Almost a back to normal sleep last night. Breakfast and showers and we set out for Bugibba in search of an Internet cafe. Not an easy find in this age of free Wifi everywhere. The days of Internet cafes with lap tops are few. Everyone only needs the wifi connection for their phones and iPads. I have my iPhone with me but according to Koodo I need to sync It with ITunes to clear it for using another companies SIM card. Found the "9 Ball" Internet cafe that was recommended to me. A few computers in the back with the pool tables. I ordered a cappuccino, my first one since Italy! And it was sooo good. But....the instructions from Koodo to sync my phone do not work. It was worth the effort to get my cappaccino though:). We wandered the streets, found the Caravaggio Art Store. I can take classes on Fridays from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening. It's a bit of a walk and it will be dark to come home but I think it will be OK. I feel comfortable here and it's through town about 20 minutes. We will see how it works out.
We sat in the sun in Bugibba Square. Sunday's are ritually about families and friends being together, sharing a drink, a meal, just enjoying the day. It is something I remember from Italy and it is such a pleasant, relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Despite the fact that there are only 450,000 people on Malta there are apparently over 400,000 vehicles, but people still like to walk. I'm trying to keep up my journal painting but right now it's a bit of a chore so I'm just posting pictures. I will start to do more painting in time.
I've started my scarf purchases already. A nice dark brown Pashmina, don't know if that's a cashmere knock off...not sure of my scarf qualities.
This is something I've never heard of before. As we walked up a side street we noticed two young women sitting on benches with their feet in water filled tanks in a place called the Fish Lounge..... there were dozens of little fish swimming around in the tanks. Apparently it is a custom that originates from Turkey that provides exfoliation and a pedicure from all these little sucker fish. You can even have a full body treatment. I guess it is like the little sucker fish you have in your aquarium to clean up the algae. Pretty bizarre but interesting none the less.
We get home while the sun is still shining. I walked down to the shops to get lasagne and tortellini for dinner from a takeout stand called the Sphinx. Through a little language confusion I ended up with two tortellini and one lasagna. Each one enough for the two of us. Total cost €5.60... A little over $8 and enough for three meals. Good too.....I made it back just as the rains started with thunder, lightning and blowing wind. We sat in front of our glass doors watching the storm move across the bay while we ate dinner. Our landlord Ron has brought over his spare phone for our use for the next two months. I just have to install a SIM card and buy minutes for it. Phone problems solved and I have closed my account with Koodo due to their lack of customer service.
No homes in Malta have central heating. Everything is built of limestone and the majority of months are warm and therefore kept cool. For the cooler weather like we experienced today they use space heaters. I have my new scarf around my neck and am cosy and warm for our first cool evening.
There is so much to tell about this place. I'm trying to make notes to remember my thoughts and observations. Today I realized they don't have hardly any neon signs. You really need to know where you're going or you could walk right passed a restaurant due to lack of signage. There are signs all over about picking up after your dog but the evidence on the sidewalks shows that many people don't heed them. Somewhat like stop signs, parking restrictions and speed limits. I love the variations of language and accents. There are different dialects of Maltese with all kinds of British accents. One shop lady I asked if she was Dutch...no she is Maltese. But she has an English mother and a Maltese father. A lot of British people come here for the winter....European snowbirds? Definitely not a lot or any Americans.
Setting a record tonight...8:30pm and I'm still awake....normalcy might just be returning.
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