These steps are several hundred years old, which is evident from the heavy usage that they have had. The steps don’t lead anywhere now, as in 1854 Lascaris Battery was plonked down right on top of them, but they were once the steps that led down to the sea. Modern development has seen some land reclaimed and the road level raised, so now they’re just a little piece of Maltese history….
Near to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa is this stone gate, which is the entrance to a church located in an ancient grotto.
The steps down, and I wondered what I was walking down into…..
These are the final set of steps which go into the chapel. It is said that the Virgin is able to heal children, so some people leave children’s clothes and letters in the hope that they can be cured of their illness.
Light comes in from this large skylight, although the lighting in the grotto is still mostly from candles. Although it’s a natural cave, it has been turned into this church by cutting into the limestone.
Sitting in a pool of naturally flowing water, the statue of the Madonna holding the baby Jesus. There were reports in 1887, 1888 and 1948 that the statue was seen moving her right hand in the shape of a cross, and the site has long been a destination for pilgrims.
Graffiti marked into the stone near to the entrance, dating back to 1834 (unless someone more recently just etched in an incorrect date).
There are numerous, mostly damaged, statues in the niches around the church.
Just a random photo from my balcony at the hotel, some interesting colours in the evening light…..
I still have a few more of these to find in Valletta, the sculptures of Maltese proverbs. The text for this one reads:
“Time ripens the prickly pears – people acquire experience and wisdom with the passage of time”.
One of the exciting developments I saw in countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania in recent months is the opening of craft beer bars at some considerable pace. They’re on-trend, exciting and the service is usually bordering between very good and exceptional. The food offering in these bars is frequently far better than it should be for what is often a drinks-led venue and they’re often open all day.
Valletta doesn’t appear to have that same wave of craft beer bars opening, but one that I keep seeing being mentioned is this one, 67 Kapitali. In all honesty, my expectations weren’t great, although the reviews are very supportive of this bar and restaurant.
Beers should be marked up on blackboards in my ideal world, it’s just something which makes things easier for customers when the selection changes according to availability. So, this is an excellent start for me and the interior generally looked welcoming.
In addition to the board, the staff member was also very aware of the selection and offered a suitable recommendation of a dark beer. On which point, I was acknowledged by two staff members before I sat down, an attention to service which remained impeccable throughout my visit.
The interior of the bar, modern, on-trend and comfortable.
The beer is Fungus Rock, brewed by Lord Chambray, which is a craft brewery based in Gozo. Advertised by the brewery as “not quite a black IPA and not quite a traditional stout”, the beer was served at the appropriate temperature and it had a rich and pleasant flavour. There weren’t deep aftertastes of any particular ingredients, other than perhaps slight notes of coffee, but it was drinkable and well kept.
I’ve slightly done this an injustice by not clearly showing the two slabs of feta cheese at the rear of the photo. The concept of these platters is that you can choose two, or more, main ingredients and they’re served alongside bread, crisps, chutney, oils and olives. I went for the smoked salmon, spicy salami and feta cheese. I think the platters are more designed for sharing, but I was happy to go with one just for myself.
The warm olives arrived separately.
Almost uniquely for me, I could find nothing wrong with the food, its presentation or its quality. My first thought was that the portion size was rather larger than I had expected, and I was delighted at the amount of bread that was provided. I like having that much bread, but I can’t think of that many restaurants or bars that provide it in the amount I require.
The salmon was beautiful, tender and full of flavour, with a slice of lemon provided that was sufficient to drizzle over the fish. The spicy salami had a real kick to it, not excessive, but enough for the chilli to add some spice to the proceedings. And the feta cheese seemed to be of a good quality, not overly salty or watery, and it had a suitable consistency and a creamy flavour. The bread was freshly baked, crusty on the exterior and deliciously soft on the interior. And I liked the salt in the corner which gives the customer the choice of how much to use and on what, although I thought it went marvellously with the salmon.
And, in terms of customer service, this as mentioned earlier was impeccable, the welcome was authentic, timely and genuine. The server took the food and drinks order efficiently, was knowledgeable about the drinks, cleared the board away promptly and seemed keen to serve customers.
