Marsaxlokk and Seafood

Today we took a boat trip to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk (the x is pronounced sh, so Marsashlokk). Due to a bridge being fitted to the breakwater in Valetta our route was slightly changed but our guide and Cap'n wanted to risk the wrath of the harbour authorities to get his group as close as possible to the historic event. The original breakwater was built by the Scots but was partially destroyed by the Italians in 1942 leaving a gap between the breakwater and dry land. Only now have the Maltese authorities decided to replace the missing span with a new bridge built by Spain at the cost of 2 million euros and it was to be fitted today. The harbour police had created a wide exclusion zone from the work and our cap'n sailed too close to it. The authorities came charging towards us waving furiously. Cap'n Luis waved back in a friendly manner! After a brief, heated exchange in Maltese we sailed away from the perceived danger zone and around the breakwater at a suitable distance. On our return in the afternoon, it was hoped we would sail in under the new bridge but the task had proved more difficult tahn expected and when we returned the bridge was still on the delivery vessel. We were able to sail through the gap in the bridgewater though. Marsaxlokk was not as picturesque as I had hoped but it was a lovely harbour and it was full of local fishing boats known as Luzzu (the double zed is pronounced as in pizza). They are brightly painted and have eyes on the stern for good luck. We had lunch in a local restaurant servinf seafood. Sean had the tuna (which is farmed on the island) and I had the special, Rock fish, which was delicious but overly expensive and took 45 minutes to serve. When I complained, the manageress clasped my hand in hers and said, 'But you must understand, my dear, that this is a special dish that requires special cleaning and preparation. The oven must be at just the right temperature. It is a delecate procedure.' I felt a total heel

Dog in a Handbag

I have heard about it. I have read about it. I have even seen evidence of it in gossip magazines but until today I had never seen a dog in a handbag! It was a tiny dog in a medium sized handbag and it was looking out at its surroundings in a quite content kind of way but I was left with the following questions; was there anything else in the bag? Was it purely for the purpose of carrying the dog or would the owner also carry her purse, keys, lippy etc in beside the dog? What about suitable poop-proof lining? Was there a special compartment for poop? Or treats? I feel an emptiness in my life now. I need answers. Please help.

Malta

It’s holiday time and I am desperately in need of some sunshine. Summer has been a complete wash-out and I want some rays before the winter darkness sweeps over me. We only decided to come to Malta about two months ago so it has come along quickly but I am settling into it now and enjoying unwinding in the Mediterranean sunshine.
We spent our first night in London and went to see Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre on Shaftsbury Ave, I saw it many years ago in Edinburgh but Sean had never seen it. Alfie Boe was playing Jean Valjean and it was, of course, excellent.
There were no flight hitches and we arrived in Malta on time and in the sunshine. When I booked the hotel, as an incentive to book quickly they offered us a free limo pick-up from the airport. A bit flash, I thought, but why not? The limo turned out to be a Peugeot...bit of a come down! However, the driver was chatty and had lots of information about Malta. I guess the motto is beware of incentives!
We are staying at The Palace in The View Suite. The hotel has six themed suites and The View is on the 8th floor with wonderful views over Sliema and the harbour. There is a tiny balcony off the bedroom which I can’t go out onto as I get vertigo but the larger balcony off the sitting room is much better with loungers and sitting areas. W were greeted with a complimentary bottle of wine and cookies. Nom. Oh, and there is a telescope in the room, in case we decide to become peeping toms!
We took a quick walk around Sliema before coming back to the hotel for dinner in their rooftop restaurant called TemptAsian. The food was very good with plenty of it and for pudding I tried Fried Ice Cream. I was half expecting a bowl of hot milk but it was actually a scoop of ice cream wrapped in a kind of pancake and deep fried. I guess it is a variation on Baked Alaska. It was very good and I would recommend it to any ice cream lover.
We returned to our room briefly before heading down to the open air bar on the ground floor. As the lift door opened we were confronted by a German couple who must have just left the restaurant and were too excited for each other to wait till they got back to their room. Sex in the lift when you are only going down 4 floors is just too much of a quickie for me but they were going for it and even hesitated a moment as we entered as if they weren’t sure if they would stop or not! Life is never dull and we both had a laugh about it!
Today we took the ferry over to Valetta across the harbour. It has been very hot all day and we must have walked miles up and down the hills that the city is built on but it was a great day and a fascinating city. I particularly liked the Archaeological Museum where there was a collection of ancient female figures denoting life and death. The one that I especially like is called The Sleeping Lady and I have been hoping to acquire a copy in the tourist shops but they seem not to have that one although they have several others. Curious. Needs further investigation.
We returned to the hotel in the late afternoon to freshen up and have a quick bite to eat before heading back to Valetta for the all night festival called Notte Bianco. The whole city was transformed into stages and performance areas for singers, dancers, poetry reading, marching bands, you name it, it was happening. Many of the historic buildings were also open for free. What a great night! Young people, old people, families with children and tiny babies...everyone was there and taking part. We loved it but our legs were giving out on us so we have now returned to the hotel to get some rest before tomorrow’s boat trip to a fishing village and market.