Variety of things to see and do

by ALAN G. F. GILL
MUCH has been written of Malta as "the new holiday playground" while advertising pundits promote the island as a kind of haven for live-it-up socialites seeking a change from Monte Carlo.
To my mind this is a mistaken policy, since outside Valletta and Sliema—the two principal towns—the island is still relatively primitive. Its attractions lie rather in the attractive rugged coastline, the astonishing variety of things to see and do (all at reasonable prices) and the magnetic charm of the islanders.
Hotel and restaurant menus offer swordfish and octopus— frequently served with liberal dollops of tomato sauce and chips—and the curious blend of English and Mediterranean cultures is evidenced everywhere. The familiar red letter boxes and telephone boxes are another reminder of past British rule, or what tourist board pamphlets more tactfully call "presence".
Hundreds of British servicemen have left behind them a not-very imaginative heritage of Joe's Cafe type establish possible for the visitor to return home after a fortnight feeling at least 50 per cent Maltese himself.
A visitor to Malta would be well advised to take with him the name and address of any contact from Britain. This may well be a passport to a series of extremely pleasant invitations to visit Maltese families in their own homes.
The homes of the professional middle-class are particularly interesting. Despite an unimpressive exterior, these houses often have magnificent interiors, with wide marble corridors and Graeco-Roman patios, giving an air of ease and elegance.
The lot of the working classes is also rapidly improving. A novel sight is to see a whole family sitting outside in the street (where it is cooler), their eyes glued to a television set inside the house. This pursuit can be precarious, for Maltese motorists are no respecters of persons. Taxi drivers hurtle along and grin benevolently if you show fear. When they do decide to travel slowly, drivers meander along the crown of the road, one hand out of the