malta

MALTA EXPERIENCE

This is a record of a walking and sightseeing holiday taken in Malta in October 2007 by my wife and I. It was our first ever visit to the island, and we also visited Gozo, which is a short ferry trip away. Below are some of the pictures we took. We had a very enjoyable time in Malta but not all our impressions of the island were good, so the pictures show some of the things that we did not like as well as those that we did.

If anyone who was on the holiday with us would like to make contact we'll be delighted to hear from them. Comments from others viewing this page are also welcome. CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ALAN AND MURIEL.

DAY 1	Saturday - Arrival day
DAY 2	Sunday						Pictures are individually numbered for reference

1		2
There were twenty-eight guests with two leaders. Two walks were on offer each day that we walked, a shorter walks and a longer one. On the first full day of the holiday we went on a seven and a half mile walk around the headland on which our hotel stood. The pictures above show the terrain (predominantly limestone) which made the going hard, very unlike the soft paths and fields of England. Our hotel can be seen in the far background of the right hand picture.

3		65
The island in St Paul's Bay where St Paul is said to have landed. The statue of St Paul faces the sea.

7		8
The coastline is rugged and spectacular		Fisherman working at St Paul's Bay

9109 The apiary		11
Information from leader Barbara at the site overlooking St Paul's Bay. Nearby was an ancient site where bees were once kept.		At this point we'd walked though a large stand of bamboo and not seen many trees. This one we found looking extremely healthy and bearing a fruit that Tony went to investigate.

A pause in Mielleiha, near to wherer we we staying, close to the end of the first day's seven and a half mile walk. We'd had splendid views and the weather, although partly cloudy following a storm the previous night, had been warm rather than hot, which suited us. A first impression of Malta was that rubbish was dumped almost anywhere, in water gullies, alongside walls or on spare ground on the edge of town. 12

DAY 3

Monday

16	14	17
Today was a sightseeing day, starting with the church at Mosta.	The church dome, the third largest in Europe, seen from the inside	Part of the church interior

13	18 and 19	15
The view to the altar	Figures either side of the inside of the church door	Spot the tourists - our group otside Mosta Church

21
Detail from picture 15 above.

20		22
From Mosta we went on to Valletta. Here we see the main street just inside the main gate. There's no escaping McDonald's; that's their red sign just right of centre		The plaque awarding the George Cross to Malta in 1942 is on the the Palace of the Grand Masters

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Most of us decided to visit the Malta Experience, a film showing the history of Malta. We made use of the cafe outside whilst awaiting the noon showing. Muriel on the left, HF leader Barbara far right with the orange hat	The sea was rough and harbour trips were suspended	A chance meeting far from home. Reigate Borough councillor Richard Bennett, on holiday in Valletta with his wife, was a colleague of Muriel's when she was also a councillor

29	26 Valletta Harbour	27
	30
The Bell monument and its plaque commemorating the award of the George Cross to Malta stands at Valletta harbour		Balconies everywhere

28	31	32
People went their separate ways in Valletta but some of us met up in various places. Muriel and I found a small bar where we had lunch but Terry and Tony were already there. Here Terry is sorting out his Lm to pay the bill.	Horses patiently awaiting tourists to take on a tour of the city	The square in the centre of Valletta
33	35	36 We had doubts - soon dispelled - about buying a ticket to go into St John's Cathedral
33	35	34
he Co-Cathedral of St John's is fairly austere on the outside so when we found it we were uncertain as whether to pay the money to visit it and its museum. Once inside, however, all doubts were dispelled as it is sumtuous beyond belief. The Cathedral is divided into a series of chapels, one for each of the orders of Knights.

37	38	39
Candles burning in one of the chapels	A depiction of Jesus Christ	The hall of early music manuscripts and tapestries

DAY 4

Tuesday

Today our walk (the long one again) started from Rabat, Malta's original capital. Some of the group went to the catacombs there, others to the remains of a Roman villa. The rest of us had a stroll thriough the town and came upon the tucked away shop below	41	42
40	41	42
The shoemaker's shop seemed obviously old and drew us like a magnet.	Once closer we could see the man working inside and pictures of Elvis Presley.	There was no way that we could stay outside and permission was granted by the busy shoemaker to take pictures.

