Chapter 3: Old Friends Reunited!

DAY 3

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Are You Afraid Of Heights?

Not so many kms that day but we had fun and relax all day long!
We left the three fortified city in order to Reach Sliema passing throug La Valletta. 
These pics were taken at the moment of our arrival, on the top of a rock on the port. If you are afraid of heights we really do not reccomend it. 
If it’s not a problem you will find a beautiful view!
La Valletta is the Capital of Malta and it’s very particular for its style. It has been built in a Baroque style with some elements of Mannerist, Neo classical and modern Architecture.
A kind of style you can find in all the island but especially here. The city is also knowed as “La superbissima” in Italian that means “the most proud” due to its magnificent baroque palces, gardens and churches. 
In 1980 has been recognized as World Heritage City by Unesco.

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Happy Old Friends! 🙂

After relaxing in La valletta, eating some healty food in a local restaurant we headed towards our final destination Sliema and St Jullian.
Before to arrive in Sliema Bruno called one of his friend that we discovered was living in Malta and that he didn’t see in years!
Life is strange, you don’t see a person in years and then you meet him/her in a foreign country!
We met Luca in Sliema and we decided to have dinner all togheter in a Italian Restaurant in Sliema! No wait stop! We are not the classic italian people who eat pasta and pizza in every place we go! Ahah jocking, yes we are. 
But we try other food too. But that night pizza. Pizza a heart lefted. One of us left it’s heart to the waitress.. but this is another story.
St Jullian is well knowed for its nightlife and even if it was barely spring there was a lot of movida. We had a little bit of relax in a Narghilè Bar telling stories of the things happened in the past during our trips and our lives, just like people who don’t see for years do 🙂
Thanks Luca for the company! 🙂 

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Time To Say Goodbye, Malta!

Here we are at the end of our trip. We slept in St Jullian and the morning after we had to come back to Italy.
We woke up early, we had to give the bikes back and reach the airport.
We want to thanks The Cyclist Malta for giving us the opportunity to try their services and for supporting us. 
The bikes were impeccable!
They also allowed us to try an e-bike. We never tried it and we have to say that is really exciting!
Maybe we will try them for an entire trip.. who knows!? 🙂

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It has been a very beautiful experience in a place that we didn’t expect to be as beautiful as it is. 
Thanks to all Maltese people who helped us during the trip giving us information and thanks to us for reading us! Especially THANK YOU for putting up with our bad left-hand drive! 😛

See you on the road, have nice & safe travels.
Bruno & Arthur – BikesPhilosophy

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Why should you cycle in Winter?

Yes we know, winter has begun(one month ago) and it will be with us for next two months until spring when we can ride our bikes happy through green fields and along the canals with swallows all around.

Buuuuut it’s still winter, it’s cold outside, the cities are covered by the fog and the flu is always lurking. oh, and there is the risk that the blood freezes.

ALL EXCUSES! 😀

one of the questions that our friends often ask us is if we have not become crazy about cycling in winter.

The reality is that there are many people who feel the way we do.

There are a lot of people who use regularly their bikes during the cold season.

Just think about the countries of the north Europe: wind, rain and cold seems not to be a problem for them, so why it should be a problem for the people who live in the warmer countries?

Down below 5 good reasons +1 to pedal in winter.

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1. Quietness

While in summer cities are more chaotic and the cycle paths are overcrowded, during winter the tranquillity reigns supreme.

Pedaling along waterside or through country road without noise helps to clear your mind, come up with new ideas and learn to appreciate the romantic winter landscapes.

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2. Health

Winter brings many diseases: fever, flu and pains of various kinds. It is widely known

and demostrated by a lot of studies that keep training during winter on the outside helps to build antibodies that reduce the possibility of contracting bacteria and viruses by 45%.

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3. Mood

You have to know that exists a mood disorder due to the change of season and who more or less, we all suffer it.

Riding a bike is one of the best tonic for these mood swings. It is proved that getting on a bike during the winter hours of light with the fresh air is a boost for the mood.

Try it before work: you will be more productive and friendly with your collegues and more than everything your boss! 😀

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4. Traffic

A little bit of rain or snow and roads are clogged up, cars don’t move and public transportation is always overcrowded.

What’s better than a bike? It avoids the stress of traffic and you won’t be late! Two drops of water with the right induments are better than stay stuck in the traffic screaming with the other car drivers.

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5. It helps to reflects on organization

It’s quite easy to ride a bike during spring or summer because you just need to bring with you a k-way and a repair kit. But what about winter?

Winter requires attention, it requires that every details be studied from clothing to the route to be taken.

There are many variants to keep in mind: How cold will it be? Will i go through muddy roads? How do i dress? The secret is to not overdressing but use breathable clothes that avoid an excessive sweating. And of course, even if they are unaesthetic, you should mounts the mudguards.

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+1. The bonus one

YOU WILL BE READY TO ROCK DURING THE SUMMER SEASON: You trained hard while the weather was against you, you forged your body, your mood and your determination. Nothing will stop you, neither the questions of your collegues who are trying to catch you in a moment of weakness.

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WARM SEASON IS FOR EVERYONE, WINTER IS FOR THE BADASS! 8D

Pedal the winter!

Arthur & Bruno – BikesPhilosophy