselves in the sea. However, when wearing her photographer's hat, my wife sees Malta in a different light. She sees it as a place packed full of photographic opportunities including nature, people and the many festivals.
Still, Malta does not have the ‘party’ atmosphere so prevalent in many other Mediterranean locales. Could this fact, together with the general calmness and tranquility of the island and that there are only two really good beaches and two more that are passable for the bucket and spade brigade, have any bearing on the average age of tourists being above 45? Could this be a reason many hate it? Malta is a place where you can enjoy a holiday without the disturbance of the usual 18-30 party crowd, though my teenage daughter has assured me repeatedly that they are there if you look for them. Thank goodness I am past the age of looking for them.
