The sun was still shining as we all gathered at school and set off for our evening excursion to Mdina. All the students were looking forward to tasting the renowned and scrumptious chocolate cake from Fontanella Tea Garden that us teachers were all recommending them to try. Students were certainly not lost for words on the way to the well-known Silent City, as everyone chatted away enthusiastically.
Gabriele was always thirsty for knowledge about everything and anything about Malta and the Maltese language. Luckily for him, we sat next to each other for the entire ride before we arrived to this breath-taking place and I was able to fill him in on as many questions he had.
Finally we arrived at our destination and the keen students jumped off, ready for our next adventure. They were all instantaneously mesmerised by the traditional, tall buildings and the old-fashioned style streets that surrounded this place. Everyone started taking photos from the very beginning. The entrance alone was enough to seize everyone’s attention.
Nowadays, most of Mdina’s palaces are private homes. The Cathedral of the Conversion of St Paul is impressive and overlooks a large square in which people stop to look around and take photos of their surroundings. Only a limited number of resident and emergency vehicles, wedding cars and hearses are allowed within Mdina, which makes it all the more special and unlike any other urbanized part of Malta.
I decided to ask everyone what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. Janett mentioned that her teacher, Tess recommended Mdina Glass, where they have beautiful jewellery (amongst other glass ornaments) for sale, so we decided to go there to satisfy our curiosity. In the meantime, Lubov, Dominique, Maria and Christin decided to shop for postcards and souvenirs for their friends and family members. However the beautiful ornaments and accessories could have kept Janett and I there for hours on end!
Excitedly, our next stop was to Fontanella. We all hurriedly walked to the café hoping to find a place for all of us. Their divine Chocolate Cake looked amazing! Students hungrily waited for their portion of sweets and coffees, and needless to say, devoured them till the very last crumb! We had ample time to enjoy our environment and take even more photos.
As night was setting in, the City was given a different yet equally stunning aura. Some students decided to go their separate ways to appreciate what was left of our evening and perhaps record their last few minutes in the old city. Soon, we gathered again at the agreed meeting point, where all of us discussed what we ate and enjoyed about our lovely summer evening excursion.
Written by Michaela Griscti
