On Saturday, we went on an expedition to Għar Dalam, the “cave of darkness.” This cave was discovered in the 19^th century, and it was here that the bones of ancient dwarf elephants and hippopotami were discovered, thousands of years old. The only way those bones could have arrived was if the animals crossed by land…which suggests that Malta was, at one point, connected to Sicily. It was probably also connected to Northern Africa at some point in the distant past as well! It is also here that the first human artifacts have been found—just a few shards of pottery, but enough that archeologists call this the “Għar Dalam” phase.

After learning all about ancient creatures and pottery, we had a delightful pizza much overlooking the harbor in Birzebbuga. The restaurant owner told us that we could walk along the coast and end up in Marsaxlokk (“Marsashlock”), one of the Malta’s famous fishing villages. The walk was quite a bit longer than he let on, but it was worth it—we sat by the water and watched fishing boats come in to the harbor and immediately hand over their catches to waiting restaurant workers.

Cockles and Mussles!

Hard to see, but here are some fossilized hippopotamus bones

The entrance to Għar Dalam

The lovely harbor in Marsaxlokk