New feet needed

If only my feet didn't hurt I'd be out and about every minute. As it is, I am on the move as much as possible. Today was a measley 5000 steps to this point. The weather is spectacular and according to a local source, much warmer than usual for this time of year. Bonus! Of course, my long-sleeved shirts linger in the closet, quite bored. They will vie for my attention when we are in Amsterdam, I'm sure.

Today I hired a driver to take me to a few places off the beaten track in the northeast corner of the island. First stop - the Red Tower, also known as St Agatha's tower. It was built in 1649 by the Knights of St John to protect the coast from invasion. The government keeps it painted a deep ochre shade and it's most impressive, able to be seen from quite far away. The tower itself wasn't open, but the views in the area are spectacular.

From there I could see Comino and beyond it, Gozo. The ferry port is visible as are the ferries that go between Malta and Gozo. Passengers ferries also go from Valletta but if you want to take a car, you must leave from the northern port. 

We drove past the White Tower, about which I know absolutely nothing. I gave some thought to inventing a story about it, but opted to ask ChatGPT. And here's what information came back:

The buildings in the foreground are holiday homes, privately owned. Nobody in residence today.

The White Tower, also known as Aħrax Tower or Torre di Lacras, is a historic watchtower overlooking Armier Bay in Mellieħa, Malta. Constructed in 1658 during the rule of Grand Master Martin de Redin, it was part of a series of coastal fortifications designed to protect the island from maritime threats. The tower's strategic location made it the northernmost fortification on Malta's main island.

Now it's known that AI does hallucinate from time to time, but for the moment let's just give it credit for the information.

We moved on past the Coral Lagoon where two very hardy souls were immersed in the crystal clear turquoise water. I asked the driver how much nicer it was possible for the Blue Lagoon in Comino to be. he assured me that the waters there were even more spectacular. In summer, everyone with a boat chooses that as their destination. 

Comino in the distance - uninhabited now, but enjoyed by thousands at the Blue Lagoon in summer

The White Tower from the Coral Lagoon

The tip-top northern corner of Malta is home to the Blue Hole. You have to walk from the Coral Lagoon. It's very close, a few hundred metres, but the ground is pitted limestone, with lots of crumbled bits. It surprised me to see that someone had constructed an Inuksuk. Well, not quite, but a good try.

Almost there - I can see the hole

Beautiful - except for those plastic bottles floating around

Just to prove that I was there

This point offered an even better overlook than the Red Tower and was worth the climb. Except ---

Malta is a very clean place. They are conscientious about recycling and I haven't seen any litter at all, anywhere. Each day is designated for compostible waste, recycling or regular garbage. Just put yours out  the the appropriately coloured bag, on the curb on the designated day and it will be collected.

Back to my story, floating in the Blue Hole, carved by the sea out of the limestone, were several plastic bottles. It really took away from the wonder of the spot. I believe you can kayak from the open water through one of the arches, but there were no kayakers out today.

On the way back, I had Jurgen stop to take a picture of a house that looks like it's being eaten by a tree.

The small shuttered homes seen in this area are holiday homes. They are quite small and none seemed to be occupied at the moment. 

We made a stop at a pretty white chapel where Mass is celebrated every Sunday. Sadly, it was completely locked up so it was impossible to see the interior. 

The final "tour" stop was at the (unoccupied) Selmun Castle. It could be quite spectacular to visit if furnished. Built in 1783 by the Knights it was a summer residence and a meeting place for hunting. Across the road was a replica of a small farmhouse complex, again not open. As for the hunting - the area is completely rocky and there was no sign of anything you might want to hunt. So, what did they shoot? 

The private tour ended when I asked the driver to drop me off at Welbees grocery store to pick up a few things. From there it was all downhill - literally and figuratively. I had shopping bags with me and distributed my purchases between the two. Then it was a downhill walk back "home." 

Now that I've put away the groceries, eaten lunch and enjoyed a Cisk, I'm relaxing with my feet up. They are grateful not to be load-bearing at the moment. I think I'll have a nap on the terrace. After all, it's there to be enjoyed.

Musings about Malta

Various tours have provided information about the scenes and buildings we passed or visited. It seemed like it would all stick in my mind. Turns out, I had a great deal more confidence in my memory than I should have. The important information sailed in one ear and out the other. 

But I've noted a few things as the days have gone by - in no particular order of importance or priority

The countryside is greener than I'd expected. Winter is the rainy season and that seems to have finished. There's only been one day of rain since we arrived. For the most part, it has been sunny and very breezy. The lack of a strong breeze is notable by its infrequency. We can tell by the direction of the waves we can see from our terrace which way the wind is blowing. 