I do like it when staff acknowledge and welcome customers into their location, it’s so common for staff to seem to expect their diners to know what to do and where to go. I heard one staff member say to a customer, who had enquired on where to sit, “pick anywhere, find something where you feel the most comfortable”. I thought that was a lovely line, as it seemed to be said in a genuine manner.
Not once either did I feel rushed during the meal, it was all very comfortable and customers are in danger of staying longer than they might have initially intended, not because of inefficient service, but because it’s such a pleasant atmosphere.
I had a look at the TripAdvisor ratings and I have no idea how they’ve picked up a handful of 1 out of 5 ratings, although they mostly seem ridiculous. I saw a review from someone who managed to rate them down for charging extra for a local beer. It defies belief to me that someone judges the quality and price of a beer by how far it has travelled. The bar could probably serve all manner of run of the mill lagers for €3, but that’s not quite the point of quality craft beer. Sometimes decent beer, like decent wine, costs a little bit more and it’d be nice to think it’s judged on its quality and not just its price.
Overall, this was marvellous. It was slightly expensive for a lunch as it cost a total of around £17, but that’s pretty much in line with what a pizza and beer would cost in one of the many generic restaurants in the city. And this was much, much better than that would have likely been.
This could be an early contender for my favourite bar of the year….
I’ve now discovered that there are thirteen of these statues relating to old Maltese proverbs, and this is my fifth post and I know of one more. So just seven left to find in the city, and I don’t know where they are…. Oh well, I like the voyage of discovery, and I’ll try and find all thirteen.
The text for this one reads:
“The whole cow sells – different people have different tastes; what a person may like, another might not”.
Located on the first floor of the National Museum of Archaeology is the Grand Salon, a room once used by the Knights of St. John. They used it to discuss business and also to hold important functions and dinners. Unfortunately, other than for the corner I was standing in to take the photo, it’s closed due to an on-going restoration, part funded by the Bank of Valletta.
The walls are beautifully painted and there is a decorated wooden beamed ceiling, just one of five remaining from the period of the Knights. For those wanting an impressive backdrop, the room is now available to hire from Heritage Malta. There won’t be any more important dinners held here though, the organisation has banned any food and drink for the hall at any time.
The entrance to this church is quite small, hiding just how large the interior is behind it. Work, which took nearly forty years, started on the building in 1639 and it replaced a previous Jesuit church.
This is the first room that I saw when entering and it seems to be the sacristy or vestry, it’s a layout that I haven’t seen before though.
The photos rather stop here at the nave as I saw that there was a sign saying no photos, and I thought that I’d better obey the rules. Others were disregarding them, but I don’t want to run the risk of being complained at and seeming disrespectful. It’s a slight shame though, as there were some beautiful areas of the church that I’m now struggling to picture and remember. The Chapel of Our Lady of Charity was intriguing, it was given to the church when the Guild of Goldsmiths and Silversmiths closed.
There were also some impressive relics, including the right wrist-bone of St. Paul, which is one of the treasures of the church. There’s also half of the pillar on which St. Paul was beheaded in Rome, with the other half in the Tre Fontane church in Rome. The half that this church has was sent by Pope Pius VII in 1818 to thank it for the services rendered in the 1813 plague. St. Paul is very important to Malta, as it is said that he brought Christianity to the islands when his boat was shipwrecked off the coast.
There were some steps down to the crypt, rather elegantly carved.
There is a opening from the road down to the crypt, making it seem rather like a pub cellar with a convenient opening for the dray. I’m not sure why the church needs one, unless it was just to bring supplies up without traipising everything through the sacristy/vestry.
The cellar, with the door from the previous photo visible at the rear left.
And the crypt from the other side, with a dedication to Dun Karm Decelis, who lived from 1805 until 1865.
A legacy of British occupation, the red phone boxes designed for the Post Office by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. As well as across the UK, they’re apparently also in Gibraltar, somewhere else that I’d like to go, and the authorities here in Malta agreed in 2018 to ensure that some of the more neglected phone boxes in the country would be restored and repainted.
And another one from Valletta’s temporary art display, the meaning behind this one is:
“Better a bird in your hand than a hundred in the air – what we already own is certainly ours whereas the same cannot be said of the things we can only dream of having”.
