Malta - Day Three

Rabat

You know, I'd love to be able to tell you about the beauty of Rabat and its sidestreets and alleys, but all I noted about Rabat when I walked through it was wet. Because it was raining in the most dreary manner possible.

It wasn't a particularly hard rain. But it was a particularly thick rain that made everything feel like it was soaked through. Even if you weren't wet, you felt wet, because it was just that kind of damp rain that seemed to seep into places where it didn't even go. Were I to put the description of the weather into one word, I would call it gross.

I once again found myself the leader of our expedition as we walked along a lot of streets that were not designed to be walked down. First there was the narrow tunnel without a sidewalk. Then there was the sidewalk that was so narrow that it felt more dangerous than having no sidewalk. Then there was the sidewalk that was even narrower than the dangerous-feeling sidewalk, but now it was also going around a blind corner. All the while we were trying to dodge the puddles forming along the edges of the sidewalk, because we didn't want to get splashed by the Maltese drivers speeding down the road.

St. Paul's Church

Eventually, we managed to find our way to St. Paul's Church, which was different than St. Paul's Church in Mdina, if only in the geographical sense. Once again, I need to remind you that St. Paul is very, very popular in Malta.

There is a problem that I should elaborate upon about churches in Malta, and that is the fact that they often had a tendency to be dark. And it is not just the fact that they tend to be ill-lit, it is also the fact that all the features of the churches tend to be very dark. The paintings are dark, the sculptures are dark, everything is dark. So, when you get into a church with no interior light and there is little light available from the windows, you find yourself in an area that might as well be a cave.

I still could not tell you much of anything about St. Paul's Church in Rabat because I could barely make out anything in the church. Sure, I could see some outlines of church-like features and it seemed lovely, but the details were hazy and indistinct -- like trying to remember a really good college party. The only way I would be able to see features or take pictures would be to use the flash on my camera. But flash photography was not allowed in the church, so I have nothing to show for our visit there. Except for long, boring stories that don't go anywhere. But I think you already knew that.

St. Paul's Grotto

St. Paul and a ship. If you can't figure out the reasons for the ship, you have not been paying attention.

But what we needed to do was not to go to the church, what we needed to do was to see the grotto. Specifically, St. Paul's Grotto, the location where St. Paul supposedly spent his time on Malta after the shipwreck. It was definitely a grotto. Which is to say, a cave. But it had a statue of St. Paul in it. And the rest of the grotto had some other stuff in it that I probably should have written down earlier, because I can't remember what it is. I think they were tombs or altars or something like that. And the guys on it are saints or old Grandmasters -- probably saints. Maybe I should have just skipped talking about this area.

Here's one guy. I think he's the patron saint of dishwashers.	Here's another guy. He wants to give you a hug.

What I do know is that the grotto was used as a Roman prison, because our tour guide pointed out the anchors where the prisoners' chains were attached to the ceiling. I also remember that our tour guide pronounced the word "grotto" in a manner I might expect from Inspector Clouseau. "Eh-gruh-too-uh." And he kept saying it over and over again and I really wished he would stop. It was pretty funny and yet really annoying.

Following our grotto experience, we headed deeper into Rabat for the viewing of catacombs. Specifically, St. Paul's Catacombs. Yep, more St. Paul.