Tuesday found us in the colorful fishing town of Marsaxlokk on the SE edge of the island.  These beautiful wooden boats, locally called  luzzos, are still used by fishermen.

Note they all have “eyes” in the front –  here in the white band.  A Phoenician tradition, these represent the eye of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, and are said to protect against evil spirits of the deep.

Dave’s query as to the type of wood the boats are built of  was answered with “iroko”.   We’ve since found this is a hardwood tree from the west coast of tropical Africa, and, though it is not in the teak family, is sometimes referred to as African Teak.

The waterfront and street are  lined with cafes and street vendors.  We had a nice squid spaghetti, and a not so good burger.

It doesn’t get better than this.

Well, maybe it does.  Taking a break. – Laura