Letters | Sunday, 11 April 2010

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A seasoned tourist defends the islands

I refer to Theo Chalmers’s letter ‘A disgruntled tourist speaks out’ (4 April 2010). I too am a tourist but unlike Mr Chalmers, I have been coming to the islands for years now. I don’t see any problem whatsoever with tourists being asked to pay an entrance fee to enter a cathedral. That after all is how they are maintained. I’m not speaking here as a Catholic, by the way, just as a tourist who loves old buildings and appreciates the work put into them by Maltese craftsmen. What I do object to is local people being asked to pay when all they want to do is spend a few minutes in quiet worship.
With regard to the food issue, once one has been coming to the islands for a while they will learn where the best places to eat are and avoid the ones who serve up reheated food. I don’t know if Mr Chalmers was in a hotel or self-catering but my advice to him would be to rent a farmhouse the next time he visits the island. Part of the joy of a holiday anywhere is finding all this stuff out, and one can do worse than watch where the locals go to eat. Believe me, they are not going to put up with reheated rubbish. Also, if one is cooking for themselves, they should ask the folk next door where they buy their bread, meat, fish etc. Most of the little villages on Gozo, for instance, have a van, which comes round usually every day selling fresh fruit, vegetables etc. Local fishermen can also be found selling their fresh caught fish from the boot of their car.
With regards to the road signs… okay, Mr Chalmers has got me there. The first time I went to Valletta I spent half the day trying to find my way back to the ferry. I now rely on technology and always take my Sat-Nav with me. If you have a Sat-Nav you may have encountered problems with trying to get maps for Malta and Gozo, as they never seem to be part of the Europe mapping. There is however a local company that can provide one with an SD card containing road maps. They can be contacted them at: admin@medcomms.com.mt. Just ask for Mark Gaglione and he will fix you up. I wish all the best to Mr Chalmers and I hope he has many more years of exploring Malta and Gozo ahead of him.

James A. Tyrrell,
Northern Ireland

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