11th November 2017 Valletta, Malta - spectacular

We had sailed through the night and all morning with Riviera planned to dock in Valletta at around mid day.

Following breakfast we had time to sit in the Café and take in the near perfect morning.  We approached Malta and the Port of Valletta at about 11.20am with the next 45 minutes taken to approach the fortified harbour and then to swing through the sea wall and feast our eyes on the stunningly beautiful harbour.  this is one of the most concentrated UNESCO world Heritage sites in the world.  Malta is a small island.

After the ship was berthed and given the all clear we departed the ship and found our tour which had been arranged by Ann Hicks and her husband Jerry and there are 14 people in total plus our tour guide and driver.  We easily identify our tour guide (joan@maltatourguide.com) and Joan quickly begins to organise us for what we hope will be an exhilarating day.

There is a combination of paved and cobblestone walkways and footpaths.  The whole place is abuzz and we begin with a drive through our port city of Valletta, which is also beautiful and remarkably has a whole variety of history.  The area is well served by shops , restaurants and cafes both internal and outside.  Trik ir-Republica is a recommended site for shopping and food.   There are bakeries serving every type of food, like pastizzi (filo pastry filled with ricotta) and  then ftira a savoury flatbread.  

So from 12.45-2.00pm we drive into the City and then are dropped off to undertake a walking tour of the City from Upper Barrakka Gardens down through walkways to St John's C0-Cathedral which unfortunately closes at 12.00pm on Saturdays, but we see several wedding parties.    We stop at several shops to taste and sample the local fair before visiting the Grand Masters Palace State Rooms.  These are opulent rooms from centuries passed.   The building is stunning in both its proportions as well as the style and fit out.  

But you also have to picture tiny Malta , right in the middle of the Azure Mediterranean Sea.  With a superb climate sunshine almosat every day and 7,000 years of history this little patch of paradise is just south of Sicily and just North of Africa and is a wealthy state.

The Centre of Valletta is a living Museum, the present incarnation built by the British Nights of St John almost 500 years ago.  Baroque architecture dazzles along meandering laneways.  Malta has been ruled over the ages by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, the city is a designated world Heritage Site and we are visiting on 11th November , which is a significant day as to the end of the Great War. There are several displays and pageants held to mark the end of the War.  We stand above the battlements to watch the British Marines parade and celebrate, there are 21 gun salutes and official speeches at the organised events, but the military remains very central to all activities.  We take in the pomp and ceremony.

But food should also be signalled as a key influencer of Maltese life and here we see the combination of Sicilian and British food with a smattering of Arab and Spanish food.    The national dish is Fenkata, a feast of rabbit.But the most popular dish is dolphin , called lampuki, served as soup, stew or pie.

But this is also a rich wine producing area, with Merlot and Chardonnay popular, but the local varieties of Ellewza and Ghirghentina are full bodied and tasty.  The local beer is Cisk and is easily found.  Ken enjoyed the beer, not so sure about local varieties of wine but a beautiful Chardonnay.

So let me retrace our tour to the Valletta Waterfront where there are 19 warehouses, built in 1700's by Grand Master Pinto and are a baroque wonderland of restaurants, shops, outdoor cafes, etc.  we will explore on our return from our organised tour.

The Upper Barrakka Gardens date back to the 18th Century and was original;ly the private garden of Italian knights, but it offers wonderful panoramic views over the port and city.  We enjoyed very much.

The Grand Master's Palace is an imposing history and presentation of the history of the Knights, European monarchs and battles and sieges.  Malta's Presidential Offices are housed inside this Palace.

St. Johns Co-Cathedral is home to the famous painting by Caravaggio "The Beheading of St John.  The interior is beautifully decorated by Baroque Style.  

From the centre of the city we then drive about 20 minutes to the centre of Malta and visit the now world renowned Ta' Qali, which was originally a WW!! airfield but has been transformed into an enormous village of potters and artisans  and then we visit the Megalithic Temples and structures which date back almost 6,000 years.  We visited Hagar Qim's Shrine to Mother Earth, where we watched a short video presentation of the Megalithic Temples and their influence over thousands of years.    From here we drove back past the Blue Grotto and the rock structures of Wied-iz-Zurrieq.  We were unable to schedule a boat tour.

Our guide then presented us with the history of Mdina and explained the significance of the St Paul's Cathedral and Museum complex and its role in the training of nuns and church leaders.  This is an impressive walled township.  We walked around in the late afternoon and early evening in the darkening passways.

We drive through Mosta and took in the Mosta dome which is a famed 19th Century church, also known as St Mary's Church of the Rotunda.  This church has an ornate and intricate floor, ornate murals, Woodcarvings and a collection of silver trinkets which are seen as a national treasure.

Then to the Dingli Cliffs and from these we see stunning ocean views as well as back to the islands highest point the Madlieni Chapel.   We are now about 14-15 km from the Cruise Ship terminal.

Religion and its interface via outstanding and beautiful churches, plays a significant part in life in the Maltese community.

We have enjoyed a wonderful day full of history, beautiful churches with various forms of construction, superb scenery .  We return to the ship at about 7.00pm.   Departure is not for several hours ( 11.30pm ) but we then enjoy walking through the stores.  we decide to dine back on board.

But on our way through Jeanette finds a store selling Medina glass and we eventually select a beautiful piece for our lounge rom.  It will be shipped arriving in late December, 2017.

Malta has been a highlight of the cruise and an unexpected beauty.  We think it is a place that we can return to on future travels and spend more time.