Amazing Race Fail

 Yesterday felt like one of those times when you watch a hapless couple on that show; they have been given a task and they just can't get it done; you feel so badly for them.  And one of them is so wound up and bitchy that you feel sorry for their partner.  The bitchy one was me!  As Randy put it, "you were like the Tasmanian Devil."  He was afraid that when we returned to Casa Ellul I might leap across the desk and pull that lady's hair out.  We needed to get negative covid tests to enter Italy today, and we were following the desk clerk's suggestions to take the ferry to Sliema (it's so quick) and then"you just get off and go across the street and a little bit left and you can't miss it!  It (Brown's Pharmacy) is famous.  Just ask anyone for directions." 

The first problem was that when we finally found the ferry dock, we sat there and no ferry came.  We saw a sightseeing boat dock next to us, and some people got on, but no one said to the clueless Americans, "hey! just for today, this is the public ferry."  They just took off.  Finally, when it came back after just 1/2 an hour another passenger was nice enough to explain the issue to us.  No signs, no one taking pity on us.  

When we got to Sleima, we followed the desk clerk's directions and found nothing.  12 people later, NO ONE had ever heard of Brown's Pharmacy.  We pressed on, asking anyone and getting lots of directions that had us climbing uphill and down, but no Brown's Pharmacy.  Finally, a nice man from the UK helped us out and we actually, after an hour or so, found the place, only to be told that "testing was over today at 1 p.m."  Now it was 3:00.  The clerk told us that if we went to St. Julian's, they had another testing site that was open until 4:00.  We had no idea how to get there.  We got lucky, though, because a nice American couple who have lived in Malta for five years said they would walk us to where we could catch a bus to St. Julian's.  Then the wife remembered seeing a government covid testing place just two blocks away!  And they took us!  Without appointments! And our tests were negative! Although by now, we would have been the last team to arrive, and Phil would have sent us home.

Looking back at Valletta from the ferry.  The large dome is part of the
Basilica of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, right across the street from Casa Ellul