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Monday, November 14, 2022
We took the 10:30 am train from Syracuse to Pozzallo in order to catch the ferry to Malta. The Syracuse train station has an odd feature. It has two sets of tracks and both are numbered one through three. One set of tracks goes East and the other West. In our experience that’s rather unusual – especially since we were going South! The ticket office told us our train would be on track one West. With five minutes to go before our departure the train on track one was still completely quiescent. There was some activity over on track three so we investigated. That was our train. It was no big deal.
The trip took just 65 minutes. We took another taxi for the 1.6 mile route to the ferry terminal. It would have been nice to have stretched our legs but our luggage is just too damn heavy to walk that far.
We waited about ten minutes for the gate to open and then started the embarkation process. The ship was a beauty. She was large, clean, elegant, and almost brand spanking new. It was the latest ship in the fleet according the signage. Since we were just about the first ones on board we had our pick of seats. We walked up to the bow where there were rows of leather reclining seats. The first row had tables in front of them; we took one of those. The ship had floor to ceiling windows as far as you could see which gave a magnificent view of the harbor and the voyage ahead. We bought some sandwiches at the snack bar and actually enjoyed the two hour wait until the ship departed.
When the ship started moving large flat screens starting play an animated movie called Ferdinand from 2017. When we got closer to Malta we could see the outline of the three islands. As we approached the harbor I snapped a bunch of pictures. It was a little hazy and the sun was almost directly in front of us so they didn’t come out as well as I would have liked. It’s an incredibly picturesque city. I’m sure there will be better opportunities.
The boat arrived on time. After an hour and forty-five minute sail we were docked. We tried to contact our hosts to let them know we were on time but our phones were not getting any service. We were connected to GO Mobile but couldn’t connect to anything. I restarted my phone but it didn’t help. There was a guy outside the terminal shunting passengers to gypsy cabs. He wanted €20.00 for the trip. That seemed high. I tried to bargain with him. His response, “You can take the bus”. I grabbed the next taxi that appeared and we were off. He charged us €15.00.
We had coordinated our time of arrival. Our host was supposed to be waiting for us at the apartment. When we got there we knocked on the doors and windows but no one answered. Finally, I walked down the street and got public WiFi at a nearby cafe. We connected. He was late because of traffic. About 20 minutes later someone arrived and let us in. I was pretty ticked off at the time but calmed down when I saw how nice the apartment was.
We settled in and went looking for some dinner. It was already dark and the city’s lights were on. It was gorgeous. We checked out a bunch of restaurants. Prices were much higher than in Sicily. We finally chose a place where they make their own sauces and pastas and allowed you to pick and choose which you wanted. Ironically we both choose different pastas that were “finished” for the day. Deborah got the carbonara and I got the bolognese. Both were very good. Sometime during dinner we were hit with the irony that we’d come to Malta but were still eating Italian. The foods here are a broad mix of Maltese, Arab, French, Spanish, and English. We’re going to have fun with this.
After dinner we strolled around the town to get our bearings, saw some interesting things, and then went grocery shopping. Prices in the store were also much higher than Sicily and might be considered a little pricey.
Our brains are a little confused. Several times during the evening we addressed people in Italian. Since we’re in a foreign country we feel like we shouldn’t be speaking English but the official languages here are Maltese and English – and we certainly don’t speak Maltese. It’s going to take a few days to get readjusted.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Our first challenge of the day was to make coffee. This apartment only has a French Press. We’ve never used one of the those. Fortunately, there are videos online showing the basics of how to use them. Our first attempt came out fine albeit a little strong.
I can’t delay this any longer. It’s important to get this out there. You’ve probably read or seen “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett. The basic plot of the story is absolutely true! In 1530 Emperor Charles V, King of Spain and ruler of Sicily granted The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (one of the organizations that came out of the famed Knights Templar) the rights to Tripoli, Gozo, and Malta. In return an annual tribute of one falcon was to be paid. Researchers have found vague references in the archives in Malta that imply that a golden, jewel encrusted bird may have been produced for this purpose. No one knows for sure. In any event it’s a great story and lots of fun to think about.
