St. Philip's Public Garden (Gnien San Filippu)

St. Philip's Public Garden
Triq Vincenzo Bugeja
Floriana
(right next door to Argotti Botanical Gardens)


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I had discovered this park (which we call 'public garden' in Maltese-English) in my mid teens. I then promptly did what all teenagers do when they've discovered secluded spots bereft of any form of adult life:

1. Tried to bring girls here
2. Told my friends about it

Since we were all skateboarders, it wasn't too long before the place was overrun with ollying and kickflipping kids playing metal and hip-hop tapes on Sanyo ghetto blasters.

I eventually found out what a woefully misguided act telling my friends was. Any time I'd bring a girl here (not that there were hundreds of those, mind you) on a Sunday morning there would always be someone I knew who would come and 'hang out' with us, oblivious to the fact that I'm planning some major bra-unclasping by the end of the day (said bra-unclasping would rarely materialise anyway...).

Now that I'm too old to be busting out nosegrinds and 360s with fifteen year olds (unless I want to look like a pedo) I'm telling you; don't dissapoint me. Nowadays the skaters are nowhere to be seen, so you'll have the garden all to yourself. Well, unless the entire readership of this blog (all three of you) decamp there at the same time that is...

Valletta Ghost Walk

Tick where applicable. If I say ghosts would you:

1. Scoff and generally piss on the whole paranormal bonfire
2. Piss your pants in fear and scoff at nonbelievers

If you're somewhere between the two you should enjoy this tour. If your aim is to meet a few ghosts, have a chat with them or maybe even enjoy a quiet meal with an ectoplasmic entity or two you might be disappointed. You won't actually get to see any ghosts on this tour - unless, that is, one of you wears a sheet with two holes and goes "whooo! whoooo!" a lot until one of you pokes him in the eyes. But as an exercise in trying to scare yourself witless and seeing The City in a different, more unusual light it's certainly fun.

There's also a book available - The DIY Valletta Ghost Walk. An ideal book for asocial types who don't like mingling with mortals when they're hunting for the undead.