Adopted Zachie

In this fascinating submission for toowrite.com, Sarah Puntan-Galea writes a personal account of Zachary Street calling it an "amazing and hidden Valletta gem, a slice of true Valletta life":

..And it’s this which encompasses everything that our capital city represents. It’s not just about shopping – although in Zachary Street you can buy anything you need, and everything your heart desires from make-up to holidays and books to lottery tickets – its about being part of a community. A community of proud people who would do anything to help anyone, enjoy life to the full and are looking forward to Christmas for all the right reasons – the parties, excitable expectations and even more gossip. There is something so festive about this shopping back alley, and only when you look up and see that no lights have been hung yet, it’s a natural atmosphere which gives welcomed shade in summer and a sense of cosiness like being wrapped up in a big sheepskin coat in the chilly months.

As the sun disappears and the moon lights up the street romantically, even the café and the ever-open greengrocers shut for the night to give the street a well-earned rest. Unlike many other streets, Zachary Street is almost always spotless without a trace of the day’s activity. Valletta night birds wander down the innocent and quaint street and appreciate its traditional, authentic Maltese and unthreatening atmosphere. Even without its population you feel it’s a more personal, warm and proud lane that functions as a traditional Maltese shopping street. Yet unlike Zachary in the bible, who was punished for having lack of faith, no one disbelieves that Zachary Street will always be around for many more generations to come...