Michael had read about scuba diving in Malta and so decided that would be our next holiday destination. We flew out of Dublin on the afternoon of his birthday and arrived at Valletta in time for dinner. Our hotel was situated in the resort town of Sliema, with many restaurants, bars and shops lining the streets opposite the waterfront promenade. Michael lost no time in choosing a seafood meal for his birthday dinner.
The next morning we found a nearby dive shop where Michael booked in for a series of dives starting in two days time, when the wind lessened. Then it was a short 15 minutes ferry ride across the Grand Harbour to Valletta. I have been very fortunate in our travels to see many walled cities, with fortifications large and small, but I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like the scale of the fortifications of Malta. The defensive walls and bastions completely surround the city and make for an awesome sight when seen from the water. They date back to 1552 and have been modified throughout the centuries.
We disembarked the ferry and made our way through the winding streets up the hill to the Holy Infirmary of the Knights of St John. There we attended the Malta Experience, an audio-visual show, which took us through 7000 years of history. It was a terrific introduction to the island and covered the influences on the island that various cultures have had over time including the Phoenicians, the Romans and the arrival of the Knights of St John and, of course, the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. The islands were also conquered by Napoleon who was then driven out by the British, with Malta subsequently being made a British colony.
Valletta was virtually destroyed during World War ll, with more than 14,000 bombs dropped on the island prompting George Vl to present Malta with the George Cross (the civilian equivalent to the Victoria Cross) “to bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people”.
Valletta was virtually destroyed during World War ll, with more than 14,000 bombs dropped on the island prompting George Vl to present Malta with the George Cross (the civilian equivalent to the Victoria Cross) “to bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people”.
At the end of the show we took a guided tour of the Holy Infirmary, which was built in 1574 and extended several times over the ensuing years. The Great Ward is a long hall measuring 155 metres in length and was at one time the longest in Europe.
It could accommodate 914 patients (men only) in an emergency. The building suffered serious damages during World War ll and approximately one third of the complex was destroyed. It has now been beautifully restored. Our guide then showed us the Republic Hall, an impressive and imposing structure, which was built on what was once the main courtyard of the Holy Infirmary.
It could accommodate 914 patients (men only) in an emergency. The building suffered serious damages during World War ll and approximately one third of the complex was destroyed. It has now been beautifully restored. Our guide then showed us the Republic Hall, an impressive and imposing structure, which was built on what was once the main courtyard of the Holy Infirmary.
We also visited St John’s Co-Cathedral, which was built between 1572 and 1577. The interior of the cathedral was redecorated in the 17thcentury in the Baroque style. Sir Walter Scott may have called the cathedral a “magnificent church, the most striking interior ever seen”, but I thought it was hideous. It is extremely ornate with gold absolutely everywhere.
The floor was interesting though, as it is comprised of an entire series of marble tombs, housing 400 Knights of the Order of St John. The other items that interested me were the two artworks by Caravaggio. The first is Saint Jerome Writing, which was a lovely piece but it is The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist that steals the show. This is considered to be one of Caravaggio’s masterpieces and is the largest canvas that he ever painted. It is a very impressive piece of artwork and we spent a considerable amount of time admiring the painting. Michael declared the painting, ahem, “well executed”.
The next day we took the ferry from Sliema to Valletta and then another ferry to Il-Birgu to see the Three Cities. The cities of Il-Birgu (Vittoriosa), L-Isla (Senglea) and Bormla (Cospicua), were the first home to the Knights of St John and the palaces, churches, forts and bastions are older than those in Valletta. We visited Fort St Angelo which lies at the tip of Birgu. The fort has been restored and was opened to the public in 2016. Over the years, the fort has played an important military role providing headquarters for Knights and the French and British armies. The view from the top is just magnificent. The rest of the day was spent walking around and exploring the streets.
The day of Michael’s first dive dawned and he awoke with an ear infection! Naturally it was a Sunday and all of the doctor surgeries were closed, so it was necessary to visit the nearby St James Hospital. The hospital was very efficient and in no time Michael had seen a doctor and was sent on his way armed with antibiotics, painkillers, ear drops and the news that he couldn’t dive for at least two weeks. This of course meant that we would have to re-arrange our plans, but the good thing was that once the painkillers kicked in, Michael was well enough to continue sightseeing and the infection didn’t affect his appetite.
Gozo: You’re a Diamond
Now that diving was off our list of things to do, we decided to head over to the island of Gozo. A taxi is the easiest way to travel to the ferry terminal. The system for hiring a taxi on Malta is very good – you simply go to the taxi kiosk, tell them where you want to go, pay a set fare to the attendant who then directs you to your taxi and off you go. We followed the procedure and we were soon on our way. In no time at all we arrived at the airport – we had assumed that the kiosk attendant had told the driver that we wanted to go to the ferry port whilst the taxi driver had assumed that we wanted to go to the airport. The poor driver was most apologetic but we didn’t mind as the ferries to Gozo run frequently and we had enjoyed a nice scenic tour in his taxi! The ferry ride only took 30 minutes and then it was a short taxi ride to Victoria (Rabat) to our hotel, The Duke.
