After being in Malta for
almost a month, we decided to spend our last four nights in
Marsaxlokk (pop.3500). Perhaps you could say that we left the best
for last because this old fishing village in the southeast corner of
Malta was one of my favorites. The port dates back to ancient days
when it was used by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians.
Each morning I headed out
for an early walk on the bay to see the fishing boats bobbing in the
harbor and the sounds of water hitting the shoreline. The boats come
in various sizes and some of the larger, less colorful ones, had the
appearance of experiencing many days at sea. However, the brightly
colored Maltese boat, referred to as Luzzu or djhajsa, makes this
harbor particularly beautiful. They are painted red, blue and yellow.
If you look carefully you can see the eye of Osiris painted or carved
on their bow, an old custom believed to protect the boats from evil.
There are about 360
churches in Malta so the fact that this little village has a large
church sitting directly in the center of town is not surprising. The
church bells ring at 7 am daily as the local parishioners attend
morning mass. The Parish Church of Our Lady of Pompei was built in the 1890s for
local fishermen and their families.
Along the harbor of old
storefronts, I found one little kiosk that was always open for
coffee. It was not the type of place where you would get a
cappuccino, but it suited me just fine as it was open early and the
coffee only cost 60 cents. I think that the older man behind the
counter has been serving his coffee and homemade pastizzi to the
fishermen in the community for many years.
I always returned to our
apartment before 8—that's the time the couple who own the
Shipwright's Lodge delivered a hearty breakfast to our room (due to
COVID they were not serving the normal buffet). We enjoyed harbor
views from our balcony, and recommend this apartment.
We found a lot of other
things to do around this area that included a walk to St. Peter's
Pool and the nearby town of Birzebbuga. Another beautiful harbor
town, Marsaskala, was easily accessible by bus. There were also
convenient bus connections to the Blue Grotto and Rabat that offered
great scenery along the way. Unfortunately, we missed the popular
Sunday Fish Market that attracts locals and tourists from all over
the island.
Finally, there is a direct
bus to the airport from Marsaxlokk. We rode it on our last day to
arrive three hours early for our flight so we could take the COVID
test that was required to return to the US. We were both feeling
healthy and believed that we would test negative, however, the
consequences of not passing that test were not something we wanted to
experience. It sounded like they would direct us to a hotel of their
choice and we could be quarantined for up to three weeks.
Fortunately, we passed our tests but the concern about the
consequences of getting stuck in Malta for an uncertain length of
time was not very pleasant.
For now, Ron and I both
agree that our international travels are on hold amd we are happily
home in for the holidays.
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| MENDING THE FISHING NETS |
