Blue Grotto Bus Trip

Once again back on public transportation and off to one of the most beautiful spots on the island, Blue Grotto. Although our pass has expired we decided to pay by the trip, cost is 1.5EU for a ticket that is good for 2 hours of travel. Sounds pretty good but in reality it takes 2 hrs to pretty much go anywhere, lots of stops, traffic, smoke breaks (really!) and sometimes just stopping and the drivers walks away. We’ve found that the buses going from Sliema to Valletta are usually standing room only and can get pretty friendly but never a single problem with pickpockets, hooligans, or old ladies trying to muscle their way past me.

So it was simple, get on the bus to Valletta, change at the main station for the bus that goes to the airport, change to the bus that goes to Blue Grotto, easy. All went well except we arrived at the airport 2 minutes after our connecting bus had left. But, of all the places to be waiting, why not the airport. Went in and had a coffee and pastry and watched the travelers try to figure out where to check in. Not as entertaining as it sounds. Back on the bus for our short but long ride. Blue Grotto is a natural formation of caves and dramatic coastline that only costs 8EU to tour. There are small boats that hold about 9 people departing from the bottom of a steep ramp that takes into the caves and around the shore. If it isn’t a windy day, you stay dry; if it is windy, bring a slicker or your favorite garbage bag. This place, just as about everywhere on Malta, also has structures left over from WW2. Pretty neat pillboxes on the cliffs!

Boat trip takes about 20-25 minutes so afterwards it was time to eat, again. We picked one of the 5-6 restaurants that had a good view and a bit of wind to keep the cigarette smoke to a minimum. I’m sure it’s all in my mind but it feels like this entire month I’ve been smoking, everyone here smokes! Well maybe not everyone but a large section of the population lights up. If you want to see Malta without crowds give them another 5-10 years and most of them will be dead from lung cancer, tables available.

Building new ruins every day!