Favourite Places Revisited

The morning looked promising.

So we decided to just get on a bus and go in any random direction. It was a good-bye journey, bussing through many of the memorable places we have been, some more than a few times. We went north through Mosta, Saw Mdina up on the hill, out to the coast and Mgarr where we had had a couple of good lunches. Then on to Golden Bay. It was beginning to get windy and we could see the white caps out on the sea. It was easier to stay on our bus and make the turn around trip. Mellieha still shone white in the sunshine.

We passed so many places that we had walked or waited for a bus. It really does amaze me how much of this island we have seen. Not the tourist places but all the communities and the many village streets. People and even bus drivers are starting to look familiar. I sit quietly watching the people coming and going on the bus as much as the scenery that passes......an ever changing microcosm of Maltese culture travelling from stop to stop....shopping bags, back packs, strollers and wheel chairs, the young and the old, all have their place on the King Longs.

It was another good decision on our part coming back when we did. We stopped in the harbour, bought a few vegetables and then stopped, possibly, for our last cappuccino and apple cake at Ximo's.

As we walked up the hill the black clouds rolled in. Not more that two minutes after we were home the rains came:).

Observations from our almost last day.....

I'm running out of daily blog material.

Malta is ancient, modern, idyllic, urban, loud, peaceful, sunny, warm, cold, windy, stormy...more thunder and lightning than I think I've seen in my whole life...it is golden, ochre, green, incredible blues....limestone, rock.... Arabic, British, Italian, ciao, ciao....but above all with all the civilizations that have had input into this culture over thousands of years....it is purely Maltese... the country and its people have been absolutely breathtaking and wonderful.

We haven't eaten out a lot. But we have shopped all across the island....butter is imported from Ireland, a lot of meat is from Poland, even potatoes are often from Spain. We shopped at an Italian market in Mosta. I had the best bottled pesto... that I used for weeks on my chicken breasts. And the bread!!!.... It is the best and is always available everywhere, every corner and fresh daily. The produce trucks that park on every street making shopping easy for locals on the block.

Propane trucks calling their arrival....the Bigilla Friska ( fresh bean dish) van announcing itself.

The ever present drilling, hammering of concrete blocks, as old apartments are demolished and new ones are created. We have watched them in St Paul's Bay and we have watched this one right outside our patio here in Marsascala. So different from home. They don't use much scaffolding because they just move up one floor at a time. Today I watched the 'journeyman' that laid the blocks, levelled them, and added the grout/concrete while his apprentice lifted each block, passing it up from his shoulder.

I can hear the sound of the buses travelling through the narrow village streets below us.

There was another funeral today at the Parish Church. We have become accustomed to the ritual of the hourly tolling of the bells so when the solemn sounds began before 2:30 this afternoon it caught my attention. I looked outside and there was a big gathering of people all in black.

Bus Stops.......they tell you so much information.......You Are Here....Qieghed Hawn.... street name first and then the Konsill Locali (similar to our municipality:) the bus numbers that pass by this stop and where each one goes to (Timur) and the expected time to reach the end of the line.

Our mysterious #124 bus that would have saved us the steep walk up our hill if we could ever have found out how it got uphill. We did catch it on the downhill run when we wanted to go to the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua...(Isla) .....but I will leave Malta not knowing how it got uphill and or where it came from. I asked bus drivers a few times but they never seemed to understand my question. I guess if we could have been able to ride it up we would have missed a months exercise climbing to Triq Il Quccata.

The extensive bus system, that is in the process of changing to yet new owners, has provided us with the opportunity to visit every small village on both Malta and Gozo that we have wanted to see.

Today has been a few lasts...the last 8:00am and noon bells....a last walk down the hill to town after the rain took a break. We needed a 'bit' more wine and a pizza to be delivered for our 'last supper'.

Like almost every day we have been here, when there is rain it is always followed by sunshine and oftentimes a rainbow. Today was dark, grey and rainy but it cleared and the sun came out long enough to provide us with our 'last' beautiful view of Marsascala Harbour and possibly our last view of Malta.

 

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The Last Trip to Valletta

What kind of day will we have with a sunrise like this? It could go either way. As we are opportunists, we get ready and head out by 9:00am. It is mild and not raining. I am on my final mission for souvenirs of Malta. Living in Marsascala provides no opportunity for tourist shopping. I know all 'my girls' like jewelry so Valletta here we come. From previous walks down Triq Republik, the main pedestrian street in Valletta, I know that there are many jewelry stores. I was unaware as to just how many until I went looking today. I was flitting from store to store and Bob was taking pictures.

