Malta is one of the most densely populated places on earth, so the cities simply run together, especially in the south. There are no gaps or visible shifts as you go from Paceville to St Julian to Sliema to Ta'Xbiex, and even to Valetta. Most of this southeastern area has a charming coastal walkway incorporating trees, gardens and park benches. We walk along the Strand in Sliema trying to find the hotel where we stayed eleven years ago, but it simply isn't there. Either demolished and replaced or so altered as to be unrecognisable. We get close, and at the corner where we used to by mushrooms we get a small container of ripe Maltese strawberries for a euro. Find our old supermarket up the hill and get some sundried tomatoes. Some of the shops must be the same as in 2003, but surely there were fewer of them then? And the fast food places are definitely new.
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