Malta and Gozo

Three of the most important cities on Malta were Birgu , L-Isala and Bormia seen here at the other side of the Grand Harbour :-

Although well fortified in their own right , they were still vulnerable to attack and so Valletta was built as the ultimate fortification on the hill opposite to protect them.

Ken.

Back to Valletta soon. In the meantime we are based in the lovely old fishing village of St.Julian`s Bay. This is a pic I`ve taken from the balcony of our hotel room :-

It shows St.Julian`s church at the other side of the bay and to the right are several majestic Maltese houses which survived the severe WW2 bombings.

Our hotel fronts straight onto the med with steps down from the swimming pool into the sea :-

The swimming in the med (temp 24C) has worked wonders for my shoulder injury , on which I`ve had months of unsuccessful physio treatment.

Ken.

And just to the right , further into the bay , are the colourful Maltese fishing boats :-

Ken.

As well as the characteristic style of Maltese buildings and the fortifications , two other distinctive features of the country are its buses and its balconies.
To start with the buses —— Malta must be a bus spotter`s dream with vehicles from all eras and in all sorts of conditions. They`ve usually been handed down from generation to generation> Some are lovingly cared for but others are in an unbelieveable state. This one has been well cared for :-

One thing they all have in common though, is their lunatic drivers !

Ken.

Cheers Ken. Good that we can get armchair travelling with you again. That bus looks a bit like I remember Bonds. Did you get to see the ancient temples?

Yes. Yet to come are the Ggantija Temples(the oldest standing structures on earth) , the Tarxien Temples , The island of Gozo, the Azure Window,the Blue Lagoon,the mysterious cart rutts and the scary underground catacombs of Rabat.
But for now, back to buses. The bell systems vary from bus to bus but this pic shows the most common type :-

A series of cords & pulleys operate a small hammer which strikes the bell.

Ken.

This is the interior of the driver`s cabin of a not so well cared for bus :-

Without the bits of pop-rivetted tin , plywood sheets ,nails and sticky tape , there wouldn be much bus left ! 

That takes me back to our holiday in Malta back in the 90′s, Ken. I was amazed at some of the buses, especially seeing a lot of them together at the entrance to Valetta. Every time I smell diesel fuel exhaust it whisks me back there! Are there still a lot of umbrella shops in Sliema? I saw at least 4 lol!

Thanks for the pics and info, very interesting.

Yes Graham. The sight of all those buses ( about 30 at a time ) at Valletta terminus is quite incredible. The “umbrella” shops are not for a rainy day by the way but for sun shades. In fact it rarely rains in Malta for most of the year & they suffer a permanent water shortage. Fortunately they have a large underground lake otherwise things would be much worse. Neverthless we saw countless water carriers of all sizes. This was the biggest :-

There are also several remains of another means of transporting water across the island :-

Ken.

Nice pictures and commentary Ken, keep them coming.

Ken,
Very interesting, and for me timely, booked to go to Malta for Christmas so have now some sights to look for.
Alan,
Strood.

And now a final bus pic. This guy had already crashed into another bus before we even left the terminus. He was driving at break-neck speed,hitting curbs and forcing other drivers to take evasive action. :-

He was listening to the radio with his left ear. Having a conversation on his mobile using his right hand and right ear , and smoking using his left hand ! 

Ken.

And now balconies. Almost every home in Malta has at least one balcony. They come in every style and colour you can imagine :-

There are also huge numbers of vacant/abandoned properties in Malta — mainly caused by uncertainty of ownership. The Law Courts are kept busy –not with crime but with ownership disputes. So many properties have been handed over from generation to generation without any deeds or paperwork.

Ken.

Thank you once again Ken for your very informative and interesting postcard, much appreciated 

Thanks Daffy.
Malta has many pretty little harbours and fishing villages but my favourite is St.Julians Bay :-

The restaurants you see in the background are superb & most of the bay escaped the WW2 bombing leaving beautiful old buildings like this intact :-

Ken.

Fishing is still quite an important industry to the locals. This is a typical Maltese fishing boat :-

The variey of fresh fish to be found in nearby restaurants is amazing.

Ken.

South of Valletta is a town well worth a visit –Paola. Its remarkable for such a huge church for a town of this size and also for the Hypogeum– an extensive underground shrine spred over 3 levels.But perhaps most remarkable of all are the Tarxien Neolithic temples discovered only in the 20th century by a farmer ploughing his land.
The temples are between 4,500 and 5,000 years old :-

Its amazing how some of the carvings have weathered and stood the test of time :-

Ken.

Malta holds many mysteries ( – and I love a good mystery) — one of them being how & why the temples were destroyed at some time by fire despite the fact that they were built of stone.
The huge (about 3ft high) communal cooking pot survived & is still in its original location :-

It couldn`t have been a simple kitchen fire though (like when they all came home from the pub , fancied chips & fell asleep waiting) because the heat was so intense it discoloured most of the surviving stone work an orangy colour.

Ken.

And now we move further south again — to the famous Blue Lagoon :-

The sea doesn`t look too bad from up there but once we`d got down to sea level , we found it too rough for the local fishermen to put out so we had to make do with views from the shore.

Ken.

Tomorrow we explore yet another of Malta`s mysteries.

