Idun – Page 3 – ToBatheOrNotToBathe

Hunting for Jesus

We had moved into a small apartment in Buġibba by Saint Paul’s Bay in the north of Malta, and were looking forward to swimming a lot. But it turned out not to be simple. In winter, the wind blows from the west, day in and day out. Bathing from rocky cliffs was not very tempting, and we checked alternatives instead. Farthest out on the south side of the fjord there is a district and a headland called Qawra (pronounced with a silent Q and means Crow). Maybe there could be an opportunity there?

‘Business before pleasure‘ is what we often think at Tobatheornottobathe. First exploration of the place! The mysterious pool turned out to be a training target for pilots during World War II. Easily recognizable from the air. Malta, with its strategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean, was heavily bombed in the first part of the war. More than 30,000 buildings were destroyed in an island community of 250,000 inhabitants at the time.

At the far end of the Qawra headland, we found a collapsed cave. Could we swim in there? The answer was an unconditional NO. There is a direct entrance from the sea to the cave, but it is so low that the waves hit the ceiling, so you would be crushed there. The alternative could be to scuba dive in – if it’s deep enough, but we don’t know how deep it is.

After the exploration of the Qawra headland, a bath was just right, and the bay east of the headland is actually a bathing paradise! It’s warm and nice here in both summer and winter, you just have to jump in. The bottom is varied with alternating rocks and sand, and many nice fish to see.

Lush spring in Malta in February. The Qawra headland at the back right and Saint Paul’s Island with the statue of Saint Paul in the middle of the picture.

A few days later, when we were searching to find information about Saint Paul’s Island on the other side of the bay, we read that Pope John Paul II had visited the island in 1990, and in memory of this visit a statue of Jesus was lowered later that year in the sea off Saint Paul’s Island. As a diving target!

Numerous diving targets in the north of Malta Island.

Diving destinations in Malta can be:
– Caves and arches, above or below water
– Coral reefs
– Shipwrecks, often moved to suitable depths and good diving spots – Plane wrecks
– Statues

Due to detoriating visibility and declining interest in diving, the Jesus statue was moved to Qawra headland 10 years later. This suited us very well, we would like to dive down to a statue! After some pondering, we realized that Jesus was too complicated for us, 500 meters out from the Qawra headland (in which direction?), and at a depth of 35 meters (would it be visible during freediving?). To find Jesus we needed diving equipment (which we could have rented), diving certificates (Idun doesn’t have it) and good backs (nobody in Tobatheornottobathe had that during this holiday).

But now that the idea was born – could there be other diving statues in Malta? This country is said to be the most Catholic of all Catholic countries in Europe, maybe they have made other religious diving destinations? The answer turned out to be YES. There is an abyss Madonna too!

A few days later we took the bus to Ċirkewwa in the far north of the island of Malta, where the ferries go to Gozo and Comino. The name Ċirkewwa comes from the word circle, and refers to the rounded bay.

Where the map should actually have been mounted.

It was another non-bath. Again, we just had to accept that the winter wind was not on our side.

The pier and ferry port, Ċirkewwa. The circular bay is on the other side of the harbour.

Fresh breeze from the west and seas far too rough for freedivers without a wetsuit.

No bathing in these charming environment.

Ċirkewwa did not appear at its most attractive in February 2024, but very few ferry terminals are. However, a little more maintenance could nice, for us to be able to enter the view point.

We did catch a glimpse of a Madonna, though.

Anyway, we actually had a nice break from bathing, to the beautiful sight of splashing waves. Next time!

Sometimes it’s better to just look at the sea.

Buġibba

At the north of the Malta island, one can find the municipality of Saint Paul’s Bay, including several connected villages, one after the other: Xemcija in the innermost part of the bay, and further out on the south side: St. Paul’s Bay, Buġibba and at the far end; Cape Qawra. This is the most densely populated area in Malta after the capital Valletta. Around 30,000 souls live here in winter, and the double during summer.

Saint Paul’s Bay. Small houses are getting fewer.