The air feels warmer than it does at home at the same temperature, probably because the sun is so strong. And it's fairly humid. I've given up on my hair and just let it do its own thing. Wearing a hat makes it worse. 

Pastizzi are far too tasty. So far I've only had the ricotta-filled type and the chicken-filled. I'm leaving the mushy peas to those who find them appealing. There's a pistachio version on my shortlist. 

By no means are Pastizzi the only bakery items that tempt you from every direction. I'm hoping NOT to encounter the same extensive selection offered at the market in Marsaxlokk last Sunday. 

Cisk beer is excellent. I've tried the regular, the Excel (low-carb) and 0% and I like them all.

So far, the native Maltese people seem fewer and farther between than foreigners. The tourist trade seems mainly populated by those from abroad, but I've had the same tour guide twice (Mario) and he's Maltese. Like the Irish, the Maltese diaspora exceeds the local population. 

This is the most densely populated country in the EU.

Tourists outnumber Maltese 6 to 1. Summer is the busiest tourist season but I love the weather in March. It would be too hot in summer - around 40C and humid. Ugh.

The architecture bears a striking similarity from building to building, always beige limestone. Some buildings seem to have a skim coat of cement or stucco, but it's limestone underneath. There are some mansions but most homes are apartments. 

As you look down a street, if there are lots of apartment buildings they all seem to be connected, but you distinguish one from another by the different balconies.

The old "balconies" seen everywhere, I consider to be eye-candy. They are enclosed wooden structures, are not very deep and often have their windows covered with lace curtains.

Typical street in Vittoriosa

Many doors have the knobs in the centre. Today I learned that "fancy" door knobs can indicate one's profession or social class. 

The buses seem to be pretty much on time, but traffic can be terrible, causing delays. There are wide highways and brutally narrow streets. How buses get around the corners from one tight place to another is hard to believe. I would never make it as a bus driver here. Well, I'd never make a good bus driver anywhere, to be honest.

In the farmland that we've seen, the land is mostly hilly and as a result, is mostly terraced to provide flat land for farming. There are vineyards, taking up 10% of the agricultural land, and they can be found on flat land or hills. Different soil types determine the kind of grapes grown. No surprise there.

The one golf course on the island seems to be pretty flat. Go figure. It's a private course. 

Prickly pear cacti are everywhere and from, them the Maltese produce a liqueur. Zeppi's Bajtra Liqueur is the one I've tried, and really liked. I might just have to bring some home. I don't know if there is another brand.

The wine produced here is only for local consumption and is not exported. Gozo makes and consumes its own and doesn't even sell it in Malta. There was a wine-tasting at the end of our tour today but they weren't selling the wines we tasted. Why not??? 

The local strawberries are delicious. But Malta imports 70% of its food. 

Cattle, sheep, pigs and horses are kept in sheds/barns during the winter months so that the manure won't leach into the soil and consequently, into the groundwater when it rains. EU regulation. I haven't seen any animals other than cats and dogs.

Today's tour was of the Three cities. Actually, we explored parts of Vittoriosa and saw Cospicua and Sengla from a distance. A lot of the historical buildings are located in Vittoriosa. 

There is a city wall encircling the city. It's high and wide. At the bottom of the wall at the city gate we were shown two doors which led to air raid shelters during WWII. There are a lot more tunnels to explore and I hope to get to some of them next week. 

Entrances to air raid shelters in WWII

Much of the city was decimated by bombings in the war. A lot of the stones were used to rebuild the cities, and the rubble was used to reclaim land from the sea. 

Following the city walk, we went by coach to Qormi (Q is silent) for a lunch and wine-tasting. The food was delicious and the wines we tried were very nice. Unfortunately, they weren't selling those particular wines, or at least not the red one that I preferred.

This would be a lovely place for lunch

The dry moat around Vittoriosa

Selection of wines for sale

That's pretty much it for today. 

And what a day it was!

After some initial confusion about where to be for our bus pickup today and what, exactly, would the bus look like, the few of us waiting in our usual spot were eventually collected just a little bit late. This was to save us from the public transportation that could take quite a bit longer. 

The region we traversed was all new to us and it was quite spectacular in places. We saw the Red Tower (St Agatha's Tower) in the distance and mused about a possible visit on another day. The road was wider and less congested that those on our previous tours. And then we got closer to the coast. Talk about your bends in the road. Here's a sample.

And this turn was followed about 100 yards later by a similar turn in the other direction.
The reflection was because I took the picture through the bus window.

