Malta - an undiscovered gem !
Left for Malta on 13th November on 1830 flight. Arrived at 2310. Malta is an hour ahead of Ireland. The taxi from the airport to the hotel, 7 km away, took less than 10 minutes - the taxi man drove like the hammers of hell!!
The Phoenicia is a stylish 1920s hotel sensitively restored. We had a cool drink in their stylish residents' bar and then retired.
This morning, I enjoyed, from our bedroom window, the spectacular view of the harbour, and the fortresses which surrounds it. This little country has had more than its fair share of invaders. The earliest settler arrived 5000BC , followed by numerous incaders including the Greeks, Romans, Turks of Ottoman Empire fame , the French and finally the English in 1800. The English ruled until 1964 when Malta finally received its independence from Britain. It declared a republic in 1974,and joined the EU in 2004.
As we had awoken late, we decided to head down the Main Street; Republic Street in search of breakfast. The hotel is ideally situated just outside the main gate of the capital Valletta, adjacent to the bus station. With the Maltese reputation for camecasee (sp?) driving and our taxi experience of last night , I think we will be using the busses and ferries to explore the island, which is small in area.
The richness of the architecture is phenomenal The main gate has been redesigned many times and one crosses the deep dry moate, which surrounds the city to reach the gate. Immediately inside to your right is the Parliament building under construction from original stone which blends sympathetically with its surroundings. Beside it is the Royal Opera house, which was heavily bombed in 1942, in fact Malta endured more bombing raids than London during WW11. The site was completed as an open air theatre but there is opposition to this government decision by those who wish to return the opera house to its former glory.
Arriving in Great Seige Square, we sought out a cafe and as we breakfasted outside, we watched the world go by. The temperature was 22• with a slight breeze. - very pleasant for a late November morning.
Across the square were the Law Courts . For research purposes, colleagues, I asked if we might enter and I received an affirmative answer. However, as we went through security, the security man asked me if I knew that I was entering the Law Courts.? Obviously, they don't get many tourist!
The building had a fine marble staircase but the courts appeared more modern The building would not rival the Four Courts in style or elegance. I looked through the small window in the door of a number of court until I saw one where a sitting was in progress. We entered and what appeared to be our equivalent of a registrar indicated to me to remove my sunglasses which I had forgotten were perched on my head.
A young, black man was before the court as I understood it, he was brfore the court for not turning up at work, though I may have been mistaken !! The magistrate, I later learned it was a magistrates' court, (the Irish District Court equivalents) told the young man that as he couldn't be found he had had to be arrested and that if he did not return to the court again he would be fined €1,000 . The judge continued with his list and called case 7, chanting 'case 7 all good children go to heaven'. There was no response from the body of the court at which time one of the police officers asks me 'Maltese or English?' ( I must look like a native!) when I replied 'English ' she asked if I was here for a case? I replied in the negative. I don't know whether she thought I was counsel or criminal?? I decided to take my leave.
We wandered up stairs where we came across the civil and criminal courts and in addition the Court of Appeal but all were vacant !! Try as we might we couldn't find another court in session.
We crossed the Square to one of the star attractions - St Johns Co Cathedral. The exterior of the building is in simple classical style but the interior is Baroque on steroids! It appears that when the baroque style came into vogue the knights wanted to emulate and , if possible, outshine the churches of Rome. They engaged the architect Cassar to build church (15553-1557) The church is an outstanding example of the period - the grand altar with its silver, the marble floors which cover the knights tombs, the vault decorated with frescoes by Mattia Preti and 'the beheading of St John the Baptist by Caravaggio; his signature in red, emanating from the blood of the St - the only work reputed to bear Caravaggio's signature. We spent about 2 hours there and one could spend much longer; drinking on the richness of the side altars, the largest collection of Flemish tapestries and the church historical vestments.
We exited the cathedral and decide to take in the 'Valletta Living History ' audiovisual show which was a very superficial account of the city's history. Trip Advisor had recommended it - I am becoming more sceptical of what TA recommends - of late it appears everything and anything !
We continued to Republic Square
Quitting the cafe, we continued down Republic Street to Fort St Elmo; a spectacular fort being renovated at present. Since joining the EU, the latter has pumped vast sums of money into the restoration of the city - money well spent as it is a spectacular city. This fort last saw action in WW11.
We returned to the hotel via Bakery Street ( Maltese are famous for their breads) in order to check out a restaurant that appeared interesting for dinner tonight. As we walked up the street, one could see all the houses with their balconies, which in the past, enabled the women and children to watch life go by on the street below.
Balconies were a status symbol, first built by the knights and imitated by the general public. Initially they were constructed of stone but when timber became less expensive; wooden balconies replaced stone. During the British area King George green became popular. Finally, maintenance of the timber became so costly that wood was replaced by wrought iron.
When we eventually found the restaurant it appeared to be shut down but the antique dealer across the road assured us that it would open at 7 pm
We returned to the hotel for a late siesta and a subsequent phone call confirmed that the restaurant is indeed open and we have a booking for tonight ......
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