A Maltese Adventure
Friday, June 15, 2018
Each day on this trip so far has been different. But yesterday was "differenter than the rest." (Thanks for those words, Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky!) Sometimes when you travel, things get a little wild and don't work out the way you planned. But sometimes they also end up much better than you had imagined. Both of these were true yesterday.
At ten o'clock I boarded a boat on the ferry dock in the city of Sliema. Our boat took off into the harbor, then sailed into the Mediterranean Sea. The wind yesterday was strong, and the sea was choppy. That means our little boat was really riding the waves, and people on the lower deck got splashed a bit. This was fun and thrilling for the first half hour but quickly became old. A few people became seasick on the boat, and the crew passed out little paper bags. This was in case you had to throw up. (That part was not advertised on the website!) One man who became sick looked so terrified, it made me a little terrified. After about an hour, I finally needed my paper bag too. At that point, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. It was only eleven o'clock in the morning, and I was stuck on this tour until evening! It is safe to say this was the most eventful part of my trip so far.
At ten o'clock I boarded a boat on the ferry dock in the city of Sliema. Our boat took off into the harbor, then sailed into the Mediterranean Sea. The wind yesterday was strong, and the sea was choppy. That means our little boat was really riding the waves, and people on the lower deck got splashed a bit. This was fun and thrilling for the first half hour but quickly became old. A few people became seasick on the boat, and the crew passed out little paper bags. This was in case you had to throw up. (That part was not advertised on the website!) One man who became sick looked so terrified, it made me a little terrified. After about an hour, I finally needed my paper bag too. At that point, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. It was only eleven o'clock in the morning, and I was stuck on this tour until evening! It is safe to say this was the most eventful part of my trip so far.
I am happy to report that I survived the rough seas without too much suffering. (Dad, if you are reading this, the ship you will be sailing on this year is much larger and nothing like this boat.) I did manage to take some nice pictures of the Maltese islands from the boat. After a couple hours on the Mediterranean Sea, we made our first stop for the day on the island of Gozo. There we met our tour guide who lives on the island. He took us by van on an excellent tour of the place he calls home. (It's really nice to meet people who live in the place you are visiting. They are usually quite happy to talk to you about their home, and they have a lot to teach you!)
The land there looks nothing like Indiana. It is a dryer land located close to the sea. The Maltese call it garigue. I believe it is similar to what we might call a steppe, but I am not sure. The land is dry, rocky and sandy with steep cliffs. Flowers, small plants, and cacti dot the land. Closer to the sea, you will find a few trees.
The land there looks nothing like Indiana. It is a dryer land located close to the sea. The Maltese call it garigue. I believe it is similar to what we might call a steppe, but I am not sure. The land is dry, rocky and sandy with steep cliffs. Flowers, small plants, and cacti dot the land. Closer to the sea, you will find a few trees.
Our tour guide took us to Gozo's major city, Victoria, to stop for lunch.
After lunch, we boarded the boat again for a short sail to the island of Comino. There are only 3 people who live on this entire island! The place where we docked was a nice place. We had three choices for the afternoon. Within a five minute hike, you could go to a swinging beach party on the Blue Lagoon, go to a quieter beach further down, or hike the many cliffs of Comino. I chose to do a little bit of all three. Summer is a time to relax and take in some warm weather. I'm glad I was able to do this in the beautiful country of Malta!
At the end of the afternoon, we boarded the boat again to sail back to the ferry dock in the city of Sliema. This time, our boat was going in the same direction as the wind. That means our trip back was much calmer than our morning trip. In fact, it was a very pleasant boat ride. I arrived back at the hotel tired, dirty, and ready for a nap. But what a wonderful day I had!
A morning that started off a little rough turned into an unbelievable day of sightseeing, learning, and relaxing. All this for about $40! (Things are cheap in Malta! Except food.) I have to say it was a true adventure. My friend Graham likes to remind me that Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus used to say: "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" This was good advice for yesterday.
A morning that started off a little rough turned into an unbelievable day of sightseeing, learning, and relaxing. All this for about $40! (Things are cheap in Malta! Except food.) I have to say it was a true adventure. My friend Graham likes to remind me that Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus used to say: "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" This was good advice for yesterday.