Eve and Michaela messaged this morning saying they were going to the Blue Grotto and then to Marsaxlokk for dinner and would we like to join them. That’s a no-brainer, so then the big challenge was planning our bus routes. Eve has been so valuable as a resource in teaching us how to use various apps to access bus and route information. But, there is no Citymapper for anywhere in Malta. The Google map app, then, is the second choice. However, today it appears either the Google map function or the Malta transport function, wasn’t working. It was very frustrating to not be able to get the information we needed. But, Christine and I determined that a bus to the airport with a transfer to the bus to the Blue Grotto was our best route, so off we went.
The bus stop is right outside our door and the X2 bus to the airport came within a minute or two. The public transport bus system in Malta will get you nearly anywhere on the island. For 1.50 Euros, you can ride to almost any village. Our ride to the airport was interesting. The public bus is probably more interesting than the Hop On Hop Off tour bus because you go through neighborhoods. We get to see a lot of the goings on in communities.
One really impressive place we saw was a huge healthcare complex, Mater Dei Hospital. It was as big as any healthcare complex I’ve seen in the U.S. I read somewhere that Malta has the 5th best healthcare system in the world.
As we pass by interesting sights on the bus, I jot down a note in my notebook of the what and where so that in our excursions over the next 3 months we can go and see these places.
We got to the airport after nearly an hour ride. We went into the airport where there is a bus information kiosk. We got a bus route map and bought Tallinja cards, like the Oyster cards in London, that are smartcards for using the buses.
Our bus to the Blue Grotto, bus 201, came and we had a relatively short ride there, about 10 minutes. We were ahead of Eve and Michaela so we went to have lunch at the Kingfisher Restaurant that has a fantastic view of the rugged Malta coastline.
The Blue Grotto is a large arch carved into the cliff rock and several other caves. It gets its name from the phosphorescent blue water in the caves. It was believed that mermaids lived in the caves. Normally, one would load into a rather tiny boat and get motored out into the sea and along the coastline and be taken under the arch and into the caves. Well, unfortunately we learned that the rough seas today meant that there would be no boats going out. That was really disappointing, especially to Eve and Michaela. But we enjoyed the sun, the sea and the views.
After a gelato and fruit shake break, it was back on a bus to Marsaxlokk. Marsaxlokk is a beautiful little fishing village, most picturesque. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Each day along the seafront the locals have a huge market, both fish and crafts. We arrived just about 5:00 p.m., so the stalls were all being taken down for the day. But, nonetheless, we had a lovely stroll around the harbor front.
In the harbor are the famous fishing boats called luzzus. Luzzus are sturdy boats with a double-ended hull. The design of the luzzu, like that of another Maltese boat, the dghajsa, is believed to date back to Phoenician times. The design has survived because it tends to be sturdy and stable even in bad weather. Originally, the luzzu was equipped with sails although nowadays almost all are motorized.
Luzzus are brightly painted in shades of yellow, red, green and blue, and the bow is normally pointed with a pair of eyes. These eyes may be the modern survival of an ancient Phoenician custom (also practiced by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians); they are referred to as the Eye of Osiris. They are said to protect the fishermen while at sea. The luzzu is considered a symbol of Malta.
After strolling around the harbor, we found a nice little place to stop for a drink. We had some time to kill before the restaurant we wanted to go to started serving dinner. So we sat on a nice little patio and watched the comings and goings of Marsaxlokk.
We ate at a great seafood restaurant named ir-Rizzu. It was an enjoyable meal. But it was kind of funny because the restaurant had two large screen TVs on which was showing an Italian cooking show.
After dinner we made our way back along the harbor front in the dark (no streetlights) to a bus stop. We took the bus back to the airport where we split up to go our separate routes back to our homes. Our bus took forever to reach our destination. At the airport, about 25 German students, all with large suitcases, boarded the bus and packed the aisle. And at one point on the route back to our neighborhood, the bus pulled over and the driver said, “stopping here for 15 minutes,” which surprised everyone. But, we eventually made it back to our flat. It was a long day, but an enjoyable one sharing the day with Eve and Michaela.