The Red Tower in the distance. On my schedule now for Saturday.
It was built in 1649

We arrived at the Ferry Port of Cirkewwra (possible spelling) and boarded right away. The ferries run frequently all day long. The crossing was smooth and we had a bit of a peek at the Blue Lagoon on Comino, the smallest of the three main islands of Malta, as we sailed past. It's hugely popular as a swimming hole in summer. The water is turquoise and absolutely clear. The water is too chilly for swimming at this time of year. 

The Hop-on bus was waiting for us after we disembarked in Gozo, and as we were among the first passengers we got great seats on the top deck. And, we took some pictures from the moving bus and happily they are pretty good. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.

More churches, all made of the local limestone and all are kept locked during the day.
We haven't been inside any to see if the interior is as lovely as the exterior.

No idea what the farmer was burning but the view was fantastic

You can get an idea of the man-made terraces for planting on the hills. 
At this time of year it's quite lush looking.
Rainy season has just ended and the dry summer has not begun.

The capital of Gozo is Victoria where we gasped as the bus made incredible turns onto unimaginably narrow streets that often had oncoming traffic. The drivers are beyond amazing. 

View from the upper deck on a Victoria Street

We enjoyed lunch in a cafe in Victoria and then wandered a bit. Given that the Cittadella was much further uphill that we were prepared to climb (endure), we settled for pictures. 

The Cittadella - getting there would have just been the beginning of the climbing
Once inside there were more stairs to the top of various towers

The 1881 Fountain
Rebuilt in a different location in the 20th century, at the same intersection, due to other construction
It is a drinking fountain, and thus not very spectacular. We didn't drink from it.

A very popular summer spot was just around the corner - not busy today for swimmers
The eating options were all available, but we stayed on the bus

There were lots of other lovely spots. We got off for a few minutes when the bus paused for about five minutes at Ta'Pinu and maybe if we return to Gozo will stop longer. The interior of the church is quite spectacular, or so it seems from pictures.

Our final stop was at Xengli and it lasted much longer than we planned. We had to get to the ferry by 4:55 to take the special bus back to our starting point. Otherwise, we'd have to take a public bus. We made sure to be early for the 3:45 bus, which never came. The 4:30 was a few minutes late and as we drove into the port area, watched the ferry sail out. There are lots of ferries, but we missed the last one for our ride home. We waited at the bus stop, with hundreds of our closest friends, and managed to secure seats on the bus to Bugibba. I don't know where they were from, but a group of obnoxiously pushy young men out-elbowed the crowd to get on first. Our stop was the end of the line so we didn't have to figure out where we were. Despite having a rolling screen of bus stops, all it displayed today was the date and time. It might not surprise you to know that we were already aware of that. 

We saw an unspectacular sunset while waiting for that bus and saw a lovely full moon rising on the ride home. I took this photo from our terrace, and that wrapped up our day.

Our terrace tonight

Way way back to the past today

Between the Tarxien temples and the Hypogeum, our day was spent learning about and seeing neolithic buildings, now UNESCO World Heritage sites. But let's back up a bit.

Before we left Canada on this trip, we'd booked tickets to visit the Hypogeum in Malta. Tours are limited to a few a day, only 10 people at a time and it's always booked.  It's in the city of Paolo just outside Valletta. It's hard to tell where one place ends and the next one starts. We went by bus and luckily got seats, possibly the last three. Next time we'll walk up the hill to the bus station where the route starts to be sure we don't have to stand. In Ottawa, it's nicer to sit but you don't have to cope with turns every few yards, making staying vertical a bit of a challenge.

On this trip, we found out in advance the name of the stop we needed, and the name of the one just before it, so we'd be sure to disembark at the right place. Everything went according to plan. We got off at Nazza something. The stop just before was Lourdes and we wondered if somehow we'd gone all the way to France. However, it is pronounced Lour-dez, and of course is in Malta.

We ventured first to the Tarxien temples, following google maps and then the signs we found posted on buildings. We even walked on brand-new asphalt as they were still paving on the same street. They don't have the same pothole problems we have, but I guess they had the money to re-surface that one. The actual temples are an outdoor exhibit and very well signed and explained, and nicely covered by a sort of tent. Here are a couple of pictures. 

Valletta is the topmost peninsula in the picture. We visited the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum
and the Hal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex, just blocks from each other in Paolo. 
As you can see it's very densely built up and you don't notice moving from one city to the next

One view of the temples - discovered on someone's farmland before the city was so built up

There's nothing like standing in front of 5000-year-old structures to make you feel young

I can't get enough of the interesting balconies on the homes here. Some are in much better condition than others. Some have open balconies alongside the enclosed ones, mostly on what seem like larger more palatial residences. 

