Attard housewife wins The Times word game prize

A beaming Miriam Aquilina yesterday collected her word game prize from Mondial Holidays which will take her to two fine holiday destinations in Europe.

Leaving on July 13, Ms Aquilina and her husband will leave for a seven-day tour of Barcelona and Lourdes, also visiting the Pyrenees, Andorra, Tossa de Mar, Girona, Lloret de Mar, Montserrat, Port Aventura, Pont d'Espagne, Gavarnie and Bartres.

The winner has never been to either Lourdes or Barcelona though they were always among her most desired holiday destinations.

"Both my husband and I like travelling, but when you have four children it is not that easy," she said after collecting her ticket from the Mondial sales and marketing manager, Robert Suban.

Ms Aquilina, who is from Attard, has been a regular participant of the word game for a number of years, though this was the first time she won the prize.

The first optional excursion is for Port Aventura, Europe's second largest and newest adventure theme park.

On the following day, there will be an optional half-day city tour of Barcelona, including Plaza de Catalunya, the Ramblas, the Cathedral, the Gothic quarter and the Olympic complex on Mont Juic.

Another optional full-day excursion is to the spectacular monastery of Montserrat, within the national park of the mountains surrounding the town, known as one of the most spectacular of all of Spain's natural sights.

The tour will then move on to the small independent state of Andorra, in the heart of the Pyrenees, driving through beautiful mountain scenery.

From there, the group will continue to Lourdes in France, where they will visit the churches above the grotto and walk behind the altar where one can touch the rocks where the Blessed Virgin made her apparitions.

Other places around Lourdes will be visited, starting from the holy windmill where Bernadette was born and stayed with her family until she was 10.

There will be an optional excursion to Pont d'Espagne where visitors enjoy fantastic views of two grand waterfalls.

Ms Aquilina also received a Lm50 MIA voucher to spend at the tax free centre and a year's membership in the Scrabble Club.