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"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
It was still daylight as we crossed Grand Harbour on the ferry heading for the ancient city of Birgu, just a short trip across the water from Valletta. Right in-front of us was the magnificent Maltese Falcon, the largest sailing yacht in the world. What a boat!!!
This was Saturday and we were heading for an event we'd been eagerly anticipating for some time….Birgufest. For one night of the year this truly spectacular tiny city of medieval magnificence turns all its lights off and the whole place is then lit up by candles. Not just a few, but by hundreds of thousands of candles, creating a unique atmosphere never to be experienced elsewhere…or so we were told. After disembarking the ferry, we decided to visit the Maritime Museum first and soak up a bit of ancient history from a nautical perspective. It was another tick in the box for our grand plan to visit all the key attractions in Malta before we depart in December. Birgu has been a key strategic harbour dating back to the Phoenicians, followed by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Angevines, Aroganese and, of course, The Knights Order of Saint John. This latter group became the Knights of Malta who occupied the magnificent Fort Saint Angelo in Burgu, and still do for that matter. It was at Fort Saint Angelo in 1565 that 500 Knights and several thousand Maltese citizens finally defeated over thirty thousand Ottoman invaders at what is known as the Great Siege of Malta….see Wikipedia for more details….well worth the read. By the time we left the museum it was dark and the crowds had begun to arrive for the party. Into the thick of it we went…eager with anticipation. What an experience…the city celebrates this festival in a true carnival spirit. We wandered along bustling narrow streets surrounded by ancient stone buildings that have stood for hundreds of years. It was like travelling back in time. Candles, candles and more candles were hanging above our heads everywhere, they were lined up along the walls and spectacularly arranged in the opened-up hallways of residential houses. The lighting effect was a wonderful subtle soporific glow in the pitch darkness all around. It was a visual and atmospheric feast…quite magic in fact. No need to be thirsty either; numerous bars on tressle tables had been set up by residents outside their homes. This entrepreneurial spirit also extended to offerings of mouth watering food of every kind, which wafted tantalising smells through the air at every turn. Arts and crafts exhibitions added some culture to the event and music played too, ranging from solo violinists to stomping marching bands. The main square in Birgu was the centre of attraction with a host of quaint traditional bars and restaurants doing a roaring trade, plus even more food and drink stalls every few feet. There were literally thousands of people milling around soaking up the atmosphere, and the alcoholic beverages I might add. We purchased a bottle of the local white Chardonnay and to be honest, it was rather good, even if we did drink it out of plastic cups on the hoof. After a while things were hotting up for full on rock concert on a massive stage that would not have looked out of place at Glastonbury, but after a few hours of wandering, eating and drinking we decided that it was bed time and we bid a fond farewell to what had been an amazing night. As the ferry glided through the now black water back to Valletta, we both agreed that hopefully this wouldn't be our last Birgufest. I've got a point, click and hope for the best type camera that really doesn't like the dark, let alone candlelight. So, this is the best I could do to put some of our experience into images.
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A FEW PICS OF COMINOClick a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through.
COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNINGCATEGORIES
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