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Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The day started with a trip to Saint Paul’s. A service was in progress so we decided to walk around the neighborhood a bit. We found Saint Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. It’s a small but very pretty church built by the dowager Queen Adelaide, wife of King William V, in 1839. Of note is the painting over the main altar which was done by Alfred Chalong, one of Queen Victoria’s official portrait painters.
Next we walked around the seaside until we came to Fort Saint Elmo. It’s one of the largest defensive structures that guards the Grand Harbor. It was originally constructed by the Knights in the 1550s and is best known for its role in the Great Siege of 1565 where the Knights with a force of 6,500 defeated 40,000 invading Ottoman Turks. We bought a combination ticket that allowed us access to the fort, the museum, the archeological museum, and the art museum for €25.00 per person. Credit cards are accepted.
Initially we strolled around the outside of the fort. There are magnificent views of the harbor and “The Three Towns” on the opposite shore. Informational signs were hung in the gun emplacements telling the story of the fort from the time of the Knights through to the present day. Since it was built, the fort has been an integral part of many battles throughout the history of the island. There was also a nice display of cannons from the centuries.
This outer part of the fort was built in later times. A gate led us to the original part of the fortress that had been constructed by the Knights. The first building we came to was the Chapel of Saint Anne. It already existed as far back as 1488 and was incorporated into the fort complex. Saint Anne was the patron saint of the order’s navy.
We followed a path that then took us through the fort into and out of seven different buildings that now house the museum. It starts in Malta’s pre-history but quickly moves to, and spends a lot of time on the many battles that ensued during the 1500 and 1600s. Throughout, three timelines were presented together that detailed the the history of the Knights, events in Malta, and happenings in other parts of the world.
The British occupation and World War II is also taken up in detail. Roosevelt and Churchill met in Malta to come up with a strategy before meeting Stalin in Yalta. Later Malta was admitted to Nato until they decided to pursue neutrality in 1971. George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Malta in 1989 as the Cold War came to an end and in 2004 Malta became part of the European Union.
For lunch we walked back into the business district and decided to sample some traditional dishes. I had broiled lampuki aka Dorado aka Mahi Mahi aka Dolphinfish. Deborah ordered pan fried rabbit. Our dishes came with a large bowl of vegetables roasted with fennel. The fish was fresh and flavorful. It is also traditionally served in pie form. The rabbit was really stewed, which is also the traditional treatment. Shockingly, it strongly resembled chicken 😊.
At 4:00 pm we went to the Upper Barrakka Gardens to witness the ceremonial firing of the cannons. They do this just about every day at noon and again at 4:00 pm. No shell is actually fired but the cannon makes an awfully loud sound. The gardens are just along the waterfront. Built in the 1500s as part of the harbor defenses they now feature trees, beautiful arches, magnificent views, and memorial plaques. It’s a great place to sit and have a coffee.
Before going home for the night we stopped into see the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, which had not previously been open. It’s another small but elegantly decorated church from 1598. The paintings were all done by Mattia Preti, a well known Baroque artist who worked extensively in Malta.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Another day, another museum. This time it was the archeological museum. The museum had a large display on the Megalithic Temples of Malta, prehistoric sites dating from around 3,600 BC – almost a thousand years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza. There are several and they are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The temples were primarily large, multi-level funeral sites. Pottery, sculptures, and architectural elements were on display. Another floor had exhibits on the Phoenicians, who traveled to and traded with the island during the Bronze Age.
Recently underwater archeology has become active in the area. Ancient shipwrecks seem to be just about everywhere. Pottery from a recent find were on display.
The last room contained a large collection of coins. The first on display were Carthaginian from the 5th Century BC, followed by Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins. There was a huge collection of coins that the Knights had minted extending from the mid 1500s until 1798. The last set were coins of the British Empire including many medals. It was an impressive display.
Nearby we took some pictures with “Blue”, the Velociraptor from Jurassic World, which was partly filmed in Malta and then headed off to get some lunch. Today’s menu was traditional street food. We got a “Woody Roll” and a “Pastizzi”. Woody Rolls are sausages infused with cheese that have been wrapped in a flaky dough. The Pastizzi has flaky dough normally filled with either peas or cheese. We got the cheese version. Both were absolutely delicious and together, with two sodas, cost €5.25. A cheap, filling and scrumptious meal.
One of the typical crafts here are items made out of sterling silver filagree. They are gorgeous. They make jewelry, figurines, plates, napkin holders, and all sorts of lovely items. They are fairly inexpensive too. Many of the shops also make versions that are covered in 24k gold. With my encouragement Deborah bought a pair of earrings. They may look flimsy but they are actually pretty rugged.
Back at the Upper Barrakka Gardens we bought tickets to another set of museums. This time it was for guided tours of The H.Q. Tunnels and Lascaris War Rooms. We started with the tunnels.
The tunnels had originally been build in the 1560s by the Knights. They were a place to shield their horses, store their gunpowder, and provide themselves with a protected way of getting from one part of their fortifications to another. It was easy to see the markings on the walls where they had been dug by hand centuries ago.
In 1940 the British, anticipating war with Italy, expanded the tunnel system. They weren’t able to complete the project before the bombs started falling. Their tunnels branched off from the original ones and went much deeper into the ground. They built barracks and several large rooms where the island’s defenses could be coordinated. The rooms had large maps and many telephones which relayed information on enemy ships and aircraft and deployed artillery, aircraft, and anti-aircraft batteries. It looked just like what we’d seen many times before in movies. Later, more and larger rooms were added. These were used to coordinate NATO forces during the Cold War. It was a great tour and a lot of fun. We’ll go back on another day to see the War Rooms.
Our first day in town we’d spotted a bunch of food stands near the Triton Fountain. It’s a great place to find traditional Maltese street foods. We were so enamored with our lunch that we went over there and bought a bunch of similar things for dinner. Our enthusiasm got the best of us. We sat on the edge of the fountain and ate most of what we bought before we even got home. One of the more interesting things we got was Imqaret: it’s date paste mixed with citrus that’s wedged between pieces of crispy, fried dough. Yum!