The area is described as follows in our guidebook:
‘This large and beautiful bay, which was a quiet fishing area until the 20^th century, is sadly now surrounded by ugly modern apartments and mass-tourism hotels. Buġibba and Qawra on the southern side are particularly unattractive‘.
Here, from the 60s, one large ugly concrete block hotel after another popped up, hotels that are now being demolished to be replaced by new, better ones. Where do you bathe in such a place?

Bugibba. You exploit the width you have.

The beach in the innermost part of the bay, by Xemcija, is not allowed for swimming, and the town of St. Paul’s Bay has no swimming facilities, so there the choice was basically easy.

Yes, there are swimming opportunities in Buġibba.

Much of the coast in Malta consists of pointed cliffs that are not easy to swim from, but occasionally there are beaches, and we found a small one in Buġibba, not far from the apartment.

Tobatheornottobathe had for a long time accumulated points through a house exchange website, and decided to use some of them to travel south in the winter of 2024. When you get an offer of free accommodation for 3 weeks, you can’t fuss about such details as bad reviews in the guidebook, can you? We wanted to escape from an icy Trondheim to a warmer climate, in the hope of getting our backs in order. The both of us struggled with back pain this winter, and what can possibly be better for your back than swimming?

Always keep your back against the waves! Or was it the other way around?

Saint Paul’s Bay has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and traces of people have been found 6,000 years back.

Here you find remains of temples several thousand years old, baths from Roman times and forts built by the Order of Saint John. Between the new houses, that is.

Living in South Trøndelag, Norway, we know Dolmsundet by the Hitra island well, and we are big fans of ‘Knutsen and Ludvigsen‘, so we have to admit that we were very surprised when we saw ‘Dolmen‘ as a place name, and also Dolmen Hotel on the map. What on earth could that be?

There was no connection. ‘Dolmen‘ in ‘Trønder dialect‘ means ‘less wind‘, i.e. shallow waters, and it fits well with the place Dolmsundet, which is a rather narrow channel. A dolmen from prehistoric times, however, is a tomb consisting of a horizontal, flat stone lying on top of two vertical, flat stones. A bit like a small (stone) henge, but a burial place and not a temple.

So where was this dolmen in Saint Paul’s Bay situated? We wanted to see it! It turned out that the Dolmen that Dolmen Hotel is named after is located in the hotel’s garden. And the hotel was closed due to renovations, so we couldn’t get in to see. Big disappointment! The closest we got was this new dolmen – made by concrete – in a roundabout two blocks from the apartment. The Buġibba dolmen is from the Tarxian period, a prehistoric phase in Malta (3000-2500 BC), where a lot of temple building took place. However, the term ‘dolmen‘ comes from Gaelic and means ‘stone with a hole‘.

Rough seas for bathing in Buġibba. Saint Paul’s Islands far far away.

The house book in Buġibba suggested the rocky cliffs below the promenade as a bathing place, only a few minutes away from the apartment. It was not a good recommendation – in winter time! During 18 days there were no days with flat seas. And Saint Paul’s Bay is so wide that it is too harsch when the wind is blowing from the west. But a short distance into the fjord we found a small bay with calm water, and we got to bathe from the rocks in Buġibba at least once. And at the same time could follow the doctor’s advice of walking in uneven terrain.

There were some fish, but not quite the aquarium feeling.

Walking in barefoot wouldn’t have been a good idea right here.

It was quite OK to swim in Buġibba, but generally speaking, this is probably not the best bathing spot during wintertime.

Ref:
Rix, Juliet: ‘Malta and Gozo‘, Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, 2019,
ISBN 978 1 78477 070 9

Lagoon or Hole?

The Maltese Islands lie as an archipelago of limestone on the African tectonic plate. The limestone was deposited in the sea between 8 and 20 million years ago, so this is a very young landscape.

Limestone with remains of shells (Buġibba).

At the end of the last ice age, Malta was landlocked with Sicily due to the low sea level, and they are considered one unit geologically (even though Malta doesn’t have any vulcanos). When the waves break against the limestone, the most beautiful formations are formed, so here you just have to grab your snorkel and start exploring!

