Exploring some Malta sights
Traditional Maltese balcony in Marsaxlokk
After a comfortable night’s sleep I was woken rather early, having forgotten to turn off the 6.00 alarm I’d set yesterday! But as I’m naturally an early riser it wasn’t too much of an issue.
I went to breakfast around eight and found some of my friends already there, including Malena who had arrived too late to join us for dinner yesterday, so we had a good catch up.
Marsaxlokk
A group of us had decided to visit the fishing village of Marsaxlokk this morning and as it would involve two buses opted to use Bolt transfers instead (Bolt is more used than Uber on the island) instead. It worked out almost as cheap as the buses with several of us sharing a car.
Arriving in the village we gathered for a cold drink as it was a very warm morning.
VTers in Marsaxlokk
We spent our time there mainly strolling by the waterfront and photographing the colourful boats.
Colourful boats in the harbour
But we also found time to browse the market (smaller than on Sundays but more than enough to see), admire the church which was unfortunately closed and photograph some characterful old buildings.
Fisherman, and market stall
The Church of Our Lady of Pompei
Street art near the library
Around Marsaxlokk
The Hypogeum
We then took the bus to the Hypogeum as we'd booked tickets for 2.00 PM. The journey gave us a chance to see a bit of the countryside and the village where we alighted, Paola, was very prettily decorated for a festival. However there was only time for a few photos as we walked to the Hypogeum.
In Paola
Once there we had to wait just a few minutes, then our tour began. We had to leave all our belongings in a locker, no cameras or phones were allowed. And we had to wear shoe covers even though we were walking on metal walkways.
An audio commentary was provided, bringing the complex to life. The Hypogeum is a Neolithic subterranean structure dating to around 4000 BC! It is thought to have been both a sanctuary and necropolis, with the estimated remains of more than 7,000 people found here. It was only discovered accidentally in 1902 when workers cutting water cisterns for a new housing development broke through its roof and found the first of a series of chambers. Unfortunately, by the time the Hypogeum was found most of the houses had been completed, and as a result the upper level of the monument sustained irreversible damage. Those houses have since been demolished to improve access to the site, its protection, and the building of a small visitor centre at the entrance.
Our tour took us through the three different levels of these chambers. We saw the niches carved out to hold bodies, an area assumed to have been used for ceremonies, and much more. Unfortunately, but perhaps understandably, no photos are allowed. The micro-climate is strictly controlled, as are visitor numbers, to avoid any further damage to the site after early exposure to visitors started to cause some. So I bought a couple of postcards to scan and share here.
The Main Chamber
Wall paintings
If you’re interested to read more about the Hypogeum, the website has lots of information and of course more photos: https://heritagemalta.mt/explore/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/
When the tour finished, we took a Bolt minivan back to the hotel. There I learned that my shower still hadn’t been fixed but the maintenance man would come in 20 minutes. He came, announced that he couldn’t fix it and that all the hotel was affected – clearly not true as my friends in other rooms had no problems. I wasted much of my precious downtime in conversations with him and the receptionist, but in the end had to settle for waiting till tomorrow, while making my displeasure clear.
Euromeet begins!
In the evening we caught a bus from near our hotel to the Sliema waterfront.
Passing yacht
Monument to the Elderly who died during the Covid pandemic
There we met up with many of the other VT meet attendees at the Surfside Bar. We paid the Euromeet organiser what was owed for the various meals and activities we'd signed up for. There was lots of lively conversation as we greeted old friends. I had a glass of prosecco which was included in the price (I could also have had a beer) and we were served bruschetti, pizza slices, onion rings and chicken nuggets.
Feeling the chill in the Surfside Bar
The waves were crashing beneath us and it would have been a lovely spot were it not for the cold wind. The latter eventually got too much for some of us so we left a bit earlier than we'd planned to, knowing we would see everyone again tomorrow. We had to wait a while for a bus, but away from the water's edge it was a pleasant evening, and I amused myself by experimenting with some slow motion photos with my phone.
Passing bus
When I got back to my room I found a very apologetic letter and also the gift of a bottle of wine to compensate for the issues with the shower. It was a nice gesture although I couldn’t drink a whole bottle of wine by myself – and couldn’t shower in it!
This featured blog entry was written by ToonSarah from the blog Travel with me ....
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