Old meets the new

The trip lasted just eight minutes, but seven elderly men who took the ferry to Valletta out of curiosity managed a heated debate about the current state of political affairs, the new Upper Barrakka lift, the progress of the dockyard project and the depleted state of fishing. The driver of the 12-passenger dinghy called Ariel listened as he steered the boat to Lascaris wharf from Cospicua. The passengers aboard Ariel were initially suspicious of the “lanċa” at first, but they soon agreed that taking the ferry was the most convenient way to reach Valletta, especially since the lift saved them climbing the tiring slope to the capital. The ferry service connecting The Three Cities to Valletta came into operation earlier this month, coinciding with the opening of the lift to the Upper Barrakka gardens. Passengers are entitled to use the lift for free on the same day, and the men, who wanted to make the best out of the 90c return fare, continued their debate as they were whizzed up 58 metres to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The lift was built on the site of the original Barrakka elevator that remained in service until 1970, and a sign from those days, which reads ‘The Barrakka lift, the...