Armier Bay looks boring, but there’s fun around the next corner! In the background: Comino island, the smallest of the three inhabited Maltese islands (less then 10 people live there). Behind that is then Gozo, the middle sized iceland.

We had read about 2 great snorkeling attractions in the far north of the island of Malta, and they had to be checked out: The Blue Hole and Coral Lagoon.

Cairns everywhere. Is this really necessary?

We dare not think about the reactions these stone towers would have caused in Iceland, where cairn building is strictly prohibited. But we agree with the Icelanders: It should be possible to go for a walk without leaving a trace!

No doubt, there is a hole here somewhere.

It was only a few hundred meters to walk from the car park before we reached the blue hole, no problem with that. But the opening? Knut had read somewhere that you could swim into it. We went back and forth a few times, and also did some googling, before we looked down into the hole from the other side. There was an arch!

This was the start of a climbing hell. It turned out that the Blue Hole and the Coral Lagoon are the same spot (or actually, the “Blue Hole” tag in Google Maps is probably wrong, placed by someone who has mixed this up with the “Blue Hole” on Gozo). Both names are comprehensive, and when you climb on corals… Well, it’s ok with your shoes on, but we didn’t have wet socks or wet shoes. Warning: Do not walk barefoot on rocks that look like coral!

Not nice to walk barefoot here. This reminded us of a Dimmu Borgir in miniature (check the non-bath ‘*Grjótagjá of Thrones*‘).

The next problem was the waves. A fresh breeze from the west was somewhat worrying, but we got into the sea, to the east of the opening, without any major problem. This is a great snorkeling spot!

Lagoon or hole? It doesn’t matter, we loved snorkeling there. We spotted fewer fish (and people) than expected, but the light was beautiful both above and below water. But of course, ‘lagoon‘ seams to be more extraordinary than ‘hole‘.

Well inside, as expected, the water was calm.

There where also caves to explore inside. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring any lights.

View from inside a cave, same direction as previous picture.

The return trip? Apart from the fact that we had forgotten to take notice of where our stuff was placed, it went almost completely well. We swam a hundred meters too far before going up, the dwellings were quite big, with bleeding hands and feet as a result.

But we didn’t regret it! We have never regretted a bath. Not yet!

Saint Paul’s Shipwrecking

The apostle Paul, born in 10 AD, was an eager persecutor of Christians as a young man. But on his way to Damascus to persecute there, he was blinded by a bright light, he heard the voice of Jesus and was converted. From the age of 35 he himself traveled around as a missionary for Christianity, and his letters form the basis of modern Christianity. After twelve years of evangelizing, he came to Jerusalem, where he caused so much trouble that he was imprisoned by the Romans. On his way to the trial in Rome AD 60, he survived a shipwreck off Malta, and this is something the Maltese people will never forget.

Paul’s statue in Rabat, Malta. Paul lived for 3 months in a cave nearby. By his feet lies the snake that bit Paul.

The shipwrecking is detailed in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27: ‘… And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship.‘

There are countless churches, streets and memorials in Malta dedicated to Saint Paul, including the church of San Pawl in Buġibba, where parts of the text have been cited in at least 10 different languages. The Maltese focus mostly on the description of the time after the shipwrecking; that they were well received in Malta (Acts 28). When they came ashore, the Maltese lit a fire for the castaways so they could warm themselves. A snake came out of the wood and bit Paul. When he was not harmed by the snakebite, he was considered a God, and the Maltese converted to Christianity. After this, there have never been snakes in Malta.

St Paul’s Shipwreck Church, Buġibba, Malta. Acts 28 cited in Maltese on the left and English to the right.

According to tradition, the shipwrecking occurred on the north-east coast of Malta island, at two more or less connected islands that are today called Saint Paul’s Islands. The entire area within is also named after the event: Saint Paul’s Bay.

‘And we were all in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.‘ Acts 27.

Saint Paul’s Island shining in the evening sun.

On the largest of the two islands, a statue of Paul was erected in 1844, signed Segismondo Dimech and Salvatore Dimech. The statue has been restored several times and blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1990. We wanted to swim there!

