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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
Nicki has popped back to the UK to help Em choose a wedding dress. I suggested they try Oxfam, but I think my rather practical advice fell on deaf ears. Apparently, and this came as no surprise at all, I was surplus to requirements on such matters. So, what do you do all on your tod in Malta on a hot sunny Saturday. No I didn't go to a bar for an all day beer fest, although I was sorely tempted. Instead, I opted for a dose of culture in the capital, to wallow in the fascinating history of the mysterious Malta based Order of St John - the Knights of old who were appointed by the Pope to protect Jerusalem against the marauding Muslims in order to maintain Roman Catholicism in the Holy Land. He gave them Malta as a pressie for all their sterling work. They were also known as the Crusaders but far be it from me to embark on a long and laborious history lesson - if you're really interested just do a search on Wikapedia and the significance of Malta will be revealed. First thing, off to Valletta I trekked. Actually, I took a water ferry from Sleima - much easier and considerably quicker. The pics below hopefully speak for themselves, summing up a brilliant day wandering through the streets of one of my favourite cities in all the world. One picture above is worthy of a little additional explanation. Strait Street was well known (nudge nudge, wink wink) to tens of thousands of servicemen throughout the ages as a place to let your hair down (and your pants) whilst on short term leave. Let me elaborate. Malta was a British Colony until 1964, the year full independence was declared. Before then, the majority of UK sailors, troops, and later on, airmen, who came to Malta for tours of duty headed for this particular street for some of life's simple pleasures - say no more. Now all you see are dilapidated old neon signs advertising bars and clubs that would have once been full to the rafters with young revellers feeling lonely far from home.
And finally, the pub where the great English actor Oliver Reed drank himself into a heart attack and dropped dead at the bar. Not a great pic I know, but I somehow felt a bit self conscious hanging around outside with a camera - a bit mawkish - it didn't seem to bother the other twenty people around me though.
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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.
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