Victoria is a lovely city filled with a maze of old, narrow, winding cobble stoned streets and alleys. We had a relaxing time just wandering the streets and admiring the architecture. We roamed around the St George’s Basilica, which was built in 1672. This church was decorated in the Baroque style but was nowhere near as gaudy as St John’s Co-Cathedral.
The Citadella is Gozo’s major landmark – an imposing, ancient fortified city. Until 1637 the entire population of Gozo was required by law to spend the night within the Citadel for their own safety due to marauding Turks who harassed and pillaged the Maltese islands. The worst raid on Gozo was in 1551 when the Turks overwhelmed the citadel and captured 5000 people and took them into slavery. It took nearly 50 years to re-populate the island and rebuild the Citadel. Only a couple of families still live within the Citadel walls today. We spent an entire morning roaming the streets, impressed with its size and the various museums that are housed there today. The Cathedral of the Assumption was especially magnificent, with a trompe-l’oeil painting of a dome on the ceiling.
The following day we took a Hop On Hop Off bus tour around the island. We first hopped off at the Inland Sea, which is a lagoon of water linked to the Mediterranean Sea through a narrow natural arch. It was a very picturesque spot and we were pretty much the only people there. It is very popular in the summertime with people flocking to soak up the sunshine on the stony beach and to take a fishing boat through the tunnel under the archway to the open sea.
The bus tour took us all around the island, which is very beautiful, however the highlight of the day was a visit to the Ggantija Temples. These are two temples built between 3600 and 3200 BC (before Stonehenge), which were fully revealed in the 19thcentury. The limestone blocks used to build the temples are gigantic and the people from Gozo used to believe that they were temples built by giants. Some of the blocks weigh over 50 tons! It was a very impressive sight and once again Michael and I were virtually the only people there.
Vanishing Valletta
I really didn’t want to leave Gozo, as we had enjoyed our time there however, there was still more to see and do on the main island. This time we stayed in the heart of Valletta, where we were just a stroll away from the many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. The streets are lined with worn limestone buildings with lovely timber balconies and virtually every home is adorned with iconography. The most popular images are Mary and Child and the Holy Family. The streets are kept scrupulously clean, although there are many vacant shops and businesses.
The streets were also being decorated for the Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck. The event is a Public Holiday and religious ceremonies and festivities are held in and around St Paul’s Shipwreck Parish.
The streets were also being decorated for the Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck. The event is a Public Holiday and religious ceremonies and festivities are held in and around St Paul’s Shipwreck Parish.
Michael and I took a bus to the original capital of Malta, Mdina. This is another fortified city, which is still confined within its walls. The city dates back more than 4000 years and the Apostle St Paul is said to have lived there after being shipwrecked on the islands. Malta’s noble families lived there and there are a number of impressive palaces lining the narrow streets. It is known as the “Silent City” with no cars allowed except for those owned by a limited number of residents. Only 250 people now live within the city walls and we spent the afternoon admiring the mix of Norman and Baroque architecture as we wandered the quiet streets. We finished with afternoon tea in a café on the top of the city walls where we overlooked the countryside and could see right back to Valletta.
We also visited Valletta’s brand new arts museum – Muza. Valletta is the 2018 European Capital of Culture and this is the centrepiece. The interactive gallery is based in the 15thcentury Auberge d’IItalie, once home to the Knights of St John. It houses a diverse collection of artworks and the building itself is very nice indeed.
Michael and I spent the rest of our time exploring the different restaurants, cafes and wine bars. The traditional meal of Malta is rabbit and Michael made it his mission to try every rabbit dish on offer. He had fried rabbit, rabbit stew and spaghetti with rabbit to name just a few. I am not a big fan of rabbit so I stuck mainly to the wonderful fresh pastas on offer. Michael also enjoyed the abundance of fresh seafood available. We also tried as many Maltese wines as we could during our stay and found most of them to be very good. In short, Malta is a very good foodie destination.
One of the things that I had wanted to do, was to see where Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll had stayed when she was in Malta as a young bride. Unfortunately I discovered that Villa Guardamangia is now privately owned, and despite being a listed Grade 2 monument, the owners have let the building deteriorate. The Maltese government is attempting to expropriate and restore the villa, as they wish to turn it into a tourist attraction, as obviously I am not the only person who would like to visit there.
It may not have been the holiday that we had intended, with Michael unable to dive, but we enjoyed our stay in Malta immensely. Hopefully we will be able to return so that Michael can undertake some dives – we just need to let the rabbit population recover first!