Here are a few of his photo observations from today. Men gather and talk....women do not stay still. They are always on the move. They may stop momentarily to hug and have a short visit....then it is ciao, ciao and off.

This is the quintessential Maltese woman of a 'certain age'.....zip up tights, high boots, dyed red hair, a cigarette and a cell phone, while waiting in line at the ATM machine.

Lynn sent us a picture of the daffodils blooming on Piers Island. We found these examples for sale along the side street markets. Only plastic so far. No signs of real ones here yet....I wonder why? It is much warmer here than at home. Maybe people don't plant bulbs like we do......

I'm shopping. I know what I'm looking for but I have to find the places that aren't selling only 18 carat gold and silver. It takes a bit of looking but I find my purchases and Bob records the transactions. The salesman was very accommodating but he had a nervous habit that made me almost laugh. He kept wringing his hands just like an old fashioned villain, bwahaha .....and I only spent €21.... Not a big ticket item for Vallettas Main Street shops.

Carnival is over as far as we know, but some shops are still selling masks. I know we missed a colourful event but we were just too far away to participate from Marsascala.

We come home with some chocolates, 'real' Lancashire Eccles cakes....or rabbit hutches as we used to call them as kids and a loaf of fresh bread. Our timing for leaving is good as the #91 just pulled into the terminal.

Travelling by bus is a constant source of social interaction. Today we have African conversations behind us, Catholic Nuns in front of us, every age group from the very old to school kids and now everyday I see people I have seen before.

Our timing is good as we make it up the hill and home in time to see the sky darken and the rain start. By evening it is blowing again. Three days left...but who's counting.

 

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Winding Down

Today we started the 'getting ready to go home' routine. We brought out our suitcases and set them up to see how much room we have, or in my case, don't have. Bob has graciously offered to pack my bulky hand made Maltese sweater. I only have a new woolen poncho, six or eight scarves and a few knicky knacks. I didn't even buy much In the way of art supplies. Well, maybe a few pens, but they don't take up a lot of room.

I did a last load of laundry, taking advantage of the wind and intermittent sunshine for drying. It is a back and forth game of clothes pegging and picking items up off the patio, until we finally brought the rack inside to finish drying.

I wanted to make a thank you card for our landlord George. He has been so accommodating and a genuinely sweet person. He wanted to take us to his country property out on the cliffs near Dingli for a BBQ with his family but the weather and his days off just didn't cooperate. We have spent many late afternoons on the patio enjoying a glass of wine and the view. This is a card sketch of a picture I took on one of those days.

We toast our stay at Ta Kurun in Marsascala.

It doesn't really matter what the weather brings it always leaves a beautiful sky along the way. This view and the sounds from below will be imprinted on my mind forever.

 

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How Many Stormy Days have I Logged/Blogged??

I'm running out of different twists on how to write about the weather. Despite the fact that the temperatures are not cold, 15degrees, on and off rain, and wind gusts up to 60kph make it another home day. We have enough food and propane to keep us warm and happy. After so many colourful photos here is today's view. I tried to capture the rain from inside running down the windows. Getting lots of inspiration these days.

 

 

I had an appointment to get my hair cut around the corner at 4:00 today. I walked into a steamy, noisy and very busy little two chair salon. As noted in earlier blogs Maltese women love their long, coloured hair. I can't quite tell when my turn will fit into this blow drying frenzy happening in front of me. My calculation after sitting for fifteen minutes beyond my appointment time didn't look promising. If it had been 10:00am I would have quite happily sat and waited and enjoyed the social aspect of being in the salon. But at this time of day I didn't have the energy to sit for an unknown length of time. So I bailed. I would rather be at home with a glass of wine and cooking dinner. My short hair will probably be fine until I get home in one more week. I could even let Bob at it for a bit of a trim? maybe, maybe not:).

Dinner is in the oven, the heater is cranking out warmth and we have two spare propane tanks on the patio. A winter's night in Marsascala. I don't have the hair, the fingernails nor the energy for anything more on this Saturday night.

 

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The #124 at 9:41am

We are on our way to Isla, one of the three cities across from the Grand Harbour of Valletta. We have walked the harbour walks on both sides, so today we walked the narrow streets above the water through streets wide enough for one vehicle and one row of parked cars. No buses travel these roads.