I love these buildings, which I think are unique to Malta. Note the hydro wires fastened to the buildings. They don't have poles on the streets. Of course, there'd be no place to put them.

After visiting the temples we stopped for lunch near the main square of Paola. There was the huge church of Christ the King - the parish church. It doesn't seem to be noted as a cathedral or basilica. But it was locked up tight so we could not see what it was like inside.

Church of Christ the King - a massive structure but sadly, locked up tight

Look closely. This is a calendar clock. You can see we were here on March 12th.
There is a regular clock on the second tower but this one interested me more.

So, where are the pictures of the Hypogeum? Well, on their website. You are not allowed to take any pictures inside. In fact, everything but your clothes has to be put into a locker before the tour. No phones allowed. I provided a link in a previous blog. For those educationally-minded, you can go back and find it.

We were lucky on the bus trip back to our place, as we all managed to find seats. If we had gotten on one stop later we would have been out of luck. Eventually, it was just as packed as the ride I took on Tuesday.

This evening was a quiet one "at home." Tomorrow we'll rise with the birds to be at the bus for 8:15. It will take us to the ferry at a place I would spell if I could. It starts with C and ends with A and is something like Checkra with a few more letters. Can't wait. Another sunny day awaits.

Lazy day

There is nothing interesting to post today, but I won't let that stop me. We have activities booked for the next three days and decided to take a day off. If we could figure out how to open the storage shed on the terrace we could use the lounges. They are kept in the shed because it gets very very breezy and they'd blow away. The shed is locked. The key fits but doesn't seem to open the lock. We'll try again another day.

I did go out eventually, all the way across the street, to get a gelato. I chose the Bacio (dark chocolate hazelnut) and was not disappointed. John and Glenn joined me but I don't recall what flavours they chose. It might be necessary to return to sample other flavours at another time, so as not to seem biased in favour of those we had today.

While outside, I took a couple of photos along the shore. Then we wandered up the street and noticed a couple of restaurants for future visits, checked the bus time for tomorrow's visit to the Hypogeum (check it out by clicking the link), and then Glenn showed us where he bought the delicious Pastizzi yesterday. 

As it happens I was looking for something to have with my soup for supper this evening and noticed a chicken-filled pastizzi - sold!! For €.70 it was a bargain, even if it has only a small amount of chicken. For the future, I made note of the fact that they have one filled with pistachio cream. The basic pastizzi have ricotta or mushy peas. Aside from the chicken and pistachio, there's also a beef-filled version. 

Here are a couple of photos that might liven up this boring post. They don't seem to be downloading and posting well today.

A bit of a rickety dock, if that's what it's supposed to be; 
I certainly would not wish to disembark or swim from there.

Garage or storage space, probably for the houses across the road 
above - just left of the lamp posts. 

Local fishermen who didn't catch anything while I was watching. 
The hill in the distance is a landfill, which is coming to the end of its approved lifespan.
The blur in the upper left is my finger. I should have edited the photo.

On the bus, still on the bus, just missed the bus ... the story of my day

It seemed easy enough. Get on the X3 bus across the road from our condo and get off in Birkikara. As I paid my fare, I asked the driver if he stopped in that town and was told "yes." My question turned out to be too general. The stops are named, as are the LRT stations in Ottawa. However, I was not travelling within a city but rather between two cities, and my destination was not very large. Silly me not to ask if there was more than one bus stop, and how would I know at which one to disembark. Live and learn. The buses are equipped with wifi and a rolling screen to shows the next stop. That is excellent, if you know the name of your stop. I didn't. 

The weather was sunny and warm, and no jacket was needed. There were plenty of seats and the ride was pleasant. After about 80 minutes, I arrived at the Airport! That's the end of the line. I'd missed my stop and worse still, I had barely missed the next bus back, and had an hour to wait for the next one.

So, lunch at the airport. I happily chose a small health food stand and had a very tasty meal. I returned to the bus stop 10 minutes early, because I didn't want to miss it. It's a good thing I was early. NOT!! The bus was 30 minutes late because of traffic.

The road system in Malta is very good, although not all parts are wide enough with enough lanes to cope with the amount of traffic. You are rarely too far away to see the buildings of at least one town. Some are very close together. Valletta seems immense when seen from a distance. The buildings are squeezed together in this tiny country, the most densely populated in the EU. 

Seeing towns in the distance is nice, but I needed to get some cushy shoes for my sore foot and the place to get them was Eurosport, in Birkikara. The helpful transit person at the airport, when shown my chosen destination, told me the name of my stop - Psailas. The "P" is silent.

