Jackie Britton Blog: 9th Week in Malta

Monday 16^th…As mentioned in my previous blog…I said Au Revoir to Andrea and hello to Jan who has come over for a ‘well deserved’ break, her first time in Malta. We had 4 hours in between one flight and another so we decided to explore the west side of the island that we hadn’t been to before. We went to the Blue Grotto and Ghar Lapsi. We were pleasantly surprised when we got to Ghar Lapsi, as is a small rocky inlet and a popular beauty spot and used by some fishermen. In the summer, the inlet is perfect for snorkelling enthusiasts as it is a good entry point for divers. Local children take turns to dive into the deep water off the surrounding rocks where they have tied ropes around the rocks to jump in. There are a few flat rocky ledges to perch a towel on and no beach but the cave double up as shady areas….especially today as it was 32 degrees! The coastline is excellent rock climbing aswell. There are snack bars open during summer months in the boat houses, and a larger bar-restaurant open all year. Unfortunately in the winter of 2012, the cliffs around Għar Lapsi collapsed and the local council is in the process of still clearing away huge rocks.

We drove about l km and came to The Blue Grotto which is actually a number of sea caverns on the south coast in the village of Qrendi. It is located across from the small uninhabited islet of Filfla. Every day from sunrise until about 1 pm a unique sight can be observed here. The location of the cave combined with the sunlight lead to the water mirroring showing numerous shades of blue. Several caverns mirror the brilliant phosphorescent colours of the underwater flora; other caverns show a deep dark shade of blue. It is a popular destination for tourists with boat trips to visit the caves. It has local restaurants that offer good food and stunning views (we had lunch at one on the roof terrace). The location has been used many times by filmmakers, including a ‘Milky Way’ advert and scenes from the 2004 film called TROY and more recently, a local Maltese TV station filming a travel programme. It was lovely to see a part of Malta we hadn’t seen before.

We drove to the airport to pick up Jan whose plane was on time and we headed back to villa to chill out for the rest of the day. On Tuesday we walked into the local town to show Jan around and of course, took her to our local bar. Wednesday more of the same but drove around to local beaches and swam in the sea and relaxed in the sunshine. In the evening we walked down to our local beach bar which becomes a little different for the evening clients with subtle lights around palm trees a nd TV screens around the outside area with white armchairs and settees (for the World Cup) and inside a big screen with rows of comfortable chairs to watch the football in case of inclement weather. Thursday, we spent around the pool and catching up with a few chores and in the evening went to watch England play! Huh! What a boring game and what with John in my ears stating “they get too much money and what do they do…they don’t even run fast”….I wished I’d not watch it!

We decided to show our friend, Jan the capital ‘Valetta’ today (Friday) so we set off on the bus to Sliema….a bustling town besides a lovely walkway, where there are shops and a big shopping mall (which is different to Mellieha) and then took the ferry across to Valetta, which is a great way to get there as you see the magnificent architecture of the Grand Harbour. It was a hot day but in Valetta there are loads of buildings to shelter you for walking around. The back streets in Valetta are steep with loads of steps going to the next level. If there are shops there they have beautiful colourful pot plants and palm trees to set the scene.

Malta has some fascinating places to visit and 7,000 years of history – if you don’t just want to sit on the beach, but it’s nice to have a mixture of the two. The food and wine is good too - these small islands do have a cuisine of their own with the influence of Italy (& Sicily) and North Africa. Maltese cooking is governed primarily by the produce grown on the islands, producing dishes that are indigenous to the islands and local waters. Although vegetables such as asparagus, brussel sprouts and fruits such as kiwi and pineapples can be readily found in shops now….this is comparatively recent. Rabbit is found on the menu (which are farmed here) and Bragioli (which is a local dish made from slices of topside beef, pork, onion, carrots, hard boiled eggs, breadcrumbs, bacon, cloves, parsley and red wine). The beef is flattened and all the ingredients wrapped up inside and simmered in red wine………John loves them!). You can make the most of Artichokes, Aubergines and Zucchini (a round small marrow) which is plentyful in Malta. They make soups such as Kawlata Minestra (like Minestrone) with dried beans, vegetables and pasta, amongst other soups that include Goats cheese and Riccotta being added once the soup is made. The local fish is really tasty and cheap and is often served on it’s own in a garlic and butter sauce with Maltese bread on the side. (The bread is made from sour dough and has a crisp crust!). The main fish is caught here is Lampuki (the fisherman have caught this fish in the same manner since roman times…….by gathering the large fronds from the palm trees which they plait into flat rafts. These are taken out to sea and floated and the Lampuki gather beneath them where they are quickly encircled with nets and caught. The waters around Malta are abundant with Tuna, Swordifsh, Red Mullet, Seabass, Grouper and Skate……so plenty to choose from.

The wines are superb, produced by two major wineries – Marsovin and Emanuel Delicata (Both produce Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from imported grapes aswell). The wines are inexpensive and best drunk when young. The local beer (which John also loves) is called Cisk and is lovely to drink on a hot day - you can, of course, get most other European drinks but are more expensive than local beers and wines. You can eat, drink and be merry on very little! Have I convinced you to visit yet?

Saturday came and went ….we had a lazy day and early night as Sunday we got up early to go to a market in Rabat. The Feast of St Paul is taking place all week in Rabat with it’s highly coloured streets with banners and large religious statutes and children all in what looks like ‘tiny brides’ taking first communion. Every detail is present with veils and mini long wedding dresses with shoes to match. I haven’t quite got used to this yet but it very much part of the Catholic religion here.

The name of the village (Rabat)is derived from the Arabic word for 'suburb'as it was the suburb of the old capital Mdina. The village shares a name with the capital of Morocco.

Our 10^th week begins with Jan staying a few more days………another fantastic week!

Ghar Lapsi