Lots of steps today – uphill and down, and along the waterfront

A good night's sleep, and a cup of coffee on waking up, and I was all set for the day. No sign of jetlag. The kitchen is equipped with a great espresso machine that I couldn't figure out. All was not lost, there was a Melitta one-cup filter "thing" with lots of filters and regular ground coffee, so I was well caffeinated within minutes.

My fellow travellers had already gone out for a walk and a bit of shopping, but they returned by the time I'd fully wakened up and completed my morning ablutions. Did I enjoy the underfloor heating and the heated towel rack in the bathroom? You betcha! There is no central heating and it gets chilly in here. Perfect for sleeping but we're used to more heat when sitting around. I'm using the electric heater in the living room this evening. It's pointed right at me as I type. Its range is very short and the room is large. But most of the time we just wear sweaters.

Glenn accompanied me to the supermarket, having learned where they hide things on his first outing, thus adding to his step count for the day. As it happens, that supermarket is at a different altitude than our condo. I didn't quite experience altitude sickness, but my huffing and puffing provided undeniable evidence that I'm out of shape for walking uphill. Fortunately, the climb was en route to the supermarket and the return, with bags of groceries, was all downhill. 

The fact that, as of yesterday, I'm trying to manage a case of plantar fasciitis in my left foot didn't add to the joy, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Once this post is published I shall begin the exercise routine to hopefully get rid of it before it gets worse. I blame the step-in Skechers for the problem. They are now free to a good home - in Malta. They will not be coming home with me. Fortunately, they are not my only shoes.

After lunch, the guys went out for a stroll and I followed shortly afterwards. I decided to follow the promenade along the waterfront. It's mildly up and down but could hardly be called hilly, as it's quite close to the coastline. My destination was the Tourist Information Office in Bugibba. I made it there in about half an hour only to find it closed, and not just for the usual afternoon siesta. Will it be open tomorrow? Who knows? This isn't tourist season. Here are some sights along the way.

You could enjoy a sort of private beach but the swimmers who braved the cold Mediterranean in the next photo, chose to swim parallel to and near the shore (lower left).

Promenade along the waterfront

Glenn on the rocks

Not to be deterred, I decided to see what was around the next corner. And oh my, it was well worth those extra steps.There it was, on the other side of a construction fence – the Malta Chocolate Factory. It was a short walk around the barrier, but with the lure of chocolate, it was well worth it. 

Possibly only a real chocoholic would have noticed, but you do know who's writing this

After walking around that wall I followed the yellow plank road to the entrance
 and wasted no time going inside

Inside I found a chatty Aussie fellow who works there and got some great touring suggestions, in answer to my query about what he would recommend. We might make a day trip to Sicily on Ryanair which is cheaper than the ferry and arrives in a better location. Plans are still in the thinking stage.

For a good thyme, try this

We were joined in our chat, by a young South African woman who also works there. I asked about their workshops and was provided with a brochure. And I hit the jackpot. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be very wet and nasty all day and all evening. What better way to spend some time than learning "Truffle Making" followed by "Gin and Chocolate Pairing." So – I signed up for the two back-to-back workshops for tomorrow afternoon

The young woman suggested that I might enjoy one of the Dark Chocolate and Thyme chocolate bars - a subsequent taste test proved that she was right. There was another one calling my name – Dark Chocolate with Gozo sea salt. I bought both bars and headed home. Rather pricey, but that will serve to limit consumption to a small morsel per day. Well, let's work with that theory for now. 

I'd walked in the direction of "home" for about 10 minutes when it started to rain. My raincoat was safe and dry in the condo. Fortunately, I was at the Doubletree Hilton and stood under the canopy at the entrance while summoning an Uber on my phone. [I did get the e-SIM working] I was having trouble with the app, but at that moment an Uber parked about 20 yards away and the driver, on a bio break, was heading to the hotel. He helped me set it up and he "answered" the request as long as I was willing to wait for him, and that was fine. A ride home, despite not being far, was better than walking in the rain. 

Glenn was the cook for dinner and we enjoyed Butter Chicken. The chaps had a side of pasta and I had a baked sweet potato, some stir-fried carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. For dessert, we had some Maltese wreath-shaped cookies with treacle filling. And, our host left us a bottle of wine so it only seemed right to enjoy it.

It will be a quiet evening and I've already passed last night's 8:30 bedtime. I might even make it to 10 PM.