Ken.

These are the mysterious “Cart Ruts” :-

No satisfactory explanation exists as to their origin. Archeologists` most common view is that they were made by wooden sleds tipped with metal during the Bronze Age ( 2,000 – 1,400 B.C. ) , whilst others attribute them to the Carthaginians with their iron rimmed wheeled carts.
There`s one area where several pairs of tracks converge :-

Archeologists have named it Clapham Junction.

Ken.

The Cart Ruts are not easy to find. I would recommend anyone visiting them to catch the No.81 bus from Valletta and alight at either Buskett Gardens for a long but pleasant walk through the woods or at Dengli where you head for the government wine research building & ask someone from there (if you can find anyone as the place seems deserted).
As long as you can see this view of the Verdala Palace you are in the right vacinity :-

The ruts are well worth a visit as right next to them are the Ghar il-Kbir caves which (if you`ve got the nerve) you can explore.

The caves were adapted as trogdolyte dwellings. Its not known how long ago they were first inhabited but records show that in 1647 there were about 120 people living there. The caves were still inhabited right up to 1835 when the government resettled them.

Ken.

And now over to the island of Gozo :-

Ken.

This is Calypso`s Cave :-

In Homer`s Odyssee ,Calypso Cave is the place where Ulysses(Odysseus) was a prisoner of love for seven years. He was imprisoned by Calypso, who promised him immortality if he would stay with her. But he escaped, as soon as he had the chance and returned to his wife , Penelope.

Ken.

This is the capital of Gozo , Victoria — formerly known as Rabat :-

Ken.

These are Gozo`s Ggantija Temples :-

They are the oldest free-standing man-made structures in the world being almost 6,000 years old.

Ken.

Just as an aside , there are pomegranites in abundance on both Malta & Gozo. These are just growing wild in the hedgerows & you can help yourself :-

Ken.

One of the most beautiful spots on Gozo is the “Azure Window” :-

The water is about the deepest clear blue I`ve seen.

Ken.

There`s a tiny inland natural harbour from where we hired a local fisherman & his boat and set off to go through this impossibly narrow looking cave entrance :-

It was pitch black inside the cave/tunnel , but after a few bumps against the walls we emerged out of the larger opening seen here & into the beautiful azure waters :-

The fisherman reckoned that the intense blueness was down to the unusual combination of minerals in the water. That could account for the purple colour you`ll notice all around the tide mark.

Ken.

And now back to Malta — an island of bargains without political correctness !

— but all Ken wants is a place in the shade :-

Ken.

The ancient capital of Malta is Rabat , where you`ll find St.Paul`s :-

Beneath St.Paul`s and spreading over 2,000 meters across & beneath the city is one of the most scary places I`ve ever explored — the catacombs of Rabat where thousands of bodies have already been found.

Some parts are dimly lit but others have no lighting whasoever & you dont have a guide so its easy to get lost down there.
In fact after a preliminary visit to get a feel for things I came up to find my wife consoling a woman who`d been lost in the labrynth of tunnels for almost 2 hours. 

Ken.

Thanks, Ken. What an excellent insight into Malta this has been. Could I use some of this at school ?
Michelle

Please feel free to use whatever you want.
One tunnel led to another and another. If only I`d had a torch. At some points the only light I got was from my flash:-

Ken.

There are tombs of every possible shape and size :-

Some are in the floor , some in raised walls and even more in the sides of the tunnels.Not only does one tunnel lead to another & another but many tombs lead to another and another.
Almost 40 skeletons were found in this chamber alone :-

Sadly most of them were the remains of children.

Ken.

AND FINALLY — just a few nice shots taken around Malta.

The Casino :-

Church of St.Paul the Shipwrecked :-

Ken.

The old watchtower looking over Vittoriosa :-

Valletta`s main street , Triq Ir-Repubblika , seen through a passing carriage :-

Ken.

How about dinner in the underground hospital ?

Ken.

You can soon walk it off afterwards. There arer steps everywhere in Valletta :-

Or better still a quiet stroll along the promenade :-

Ken.

And finally — Goodnight Malta and goodbye :-

Ken.

A marvellous selection of photographs, thanks Ken.

Ken,
Thank you for the photos, Pat has just gone through them all and is now really looking forward to our trip.

Alan, Strood

I`ve just been reminded that I forgot to finish with my usual review.
PLACE :- An archeologist`s dream. Lots to explore –even for the layman. Countryside a bit barren but some lovely coastline with clear blue water & good diving.
PRICES :- Quite reasonable despite being on the euro now. Bus fare to most parts of island –47p. Water taxi –less than a euro. A decent pizza for a euro. A pint in a restaurant — £2-50. A good meal for two (including drinks) – £30. A bottle of local wine from supermarket –£2 . Exchange rates not good though so best to take euros with you.
PEOPLE :- Very freindly & helpful.
WEATHER :- Hot & dry. Avoid the summer. One local told us that he never leaves the house in daytime throughout July & August. We went early October & it was still a bit too hot. I would say mid October would be ideal.
IDEAL FOR :- Sun , swimming , diving , exploring both Malta & Gozo and eating out.
Would I recommend it for a holiday ? Definitely — but I wouldn`t go back as I`ve seen & done everything I wanted to