Malta, Public Holiday, Day 18, June 7th

Sette Giugno (Italian for "Seven June") June 7 is a Maltese holiday which commemorates events that occurred on that day in 1919.  Following a series of riots by the Maltese population, British troops fired into the crowd and killed four people. The holiday is in remembrance of this uprising against profiteering merchants and the British colonial government and is seen as the first step towards Maltese independence.

As we were finishing breakfast, we looked out at the harbour to see a sailboat race underway.  It was very windy with large sea swells and several times there seemed to be close calls before the boats got themselves pointed in the right direction and headed out to open water.

We decided to find the National Museum of Fine Arts so we strolled to the southwest part of Valletta, an area which for some reason we had not yet explored. It was very quiet due to the holiday and very peaceful.  We came across a gated park called Hastings Garden and were floored when we walked through the gates and there in front of us was the Sette Giugno monument with wreaths from the Prime Minister, Leader of the House, Official Opposition and various other dignitaries. What a serendipitous thing to happen on this day.  The gardens are beautiful.  They are set behind the fortification wall protecting the back land-side of Valletta.  Being so high, the cool ocean breeze bathed us into tranquility as we took in the amazing views of the inner harbour which we had walked around when we made the long trek to Sliema. And a great view into the fort on Manoel Island.  We made our way back across the city for lunch at Aaron’s Kitchen.

                                              The race is on. Taken from our kitchen window.

                                                   Fabulous old stairs up to Hastings Street

                                                              A great door and knockers

                                                                     The four doors

                                                           Streets like San Francisco

                                                           Sette Giugno bronze monument

                                              The last of the cannons that protected Valletta

                                                              My sweetheart chillaxing

                                                                     Matchy, matchy

                                              Through the fortification wall to Manoel Island

                                                          The fort on Manoel Island

                                                    These wall were so incredibly thick

                                                      A beautiful tree, Hastings Garden

                                    WWII gun placements and our apartment in the background

                                                             Weathered old building

                                                                WWII gun placements

                                                      Manoel Island from Valletta

     Mouth of Marsamxett Harbor with our apartment on the right to the left of St. Paul's cathedral tower

                                                         Traditional Maltese balconies

Malta, Walk by the Sea, Day 17, June 6th

We decided to have a nice lunch out and just make a simple salad at home for dinner so we headed to the market for what we were missing.  We had a big breakfast at home so we went for a long walk around the fortification wall to build up our lunchtime appetites.  The wind was strong today and the swells were crazy as we watched the various boats running Harbour cruises blast through as they exited Marsamxett Harbour into the open sea hell bent for the shelter of the Grand Harbour.  The passengers could not have been having a good time. 


Lunch was going to be at a highly recommended quaint restaurant called Guze’ on Old Bakery Street but for some reason it was closed when we got there at 2:00.  It is rated #2 out of 131 restaurants in Valletta.  Earlier we had stopped by Aaron’s Kitchen where we made a resso for tomorrow’s lunch. Aaron has a cooking show on TV and is rated #5 out of 131 restaurants in Valletta.  We checked out menus of restaurant’s we passed as we made our way back to Aaron’s but did not find anything that appealed to us. We got back to Aaron’s at 2:20 and they agreed to serve us even though they close at 3:00 to prepare for dinner.  It was fabulous and probably the best lunch of our stay in Malta.  I should mention that a high rating does not mean high prices.  We had two delicious specials, a bottle of sparkling water, and an Aussie bottle of Peter Lehmann unoaked chardonnay for a total of 40 Euros (CDN$48) all in. To put this in perspective, when we treat ourselves in Fergus and go out for a sushi lunch, it cost us over $40 with a beer and a small sake. We left Aaron’s at 3:45 and headed for home exploring some new streets along the way.  

