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