In search of a new hiking boots!

Shoes, shoes, shoes! If you're anything like me you'll probably know what a hassle it is to find the right shoes - that perfect pair that will then stay in your shoe closet until they fall apart...

Or until you notice there is a huge dent pressing on your toe! Unfortunately this week I had to remove my old hiking boots after finding one such dent in the toe box, it wasn't the type that could be fixed and continue wearing it would most certainly have resulted in an ingrown toenail...

I had got the HI-TEC HELONE MID WP WO'S AVS.220.05 hiking
boots three years ago and have put it to good use indeed. It has travelled a thousand miles to step foot on foreign land while on holiday in England, and traced miles of the Maltese (and Gozitan) countryside! Despite only being the second pair of hiking boots owned it definitely beats any pair of shoes I previously owned. The toe box was decently wide, wide enough to be comfortable for a bunion, and by time the structure changed to match my feet's shape. And it's waterproof, which is a big plus for British weather and trekking through muddy lanes.

Now the search is on for a new shoe. I've already had a look at some of the main outdoor shops that sell hiking boots and such. There aren't that many in Malta. Probably the most decently priced are Decathlon and Sports Direct, although Decathlon has a limited number of options. That is where I got the first pair from. It wasn't waterproof.

Sports Direct has much more options and has brands like Karrimor, which like HI-TEC, is also a British brand. It also has an online website with additional discounted prices but I consider getting shoes without trying them on a big risk. Especially if they are going to be used for a lot of walking. Another good shop is Surplus and Adventure, where I got the HI-TEC boots. 

Despite spending near hours trying on practically every shoe in the shops I still haven't found the right pair. Having a bunion tends to limit options more - most boots aren't wide fit from the front. I shall probably be visiting these shops again to re-try some of the 'so-so' shoes, because no shoe will be perfect, and I do need a shoe!

Hope to find a good pair soon...

29/07/2025 To the capital again in 2025 part 1 Florania Public Library book sale!!

 Phew, its already almost August, and what better way to finish off July than to make a good trip to the old capital?

The parents took a couple of hours of leave and I... well I don't have school at the moment and Tuesdays are currently my free days...so we packed the car and drove to Valletta. Did I mention we left an hour late? It's quite a habit in the family... 

To be honest, the main reason of our excursion was to visit the Floriana Public Library, which is near Belt is-Sebt, located right outside the main entrance to Valletta. We saw on the maltalibraries website online that they were selling old, second hand books and simply had to go and have a look! (It ended up being more than a look)

Central Public Library

Apparently this book sale has been going on for the past 10 years, and come to think of it, when we visited last year I saw a section of random books sitting by themselves in a corridor but there was no sign whatsoever of 'books for sale'. Or maybe I didn't look well enough. Anyway, today we went to inspect.

Found a poster dating some years back on their FB page

AND WHAT A FIND! There is a whole corridor of books, on shelves, in boxes... simply everywhere you look there are shelves of unwanted books, though why exactly they are unwanted, I wonder. I understand that some of them are outdated and not that popular, but other modern children's books like Jacqueline Wilson were also amongst the shelves. There were also a lot of classics, and Enid Blyton books too. I didn't really look at the adult section. 

(Not the actual books)

There were also a lot of foreign language books, mostly German. Amongst theses, was a very interesting looking guide to some canals in that region. What a pity I don't know a word of German!

But I haven't got to the best part... books are sold at the mere price of 25c. Unbelievable! Even in charity shops prices usually go from 1 or 2 euro to 5. We spent ages rummaging amongst the books and when we finally decided which we were going to get, (some would be duplicates of ones at home which were too classic of an edition to leave behind), the total price was just 5 euro. As books sold for 25c each, 4 books makes an euro, so we had 20 books to take with us back home! I also got a Chalet School book which are pretty expensive on the internet. 

Chalet School

So that was the library, a great start to the morning. If you haven't heard of the book sale, do give it a visit, you may find a treasure! 

14/03/2024 - Visit to the capital city

  It's been a while since I posted anything but all the schoolwork and then the Easter exams I've been up to my ears with studying, and outings have been few and limited. 

Thankfully I've had my last exam - Italian - on Wednesday, and what better way to mark the end of a month's work than by paying a visit to the capital city? We've got a little tradition running in this family. We never have any reason to travel to Valletta or anywhere near but we make it a point to make a yearly visit to the old town anyway. 

It gives a stately feeling, like in the 1960s when my grandmother used to have treats by being taken to Valletta to buy shoes, etc. We dress all prim and proper and I remember the last time I went in 2021 was with a blouse and cardigan like some English lady with a poppy pinned on it. It was November and I had crocheted many more of them - hoping to sell them. Spoiler alert I sold none but then again my marketing strategies had a long way to go.

Thursday happened to be a gorgeous day. My mother had planned to go early before the shops opened - but I wasn't willing to give up 3 precious hours of beauty sleep! So it was decided to leave at 11:30. In the morning of course haha. 

Poor Papa. It was not until 1p.m that we waved out goodbyes to our cat and got into the car. The weather was just right - it was sunny but also cloudy so we weren't at risk of getting sun burned or anything. I did get a nice little sun-tan though...

We drove via Birkirkara and Msida and as per usual the roads were jammed with traffic. Probably it could have been worse but we were driving at around 1-2 pm the time when many schools call it a day. Not to mention that there were road closures too! But that shouldn't come as a surprise, should it?

Anyway, upon our arrival we found a good spot for our car in the parking area 4 floors below ground level and started by exploring the Upper Barrakka Gardens. 

The three cities spread across the harbour, in a lovely panaromic view. There were even some lockets with the railing with couple's initials inscribed on them, but the trend appeared to not have caught on. 

After doing some window shopping along Merchant's street, and shortly after we headed to the piazza and of course got a little nibble from Cafe Cordina, whose inside makes you feel like you're a royal about to enjoy some afternoon tea in Buckingham Palace. Here's a photo of the decorative celling, and stately looking chandelier hanging from it. A trip to the capital city can hardly be complete without it! 

Goodbye Valletta! See in again in a year's time