Malta Trip #4 – Running, Walking, Ferrying

 

[Photo credit: Roberta]
 

From the internet I knew what the electronics store was called and even the stock of keyboards they had. Then Roberta used her navigation expertise (Google Maps) and found out which bus we needed and from which stop. We got out and took some photos but there was still about half an hour to the bus time so we came back into the airport to wait. This was the problem we found with the Malta buses that the services were about 45 minutes or an hour apart.

 

There was a taxi driver at the bus stop who offered to take us to the harbour for 15 euros which was very cheap and if we didn’t have to buy the keyboard first we could have taken his offer. But I wanted that keyboard on the first day so I could use it during my trip and Roberta never cribs about my projects even when they introduce more hassle. I think she goes into everything with a sense of adventure which is quite the right spirit for any trip. Anyhow, we declined the taxi driver’s offer and waited for the bus.

 

The buses are quite punctual we found and ours came right on time. Roberta knew which stop to get off at and I followed her. Then we had a jolly old time trying to find the store itself. We found the mall it was in and then shunted around until we saw the sign across a car park. They did have all those keyboards but no Bluetooth keyboard. Anyway I had brought a USB-C to USB-A adapter for my tablet so I could buy a USB keyboard as well. The staff was very nice and spoke excellent English. They showed me multiple keyboards and let me try them, but it was slow going until I realised I was trying to find a £100 quality in a £20 keyboard. That made the decision easy. I bought a Logitech USB keyboard-mouse set for €24.99. Honestly, it worked very well even for my touch typing. My tablet had a touch-screen so I ended up never using the mouse.

 

We needed the same bus to go ahead to the harbour and I had wasted so much time in picking out a keyboard that we didn’t have much time before the bus was due. We knew that the next one would be 45 minutes later and didn’t want to waste that much time. So, we ran, pushing our suitcases and carrying the backpacks plus a big bag containing the keyboard box. We made it to the bus stop with 4 minutes to spare.

 

Unfortunately, the bus was much crowded this time. We had to stand and you know it’s not fun to stand with a heavy backpack on your back and a suitcase that wants to roll around on the smooth bus floor. But when you travel by public transport you get an insight into the character of the place. You meet the real people on the bus, going about their normal daily activities. Even if I don’t want to, I would notice those things.

 

For example, there were some other people there as well with big bags, bigger than ours. The bus was only one deck so it was quite busy. When somebody had to get off, people had to move around to give them space. It was quite awkward. But I didn’t see any scowls or frowns. People smiled when they made eye contact. It was good to see that and the rest of my experience with the Maltese people in the coming days confirmed my impression of them that I made in that bus journey. Or actually, even before that. There was a health desk at the airport where they were checking our vaccination records. I met with smiling officials with no hurry. If I take two extra minutes to find the PDF on my phone, why, that’s perfectly fine. I saw that relaxed attitude in most things there.

 

We got to the harbour which is called Cirkewwa with a circumflex on the C (that hat character like this ^?) . Did I mention that Malta the country is an archipelago which means a cluster of islands? Our stay for the first two nights was on the Gozo islands. There is a ferry that runs between the two islands which we now needed to board. It was due at 1630, if I remember right. The funny thing was that you don’t buy a ticket on the Ferry. You buy a ticket from Gozo to Malta. If you think about it, it makes sense, Malta is the main island. Everybody ultimately has to come back to Malta. I will tell you later how we cheated this system.

 

 

I love ferries because they are big enough that I don’t get motion sickness but also they are specious. It’s a very luxurious feeling. The best thing on this ferry though was that this 25 minutes ride was at the exact time when the sun was setting. Can you imagine, we were at the best spot to take photos of the sunset exactly when it was happening? We could not have planned it better. But it just worked out.

 

We just lugged our suitcases to the top deck and took out our cameras. Oh, man, was it glorious! I have hundreds of photos from that session but I will only share a few of them here to keep you from running away.