Quiet Sunday in Rabat

Cloudy with a cool breeze and rain clouds threatening...we may have outstayed Malta's summer!

Visited the Wignacourt Museum, which houses a collection of religious art, vestments and other items used by the church and worshippers dated through the 15th to 18th centuries, as well as found pottery dated as early as the 3rd century BC.  The Museum also comprises an air-raid shelter, the Grotto of St Paul, and 4th century Christian catacombs.  I was comfortable enough to visit the Grotto, which is a cave (but easily reached via a few stone steps) where St Paul is said to have preached during his stay in Malta, and venture a short distance into the air raid shelters - all hollowed by hand in the limestone.  The catacombs are not for me, neither here nor the extensive labyrinth under St Paul's Church...steep, small stone steps up and down, passages 40cm wide and less than 1.5 metre high, lit by small lamps on the walls (which, I believe, sometimes go out!).  We were both happy to pass on the catacombs.

We wandered to the small chapel of St Agatha.  We learned the tragic tale of St Agatha when we were in Sicily, and there are catacombs under the chapel where she is said to have lived while in hiding in Malta.  The chapel, crypt and catacombs were closed today, and it was very peaceful sitting in the cool of the courtyard.  Apparently a small section of the catacombs under St Agatha's Chapel are open to the public and, when you enter, you can see the exit from the entry point...so we may return tomorrow and take a look...but I don't guarantee it!

In need of a snack, we discovered a bakery with tasty treats...we had walked past this bakery a few times and caught sight of the jam and iced donuts through the tiny doorway, but we're not often looking for donuts so had never gone in for a better look.  Well, we learned today that the bakery is open 24 hours and it's a favourite with the locals for their fresh baked bread.  There's only room for perhaps three people inside!  Brent had a piece of pizza and I had sfineg...small balls of fried pizza dough with an oily anchovy fillet tucked inside.  Sound good?  Maybe not...but it was scrumptious!  We ate them sitting on a stone step in one of the church squares.