Melting Pot

Writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, David Bear describes his recent visit to Malta. He says that he was 'worn out by so much history and sunshine'. The article is distributed by Washington DC's Scripps Howard News Service:

And though compact, the islands are not simple to negotiate. Driving on Malta is a challenge because of the left-hand drive roads, standard-transmission cars, difficult-to-read directional signs and tangle of narrow, poorly maintained roads. Don't forget the high stonewalls that line every back lane, making it impossible to see around the next corner, or Maltese drivers who also seem to be very aggressive. Judging by the care the young man who delivered the vehicle took in cataloging the dents and dings, minor damage is a familiar factor.

Fortunately, in a perverse way, driving challenges such as these only added to my enjoyment. Having arrived with no itinerary, we took the advice of the desk clerk, grabbed our guidebook and a map and headed out to see what Malta had to offer. The first stop at 11:30 a.m. was the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, with its Sunday open-air market situated around the small harbor at Malta's eastern end. We strolled through the crowds that thronged in the narrow stall ways set up on the quay...Stalls also peddled fresh baked breads and pastries, a wide range of foods, spices, sweets, household goods, as well as cheap clothes, local handicrafts and jewelry. Nearby, the bells in the church tower began to peal. We watched the bell pullers waving down to the crowds below.

The sun was blazing, and after an hour we'd had enough. Consulting the map, we headed around the island's southern corner to find the Neolithic ruins of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. Skirting the airport runway, we somehow found our way through a maze of one-way streets that is the village of Zurrieq, and began passing signs to the Blue Grotto. Being open to discovery, we decided to check it out...