Tag Archives: Island of Malta

They Went For Baroque Building This…

Island of Malta, Malta, Valletta, ,

Ok bad pun.

I promised Kim we would have a more casual trip this time so we did something else I am bad at, sleeping in on vacation. I am up early and ready to go no matter where I am and Kim has had to teach me to slow down when away. 26+ year of marriage later and multiple trips abroad I am beginning to understand although I do get antsy quickly I still admit. So… after sleeping in a bit we hit up two other places we wanted to see, the St John’s Co-Cathedral and Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck.

St John’s Co-Cathedral is the church for the Knights of St John and is a fine example of Baroque architecture. Rich for the eye, the pictures I have added to this post do not do justice to what we saw. The knights sure knew how to show their devotion. Many of the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller (aka leaders of the knights) are buried here and it was interesting to see the title ‘Grand Master’ associated with knights vs rappers and TMZ.

St Paul’s Shipwreck was after the Co-Cathedral and is dedicated to the man considered the spiritual father of the Maltese. Full of classic art and several relics including the right wrist-bone of St. Paul it was a the type of low key historical location we were looking for on this trip. Sorry, no pictures allowed so you will have to come and visit! Let me know when you plan to so we can join you and have a drink.

We ended the day by walking around the city, it is a truly unique place full of architecture that is familiar but new at the same time. We are truly glad we came and are sorry to move off. Below are the pictures taken today with no labels, you will get why we like this place.

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A 180° Turn

Island of Gozo, Island of Malta, Malta, Valletta, , ,

Today we had to unfortunately leave Gozo. We really enjoyed the quiet, low keyed life there. Time to move on…

And where we went was an 180° degree turn. Valletta is an energetic european city with a distinct feel all its own. It felt familiar and new at the same time, exactly what we wanted on this trip. If we had to leave Gozo this was a great next step.

After checking into the hotel we visited the Lascaris War Rooms which played a vital role in World War 2. If the Axis power were to control the Mediterranean Sea they needed to take over Malta. In the Lascaris War Rooms the British Empire defended these islands which they controlled in the early 20th century. After preventing the takeover of the islands the rooms were used to coordinate the invasion of Sicily and southern Italy proper. The lessons here were were carried on to help plan the Normandy Invasion in 1944 making this stop a nice addition to our trip last year. We were given some bad directions to this rather hard to find place (little wonder the Axis Powers never found it) and we were glad we hung in there and found it.

After the War rooms we got Sydney gelatto and headed to The Pub where the actor Oliver Reed met his fate. A classic pub, well worth the visit. As it turned out two other guests on the War Room Tour were here as well, Martin and Alan are on vacation from Britian sailing a boat in Greece and on an impulse decided to come to Malta. They could not decided where they are going next. Corsica… Lampedusa… A couple of great guys, they were a bit wild and respectful at the same time.

To top off the difference between the islands of Malta and Gozo, tonight was the Isle of MTV Concert in Valletta, a annual anticipated occurrence. The city echoed with performances by Jason Derulo and Echosmith bringing a nice lively feel to the evening. Not that I know the songs, but the energy was great and was quite different from the other island.

 

Bye-bye Gozo.
Bye-bye Gozo.
Crossing to the Island of Malta.
Crossing to the Island of Malta.
The walls of the Valletta Fort.
The walls of the Valletta Fort.
Syd and Kim entering the city of Valletta.
Syd and Kim entering the city of Valletta.
Walking down Triq ir-Repubblika.
Walking down Triq ir-Repubblika.
The Malta War Memorial.
The Malta War Memorial.
The view from the War Memorial.
The view from the War Memorial.
A view of the harbo(u)r.
A view of the harbo(u)r.
Recovering from some bad directions...
Recovering from some bad directions…
The entrance to the Lascaris War Rooms.
The entrance to the Lascaris War Rooms.
Syd leads to the Lascaris War Rooms.
Syd leads to the Lascaris War Rooms.
Sydney in the room where the defense of Malta was coordinated.
Sydney in the room where the defense of Malta was coordinated.
Another view of the defense of Malta map room.
Another view of the defense of Malta map room.
The map used for the invasion of Sicily.
The map used for the invasion of Sicily.
You are here. Er... I am here...
You are here. Er… I am here…
Where the Generals sat.
Where the Generals sat.
A drink with (the memory of) Oliver Reed.
A drink with (the memory of) Oliver Reed.
A friend of Sydneys. Per her request.
A friend of Sydneys. Per her request.
Don't even think of parking here.
Don’t even think of parking here.
He really does.
He really does.
The wall of Valetta at night.
The wall of Valetta at night.
The 2015 Isle of MTV concert in progress.
The 2015 Isle of MTV concert in progress.