They love silent letters here. Q is silent. Our place is in Qawra (ahra, more or less). The airport is at Luqa (lua). G is always a soft sound, J is pronounced like Y, sort of. It's a tricky language.

Anyway, the bus came along eventually and I got off at the right stop this time. The store I wanted was nearby and I found a nice cushy pair of runners. I made it back to the bus stop just about a minute ahead of the arrival of the next bus back to Bugibba, as close as I can get to "home." My luck had changed. I also got almost the last seat. That was a good thing because it was just after 4 pm and it seemed like everyone in the country wanted to get on my bus. After one more stop it was full. Then it was jammed. People near the doors had to step off for others to exit. There were not a lot of folks getting off until the end of the line. 

The final stop was about half a kilometre from our place – fortunately, all downhill. By the time I got "home" it was nearly time to eat.

As it happened, we all went off in different directions today and one way or another ,we all got off track. I only managed about 6000 steps today, with all the bus riding. Glenn doubled that, and John was somewhere in between.

I didn't take any pictures today. Maybe tomorrow I'll try my luck on another bus route and take some pictures. Or maybe I'll enjoy the terrace and read my book. 

Coach tour to Blue Grotto and Marsaxlokk

We boarded the coach about 9:15 so we didn't have to worry about messing up hairdos on the open top level. Malta is not very big but it has so much to offer the tourist, historian, oenologist, and just plain sightseers and shoppers. I'll tell you right off the bat we've not shopped at all - except for food and the odd treat. That may come to an end soon.

It wasn't a long drive to the Blue Grotto and our guide described the sites along the way in English and in German. He threw in a lot of personal anecdotes that added nothing to his narrative, but he was keen and we did learn a few things. 

When the bus, er coach, parked at the Blue Grotto we had the option of enjoying a lovely cafe that most likely had pastizzi, or take a boat ride. We opted to walk down the rather steep hill to get tickets and take the boat ride. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny, and the sea was calm. The procedure looked rather haphazard at first, but it turned out to be very efficient.

We paid our €10 each per ticket and wandered down another rather steep slope to the dock. Each boat had a "captain" and held up to about 10 people. The line moved right along and we really didn't wait. Once aboard we were given lifejackets that were probably made the year I was born. Let's just say "not brand new." Then our "captain" drove the "ship" out along the coast where we saw the island of Filfla in the distance. It's uninhabited and a bird colony. I took a useless photo because it was a bit far away, but easily seen. As we motored along the coast we could see lots of different surfaces to the rock, Maltese Limestone from which everything is built.

Setting out to sea to see the Blue Grotto

We were soon near the caves and noted the amazing Caribbean blue water. Our captain/driver named the different caves, none of which I caught except for the actual Blue Grotto. There were windows through some of the rocks and I managed to capture a couple, along with the heads of my fellow passengers. It was certainly worth the price of the excursion at sea.

The water was so clear and had such an amazing colour

The surface of the limestone ranges from smooth to very rough

View from the top, above the caves
It was a nice place to pause on the steep climb back up to the coach

Then, of course, we had to go back up that steep hill we'd walked down. Somehow it wasn't as much fun, and I haven't gotten any fitter yet, but as we continue to encounter hills everywhere, maybe that will happen. LOL

Once the two stragglers were aboard the coach, off we went to Marsaxlokk. We passed a couple of vineyards but obviously it's not grape season because they bore no fruit. There are quite a few of these on the island and I should learn more on Friday during the wine-tasting adventure.

Marsaxlokk, being the destination for the entire population on Sundays, required a 10-minute walk from where the coach parked, to the start of the market. It looked like any other flea market, except for the varieties of fish available for sale. We ignored the fish and sought pastizzi but found none. We had to compromise with Maltese pastries of a different sort - and were not disappointed.

It was difficult to choose which one to enjoy

The harbour is very pretty and there were a number of Luzzus - the brightly painted boats this area is noted for. There is a movie "Luzzu" which is available on some streaming service but I can't remember which one. Maybe I'll watch it now. 

A Luzzu beside the harbour

Peaceful spot by the harbour to take a break

And then, as it was only a half-day tour, we got back on the coach for the trip to Qawra where we are staying. By the way, "Q" is silent in the Maltese language. It had been quite warm without much but a slight wafting breeze at the market. Once we stepped off the coach we were almost blown away by a cool breeze that seems constant here. We are across the road from the shoreline and it's always breezy. 

Now we're relaxing, having done a bit of grocery shopping, and will get supper organized soon. I'm not sure what the guys are doing tomorrow but I'm off on the bus to check out the shopping. My feet are not completely happy in the shoes I have with me so perhaps a new pair of (substantial) sneakers is in order.