 |
|
|
When you approach Malta by airplane – coming from any European airport – you have a wonderful view on the islands of Gozo and Comino before you land on Luqa Airport on Malta, the main island of this republic. The best time of year to visit the country is in the months of May or October when the average temperatures range from 68° to 76°F at daytime and 58° to 65°F at night, and the temperature of sea is aroud 66°F. Under the clear, blue summer sky of August, the temperatures can easily rise up to 95°F and more, and drive lots of sweat on your forehead. In May or October, however, you can enjoy splendid weather and some gentle breeze, perfect for strolling through the streets of Valetta, the capital city and major port of Malta. A shuttle bus will bring you from the airport to the bus station outside the town walls of Valetta. Not far from the station, you will enter the old city through the huge gates of town, and you can have a walk through the narrow streets or a take a ride in a karrozin, a traditional horse-drawn carriage to explore that place, whose foundations were laid by Jean de la Valette, Grand Master of the Holy Order, in 1566. You will discern the characteristic statues of saints at the corners of Valetta’s houses and the typical door knockers that are usually made of brass. It’s especially nice to have a rest under the trees and beside the fountains in the Upper Barakka Gardens, where you have a nice view upon the Grand Harbor and the Three Cities, where the dry docks of the port are situated. At high noon, you will hear the tolling of the huge bell of the Siege Bell Memorial. You shouldn’t miss a visit to the magnificent Grand Master’s Palace, its Neptune Court, and Prince Alfred Court where you can admire the clock of Pinto-de-Fonseca with its Turkish figures and listen to the chime of its carillon. In Valetta and many other places on the islands, you can also enjoy lots of festivals, international music events, entertainment, sports championships and tournaments all year round. In 2005, the highlights from May to October are: - the Fireworks
Festival on May 6 and 7, which is a spectacular display of fireworks
Also check the website www.maltafestivals.com for detailed information as well as local events, supported or organized by the Malta Tourism Authority. Language teaching is well established on the islands and there are more than 30 language schools on Malta and Gozo. Summer vacation courses offer a unique combination of academic teaching and learning with a rich program of leisure activities – a good opportunity for earning some pocket money while staying in the country for several months. Most schools also offer trips to firms to promote business know-how and cultural exchange. They will also arrange private accommodation as well as college-style residences or hotels. Malta is also
very nice for hiking and excursions to several historic places and prehistoric
temples. Very interesting are the ruins of the Temple of Hagar Qim, built
about 3,000 before Christ, and the Clapham Junction Cart Ruts, some grooves
in the bare rocks that presumably stem from ancient vehicles. In the morning
hours you should take a boat trip from the fjord At-il-Hnejja to the Blue
Grotto, several blue caves, whose ceilings marvelously reflect the turquoise
waters of the sea.
Mdina, the medieval capital of Malta, and Rabat are two other places, you should not miss. The most beautiful building, built before the Baroque age, can be seen in Mdina, which was home of the Maltese nobility, whose Sicilian-Norman style palazzos flank the narrow streets. The cathedral of Mdina was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt in Baroque style by the Knights. The warm and crystal clear blue waters around the island of Gozo offer perfect diving conditions. Divers from all over the world enjoy exploring the tunnels, caves, grottos, reefs, and spectacular scenery abundant of marine life as well as penetrating the 260-foot-long wreck of the MV Xlendi, an ex Malta-Gozo ferry that was scuttled in a diver and environmental friendly way off the coast of Xatt L'Ahmar in November 1999. Hotel and apartment owners provide a taxi service from the airport to your accommodation on Gozo and a driver will bring you to the ferry port in Cirkewwa in the north of Malta. The ferry, which passes the island of Comino, will then take you to Mgarr (speak imdschar) on the south-east coast of Gozo in about half an hour. There, another taxi will bring you either to Xlendi (pronounced shlendi) in the south-west of the island, Gharb in the west, Marsalforn