43 But Elvis pictures weren't the only ones on his walls. There was this one of him taken by a professional photographer that had won a competition. My pictures of him look tame by comparison	44	45 We soon found out the he spoke no English and a local man translated for us. He and his father had had the shop for about 80 years but he believed it was a bout 300 years old. And he had made a pair of shoes for the Queen. 'One foot bigger that the other', he said. Eventually we had to take our leave - he had customers to see to

46	4748 detail from above	49
The Rising Sun pub in Rabat - not quite like its English equivilant.	Viewing or ventilation? The balcony, a window on the world.	Me outside the Roman Villa in Rabat before the walk started

50		51
Before the off leader Ron gave us a talk on Malta's history. Rabat, where we had been this morning, stands alongside the ancient walled city of Mdina, which can be seen on the right. From here there were magnififent panoramic views, part of which can be seen in the middle background. Top Right: A better idea of the view Bottom Right: Part of the Mdina skyline		52

53		54
Walking past what was a railway station when the line ran though the valley. Now it's a restaurant.		Muriel on the outskirts of Mgarr

55		56
Like most places in Malta, Mgarr is a large town with a large church.		Francis studies one of the stones put up to prevent British servicemen getting overcharged by taxi drivers. Originall the number 8 would have been engraved on the stone and a taxi journey from this point would have incurred a known fare. Taxi drivers, we were told,chipped off the original numbers.

58 Miles from anywhere we came upon this small chapel perched of a cliffside with a magnificent view to Mgarr. The notice to the right of the chapel door (see picture right) tells anyone fleeing from the army or the police that there is no sanctuary within.		57

59		60
At one point we came across an old lady with a small herd of sheep (goats?). They were wary of us and she had trouble keeping them under control

61		64 and 62
But we passed them by and she seemed fairly happy about our meeting		We stopped for lunch overlooking a spectacular bay, an irrisistable photo opportunity


63		65
Although the weather was bright and sunny it was also windy, so Terry and Tony found a sheltered spot for their lunch. Before them was the view seen in picture.64. MALTA DOWNSIDE no.1 - Everything looks lovely but flies were a problem.		The cultivated landscape is domiated by brick walls that by law have to divide each differently owned piece of land.

66		67
Onward, and whilst much of the scenery was lovely the walking was not always easy and we had to watch our step.		Like a desert oasis this beach, one of very few we saw, boasted a place selling cold drinks. Our steps quickened.

68		69
Ice cream, beer and a good view; an unbeatable combination.		Were we happy. You betcha!

70		71
But soon we were off again. We're not going all the way to the top, are we? We were.		Once at the top the Radison Hotel came into sight

73		74
MALTA DOWNSIDE no.2 - It was here that we first came across another of the not so nice aspects of Malta, the trapping of songbirds for sale to other Maltese. The pictures show a trapping station in close up and in longer view. The brick structure is where the operator hides. Nets are spread out, food and water are put down to attract birds, and when they come down the trap is sprung. We saw in other location birds in 9" cages, frantic to escape, used around the area to make it look safer for untrapped birds. In both pictures there is a car parked nearby so the operator of this trap was around. The RSPB website asks people not to go to Malta because of this practice of trapping birds. We were unaware of the practice when we booked and most people going there and travelling around by public transport would not come across it. It was because we were walking in the open areas away from towns that we saw so much of it. When out and about the lack of small wild birds was very noticable. No wonder! And what about larger birds? It seems these get shot. As we walked there were shotgun cartridges everywhere, and we saw several men out shooting. If it moves it probably gets shot or trapped. See also pictures 138 - 141.

		76
We were very close to the end of a long hot walk and pleased to find that our final stop, close to the Radison Hotel, also sold cold beer. Our transport back to our hotle waited patiently as we downed it

77		78
It had been an excellent day. Once back at the hotel and with a meal inside each of us the bar was a good place to be

DAY 5

Wednesday

79	80	81
Today we had a sightseeing trip to Gozo. The ferry came in, opened its mouth, and after disgorging its cargo we all got on.		Our first sight of Gozo. Short of churches the island is not.

82	83	85
82	84	85
We visited a church (I forget its name, we'd seen a few this week) but like all the previous churches we has seen it was beautiful.	If you're into doors (as I am) and domes too, then these pictures will transport you to paradise, even if you do get a crick in the neck taking the latter..	The difference with this church was that there was a lift that took you to the roof, from where you could climb all over (easy at it looks here there was a force 10 gale blowing).

86	88	87
There was a nice Maltese Cross window with a view through it -	- and to be in the belfry made one feel pretty daring and exhilerated.	But there were places where one felt more high enough, and don't forget that the pictures don't show the force 10 gale that made one cling on.
89	90
From a distance I could see exactly where I'd been. Good on this church for letting us climb all over it..	Our next visit was to a pile of old stones. Actually it was Ggantija, an ancient prehistoric site said to be older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. If one is into this sort of thing no doubt it is rivetting. If not it's a pile of old stones.