This morning we went on the free walking tour. We didn’t actually cover a lot of ground but we did hear a lot of interesting stories. The history of Malta is long and varied and quite fascinating. The island sits in the middle of the Mediterranean and is strategically placed between North Africa, the Middle East, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. In 1799 Malta asked the British for help overthrowing the French and in 1800 became a voluntary part of the British Empire as a protectorate. Malta gained its independence from Britain in 1964. Today they drive on the left side of the road and use British style electrical outlets.
The capital is referred to simply as, “The City”, or Belt in Maltese. It is called Valletta. It didn’t exist until the Knights came to Malta in 1530. The capital at that time was in the town of Mdina. The Knights built the city from scratch in just a few short years. It was heavily fortified to help protect against an expected invasion by the Arabs.
After the tour we sought out some lunch. Our guide had recommended a particular street with a bunch of cafes. We found a sandwich shop with some unusual choices. We got a chicken and fig with brie and a roast beef with cheese. The meats were freshly roasted and the breads were baked that day. They were absolutely delicious.
Next we went to the Post Office. As is our custom every time we visit a new country we buy a stamp. It’s an inexpensive souvenir that’s easy to cart around. We’re going to have a heck of a display at some point. Then we visited the first church that the Knights built in 1566.
The church is called Our Lady of Victory Church in honor of the Knight’s victory over the Turks. It’s a small but beautifully decorated church with barrel vaulted ceilings covered in frescos. We were only permitted to see the church from the back. For €4.00 each we could have walked around the Nave, and toured the Sacristy, and Crypt.
On our way to the our next church, Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, we happened upon a cafe with some interesting looking pastries. We ordered a piece of flourless chocolate cake. The cake was rich and chocolatey. It came with some butter icing on the side that was just fantastic. We asked if we could buy some to take home but they said they don’t sell it.
Saint John’s Co-Cathedral is the largest and most elegant church in Valletta. It was built by the Knights to honor Saint John the Baptist, the saint their order is named for. It is referred to as the “Co-Cathedral” because it is not the Archbishop’s home. Entry cost €15.00 per person, which includes a detailed audio guide. Credit cards are accepted.
The outside of the church is fairly plain. It was designed to be so in order to project the vow of poverty that the Knights are required to take. The inside is opulent, massively gilded, and decorated in the high Baroque style. The church is divided into chapels sponsored by each of the six Langues – groups of powerful Knights from different lands.
The floor of the church is a series of polychrome marble slabs underneath which hundreds of Knights are buried. Grandmasters are interred in the chapels with the first six resting in the crypt below. There are lovely paintings in all of the chapels but the real gems are the white marble sculptures. They are exquisitely executed.
Off to the side in the back of the church is the Oratory. There is a large work hanging over the altar. It was painted by Caravaggio in 1608 entitled the The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Off in another nearby room is another Caravaggio entitled Saint Jerome Writing. This painting was was originally commissioned for a private house but was subsequently donated to the church. Like Caravaggio himself, it has a very interesting history.
The short version of the story: The painter known as Caravaggio was born in Milan under the name Michelangelo Merisi. The family moved to the town of Caravaggio when he was just a lad to escape the plague. He initially trained in Milan but was forced to flee to Rome after quarreling with and wounding a police officer. In Rome he gained notoriety as a painter and as a hot tempered man. After killing a man in a brawl he escaped a death sentence by fleeing to Naples. The Grand Master of Malta learned of his troubles and invited him to the island where Caravaggio was given commissions and eventually was inducted as a Knight. He was sent to prison for mortally wounding a powerful Knight in a dispute. Instead of standing trial he escaped to Sicily causing him to be stripped of his Knighthood. He worked in Sicily for a while and then went back to Naples. Eventually he ventured back to Rome in the hopes of obtaining a pardon. He died along the way and was buried in Porto Ercole. A recent autopsy suggests that he died of an infection from wounds obtained in scuffles complicated by lead poising, which was common at the time for artists who mixed their own paints.
In 1984, Saint Jerome Writing was cut out of its frame and stolen from Saint John’s Co-Cathedral. Attempts were made to sell it but to no avail; it was too famous for anyone to touch. Eventually, it was offered back to the Cathedral. During a long and complicated negotiation a sting operation found and recovered it. It was taken to Rome to be restored before being placed back on display in the same Cathedral. PBS did a very interesting episode of Secrets of the Dead in 2021 which featured this event. It’s worth watching.
