June 1, Day 5 itinerary: Valletta - Fishing Village - Blue Grotto
Morning: Visit the ancient colorful fishing village, and in the afternoon, explore the Blue Grotto, a natural phenomenon belonging to the marine blue caves, with a depth of 60 meters. Arrange a small boat to explore the Blue Grotto.
Evening: Enjoy a Chinese group meal with 8 dishes and 1 soup provided by the travel agency, then head to the airport.
After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel where we stayed for four nights and took a car to the Blue Grotto scenic area.
In the southwest of Malta, there is a famous natural landscape known as the "Blue Grotto," where the sea water is so blue that it is hard to believe your eyes. This place has become a great spot for local people to dive and swim, as well as a must-visit place for tourists.
The Blue Grotto is not just one cave, but a complex of seven caves.
It is best to explore by boat, passing through each cave from the sea surface.
If the weather is clear, before 1 PM, the color of the sea water inside the cave will show different shades of blue as the angle of sunlight changes.
However, unfortunately, the wind and waves were too strong that day, and the small boats were suspended from sailing, so we could only gaze from the cliffs.
This situation of not being able to explore the caves from the sea due to weather is quite common, as the wind and waves can be very unsafe.
Some say that heaven has given Malta all the shades of blue: deep blue, light blue, lake blue, indigo, sky blue, peacock blue, sapphire blue...
Since there are no rivers throughout the territory, the sea water is not diluted, making the waters around Malta the saltiest part of the Mediterranean.
Perhaps because of this, Malta's blue is extraordinarily vibrant, stunningly beautiful, and uniquely distinctive.
Due to the weather, not being able to take a boat to explore the Blue Grotto is the only regret of this trip to Malta. Perhaps we had too much fun in other places in Malta, and the heavens wanted to arrange a little regret for us.
After leaving the Blue Grotto scenic area, we headed to the ancient fishing village, Marsaxlokk Fishmarket.
Marsaxlokk is located in the southern part of Malta and is a traditional fishing village, where colorful fishing boats are casually docked in the harbor, gently swaying in the water, resembling a rainbow in the water, adding color to the fishing village.
This is a beautiful and colorful fishing village, with many different colored local fishing boats, making it a very popular little place.
The market is open from 5 or 6 AM to noon. Along a long stretch of coastline, in addition to freshly caught octopus, large shrimp, and various fish, the fish market is more like an inland market, where daily necessities and travel souvenirs can be purchased.
Our local guide gave it a Chinese name, called the Colorful Fishing Village.
Here, you can also see very distinctive red, yellow, and blue small fishing boats docked in the harbor.
Tourists sit on the dock leisurely sunbathing.
The fishing village has become more lively due to the visit of tourists.
Luzzu is a traditional fishing boat in Malta, with the bow painted with the Eye of Horus (the eagle-headed god in Egyptian mythology, believed by ancient Egyptians to have the power of rebirth and resurrection).
Today, Luzzu is not only used as a fishing boat but has also become a means of transportation for tourists to go out to sea.
The various pastries at the stalls also attract tourists and locals to buy.
Most of Malta's fish are supplied from this port, and people can enjoy fresh and delicious fish at the restaurants by the harbor.
Under the awning, tablecloths with unique local patterns are hung for sale, adding to the beautiful scenery.
There is also a flea market where you can buy some souvenirs, such as fridge magnets, commemorative T-shirts, etc. The prices are quite cheap, 3 fridge magnets for 5 euros, and clothes for 8 euros.
Historically, Marsaxlokk was where the Ottoman Turkish fleet docked during the Siege of Malta; Napoleon's army landed here when he invaded Malta; it served as a British naval base from the 1930s until World War II; in 1989, Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush held a summer summit on a warship docked here.
An ancient fishing village, a town that still retains a touch of traditional Maltese life, perhaps only because it still holds a fish market every Sunday.
It is said that this small town is the docking port for about 70% of Malta's fishing boats!
Today, the lively part of Marsaxlokk is just the fish market and souvenir stalls clustered along the harbor, with most tourists coming for the seafood and the Luzzu fishing boats docked in the harbor.
If you get hungry at noon, you can eat at the seaside restaurants in the small fishing village, where the seafood is both cheap and delicious.
When you come to this small fishing village, be sure not to miss the local seafood restaurants. Most of the ingredients come from the fishermen's daily catch, and you can taste fresh seafood delicacies just by walking into any restaurant!
This was our first formal lunch outside in Malta.
We chose a larger restaurant by the shore called Harbour Lights, deciding to have a seafood lunch here.
The five of us ordered a seafood set for two, which was quite large. It included a plate of fried squid, fried local fish, various small seafood with fries, local vegetables, and salad, and we also ordered a fish, and finally, we blindly ordered a dish that looked like dark cuisine made with chicken, which turned out to be particularly delicious.
I also ordered a bottle of local Maltese beer.
I remembered the guide's introduction, saying that Malta only produces one type of beer and one type of beverage, and coincidentally, I had tried both.
In the afternoon, since it was still early, we returned to the city to stroll and relax in a large shopping mall.
Malta left us with the impression of an ancient city and an ancient country, but we didn't expect such a modern center and upscale communities and commercial areas.
In the evening, we had Chinese food at a restaurant next to the Cathedral of Our Lady, which was the only dinner arranged for us by the travel agency after we went abroad. The Chinese food, of course, is not as good as back home, but we were still very satisfied.
Over the years, we have not allowed travel agencies to arrange lunch and dinner during our trips abroad; we prefer to eat local specialties ourselves.
At 10:20 PM, we will take the opportunity to head to Catania, Sicily, Italy from Malta Airport.
The five-day, four-night in-depth tour of Malta officially came to an end.
This was my first trip to the Republic of Malta, and the local customs, natural landscapes, and cultural sights left us with a wonderful impression; it is indeed worth a visit.
This niche European travel route will increasingly be favored by Chinese tourists; we can be considered pioneers, and I am now sharing my experiences and observations in Malta as a keepsake for myself.
In the next episode, I will gradually introduce my experiences in Sicily, Italy, after leaving Malta.
（To be continued）