More Malta



At anchor in Dwerja bay, Gozo

Anchored in front of Fungus rock, Gozo

We are having fun getting to know Malta and its islands along with our various guests joining us this month. We sailed up to Gozo and spent a peaceful couple of nights in Dwerja bay. No tripper boats to be seen and only the eerie sound of the Manx sheerwaters to keep us awake at night. We dinghied out of the bay past Fungus rock, an ancient source of herbal medicine, to view the Azure Window, a natural rock arch, and then braved a 100 mt cavernous tunnel through the cliffs to an inland sea which turned out to be more of a large puddle surrounded by the usual tourist tat. We set sail again early evening and managed to find a spot in the ridiculously popular Blue Lagoon on Comino. The rocks were teaming with sun worshippers and blue umbrellas and you could hardly see the stunning turquoise waters for boats and bodies of all shapes and sizes. With stronger north westerly winds forecast we decided to head south  and found a delightful anchorage under the cliffs in St Pauls bay. This was where St Paul was supposedly shipwrecked in AD60 and during his brief stay on the island laid the foundations of Christianity to the local population. The snorkelling was wonderful and the spot peaceful until we were joined by various large tripper boats unable to make it up to the Blue Lagoon due to the rough seas. They kept us entertained and awake to the wee small hours with their disco music blasting from their speakers.

 

The Azure window

The Blue Lagoon, Comino

 

 

Knights tombs in St. John's Co-Cathedral

We made a return trip to Valletta and did our own Grand Harbour tour admiring the impressive fortifications from the sea. Back on land we visited St. John's Co-Cathedral with its splendid marble floors beneath which the Knights are buried. The tombs of the more important or richer ones lying closest to the altar. We also admired Caravaggio's great painting, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, commissioned by the Knights for this Cathedral and completed in 1608.

Valletta seen from Grand Harbour

 

We are now at anchor in St Julian's bay, a lively spot surrounded by apartments, hotels, bars and restaurants. We even have outdoor water polo to keep us entertained. Great for provisioning and we've even found a Chinese laundry close by! Next adventure was a stroll over to St Georges bay and into the heart of Paceville. As the name implies a fast moving part of the island full of henna tattoos, hair braids, vodka shots, extended happy hours and music. The centre of Malta's nightlife....

St. Julian's bay, Malta



Water polo in St. Julian's Bay

St. Julian's bay






 

Our invasion of Malta

We had an uneventful night passage to Gozo and made our way into the harbour at Mġarr (pronounced mmm – jar) the following morning to check into Malta. Thankfully we had been advised by friends that it was far easier to do so here than in Valletta. We were allowed to park alongside one of the outer pontoons of the marina and found the customs police very conveniently placed next to the marina office. Our crew list was duly stamped, copied and stamped again and we were soon legal and on our way.

Mgarr harbour, Gozo

 

Sailing past Valletta into Marsamxett harbour

Marsamxett harbour

We had a quick look at the Blue Lagoon on Comino as we searched for a nice bay to anchor and catch up on sleep. The rocks were covered with umbrellas and you couldn’t see the water for boats of all shapes and sizes. We had had our fair share of turquoise water recently so decided to give this very popular anchorage a miss. We continued south along the east coast of Malta and eventually plumped for Mellieha bay. It soon became apparent that we weren't going to find a tranquil place to doze as many of the bays appeared to blur into one conglomeration of hotels. Early the following morning we continued south and entered Marsamxett harbour, the northern of Valletta's two natural harbours. It was an impressive sight. We were lucky to secure a berth for a couple of nights at Msida marina. Sightseeing would have to wait as we began dinghy hunting in earnest. We spent two days scouring chandleries near and far before finally opting for a Zodiac and Evinrude package.

Fishing in Msida marina

Auberge de Castille, Valletta

Republic Street, Valletta

Time to catch up with some history and see what the Knights of St John had been up to. A bus ticket for the day costs 2.6 euros with no limit on the number of rides. We caught a bus to Valletta and entered the old city by foot. The city was named after Jean Pariso de Valette, a grand Master of the Knights of St John, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. After the great siege, he commissioned the construction of the new city of Valletta in 1566. The Knights were organized in eight langues, the national geographical divisions within the order. Each langue had its own auberge and chapel and consequently the streets and piazzas are awash with baroque palaces and churches. We visited the Grand Masters Palace and the very impressive collection of arms and armoury. Sadly St Johns Co-Cathedral was shut so the marble floor and Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist would have to wait for a return trip.  We timed a visit to the Upper Barakka Gardens, created in 1661 as a retreat for the Knights and affording a wonderful panoramic view over Grand Harbour and the fortification of the Three Cities, to coincide with the midday firing of the gun from the Saluting Battery.

Noon gun salute, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta

Valletta

Malta and its fortifications have also featured in many movies including Midnight Express, Munich, The Da Vinci Code and Troy. We found ourselves enjoying a cold Guinness in The Pub , a bar where Oliver Reed enjoyed his last drink while filming Gladiator.



Dockyard Creek, Vittoriosa

Collachio, Vittoriosa


Back on the bus we skirted the Grand Harbour and continued on to Vittoriosa (formerly Birgu), the home base of the Knights between 1530 and 1571. We'd left the tourists behind and enjoyed the peace and quiet wandering round the beautiful alleys of the Collachio area with their overhanging balconies and lines of pot plants. We toured the Inquisitors Palace and went down to the waterfront at Dockyard Creek where we also had a look at the Maritime Museum.

                                     Fishing in St Peter's Pool in traditional luzzu boat

It was getting too hot for anymore sightseeing and time to get out of the harbour. We set sail for the south of the island stopping briefly for a dip in St Peter's Pool and then on to the old fishing village of Marsaxlokk and the home port of Malta's largest fishing fleet. The pretty harbour is full of the brightly coloured traditional luzzu boats. It is also well known for its sea food restaurants that line the harbour and we joined the many locals that come down here at weekends for a delicious feast of a variety of freshly caught fish. We're off next to explore Gozo and Comino....
 

Marsaxlokk harbour

Marsaxlokk harbour