Our last days in Malta are upon us and we’re heading to the quaint fishing village of Marsaxlokk, which is definitely one to remember for future Scrabble games. But first we’ve made a detour to Mosta to check out the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, which has one of the largest unsupported domes in the world.

C3’s back from his mission and we’re reunited again. It feels so good. There’s plenty to see and do before we leave Calypso’s Isle and as the nymph hasn’t made an appearance yet, I’m figuring I won’t have seven years to do it like Odysseus did.

We’re in a queue with 60 other cars waiting to get on a car ferry. I leave the comfort of the air conditioned Citroen C3 and stroll across to the port side cafeteria. Its selling all the usual food you don’t want and cheap coffee that nobody seems to be drinking. I’m in need of caffeine, but do I want to chance drinking bad coffee. Come to think of it, do I even have time to wait for the untrained barista to make this bad coffee. Maybe I’m better off back in the car.

Malta is reasonably little known archipelago situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea some 200-odd kilometres from the soccer ball island of Sicily. Consisting of numerous islands only the largest three, Malta, Gozo and Camino, are actually inhabited. With an area of 316 square kilometres, the country is only slightly larger than Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, however, it has a population close to 500,000 compared to Great Barrier’s 900! This high population density makes it the 6th most densely populated country in the world, if you strip out special administrative regions and dependencies such as Hong Kong and Gibraltar.