91		92
The Ta' Kola Windmill was our next visit. Muriel thought it might fall over so added her support to the left hand corner.		From the windmill we went on to Victoria, the capital of Gozo, for lunch. Here we went our own ways. Five of us found this cafe, once a rich man's house. One of the boards on the left said that the roof garden was open. As today was not the best day we'd had (remember thart force 10 gale) we opted for calmer seating on the ground floor.
93		94a
The centre of the house had originally been an open area. We sat below this lovely Romeo and Juliet balcony situated under a colourful cuppola

94		95
From the balcony in pic 92 there was a view of the main square where some of the others had chosen to eat.

96		97
After lunch we went to have a look at Victoria's main church but as we had to pay to go in had a walk around the ramparts instead. On returning to the main entrance I thought we might be able to get in free but was stopped by a girl who said we had to pay. I told her I wanted to say a prayer. 'Come back at half past four", she said. I would probably have got the same response had I said the army was after me and I wanted sanctuary.

98	99	100
Religious images are everywhere in the towns but the parking notice made us wonder where the bishop got to on Sunday.		A modern balcony on an old building in Victoria.

100	102	103
Our next visit was to the the Church of Our Lady Ta' Pinu, a miracle church which had a couple of unusual features. One was an old hand-wheeled fireman's escape ladder, used to access high places in the church. The other was a room that you could use if you fancied a good cry. (The miracle was that two people who had heard voices telling them to pray did so, praying for a sick woman who made an unexpected recovery)

104		105
Then we went to the 'Azure Window'. As Malta seems to be made of limestone there are more holes in the rock than one could shake a stick at		Our last port of call was the attractive seaside village of Xlendi (pronounce the x like and s) but as it was pouring with rain by this time we saw more of the local tavern than the village.

106	Finally it was back to the ferry. It had been a very enjoyable day doing the tourist thing and seeing the sights. No doubt we didn't see all of them but impressions of Gozo were good and we were glad we went.

DAY 6

Thursday

107	108	110
107	109	110
Our walk on Thursday began with a first leg from the hotel into Mielleiha to buy sandwiches, a lunch bought thus being considerably cheaper than on bought in the hotel. On the way we saw several of the old buses that still run in Malta and a good example of one of the many old cars that are there, the instructions to quietly compose oneself within the vehicle being stuck on its nearside front window. At least it showed a more than rudimentary grasp of the English language left over from many years of British presence on the island. More pictures of old cars and buses appear at the end of this page.

As we walked out of Meillieha we passed another 'miracle' church, the story being that the Machester City team once visited Meillieha were blessed there, subsequently going on the win the cup that same year, which was considered a miracle.

113	112	111
At this point we had walked from the far side of the bay and could look back to see where we'd come from	We didn't see a lot of flowers so these were welcome	By this point the town had been left far behind
115	114	116
Some of those in the group

117	118
119
There was very little wildlife to be seen but we did come across these two little fellows.	Lunch was taken by this wayside headland chapel. I haven't shown pictures (yet) of the rubbish that was everywhere we walked - Malta is a fly-tipper's paradise - but here the candles were kept burning all the time and the old candle holders were simply tossed out and were everywhere around us. It seems that the Maltese care less about their environment than most people.

120	121	122
A cave with its roof fallen in provided a good stopping place		A scenic site spoilt by the large pile of seaweed on the beach

123	124
Later we found another oasis . . . . .	. . . . .which was just as well as there was still some way to go

125	Some of the others caught a bus further on and some finished the walk as it was supposed to be finished - on foot. It was 14.1miles in all
Sometimes there are places even better than oases - bus stops! After 10.75 miles some of us took the easy option.


That evening Leader Ron arranged for a trip into Mdina, the Silent City.
127	128	127
The gate into Mdina from Rabat	Night-time tourists us.	High on a ridge in the centre of the island there is a tremendous view from Mdina

129		130
Ron telling us about Mdina's history		Even the balconies looked different at night

131	132	133
Mdina Cathedral		Even here there was an oasis found by some

134	Palaces, Cathedrals, museums, a convent, small piazzas, houses of the Maltese aristocracy - history is packed into Mdina. Eventually the evening trip to the Silent City was over and we had one last lingering view of it as we left.

DAY 7	Friday - a walk from Marsascala to Marsaxlokk

135	Although it had rained during the week this was the first time that we'd walked in it, in fact the walk started in a thunderstorm. On the left we are walking alongside the harbour with our wet gear finally out of our rucksacks. The picture right was also taken in the rain but extra contrast and brightness make it look better. That blue sky was actually grey.	136
Walking in the rain.		Marsascala harbour

137	138	139
Soon we were enjoying thewilder coastal scenery	Sadly we were also finding the bird trapping stations with birds kept in tiny cages around its edges to lull other birds into a false sense of security. See also pictures 73 and 74.	Enlargement of the righthand cage in the picture left. That's a rock on top of the cage to keep it down.

