Marvelous Malta!
Now we get to see how Valletta looks during the daylight! We saw this view of the church as we checked in last night… heard the bells ringing every 15 minutes… and I can now see it more clearly! We’ve only just stepped outside the door, but we can already feel the charm. This very old town has a long history, one that includes World War 2 events, which is Barry’s favorite topic.
Noticing that Barry was intently watching something in front of him, I turned to see what it was. It only took a second to figure it out! This adorable couple. Looking up and down all four possible directions, the started to walk two or three times. Their indecisiveness allowed me time to snap a photo. You have to admit, their attire is the BEST!
Just behind our coffee location (and beside last night’s dinner), we decided to explore a bit. After a little digging, I found that was once the home of Valletta Royal Opera House. Originally, it seated 1100 guests and an additional 200 standing patrons. On May 25, 1873, the building endured a destructive fire. Sixty-five years later on April 7, 1942, the Royal Opera House was destroyed by Luftwaffe bombers. Coincidentally, this was the exact date Barry’s Dad was shot down over Antwerp. It is currently an open-air concert venue. Seeing a show there would have been fun!
Full of caffeine, we headed toward the city gates. Our accommodations are located just inside the gates. You know me… I always like to be in Old Town City Centre. That’s my thing. Areas with lots of history and being walkable are what steers me in this direction. Ordinarily, there are so many restaurant options, this place is no different. I love where we are staying!
Triton’s Foutain can be found right outside the gates. It consists of three tritons holding up a basin. Built in the mid-1950’s, it suffered a structural collapse in 1978. Rebuilt by Malta Drydock Engineers, seagulls and seaweed were added minimizing the focus on the tritons. This was a gathering place for special events.
Looking down this long road was intimidating. Not the trip down, but the thought of walking back. Fortunately, google maps had another path for us to get down to the water’s edge. It was more doable. Valletta streets remind me of San Francisco!
Heading through Valletta toward Fort St Elmo, our final destination was the War Museum. The streets of this island Capitol are often steep but always beautiful. We have found this to be a very clean area. One devoid of graffitti. Seeing historical walls tagged with black paint always makes me sad. We haven’t noticed that here in this town. Small steps up/down the hills makes it easier to navigate the steepness.
Passing by this staircase, I had to stop for a photo. With no one nearby, the shot was an easy and simple one. Barry snapped away… He told me not to go up so high but i was trying to be slightly centered.
Our walk was approximately one kilometer, which is just over half a mile. This does not seem like much of a walk but the winding and steep streets added to the feel of a longer walk. We also did not take a straightforward walk… we did a bit of wandering. Had we walked straight through town, we would have walked the one kilometer, instead, we walked the harbor shore. It was more scenic.
To Barry’s left, Marsamxett Harbor. From here, you can see across the waters to Fort St Elmo. The fort in the distance was our intended destination.
Always looking for that special architecture, there was no shortage here on the island of Malta. Arched windows, spires, all of my favorite things! We reached the museum. With a senior discount, we entered for $10 rather than $15. Sometimes it’s nice getting old.
This fort is gigantic! Spread out over twelve acres, the history covers about 7,000 years. It was quite thorough in the explanations and lessons. What a great place to take students learning about the history of their home. This small chapel was built in 1488. It was a cross between baroque and Renaissance style.
Pondering the decades of military history, Barry was enthralled with the artifacts, architecture and welcoming people. From our vantage point, we could see roped off parts of the museum and excellent views of the city.
From the looks of it, several of these cannons had experienced harsh elements. Many had severe rust. Used to defend during Ottoman attacks, the cannons were exposed to extreme heat and humidity. Situated on the Scibberras Peninsula, weather tends to be extreme. It is the location where the Grand Harbor and the Marsamxett Harbor meet. On the right photo, an aerial view of the town can be seen.
This particular view caught our eye. After reading the information posted, we realized we were looking down on the location of several parts in the 1978 movie Midnight Express. Built in 1850, this was the backdrop for many of the Turkish prison scenes. As soon as we read that on the plaque, Barry immediately realized why it felt so familiar.
Fresh fruit stand! To see all the colors, makes me happy!
Just past the fruit stand was a cute outdoor restaurant called Dopo Valletta. What caught our eye was the “2 for $8” Sangria! They were huge! Just what we needed to quench our thirst after an uphill trek. Barry had pizza, I had tacos. Both were delicious! Very reasonably priced!
Straight across the narrow pathway, was the entrance to the Malta University. Very nondescript, I’m guessing there must be a grander entrance on another side of the building. It was a busy little doorway though…
Thinking we could get a seat at the much talked about 33 Steps bar/restaurant, we were wrong! This little area is SO busy!!! Every seat was taken and people seemed very settled in. So, we ventured across the pedestrian walkway to a small pub that overlooked the steps. A very sweet Italian man served us… it was actually quite relaxing and much less of a scene. If it hadn’t been for the mosquitos munching on my legs, it would have been a perfect evening!
