WIZZ MAGAZINE
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53
why Wizz Air passenger Iva Ivanova wrote
“
La Valletta: love, love, love” on the Wizz
Air Facebook page. I uncover the Manoel
Theatre (one of the oldest working theatres
in Europe) and view the Three Cities
(
the Knights' fortified cities of Cospicua,
Vittoriosa and Senglea) from the Upper
Barrakka Gardens as I place my trust in
Facebook, again, for some Maltese fare.
Quick off the mark, my friend Kristina
Gatt tells me to “Have one of the
massive sandwiches they sell on the
waterfront called a
ftira
–
so tasty!”
By now I’ve meandered into the silent
city of Mdina and, after exploring its
beautiful ancient streets and gawping
over its panoramic island-views, I stumble
across Fontanella Tea Garden (
1
Bastion
Street, fontanellateagarden.com
)
in one
of its bastions. Kristina wasn’t kidding, the
sandwich is enormous, overstuffed with tuna
and tomatoes. I waddle along to her next
suggestion: “Ta’ Qali craft village is cute. I
used to love watching the glass blowing.”
The village is quaint and the glassware, a
rainbow of colour and designs. A craftsman
manipulates the molten material with ease
into everything from a swan to a fish.
Tonight, I’ve been invited by a Msida
local to the Hard Rock in Valletta
Waterfront for a comedy night in English.
As I navigate the massive drinks queue,
Richard Light, a Kent University student
who’s studying in Malta and moonlighting
in comedy, regales me with a tale of
Comino, a small Maltese island north of
the mainland. “Jumping off a cliff into its
Blue Lagoon is one of my most memorable
moments. I saw pictures before I went
and thought it looked beautiful, but
seeing it for real is amazing.” Well, you
can guess where I’m headed tomorrow.
“
And see Dingli Cliffs if you’re into nature,”
he adds. “They overlook the sea and it’s
lovely to roam around.”
Marked by the charming St Mary
Magdalene Chapel, Dingli Cliffs sit on
Malta’s western coast and are the island’s
highest point. High as in 250m above sea
level. Still, it’s an impressive drop of rolling
fields and farms all the way to water’s edge.
A glance in the other direction confirms
my opinion of the mainland’s size as I’m
granted even more sea views… only now
they’re of Valletta’s harbour on the east.
With no time to roam (sorry Richard!),
I hop back in the car with my mind set on
getting a picture of the Blue Grotto. The
boats that weave through its network of
sea caves aren’t running due to high winds
(
and sadly, neither is my boat to the Blue
Lagoon), though the view from above is
arresting. A high arc of rock and scattered
vegetation stretches into the blue, opening
the cave to a stream of sunlight that plays
wonders with the aqua-coloured water.
Boats on my mind, I detour to the fishing
village of Marsaxlokk, where traditional
boats (
luzzu
)
painted in rich colours
and adorned with the lucky Phoenician
LEFT TO RIGHT:
THE HYPOGEUM
IN HAL SAFLIENI; CAFFE CORDINA
ON REPUBLIC STREET IN VALLETTA;
THE BLUE LAGOON;
FTIRA
WITH
CHEESE; ST MARY MAGDALENE
CHAPEL AT DINGLI CLIFFS
MA L TA
“
HAVE ONE OF
THE MASSIVE
SANDWICHES
–
FTIRA
–
SOLD
ON THE
WATERFRONT!”