And here's the man sitting under the roof waiting for birds to fly down for food and water he's put out and be trapped in his nets.We stopped to look and take pictures and he shouted out 'keep walking'. The right hand picture shows more birds in cages alongside the path.

As I said in the caption to pictures 73 and 74, the RSPB website asks people not to go to Malta because of this practice of trapping birds and selling the good singers to other Maltese. We were unaware of the practice when we booked and most people going there and travelling around by public transport would not come across it. It seems that a condition of entry to the European Union should have been the stopping of this bird trapping practice but apparently it wasn't. I hope that the Maltese Government is aware that people like my wife and I would not return to its country, nor would we recommend others go there because of this.
142 And while having a general gripe let's get the rest of it out of the way. Malta is a fly-tipper's paradise - there's rubbish everywhere alongside country roads. If you could get 1 cent for every plastic bottle you could find you'd be a millionaire in a month	144	This scenic view has shotgun cartridges littering the foreground. As you walk along you see them everywhere. God knows how much wildlife was slaughtered here. If you could get 1 cent for every shotgun shell you found you'd be a millionaire quicker than by collecting bottles.

Ok, that's the complaints over. Let's get on with the holiday which, apart from the flies, the litter, the trapping and shooting of wildlife, we did enjoy, although our next holiday won't be in Malta - nor will any others.

145	146 Left: - A nice view through a century plant to a distant headland Above: - a pause while the correct path was sought ahead Right: - The only place where there was a steep drop alongside a narrow path	147

149	152	150
Our lunch stop was at a rocky cove where we could bathe feet that had walked many miles over rough limestone 154	153	Some went into the sea 148A nearby rock.

155		156
Our destination was the attractive fishing village of Marsaxlokk.		Old houses by the harbour

The village and harbour looked to be worth exploring, with the potential for many photo opportunities, but by the time we'd had a beer and an icecream our transport back to the hotel was ready. Sadly this was our last walk of the holiday.

On this, our last evening, we were invited by the hotel management to dine in the castle.

157	158
We were taken from the hotel up to the castle where pictures were taken.

159159	151
Then we were ushered into the dining room, once the chapel within the castle. David got the head of the table seat. By the way, the two guys at the far end of the room were suits of armour.	The picture of the castle is the one from the menu in the foreground of the picture of wine being served above (to a Barbara who looks a little doubtful about something).

167	162
The Castle as seen from our room	The castle as depicted on the menu above

163	160 161
The food was as good as the menu promised, the main course being especially delicious

164	Many thanks to the Selmun Palace Hotel for a very special evening 166	165
And sweet was pretty good too.	Afterwards some of us retired to Charlie's Bar in the main hotel where there was live music and let our hair down

DAY 7

Saturday - departure day

Those of us who did not have to leave for the airport until the afternoon were able to return to Mdina to see it in daylight (after our evening visit on Thursday)

168	169	170
The gateway into Mdina (see also picture 127)	What we couldn't see in the darkness was where the original gate had been, bricked up and built in grander style by a previous ruler.	Muriel and Dot outside Mdina Cathedral. We had previously only seen it lit up (see picture 131)..

177	178	179
Looking towards the Mdina Cathedral altar	Just one of the hundreds of tombs in the floor seen in picture 177 on the left	Splendour on every side

171	We had time to go to the Fontanella Tea Room on Bastion Street where the views were sperb (as were the cakes there). Rucksack Ted, who'd been everywhere with us, got his picture taken and said he wasn't at all frightened by the height.	172


A panorama of the view from the Fontanella Tea Rooms (pictures 173-176)


Sadly this was our last outing. All that remained was to return to the hotel, collect our luggage and get ourselves to the airport. Below are some other images that also represent a large part of the lasting impression of Malta.









	These and many other images that I failed to capture, but which remain in my head, make up my impression of Malta. Unlimited time and improved photographic ability could have produced a much better record of what, in spite of the criticisms, was a very good holiday.

The above is a record of a walking and sightseeing holiday taken in Malta in October 2007 by my wife and I. It was our first ever visit to the island, and we also visited Gozo, which is a short ferry trip away.

If anyone who was on the holiday with us would like to make contact we'll be delighted to hear from them. Comments from others viewing this page are also welcome. CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ALAN AND MURIEL.

This is a page on Alan Moore's website www.redhill-reigate-history.co.uk

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