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Blue grottos abound in the Mediterranean. You may even be tempted to think that once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Not really. Malta’s Blue Grotto is a unique work of art, the masterpiece of nature gone wild in its own embellishment. Reached easiest from the fjord-like tiny harbour of Wied iz-Zurrieq, the Blue Grotto is where one would not uncommonly expect to find the fabled sirens, singing and horsing around, in the crystal-blue water inside the huge cave.
As the boatman paddles you further into the alluring grotto, the sound of silence now one huge crescendo, all you have to do is dip your hand into the water and watch it turn a special blue. Hey presto, you have the magic of Blue Grotto. Add to it the happy banter of the boatmen earlier competing loudly for your custom, and the mystique of the whole place, carved out at the bottom of the very rock that rises into hefty, sheer cliffs above.
As with every magical cave, the Blue Grotto has its legends not only of singing sirens, but also of the less graceful pirates who once terrorised the Mediterranean Sea for many decades and who found in the cave, the ideal camouflage before springing on their innocent prey. The Blue Grotto, known in Maltese as Il-Hnejja, got its international name from a British soldier who had been to Capri’s own blue grotto.
So, as with everywhere and everything in Malta, you also catch a bit of history along with the cobalt blue and other colours that highlight the tell-tale walls of this cave. A special place.
This is a place that is well worth visiting even if it is a little bit out of the way and off the beaten track. Getting their by car is still relatively easy but you will need to take a map with you to be sure. By bus you need to go to Valletta first then catch a number 138 or 28 bus which will take you right there. Once there, you simply have to take a boat trip. Not an option. It’s a must.
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