Saint Paul’s Island with the statue of Saint Paul.

A swim across a strait a couple of hundred meters wide would be an easy match for Tobatheornottobathe, we thought in our exquisite optimism. And we prepared really well this time: mask, snorkel, flippers, diving buoy and even a small inflatable boat to carry our clothes (the plan was to climb up to the statue once we got there). But then there was this thing called season. We traveled to Malta in February to get some sun and heat, but we were not quite aware that during the winter season, Malta is a windy place. There is a lot of boat traffic in the strait, and we didn’t want to take the risk of not being seen in rough water. So we had to wait a couple of weeks before the breeze eased and we could set off. But finally we were on the way, in flat and fine sea.

Flat sea, you said? Well… it really wasn’t that flat.

The decision to swim on the outside of the islands was not a good idea! (We wanted to avoid the fish farming ‘cages’ on the inside) Comment from Knut before we came out of the wind shelter from Comino and Gozo: ‘Oh so wonderful, it feels like flying!‘ Answer from Idun after the sea got rougher: ‘It feels like swimming in a washing machine! I might be sick!‘

Where could it be, the beach where we were supposed to enter the island?

The landing after they hit land is described as follows in Acts 27: ‘And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.‘

Tobatheornottobathe did not land on Saint Paul’s Island. We would probably have made it, but it would have been a bloody affair. And the conclusion? The shipwrecking probably never happened in Saint Paul’s Bay. But we have read that there is a place further south on Malta called Munxar, by Saint Thomas’ Bay. This beach has a reef outside, where ships can easily sink. To be continued – maybe…

After a crossing that was almost right, time was just right for a taste of the right redwine.

The Fortified City

Malta’s old capital is located on a hill in the middle of the island overlooking almost the entire Malta. The name comes from Arabic and means ‘The Fortified City‘. It’s a name that fits very well, and now we’re talking about a medieval town with walls that are amazingly well preserved.

The settlement on the hill goes all the way back to the Bronze Age, and traces of the Phoenicians have been found from 700 BC, including two engraved stones. The stones are a thank you for being heard by God after a substitute sacrifice (sacrificial lamb instead of the sacrifice of a child). The Phoenician name for Mdina was Maleth (refuge). There are remains from Roman times in the suburb of Rabat, including catacombs. The apostle Paul lived for a few months in Mdina (in Roman times called Melite), after he was shipwrecked at Malta around AD 60, invited by the governor, Publius. While living in Melite, Paulus cured the governor’s father, and several miracles also occurred, with the result that the whole population of Malta was converted to Christianity, and Publius became the first Maltese bishop.

The current name Mdina (inside the walls), and Rabat (the suburbs), came with the Byzantine occupation in AD 870. During the conquest, the population was massacred, and marble from the church was shipped to Susse in Tunisia, where it was used to build a castle. After a short siege in 1091, Malta came under Sicilian rule. Mdina withstood a Turkish siege in 1429, earning the name ‘Città Notabile‘ (the glorious city). Today, some 250 people live in Mdina, and 11,000 in Rabat.

Mdina has been a city for church leaders and nobility. High palace factor within the walls, but correspondingly low party factor.

Mdina is not suitable for driving, the streets are too narrow for that. Thus the traffic signs here do not specify the maximum height the cars can have, but the width…

When the Order of Saint John settled in Malta in 1530, Mdina was the capital. However, the knights wanted a base closer to the sea, and moved the capital to Birgu in 1532. After this, Mdina, with its palaces, has been a retreat place for the Maltese upper class, and is nicknamed ‘The Quiet City‘.

From Mdina there is a view to most of Malta island.

What does a fortified city in the middle of a dry island have to do with swimming, you might think. And yes, this seemed to become a long day without any bathing at all. But then we found a beautiful, small hotel with only 6 rooms – and a roof terrace, claiming to have a “Spa”.

Knut is looking for a place to swim. The hotel has taken the name Bifora from the two-part window shown above.

Could there be an opportunity here? But where exactly was the pool located?

