Mellieha in the sunshine

We've all ticked most of the places we wanted to see off our list, and after a couple of weeks, our pace has slowed down somewhat. My feet keep me slowed down more than somewhat, but I've found a pair of stretchy sandals that allow me to escape much of the grief. The fact that the sandals are stretchy means that if I slip on uneven pavement (it's everywhere), the shoes just kind of wander in the direction of their choice and test my balance. Luckily there are walls everywhere to grab onto when needed. 

Speaking of walls, the terraced hillsides are criss-crossed with dry stone walls, usually about three to four feet high. Because it's so hilly, the areas used for agriculture are mostly terraced. Here and there you find valleys which, in my experience, would usually have a river flowing at the bottom. Nope, not in Malta. There are no rivers. Right now the hillsides are green and almost lush. In a couple of months, they'll be brown in the hot, dry summer season. Ten percent of the agricultural land is used for vineyards. 

There are small plots with grape vines scattered among other fields, although there are also areas with more extensive space given to the vines. I wonder if individual farmers sell the grapes to the vineyards or if they make their own wine for personal use. 

Today I chose to take my new stretchy sandals on an outing to Mellieha. I'd passed through there en route to Cirkewwa where we got the ferry to Gozo. The scenery en route was lovely, and I wanted a closer look at part of the city. The bus ride was a little more exciting than I'd counted on. The driver must have been practising for the Indy 500, driving a bus loaded with passengers for a bit of a challenge. We had more than one close encounter of the accident kind. But, they were close encounters and not actual accidents. How? I don't know. I'm sure there are road accidents here, but fortunately, I have not seen any, let alone been in one. There have been police cars and ambulances racing around though.

The buses are equipped with a rolling screen that tells you the next stop. Well, not always when you need them. I knew the name of the stop I wanted in Mellieha - Adenau. Fortunately, I'd used Google maps to not only look at the route but I'd checked the streetview and knew what the area looked like. None of the stops in Mellieha showed up on that rolling screen. BUT, I had prepared well and disembarked at the right place by keeping my eyes open. 

The distance between stops is not always short, nor are they always at the same altitude. If I had missed the stop I would have required climbing gear to return to my chosen spot. Well, maybe not ropes and pitons, but given that I was wearing those stretchy sandals, it would have been a challenge.

Safely off the bus, I walked towards the church and onto an area with incredible views over the valley, down to the largest beach in Malta, and over the stretch of sea to Comino and Gozo. And I could see the Red Tower. Remember that from last weekend? 

The graveyard next to the church in Mellieha
There is no cremation done in Malta so how do they fit so many graves into this small space?
And every grave has a photo of the "occupant" and often his/her family

View to the beach from the area of the Church.
Do you see the Red Tower?

Part of the road I would have had to walk if I'd missed my bus stop. This shows the downhill
part that is followed by a mini-mountain

I spent about an hour just wandering and taking lots of photos and eventually ended up back at the Church. It was open and I wandered in. It was quite beautiful and had at least a dozen altars. I'm really not sure why so many are/were needed. This year that church celebrates its centenery. It was in perfect condition and I think there might have been recent cleanings for the occasion. 

I've never seen an open confessional before

One view of the exterior of the church

And the inside

And the usual view from the front

Back outside I decided to take the staircase down (yay!) to see the WWII air raid tunnels. They are open from 9 - 3 according to the sign on the door. It was 2 pm. They were closed. Ugh. But I had a brief conversation with an Irishman who was also disappointed at the timing. 

If they had been open I would have been able to see the WWII air raid tunnels

And then it was time for a gelato. 

Although it was tasty, it was a mere shadow of the gelato available right across the street from our digs in Qawra. The "scoop" must have been a teaspoon and it was in a skinny little plain cone. A couple of licks and it was gone. Tasty, but gone. Here we get a large scoop in a sugar cone for the same price. 

Luck was with me as I only had to wait a few minutes for the bus back to Qawra. It was late, but so was I. This driver was not quite so determined to break land speed records. I managed to get a seat on this bus, but had I embarked two stops later I would have been standing. To date, I have not seen anyone give up their seat for any "person of a certain age range" within which I exist. If seated, the young occupant just doesn't seem inclined to make sure that older folks can enjoy a seated experience if the bus is crowded. 

We dined in this evening, eating up most of our remaining groceries. Tomorrow I may return to Rabat to visit the catacombs. The weather has been glorious, and always windy. Very windy.