I love the clothes drying racks that are suspended off every balcony. We have our own but it is a stand alone. It doesn't hang off the rail. Each street has a church, a 'corner' store for the necessities and a produce truck and bakery nearby.

The mobile vendors are calling out their wares. A produce truck stopped ahead of us. She had loose potatoes so we bought a half dozen to get us through our last few days. The residents come out when they hear the horns or the calling out. The next one we hear is a familiar sound from our apartment. It is a Bigilla Friska van. It is coming down the hill. I watch as an older man waits for it to stop.. I thought it might be an ice cream truck. Nope:) I stand close to watch what is happening. He told me it was ground beef to which he adds Chili sauce and parsley on top. It is kind of warm. I'm hungry and after a taste test I buy a small portion for €1.

 

He asked if I wanted an extra spoon of Chili sauce, I said sure....my mouth is on fire...luckily there is a small grocers nearby where I buy a bottle of water. Tonight when we are home I google "Bigilla" to find out the ingredients. It seemed to me to be more of a bean mixture than beef. Turns out it was ground beans, not ground beef....which is OK with me as I needed some instant protein.

Another example of how narrow the streets are. The other notable thing about Malta is that people do not have garbage cans. Everything is put out on the streets in bags or boxes. Even in front of the church.

 

An oil tanker coming into Valletta Harbour.

The streets of Conspicua and Isla are quiet as we wander the neighbourhoods. It is only a few minutes walk in any direction to find yourself in a bustling, busy street with cafes and buses. Our bus back to Marsascala only runs every hour and an half so we walk to our stop to see when it will be coming. We only have a thirty minute wait. Not enough time to go for a wine or a coffee so we sit in the sun to wait. A woman comes to wait with us. She was on the same bus as us this morning. Malta may have almost a half million people but it is still very small town:). I cannot believe how many times I recognize people from our travels. She lives in Marsascala but is from Conspicua. She offers us powdered jelly candies and we talk until our bus arrives. She has been to Toronto on vacation to visit her sister. She likes Canada and the people, as we like Malta and its people. We are back in Marsascala before we know it and get off along the bay. We are finding our shortcuts up the stairways. Our butcher shop is open so we stock up another two nights dinners, climb three more sets of stairs, two more blocks of uphill and we huff and puff into out apartment.

I put on a load of laundry that will hopefully dry outside overnight. We sit out on the patio with a glass of wine watching our farmer neighbour, Martin, turn over one of his fields with a hoe. It is a peaceful, idyllic end to another wonderful day.

These are examples of the small boats that take people along the harbour from Valletta to the Three Cities, kind of like the gondolas in Venice.

The weather forcast for the next week is not looking good, but if today is an example we are happy. Again we take one day at a time. George was over tonight replacing our toilet seat. Our plans to go with him and his family to their property on the cliffs of Bahria before we leave do not look promising weather wise. He is such a nice man. I will be disappointed to not meet his wife and children. He is 39 years old, young enough to be my son:)

Observations for today, no time to paint :(

 

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Sunshine and We Are Out

We had very strong winds last night. We thought we were out of propane. Poor George was over again and it turns out the wind is just blowing out the pilot light. He has never rented his apartments for this length of time at this time of year before. The issue of heating is somewhat of an unknown for him too. So within a week of our departure we now seem to have figured out how everything works. Bob is not happy with any of the showers, lol. Most people at this time of year are from Northern Europe, Great Britain and only here for a week or two. Like Canadians going to Mexico or Hawaii in January and February. So they don't really set up housekeeping like us.

We are an anomaly for him too. When he comes over we have so many questions for him about life in Malta. He says that usually when he picks up his guests at the airport he brings them to the flat, shows them the basics and then doesn't see them again until it's time to go back to the airport. I think he enjoys our conversations as much as we do.

We take our time this morning but are still out before 10:00. I have wanted to stop in Zabbar which is on the bus route from Marsascala to pretty much anywhere. I have seen a good sized Arts and Crafts Shop before we get to Fgura. Today we stop. It is much more a craft shop than an art supply store but I still manage to find something for my supply bag. A Kuretake paint brush, just like my Sakura water brushes, but these are filled with coloured cartridges. They are non refillable but still a novelty souvenir for me. The most interesting, unique thing in the shop was the wall of button containers. They are stacked, honeycomb style, with every colour imaginable. One button like those in the tube is attached to the front so you know what you are looking at. You just pull out the tube and take however many you want. Slick!