No trace of the pool. Apart from the little, blue sign about the water depth…

Yes, the pool was just a click away. The staff at Bifora where friendly and service minded, and arranged a bathing facility for us. And we imagine what a luxury this must be in the middle of the summer heat!

The pool cover is removed with an electric motor.

Swimming in Mdina is actually just perfect!

Afterwards, evening came and the streets got their own glow!

Pseudo craters

At the southern end of Mývatn lies the small village of Skútustaðir. It is surrounded by pseudocraters, and that is something quite special. Pseudocraters are not volcanic craters. They are formed when lava intrudes into a lake. The water evaporates, and sooner or later the pressure becomes so high that the steam is pushed up through the lava. This is how pseudo craters are formed, rounded and beautiful in shape, but they are not volcanoes, as they never erupted lava themselves.

Pseudocrater with the real volcano Vindbelgjarfjall in the background.

The grassy pseudocraters form an interesting frame around the mini-lake Stakhólstjörn, which is located inside lake Mývatn. The place is well arranged with paths all the way around and up on the crater rim to some of the pseudocraters. Stakhólstjörn is a paradise for birds, you can observe many swans, ducks and geese on the water.

Stakhólstjörn and pseudo craters. Far far away: Lake Mývatn

Stakhólstjörn has an outlet to Mývatn through the little river Skipaskráður, which can be crossed over a small bridge. It is nice to swim here. We were concerned about the amount of bird droppings in Stakhólstjörn, and chosed swimming in Mývatn itself. The water is clear and nice, but terribly shallow. Swim with your hands, otherwise you’ll get scratches on your knees!

The technical section of tobatheornottobathe unfortunately has not been able to find the pictures we both remember to have taken, so this bath will stay undocumented!

Grótagjá of Thrones

Mývatn in the north of Iceland is located in an active volcanic area. Here you can experience almost everything: New and old volcanoes, hot springs, sulphurous steams, boiling mud baths, narrow gorges and strange geological phenomena such as pseudocraters and Dimmuborgir. Spend some days here!

Dimmuborgir (the Dark Fortress). Hverfjall in the background to the left.

Dimmuborgir was formed by lava from the volcanic eruptions in Lúdentsborgir and Þrengsborgir some 2000 years ago. The place was originally a depression in the landscape, which was filled with lava. The lava solidified from the top, but not all the way to the bottom. Some lava found its way out again, and this led to the ‘roof’ of the lava caves collapsing, creating the impression of a ruined, black fortress. Here you find caves and peculiar rock formations everywhere.

Dimmuborgir was about to be buried by sand dunes, and a lot of resources have been spent on conservation. Now, as the vegetation has finally returned, there is much debate about whether to remove the birch or not – before it hides the whole thing.

Dimmuborgir has been the location of many fairy tales and myths. In pagan times, as a transition place between the world of elves and humans. With Christianity came the belief that this was Hell, the place where the Devil lived after being thrown out of Heaven. Of more recent myths, we have stories of the Santas (Iceland has 12 of them), that used to live here.

Hverfjall with Mývatn in the background. Hverfjall erupted some 2500 years ago.

One trip we enjoyed a lot was this one: First walk 2-3 of the paths through Dimmuborgir. From there you can follow a path that goes to the volcano Hverfjall. The volcano is not very high, but you can still feel the rise. There are 2 steps forward and one back since the mountain consists of gravel (tuff). Once up, it’s a splendid view! Go around the volcano and down on the other side. From there you can follow the signs to Grótagjá (the Cave Gil). Here you can clearly see how the continental plates are moving away from each other, as there are cracks and crevasses everywhere.

The gill Grótagjá is filled with water, and the cave was a highly valued bathing place before 1975. But during the volcanic eruptions between 1975 and 1984, the temperature in the water rose to over 50°C and bathing became impossible. Later, the temperature has dropped again and the place became a popular tourist attraction. However, vandalism led to the cave being closed, people were camping in the cave, washed their shoes and brushed their teeth in the water, etc. Now Grótagjá has had a new renaissance, after the place was the location for a Game of Thrones’ scene in the episode ‘Kissed by Fire‘ in the third season. Although the cave has been reopened, there are still prohibiting signs against bathing (because the temperature might change vey quickly, they claim). It’s not just right to swim in Grótagjá!

