Travelling around Malta is easy and it is convenient to use Uber or Bolt. Zoe and I decided to visit Marsaxlokk which is located in the south of Malta and for around 10 euros we were soon on our way!
Marsaxlokk is pronounced as Mar-sash-lok and with its brightly painted fishing boats, has the largest fishing fleet on the island.
The history of Marsaxlokk dates back thousands of years having also been invaded by the Ottoman’s in 1565 and the French in 1798.
The Maltese invited the British in 1800 to get rid of the French and the British stayed until Malta gained independence in 1964.
Marsaxlokk has a famous fish market every Sunday and a small daily market along the harbour.
Market stall holders were offering samples of local produce.
This included Bajtra which started at €6 for a small bottle. As mentioned in the previous Valletta post, this is the famous liqueur of Malta! And ‘bajtra’ means prickly pear from which its made.
We continued making our way through the market and along the harbour where we were stopped and offered boat trips to see the Three Bays.
These traditional and colourful fishing boats are called ‘luzzu’s’ and are now mostly used for ferrying tourists around the coast!
Including us! After a quick drink in a waterfront cafe we paid €10 each to Rima Cruises and shortly afterwards, along with a handful of other people we were setting off in a luzzu to explore the Three Bays.
As we sped along our captain pointed out various places of interest. He also explained, for example, how tuna is caught and exported to Japan and used for sushi.
But probably not by this fisherman! We went past Fort San Lucian in the distance but with the industrial bit of the harbour right in front I didn’t think it was picturesque so I took no photos.
Fort Delimara was built between 1876 to 1888 by the British to protect Marsaxlokk. It is in danger now from coastal erosion.
Next we went past the Delimara Salt Pans where sea water is pumped up and dried in the hot temperatures of the summer months to make salt.
St Peters Pool is somewhat hyped up and this small bay is a popular place for snorkelling in the summer when the sea has warmed up a bit.
The real wow factor of this hour long boat trip was Hofriet Window! Holfriet is the Maltese word for window and here the turquoise sea was crystal clear.
Back on dry land and by now it was lunchtime.
We found a small square outside the large Catholic church and had lunch in a pizzaria called Unico.
Not surprisingly there are many fish restaurants in Marsaxlokk however having had a decent breakfast we decided that sharing a pizza would be ideal for a light lunch.
The pizza was delicious and was the perfect choice to accompany our €4 glasses of Prosecco!
Other than the boat trip and lunch we couldn’t find much else to do in Marsaxlokk, so after one final look at the waterfront we took an Uber back to Sliema.
frombluetogreen.com 