                             On our walk we discovered a large tunnel under the fortification wall

                                                   Looks to me like a mutant dog drinking

                                The water was spraying us as we squeezed ourselves along the rocks

                                                Shrapnel marks from the WWII bombings

                                                    Jill dwarfed by the rocks along the way

                                            A drainage tunnel through the fortification wall

                                                           Stairs cut into the limestone

                                                            East of Fort St. Elmo

                                                                A happy customer

      A monument to Dun Mikel Xerri, a Maltese patriot, who was executed along with others in 1799,
                    for leading an unsuccessful revolt during Napoleon's two year occupation of Malta

The inner courtyard of the Auberge D'Aragon, built in 1571 which was occupied by the Knights of St. John from Aragon.  The security guard was fast asleep at her desk so we casually walked by and took some pictures. It is presently occupied by the Minister of Education and Culture.

                                                   View from the Auberge D'Aragon

Malta, The Malta Falconry Centre and our anniversary Tapas Dinner, Day 16, June 5

We were the only ones at the Falconry Centre, so we received the royal treatment.  We saw a Maltese Falcon which is also know as the Mediterranean Peregrine Falcon. We also saw vultures, eagles and various other raptors.  The owner took us around and explained her love for all of these birds especially the American Harris Hawks which she has been successfully breeding for the past ten years.  They all had names and so did the barn owls she also successfully bred.  Jill and I got to wear a glove and experience both the owl and the hawk take off and land on our protected hand.  It was a thrill we will both never forget. 

Tonight we decided to celebrate our 40^th anniversary with a special dinner at Legligin Wine Bar in Valletta.  It was a set price for an evening of Maltese tapas with wine extra.  We had a great time and were thrilled to meet Ben Lee, a young Canadian fashion photographer from Vancouver now establishing himself in London, United Kingdom.  His fabulous website is www.benleephoto.com . The quality of his work is outstanding and worth a look.  He was in Malta for five days and took 5,000 pictures.

                                                 Incredible walls without mortar in Seggiewi

                                                               American Harris Hawk

                                                                              Owl

                                                           American Harris Hawk

                                                              American Golden Eagle

                                                                    Maltese Falcon

                                                                         Siggiewi

                                               Jill working with an American Harris Hawk

                                                                  Tapas wine bar

                                                               A photo by Ben Lee

                                                    Pete and Ben Lee deep in conversation

Malta, Market Day in The Three Cities, Day 15, June 4th

Every Tuesday, the largest market in Malta is held in The Three Fortified Cities of Cottonera across the Grand Harbour from Valletta.  We took the ferry after zooming down the elevator from the Upper Barrakka Gardens.  We strolled through the market and made some purchases, mushrooms, arugula (rocket) and a pair of sandals. Then we explored eastward to the sea where we saw remnants of the damage from the WWII bombings, including a dilapidated lookout.  We watched a fishing boat hauling a fish farm.  We saw workers cutting blocks of limestone to fit a wall they were building.  We stopped at Frankie's for lunch by the only sand beach in the area.  Since Frankie's was the only place to eat, we expected moderately high prices but were pleasantly surprised when our bill for two pints of Cisk (great Maltese beer) and one of the best pizzas we have ever eaten made on Ftira (Maltese bread) came to just 9.20 Euros.  The beers were 2 Euros each, the cheapest we have seen anywhere - so much for gouging tourists. On the way back to Valletta we saw a huge tanker being escorted out of the Grand harbour. 

                                                                         The elevator

                                                                   12-passenger ferry

                                                                         On the ferry

                                                            Traditional Maltese boat

                                                  Limestone block with years of erosion

                                                                        War damage

                                           The former hospital where my Dad spent some time

                                             Fort St. Elmo seen between the hospital buildings

                                                                  Former hospital

                                        A torpedo possibly from one of my Dad's torpedo boats

                                              Quarried limestone blocks ready for cutting

                                       The inner harbour sand beach with beautifully clear water

                                                             Ah, a cold beer at Frankie's

                                                             He rides on the scooter

                                                                           Our lunch

                                                           Ruins on the ocean side

                                                            Views from the lookout

                                                                      An old lookout

                                                               Hauling his fish farm

                                                                  On our way back

                                                              Ruins and a huge chain

                                                              Ruins and a stone wall

                                                                      More ruins

                                                                 Fabulous stone work

                                                                        An aged wall

                                                                         Vittoriosa

                                                                          Tanker

                                                                     Churning prop

                                                                  Crossing the wake