Grótagjá unfortunately was a ‘*NOT*‘ for us. The photographers would have lost their jobs, if they weren’t sort of permanently hired. We don’t have any good pictures from inside, but trust us: it’s very nice!

After a non-cave bath, some tough heavy metal music could have been just right, but Dimmuborgir is not what they used to be…

They look just sweet and nice, the Icelandic group Dimmuborgir. Not at all like the Norwegian symphonical heavy metal band Dimmu Borgir.

The man who stopped the lava

By Mývatn’s northern bank is a village with 300 inhabitants: Reykjahlið (The Smokey Hillside). Here you find cabins and hotels, a gas station and a shop – quite ordinary.

Reykjahlið. ‘*Do you want to join a bath? A sunbath only? Well, that’s ok.*‘

However, the surroundings are spectacular, we are in an active geological area that is subject to ‘Queen Krafla‘. A well-known volcanic eruption was the so-called ‘Mývatn fires‘ in 1724-1729 (actually an outbreak from Krafla, 15 km away). These were dramatic years. The lava came closer and closer, and buried house after house in the village, just like in Grindavík right now (january 2024).

The Reykjahlið lavafield. Far behind: The volcano Hverfjall.

Then – a miracle happened: The lava flow slowed down – at the church stairs! The inhabitants and the church were saved! The intense prayers from the priest (Tobatheornottobathe has not been able to find the name of the priest. Any help will be deeply appreciated!) were given the honor of stopping the lava. Today, the church has been replaced by a new church (from 1962), but the lava still looks quite fresh.

On the opposite side of highway 1, there is a hiking trail down to Mývatn (Lake Mosquito). This unique water is very shallow, the average depth is 5 meters distributed over a 37 km_² area.

Don’t even try to dive here! But the water is clear and nice – until you swirl up deposits from the bottom. And the water wasn’t very cold, presumable because of shallow ground.

An evening bath in Mývatn was just right, in April 2021.

Galway Girl

Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, had close trade relations with France and Spain from the Middle Ages. Today, the city is a center for Irish language, music and culture and hosts several festivals, including food, art and film.

One of Galway’s many canals dressed for Christmas.

Many of the houses in Galway are quite old. As an example, the building that houses the pub ‘The King’s Head’, dates from the 13th century. The name refers to King Charles I, who was convicted of treason and beheaded in 1649. In this pub they sell an excellent red beer called ‘The King’s Blood’. This beer has a thick foam (head of the beer) which is reminiscent of the Guinness’ foam (made by adding nitrogen gas). And as our guide pointed out: This beer holds the ‘head’ better than King Charles I could…

But it’s not just the beer that draws you into the Irish pubs, of course. In Galway you will find live music almost everywhere!

Many pubs have their own areas specifically reserved for musicians, but that means hard-core folk music completely lacking international hits.

But yes, there are some pubs that run a simplified version: 1-2 guitarists with a typical Creedence-Cash-Eagles repertoire. Finding bigger bands at play is not too difficult, either. In that case, you will certainly hear this:

And I ask you friend, what’s a fella to do
‘Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

… and actually – we found her! Knut could give a handshake ‘to a Galway Girl’.

Knut on a date with ‘the Galway Girl’. The road work around the bench did not inspire any romance.

In retrospect, it turned out that Knut was not very satisfied with the meeting, so maybe it’s still hope for Idun – even if she doesn’t have blue eyes? The song was first released in the year 2000, but this Galway Girl appeared to be at least 100 years old! And where was the hair? Wrapped in a shawl? No, better to stick to the song and the dream..