We are now waiting for a bus that will take us to Marsaxlokk. It is the hardest part of travel for Bob, the waiting and also the traffic noise. He's starting to miss his truck more and more. For me, I am a people watcher and there is a never ending supply of stimulation passing in front of me.

Ghodwa t-tajba.... Good morning.... A little Maltese language lesson from the Pastizzeria man where we got a slice of mushroom pizza. The way he says it, it sounds like 'buongiorno' in Italian, where some of the Maltese language originates. He gives us a few examples of salutations. But it is beyond me to follow or make sense of it all. It makes for laughter, a happy Pastizzeria man, and we can't help but smile too.

Two buses later and a smoke and coffee break by our bus driver and we arrive in Marsaxlok. Compared to our first visit to this colourful fishing village after Christmas, it is quite busy. I think there must be a few tour buses because there is an abundance of European and British people walking around. When we were here earlier there were no cafes set up on the walkway along the harbour. Today they are full and the prices are for the tourists. We know the bus we need to get us back directly to Marsascala and it happens to be sitting at the bus stop. It is a little disappointing that it is as busy as it is so we take our mini bus home. Bob manages to get some good pictures as we walked along the waterfront. Despite the tourists it is still a working fishing village.

It is an unbelievably colourful setting. It is stated in the travel brochures that Marsaxlokk has the most colourful fishing boats and harbour in Malta.

We are home before mid afternoon and the winds from last night and this morning are not so strong. We are able to enjoy the late afternoon sun on our back patio before dinner. I am still trying to capture the colours and movement of the sea and our harbour.

Observations:

We are now in our last week

Not many vehicles do not have a scrape or a dent.

This is a small country, the people are not big, nor are their cars, or their villages.

All shops put out an open or closed sign. They don't use neon signs or much electricity because it is so expensive.

Getting another haircut in a local shop near our apartment on Saturday.

 

 

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We Take Our Chances With the Weather

This morning brought sunshine after another stormy night. But still with wind from the east making huge breakers out beyond the Harbour.

Neither of us were wakened by the weather but at times during the night we saw lightning flashing across the sky. After breakfast and morning chores we walked down to the harbour. It was windy but warm in the sun. We sat and watched the wind blow the boats around and the waves get bigger beyond the small bay. We had a cappuccino at Ximo's then walked to the bakery for some pastries. That was our biggest mistake.

Before we reached the main street the rains came. We climbed the stairs trying for a shortcut home. We made one mistake ending up in a dead end and then had to retrace our steps. A couple of times we stood under balcony overhangs waiting for the rain to slow down. By this time we are soaked. My feet are squishing in my keen sandals and I'm holding up my pant legs to keep them out of the puddles. As we get back to our up the hill street the water is running down in rivers. I don't remember ever being out in rain this hard or being this wet. Good news, if there is any, it wasn't cold.

 

 

Painting the movement of water is very difficult. My afternoon of practice while we dried out. It continues to blow and rain.

It looks like our Malta experience may end with inclement weather. We will take each day as it comes and hopefully get a few nice days in the coming week.

Observations for today...

 

Elevators are called lifts, apartments are called flats, stone buildings are cold and hard to heat in winter and then they hold the heat in summer.

Storms put power out even though there are no power poles or trees. All the wires are strung along the outsides of buildings and can be struck by lightning just the same.

Traditionally January is wet and February is windy. We have had both for both months. But with many sunny beautiful days in between.

We have had our issues with learning to live here but our landlords have always been at hand for help. Especially George here in Marsascala.

 

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A Rainy, Unconnected Day

We listened to thunder and lightning all through the night. This morning we woke to an overcast and rainy day. Also we have no internet. Not a good start to the day. I walked downtown looking for wifi...our Ximo Cafe doesn't even have it. I had a good visit with our Australian waitress and the chef/owner. More questions about why we are here in the winter, this coldest winter in memory, lol.....

I found a cafe down the street with wifi and settled in with a cappuccino. Sent George an email regarding our internet access, checked my FB and IMessages and the weather forecast.

A few hardy souls out in the rain. Sitting under cover looking out at the drizzle.

