On the parkinglot near the market in Marsaxlokk a Volvo was parked.

I decided to do some christmas shopping today. And so did the rest of Malta I think! I took the bus to Valletta and stayed there for several hours looking for christmas decorations and christmas gifts.

In the afternoon I went to Sliema to buy some clothes and more gifts. when I was done I had 3 big shopping bags in each hand. After spending 20 min waiting for the bus I gave up and found and started looking for a taxi that could take me to St Julians. By then I was really tired.

10 min and €12 later – candy heaven!

I just couldn’t resist! I try not to eat candy, but when I left the store I had bought at almost 1 kilo of Malaco smågodis (pick n mix), OLW chips and ostbågar. Yammy!

Candynavia

Swedish candy!

Findus Wok

Findus vegetables are found in the freezer counter in most stores on the island.

Three Stars Safety Matches - Jönköping Sweden

Swedish matches are popular here in Malta. The match boxes in the photo are from Pavi but I’ve also seen them at Greens and other stores.

I’m definitely going there later this week!

I’ve found Findus “Klassiska & goda” meat balls in one of the stores nearby. I knew they had Findus frozen vegetables, but I’ve never seen meat balls here before.

The Black Pearl has an interesting and chequered history which dates as far back as 1909. Built at Pukavik in Sweden, and destined to be one of the last serviciers of the wooden trading schooners, she was originally named the “Black Opal”.

Fashioned on strength, so that she could penetrate the Baltic ice floes in the cold winters, and sail in the strong nordic winds of Scandinavia, the Black Schooner was constructed with a hull of two layers of thick seasoned oak. Over one hundred and fifty feet long, and with three stout masts rising ninety feet from the deck, the “Black Opal” must have made a majestic sight indeed as she sailed the high seas on her trading missions carrying a net weight of nearly four hundred tonnes.During her lifespan, the black schooner has faced many vicissitudes. For sixty-nine years she navigated under sail with cargoes of grain, coke and wood on voyages to the remotest areas of the Swedish scurries.

In 1969, she arrived in Ramsgate where she was converted into a barquentine with a luxuriously refurbished interior, modern equipment and nine thousand square feet of canvas. This re-construction work was completed on Christmas Eve in 1973.

Re-named “Aeolus” she then set sail for Australia with a crew of six, sixteen guests who worked their own passege, and a parrot who answered to the name of “Herman”. On the voyage to Australia, she called at Lisbon, Martinique, the Virgin Islands, and the Galapagos Islands.

From the cold nordic temperatures of Scandinavia and the North Seas, the Black Schooner found herself in the warm climate of Australia and the South Pacific, in the year 1974. Her owners employed a crew of sixteen professional seamen, provided accomodation for forty pampered guests and used her for holiday cruises from Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Eventually she developed weevel worm in the hull and had to be sent back to the United Kingdom for repairs. Enroute, misfortune struck as when passing through the Suez Canal a fire broke out in the engine room. She sailed into Maltese waters for repairs in 1976, and was abandoned by her owners in Marsamxett harbour where she sank, settling on the seabed at a depth of 70 feet.

In 1979 she was refloated by the Vella brothers. Her hull was repaired in the Marsa floating dock, and she was towed to Anchor Bay to be used in the filming of the motion-picture ‘Popeye’, in which she played a prominent part. She sank once again during a freak storm in 1981 and was later towed back to the Grand Harbour for repairs.

Now called the “Black Pearl” the schooner remains a majestic sight, reminiscent of days gone by, when sails ruled the waves. She no longer has to face the battering seas and high winds, as she lies safely in the sanctuary of the Ta`Xbiex Yacht Marina, for a well deserved rest.

Her present owner Vincent Vella has with foresight and entrepreneurship, converted the Black Pearl into a de luxe Bar and Restaurant, where guests are again pampered on board with lavish up-market cuisine and a first class service.

This major operation was completed in six years, with the help of family members, friends and volunteers. Now a unique attraction in the Maltese Islands, the Black Pearl is again at the service of Ladies and Gentlemen with a sense of adventure who like to enjoy a first class lunch or dinner, and a drink in a truly magnificent atmosphere.

The Black Pearl

Det är inte bara Jan Guillou och Arn som hittat till Malta. Kopparbergs cider finns att köpa i butikerna.

Swedish Mackmyra Whisky

When I was walking around in the tax-free shops in Kastrup, I found Mackmyra-whisky from Gävle in Sweden. Cool!

Robust - Swedish changing table from Skötbordsspecialisten AB

Even though I was in looooot of pain, I noticed that the changing tables in the bathrooms was Swedish. So I took a picture for my Sweden abroad collection.