‘Galway Girl’ was created by the American musician Steve Earl. He spent a few years in Ireland after a troubled period in the United States. The song is written for/about Joyce Redmond, who played bodhrán on the first release. However, she is not exactly a Galway Girl, as she grew up on the Howth peninsula north of Dublin. On the other side, Joyce Redmond’s mother was from the Aran Islands (Inishmore, where we also have had a bath or two), and that is maybe close enough? Joyce had neither black hair nor blue eyes, and never became Steve Earl’s wife – despite the fact that he was married seven times to six different women. But the mood of the song is perfectly Galway-ish:

I took a stroll down the old Long Walk
On the day-I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
On a fine soft day-I-ay

Much of Galway’s city wall on the east side of the River Corrib was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. But there is still a part remaining, including the so-called Spanish Arch of 1584.

At the Spanish Arch, a major construction project is currently ongoing (2023), to protect the lower part of the city from flooding. During storms and spring floods, basements have repeatedly been filled with water, and they are now trying to do something to stop it. As a temporary measure, two water ‘sausages’ have been laid out as a dam, and on the wall of Nimmo’s restaurant you can see an art installation in the form of a fluorescent tube that shows how high the water will be at spring tide in the year 2150 – if the melting of glaciers continues as today .

Water dam at the Spanish Arch. Horizontally on the wall you can see the assumed sea level in the year 2150.

If you walk along the estuary, southwards from the Spanish Arch, you will reach ‘The Long Walk’ mentioned in the song. This is a row of houses protected by masonry, and a nice place to stroll. And it is not unlikely to have a romantic encounter here. Even Ken Bruen writes beautifully about ‘The Long Walk’ in the crime novel ‘Priest’.

Actually, this trip is not so long that you shouldn’t also stop by the ‘Galway City Museum’, which is next door.

The Long Walk as seen from the Claddagh.

Otherwise, you can walk ‘The Long Walk’ both above and below the wall – as ‘Tobatheornottobathe’ did. On the second morning of the Galway trip, we were well informed about the condition of the river, which is not bad at all. As you know, the Corrib flows very fast, and when you add the information that there are salmons both there and in Lake Corrib above, adding the fact that the river is only 6 km long, then pollution is not a big issue. This left us with only two unsettled questions:
1) Where are the backwaters that prevent us from drifting out to sea?
2) How to get into a bathing position when the river is enclosed by both fences and water ‘sausages’?

Not far along ‘The Long Walk’ we found – lo and behold – a staircase down to the river bank, which made it easy to go back below the wall to the stairs behind Nimmo’s. We found plenty of broken glass there! It seems to be a favorite pastime to sit and drink on the edge of the wall and throw the bottles into the river. Maybe that’s how romance happens?

It was a splendid bath! The stairs were almost free from glass, and we didn’t hurt ourselves even without swimming shoes. But the current was a bit scary, so we didn’t actually swim, it was just a dip.

A dip in the rocky, swift river turned out to be just right.

Galway

On the west side of Ireland, there is a beautiful coast that calls with a Siren’s (Silkie’s?) song to every bathing enthusiast. But if it’s the Irish folk spirit you want to meet, then you also have to visit the city of Galway on the north side of Galway Bay.

Galway, looking north towards ‘The Latin Quarter’.

Galway, with its population of just over 80,000, is a lively city with a long history. The king of the region of Connacht built a fortification in 1124 by the river Gaillimh, which later became a town. In 1484, a city council was formed with a mayor. The city was ruled by 14 trading families, ‘The Tribes of Galway‘. Of these, 12 were of Norman origin and 2 were Irish.

The alley is ready for party, and in 2023 it is also allowed to speak Gaelic here.

People of Irish descent did not have automatic access to the city in the old days, they lived in the Claddagh district at the west side of the river. In a statute in the 16th century the following could be read: ‘Neither O’ nor Mac shall strut or swagger through the streets of Galway without permission‘.

Watch out for green! Ireland’s nickname is ‘*The Green Island*‘.

We stayed in ‘The Latin Quarter‘, where there is partytime both day and night. So lively that all the rooms (some of which had been hotel rooms for more than 700 years) were armed with earplugs. Every afternoon, the street players appear everywhere, and they move around the city space following an intricate system of permits and self-justice.

Harp concert in Galway for Oscar Wilde and Estonian Eduard Wilde.

