Last Day In Malta

Today’s our last full day in Malta, and sad to say that I am so looking forward to going back to Turkey tomorrow. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Malta, but when we’ve seen all the spectacular sights in Turkey, Malta is, uh, slightly underwhelming. If we could re-do our trip, we would have traveled to Malta first and then see Turkey. However, that was not possible given that we had to “quarantine” in a safe corridor country (i.e., Turkey) for 14 days before entering Malta.

Before leaving Gozo, we swung by Ta Pinu Basilica.

The original small chapel was built some time in the 16th century, and the new church built upon it (the small chapel still exists within the cathedral) was completed in 1931.

The painting of the Assumption of Our Lady by Amadeus Perugino in 1619 hangs in the main alter in the old chapel.

One experience we couldn’t get enough of is the car ferry between Gozo and Malta.

Payment is only received when traveling from Gozo to Malta, likely for logistic reasons.

After docking at the ferry terminal, it was a stressful 40-minute drive to the southern tip of the island. It wasn’t so much driving on the left that was problematic, but it was the reckless driving we encountered along the way. It was as if the Maltese were playing a game of chicken on the narrow country roads. Of course we always ended up being the chicken and yielding to them. The car rental guy later told us we just had to drive (crazy) like them. Sure, Southern Californians drive recklessly when we do 80-90mph on the freeway, but at least our lanes are wide and we’ve got a median separating opposing traffic.

On our way to Marsaxlokk, we stopped at the Blue Grotto. I would imagine that this place would look stunning in the morning sun.

Traditional Maltese Luzzijiet in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

Then it was time to return our car (AKA, a load off our shoulders) in St. Julian’s, which is a rapidly developing city with resorts, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.

Our hotel located in the more residential part of St. Julian’s.

One thing Malta has that Turkey lacks, is the variety in food. After 7 weeks in Turkey we started to crave food other than döner, kebap, and stews. Malta has a lot of immigrants working in industries where the locals don’t care to work in, and as a result, you’ll see all sorts of cuisine around town catering to immigrants. We had Filipino food in Valletta, Maltese/Italian fusion in Mellieha, Italian in Gozo, and today, we had probably the best meal since we left Istanbul over a month ago.