on the north coast, or any other place of your choice. Marsalforn, once a small fishing village, has become a popular holiday resort in the recent years and there are several hotels and private-run apartments as well as diving centers where you can rent the diving gear and equipment that you did not want to take with you. There you also have to purchase a Maltese Diving Permit for unaccompanied dives or you can book different diving trips, accompanied by professional instructors or guides, who are familiar with all the sites and the conditions there. To visit the interesting diving sites, it is best to rent a jeep. A rocky and bumpy road leads you from Marsalforn to Reqqa Point, the most northerly spot of Gozo, which is a small curved low spur, jutting into the sea next to several rows of salt pans. The first rough hollows were hewn in the sandstone rocks there in the 18th century to obtain salt by the evaporation of sea water. Newer, rectangular hollows are still chiseled into the cliffs today to cover the demand for salt. Depending on the weather and direction of wind, diving conditions might be a bit choppy at Reqqa Point. At an average depth of 80 feet, you can dive along the walls that are almost vertical in many places and are cut by numerous fissures, caves, and crevices until you get to the Shrimp Cave – habitat of several species of these creatures. On the submarine section of the headland, there are two chimneys or holes that drop down through the reef. One hole goes down from twenty to fifty feet, whereas the other one is more dangerous and should be penetrated by very experienced divers only. Cathedral Cave, west of Reqqa Point, is another beautiful diving site at the end of a narrow valley that goes from the village of Ghasri to the sea. The dome is near a very distinctive deep winding cut in the headland. The entrance is only sixteen feet below sea level and leads you to a domed vault, where you can surface. Huge boulders lie on the seabed of the cave and you have a wonderful view out to the blue of the ocean. Although there are few fish in the cave, the walls are covered with delicate corals, hydroids, sponges, and golden zoanthids. The site can be reached via a long flight of steps from the rocks down to the fjord-like gorge or preferably by a dive boat. The most spectacular
diving site is Blue Hole on the west coast, where the surf lashes against
220-foot-high limestone cliffs and through Azure Window, a natural opening
that looks like a huge gate cut into the rocks. The Blue Hole is reached
via a fairly difficult walk over coralline limestone but offers a sheltered
entry for a number of dives because it is protected by a fringe of rock.
The site includes a huge archway that starts at about 25 feet and the daylight
is reflected in azure blue colors as if you look through a big window.
Large boulders, dotted with tiny tube worms, lie underneath the archway,
where they have fallen from above. Damselfish, wrasse, parrotfish and many
different species of bream can be found along the walls. Deeper down, amongst
the boulders on the seabed, dusky groupers, recognizable by the yellow
fringe on their dorsal fin, can be watched. At an average visibility of
140 feet, you might dive into a fissure down to 110 feet, where a large
cave can be explored at the bottom of the hole.
If you want to have a rest from diving or bask in the Mediterranean sun, you should not miss Ramla Bay, a nice sandy beach east of Marsalforn. The boulders in the sea are overgrown with smooth algae, providing a habitat for tiny colored fish and shells. It’s an ideal place for snorkeling as the clear blue sea allows a visibility of about 100 feet. Ramla Bay isn’t far from the Calypso Cave, a labyrinth of caves which is referred to by the Grecian poet Homer in his epic poem Odyssey. According to the legend, Calypso, the daughter of the Titan Atlas, dwelt in this cave and kept Ulysses, the Grecian hero of Troy, as a captive for seven years after his ship had sunk in the Mediterranean waters during a thunderstorm. If Ulysses had been a diver, he would surely have spent all his days diving at these or all the other beautiful sites, such as Billinghurst Cave, Coral Gardens, Forma Point, Anchor Reef, Double Arches, Xwejni Bay, Mgarr Ix-Xini, and San Dimitri Point – just to name some other beautiful spots of Gozo’s coastline. For accommodation,
please write to Walter Portelli at geolis@global.net.mt
For diving
trips, please contact Julie Bonnici at www.calypsodivers.com
The following is the first article Jorg wrote for the magazine:
|
Dresden,
Germany ~ 
