DAY 2: August 29th-----Another Day In Malta

"Adventures In Wine Country" with Co-Hosts Chuck Byers and Greg Rist is a new series airing in April 2010 on CHEX Television Channel 12 Durham and the Greater Toronto Area.


Malta------Forever!
When people talk about Malta today, they speak of sun, sea, enjoyment, gastronomy, sites, events and wine. However, Malta is much more than that. In a way it is a gatekeeper to the past, present and future for Malta has been around much longer as a civilization than most. In fact, it was a flourishing community two thousand years before much of Europe was "civilized". The Phoenicians were the first to make use of its many naval aspects but when they came here they found a structured and well organized peoples that had been there since Neolithic times.

They settled and eventually gave much of this island its founding Semitic language. Since then, Malta has become the base of many of famous (and some infamous) empires. Greece never occupied Malta but split the Mediterranean with Carthage (Though Greeks (Homer) referred to Malta as the Isle of Calypso which was visited by Ulysses and his men). The occupancy goes to Carthage (some authors suggested that the famous Hannibal was born in Malta) and then Rome, Spain, Germany, Turkish Empire, Knights of St. John, France and Britain all had their stake in this small but very important island. Malta can be said to be a demonstration of the history of the Mediterranean and a portal to the history of the will of man and his efforts to be free----living life to its fullest.

So Malta is today and that is what Greg and I found when we started filming here.
Marsaxlokk
We were on our own on the first day but friends and family members took us around to visit some scenic areas so Greg could start filming. He took us to Marsaxlokk which is a fine harbour for small craft and lovely boats which would compete in colour with the colours of a rainbow. Many had some very interesting names such as religious names and of what could be lovely young ladies (and possibly older ones also).
Here the markets will come with the fresh catches of fish and also other items for sale. We ran across or should I say drove across a just landed fishing boat which was unloading catches of swordfish. The inspector was there weighing the fish to make sure that no under weight young fish were caught. We got that on film and then went on to a very scenic Maltese tradition called Wit Zurrieq which harboured a little cave called the Blue Grotto.
Blue Grotto attracts many tourists because it's luminous algae that fills the water of the cave becomes blue-----reflecting the light of the Sun when it shines on it. The contrast of dark within the cave and the light blue colour iridescence is truly lovely to look at. We didn't go to the grotto but decided to take some great film of the high cliffs around it. Lucky----I'll tell you why later.
After the Wit il Zurrieg we went to the hotel to prepare for a Barbecue to be held at my best friend in Malta's house in Zejtun----a small town in the middle of Malta.
It was around eight in the evening when I got there with Greg. Both of us were picked up by my friend Lorry Farrugia and his son Kenneth who was to suffice as the chef that night also.
Lorry's wife Melda, daughter Daniella, other son C hris (with his beautiful spouse and daughter) were there as well as Kenneth's wife and young daugther, Mariah. The food flowed and Greg filmed as well as did a couple of stints on camera. I was fed and fed until I could burst. If the food didn't get me, the wine almost did. I had a good time and so did Greg and the family was superb.
That ended our first full day in Malta. We went to bed looking forward to the new promotion and fun that we could give to this Island that is forever.
End Of Day Two!