Name: Peter Galea
Age: 47
Occupation: Project co-ordinator and actor
My best holiday ever…
The memories of Vegas, the decadent nights and the bright lights will always be imprinted in my mind
A trip to Wales when I was 16 and attending school in the middle of England.
My family and I lived there for four years and the school I went to had organised a trip for some of the students to south Wales.
It was a fun, adventurous trip; we went rock climbing, canoeing, caving, hiking and much more. I’ll never forget the excitement of seeing the beautiful Welsh landscapes, and it even snowed on one of the days we were there.
It was a mixed group of students and it made it especially nicer doing all the wonderful activities together with the girls. Being away from home started to feel cool and I realised that I could get used to it very quickly.
I would never return to…
No particular place comes to mind – every place I’ve visited has been great in its own way. If I had the chance to travel to all the places I’ve been to again, I would do it in a heartbeat.
The most dangerous place I’ve visited…
Not the most dangerous in itself, because it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but standing atop the Grand Canyon was an exhilarating moment, and at the same time quite scary.
The thought of danger kept cropping up in my mind as I stood on the edge of this wonder of wonders. Time freezes for a moment when you stand close to a sheer drop overlooking the canyon.
Back on the bus I couldn’t help feeling appreciative of life.
My favourite city…
It has to be Los Angeles. Looking back, my time in LA seems like a long, long holiday, even though I lived there for a while.
I was 24 going into my 30s and I did things I had never done before.
I was waiting tables to make a living. It’s good money and you get to meet a lot of people.
It’s quite exciting waiting on stars such as Robert De Niro, to name just one of many. “What would you like sir?” I asked. “A plate of steamed vegetables,” he replied.
I would go hiking up the Santa Monica Mountains, night-time skiing at Snow Summit, water skiing at Big Bear Lake and gambling in Las Vegas; I’d drive up to San Francisco, fly out to Washington DC and New York, swim at Venice Beach, and much, much more.
LA is a melting pot, so you meet people from all over the world.
My most memorable experience on an aircraft…
Recently, flying back from Germany, via Holland and Belgium, our aircraft experienced some strong winds.
At take-off we were OK. However, flying through clouds, thousands of feet up in the atmosphere, heavy winds started shaking the aircraft.
My partner was sitting next to me and she turned white. She clutched my hand as tight as a vice and looked like she was about to start screaming. At this point I started getting very nervous and really thought this could be the end.
I was thinking of the film Alive, where survivors had to eat the other victims to survive. Then I looked over my shoulders and I saw our children playing, laughing and having a good old time.
I was incredibly relieved when the plane came to a halt after a very shaky landing.
My most treasured holiday souvenir…
I’m not really a souvenir kind of guy and I never buy them for myself. Photos are my best mementos. From time to time I will look through old photos and reminisce about my travelling experiences.
My biggest gaffe abroad…
I don’t usually like to admit to making them, but I do. We once took a train into the city of Bremen, Germany, and we needed to transfer onto a bus that would take us directly to our destination – the zoo.
The children were very excited and couldn’t wait to get there. I asked someone which number bus we needed and was told a number. I then took the children to a bus stop where I saw the same number and waited.
The bus came on time, we boarded, and were on our way. This was supposed to be a 20-minute ride, so after 30 minutes I started to wonder if something was wrong. I asked the driver and he assured me we would arrive in a few minutes.
Sure enough in three minutes we reached a stop but the zoo was nowhere in sight. I went back to talk to the driver and after explaining to him that we wanted to go to the zoo, he told me we had taken the right number bus… in the wrong direction.
It’s quite exciting waiting on stars in Los Angeles such as Robert De Niro
The friendliest people…
San Francisco is a wonderful city. It’s very warm and caring.
The hills, the ups and downs, the bridge, and the people left an indelible imprint in my mind.
Asking for directions was never a problem. People were always more than happy to help me out and direct me to where I was heading.
Even when I went inside shops and restaurants, the service came with a big smile and genuine attention.
I never travel without...
Well, this is probably a silly answer, but the most logical one I could think of: money. I travel with only the necessities and if I need something I didn’t bring with me, I buy it. Actually if I had enough money I wouldn’t have to take anything with me, I would just buy what I needed along the way.
My all-time favourite holiday photo...
I like all my holiday photos, but my favourite is probably the one of me standing next to the bust of James Dean at the Observatory in the Hollywood Hills.
It was a sunny day, California-style, and I was in a blue polo shirt facing James Dean, as if I was talking to him. I’m not sure exactly why I like it so much; it’s probably because it was in Hollywood and James Dean is such an icon.
Since 2001 I started using a digital camera so I have access to all my holiday photos on my computer. All my other photos are in a shoe box at my mum’s house. I need to get them back!
An unforgettable hotel...
Las Vegas. Where else?
It was the Flamingo Hotel. I was young and in love. The hotel was all glitzy and glittery – everything seemed to sparkle.
I had a great time, and we danced all night.
Vegas is a surreal place, you feel like you’re in a different world – any world you can conjure up.
I probably wouldn’t choose to go there now. Being a family man, I prefer more nature-oriented places.
But the memories of Vegas, the decadent nights and the bright lights, will always be imprinted in my mind.
I return most often to...
Germany is where my family and I have frequented most in the past few years. We have friends in the north of Germany, close to Bremen, so we usually go to visit them around the Christmas holidays.
We stay in the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the inner city and take long walks every day.
A few times it has snowed while we were there and we go sledding with the children.
Around Christmastime we always go to the Christmas Market to quench our thirst with deliciousglühwein and kinderpunsch for the children.
My ideal travel companion...
Nowadays, I travel with my family: my partner Alex, Thylo, the oldest, Cody and Brandon. It’s not quite the same going abroad without them.
Country with the best cuisine...
I am biased towards Mexican food: mouth-watering shrimp quesadilla, scrumptious nachos with black refried beans, delicious tostada, awesome chicken burritos, sizzling beef fajitas and succulent ceviche.
All this can be accompanied by Patrón tequila and a pinch of salt followed by a wedge of lime. Unless you prefer to go for a margarita with a salted rim.
My next holiday plans…
I haven’t been back to the US in 11 years. Although I don’t have plans to visit there in the immediate future, it’s on my mind a lot.
There are a lot of other places I would love to visit, but there are other priorities that take precedence right now.
I think this summer I’ll have to settle on a local destination that the whole family is very fond of: Gozo.
My dream trip…
Hawaii is definitely at the top of my list. The blue sky, the clear blue sea, the scorching sun accompanied by a Pacific breeze, and an exotic drink in one hand, the Hawaiian girls fanning me with palm leaves… yeah, keep dreaming Pete!
I partied hardest in…
Christmas 2010 in Germany I drank more alcohol than I thought I could ever handle. Starting with an aperitif, then switching to glühwein, and then regular wine, before finishing with after-dinner shots.
Don’t you hate it when you lie down and the whole room starts spinning, as if it’s asking you to stay on your feet so you make a bigger fool of yourself? It was fun, however!
My travel tip…
Be spontaneous. Don’t plan too much. Do things on the spur of the moment. Do things you like to do, not the things other people think you should be doing.
Take lots of photos so you’ll always have something to remember the good times with. They’ll come in handy when you’re a bit down in the dumps.
Peter Galea is performing in Kjaroskur – written by Simone Spiteri and directed by Chris Gatt – at St James Cavalier, Valletta on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 30, 31 and April 1. Visit www.sjcav.org.