Today I walked the whole way back without stopping to catch my breath. It is a first since we have been climbing our way home. We spend the afternoon quietly. It is easier for me to put in an unconnected day by painting. A little harder for Bob but he has managed. We had an early dinner and then a good visit with George. It is unusual for him to have guests for this length of time at this time of year. I think he enjoys the fact that we are interested in him, his family and their life in Malta.

 

Another happy painting afternoon. I don't very often get to do on sight painting but I always keep a mental list of the things I want to record. Hopefully tomorrow will be a drier day. The weather forecast looks promising. One day at home is enough. We are ready to go out again.

 

 

 

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We Compete With the Weather

For our last ten days in Malta we will really have to be opportunistic with our outings. Each day could have showers, wind, sunshine or a possible combination of all three. The warmer weather will definitely not be here until March.

Today we went to town... 'down by the Bay' ....to supply our larder for the end of our stay.

It was nice enough to sit at Ximo's for cappuccinos before we made the climb. I really do think that after at least fifteen climbs, and maybe more, we are stronger for our efforts.

Ximo's is the place we had lunch the day we came down from St Paul's Bay to see what Marsascala looked like. The food was good, the Australian waitress was sweet and it turns out that it is a place that George also recommends to his guests.

Talking with English people that I have seen before, they told me that they have been living in Marsascala for eleven years. Because Britain is part of the EU they can live here equally with the Maltese. One man told me that there are five thousand British people living in Malta and forty thousand Maltese living in Britain. 'The grass is greener' maybe. Everyone has their reasons for emigrating. It could be a bit cheaper to live here for British people and definitely has a warmer climate.

Tonight we are having the squid. The chef at Ximo's who was also buying fresh fish from the boat, said ....'you cook them for one minute or you stew them for an hour. Keep that in your mind'...lol...we kept that in our minds.

Bob cleaned them, ink and all, then sliced them, sautéed them in fresh garlic and butter. We had the last of our garden fresh broccoli and cauliflower. It seems like an easy dinner but still a lot of prep work...right Luke and Meg?

The sun came out for the late afternoon and we were able to enjoy some weak sunlight with a glass of wine looking out over the valley. Spring is showing its blooms. A noticeable change since we have been in Marsascala.

Observations

The concept of 'three generations' is the norm here. On a Sunday afternoon it is very common to see grandparents, parents and children all walking together. It also is common to see grandparents looking after grandchildren at any time together during a day.

 

 

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A Sunday Walk

After a little shower this morning we went to 'town'.....our destination is to walk the south side of Marsascala Bay. The sun is in and out behind big black clouds. I took an umbrella for insurance. That usually means it won't rain....and it didn't.

Being Sunday even our produce trucks weren't open today. Sunday is a day of rest for most Maltese. A lot of them work half days on Saturday or close early if they have a shop. The cafes and restaurants are always open.

We walked the promenade along with other Sunday strollers, looking across to the other side of the Bay that we walked last Sunday. There are salt pans all along the water's edge. Remnants of times past. Even this road is called Triq Salini...the Salt Road...this a natural stone arch over tha pans.

 

The contrasts between the blues of the sky and the greens of the water are always stunning. Throw in dark thundery rain clouds and it is a breathtaking backdrop to the village of Zonqor, neighbour to Marsascala.

Another of the towers built in the early 17th century. St Thomas Tower, built to give warning against Turkish invasions. Today it is only invaded by teenage boys using it as a climbing tower. They laughed at the 'touristas' taking their pictures.

I was talking to a woman that runs a newspaper, souvenir and small postal outlet store along the Bay. She said there used to be three big hotels in Marsascala. They are all closed down and now Marsascala does not have a 'tourist destination' designation. We came across the ruins of what must have been a beautiful hotel location right on the point looking out over the open Mediterranean Sea.

It reminds me of many of the hotel complexes, abandoned or incomplete, in Mexico. It shows one of the few signs of graffiti we have seen in Malta.

It has been a good walk. We make our hill climb home and spend the remaining afternoon sunshine on our back patio. Our neighbour Martin is again in his fields harvesting what may be the last of his cauliflower and broccoli. Ready for Monday's market.

While I stand looking over our wonderful vista with the sun heating my back, I try to capture some of the things I see every day.

Despite the fact that we had said we could enjoy a quieter time once we moved to Marsascala, I am having a hard time slowing down. Each day we have to decide where we will go based on the weather. It doesn't look like we will be able to count on a lot of sunny, dry days for our remaining time. We will take it one day at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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