The name of the city of Galway has several erroneous interpretations and myths attached to it, including that it comes from Gailleamh, which was the name of the chieftain Fir Bolg’s daughter. Gailleamh drowned in the river, and her father was so distraught over this that he camped on the spot to mourn her spirit. The town that later grew here is said to have been named Gaillimh in her honour. But – the current opinion is that Galway city got its name from the river, an anglicisation of the Gaelic ‘Gaillimh‘ = ‘The Rocky River‘.

The river is today called the Corrib and is, according to local sources, the fastest flowing urban river in all of Europe. Yes! The Corrib is fast running!

Not all the bridges in Corrib are well maintained.

When it came to swimming in Galway, Tobatheornottobathe were in strong doubt. On the one hand – It looks like great fun flowing with the current in Corrib! On the other hand, such a stunt would require an extended HSE focus, for example by use of a wet suit. And we were on a weekend holiday without extra equipment beyond swimwear and a towel.

River Corrib in full speed under the Wolfe Tone Bridge. At weekends, guards make sure that no one jumps in.

Besides, there was the other bathing issue – hygiene. When we were ready for the first morning bath in Galway, we had no idea about the ‘bathability‘ in relation to water quality. Tobatheornottobathe therefore made the simple decision to swim in the sea instead of the river, and headed west from the mouth of the Corrib.

View towards the district of Claddagh on the west side of Corrib.

On the way we came across this sign, which became an excellent starting point for a lively discussion. ‘Oh, funny, a fishing school!‘ Knut said. ‘Nonsense!‘, Idun (and one of our co-travellers, who shall remain anonymous) replied, ‘Episcopal means that this is a church’s school!‘

Claddagh Piscatorial School: School of the Bishop or for the Fishermen?

… but this time Idun actually had to admit that she was wrong. Claddagh Piscatorial School is not Episcopal. It was the Dominicans who wanted to teach the fishermen new ways to fish, and therefore created this school. Not a very popular idea among the local fishermen that someone should come along and teach them how to fish!

The Galway Tribesmen Rugby League field at South Park, Galway.

It is nice to walk west from Galway city center and we aimed for Mutton Island. On the map it looks like a paradise for a walk, and also perfect for swimming.

Knut stretches his back on the way out to Mutton Island.

But no. The entire island is closed off, and there are also signs prohibiting swimming from the pier. And when we discovered what the island is used for, all temptations to sneak in a bath disappeared like dew in the cold November sun. Mutton Island is used in its entirety for cleaning the sewage from Galway!

Bathing ban at the walkway to the Waste Water Handling Island.

So then it was just a matter of giving up? No, Tobatheornottobathe doesn’t give in that easy. There was a beautiful sandy beach just inside Mutton Island and the walkway. As long as we entered the beach from the beach promenade, there was no prohibition – according to our interpretation. It turned out to be a really nice bath, and we were almost completely sure that the water quality was good.

Salt Hill Prom, as mentioned in Steve Earl’s lovely song ‘*Galway Girl*‘. Two tobatheornottobathers seen far left.

When you (Knut) have a backache, a fresh bath is just perfect. The cold water shocks away pain and stiff muscles, and leaves you in really good shape afterwards. At least with a small taste of Irish whiskey in the body.

If the Scots can make the ‘*Water of Life*‘, then the Irish must be able to too?

It is believed that Irish monks started distilling and producing whiskey from the 13th century. The drink was popular into the 19th century, but after many years of decline there were only two Irish distilleries left in 1966. This trend has now been completely reversed, with Irish whiskey being the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990.

Behind the headland in the west lie ‘*The Aran Islands*‘. Salt Hill to the right.

Silkie was, according to the legends, a kind of mermaid. She had a human form but also a seal-figure. In the moonlight she came ashore and danced on the beach. The Silkie was beautiful, with dark hair and deep soulful eyes. A young fisherman saw the seal woman, they fell in love and lived together for a while. But the sea called Silkie, stronger and stronger, until finally she gave in and went back to the sea forever.

Tobatheornottobathe has the general opinion that it’s always a good time for a bath, but this time we feel the fisherman might not quite agree.