A post just of three photos taken from Upper Barrakka Gardens. This is the highest point of the city’s defensive walls and the views over the Grand Harbour are extensive.
Category: Malta
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Malta – Southern Region – Ħaġar Qim Temples
Ħaġar Qim Temples date to around 3,500BC and are another in the series of neolithic temples across Malta which still hold many mysteries. They were mostly buried naturally over time, although some stones remained visible, until an archaeological dig which took place in 1839. Inevitably, given the age, this has now become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This site is linked to another nearby historic site, the Mnajdra Temples, and they share a museum which I’ll post about separately. The museum is something a little different and some thought has been put into creating an environment which is relevant for visitors of all ages.
The entrance into the site. Unfortunately I went around the site in the wrong order and so I didn’t get an audio guide, which meant that I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at for much of the time. I didn’t get a map either as are offered at most other Heritage Malta sites. But, if I had gone the correct way round, I would have had these….
One of the porthole doorways, all made from one large piece of stone. It is known that these temples weren’t used for burials of humans, although animal bone sacrifices have been found, and it’s also known that circular stones were used to transport the larger stones around.
In the museum there is a photograph showing how well preserved these stones were in the nineteenth century, and how they deteriorated after they had been exposed. Unfortunately that means that these have been restored, which does limit my enthusiasm just a little. Nearly all of the site is though original, it’s just that some clumsy restoration work in the early twentieth century made things a little worse than need be when cement was used….
The obese figures, although not much of them remain. Although I might not really understand these sites in minute detail, I do like the thought that they were an essential part of the communities several thousand years ago. I can also see how they were abandoned, the site ceases to have much of a function as soon as the religious significance is lost, other than using them for animals to shelter in.
And one of the guards inside the museum. It’s a clever place to sit, as it’s warm, covered and the cat can watch people all day knowing that no-one is allowed near it.
Anyway, a quick trip to TripAdvisor to pick my favourite review for this UNESCO World Heritage site, which is over 5,000 years old.
“It is a pile of rocks under a large tent. After about 3 minutes and very little to look at – the €20 euros you and your wife/friend/partner spent would have tasted better at lunch.”
Marvellous. Although incidentally the vast majority of TripAdvisor reviews are, quite deservedly, very positive. Most of the stones of particular interest were sent to the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, although I saw these on my first day in Malta and so didn’t really understand the significance of them at the time.
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Malta – South Eastern Region – Valletta – Upper Barrakka Gardens (HMS Orwell)
Located in Upper Barrakka Gardens is this memorial to 15 men who died on the HMS Orwell when it was in collision with HMS Pioneer on 30 January 1903. The incident happened off Corfu and this memorial was funded by the officers and men of the fleet. The memorial is here as HMS Orwell was part of the Mediterranean fleet, which was stationed at Malta.
Above are some drawings of the collision which were published at the time by the Illustrated London News. Incidentally and curiously, eight of the fifteen men were called William, which seems an unusual coincidence. HMS Orwell was used extensively in the First World War and was then sent for scrap in 1920. A sad end. HMS Pioneer was scuttled in 1931, although it was re-discovered by divers in 2014.
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Malta – Buses
I’m nearing the end of my 21 days in Malta and I’ve hardly posted about the buses…. I’ve seen a lot of the above map during my time on the islands, and I’ve taken about 65 bus journeys. The 65 is an estimate, I haven’t carefully noted down each one….
The three photos are just random ones from a trip going from Valletta back to the hotel. I was trying to capture some more of the interesting shots of the sea, but the bus got busy and someone stood in front of me. I thought taking photos of someone’s head and the background just poking out wouldn’t really work. So, I present three photos of the early part of the journey instead.
And, this leads me onto saying just how crowded the buses usually are. They’re full more often than not, especially between 07:00 and 10:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00. The bus service is reliable and comprehensive, with no bus during my trip being more than fifteen minutes late. However, they do perhaps need more buses as I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like during the busier summer months.
The bus prices are cheap, especially for locals who get a discounted rate. I purchased a €21 card every week which gave me unlimited bus travel for 7 days, as much as I wanted on both the main island and Gozo. I bought my tickets from WH Smiths at the airport, although for reasons unknown they said this purchase couldn’t be made with credit cards. Individual tickets are €1.50 during the winter months and €2 during the summer months, and this includes free transfers within two hours of the initial ticket purchase. Weekly tickets also last for seven fulls days, so if I first used the ticket on a Sunday afternoon I could still use it the following Sunday morning.
Maltese buses used to be rickety old things of various different designs, although they apparently had quite a lot of charm to them. Personally, I don’t really want charm with a public transportation service, I want efficiency. The country also used to have a rail line between Valletta and Mdina, but it got shut down a long time ago, which is unfortunate to say the least.
And another thought is that very few customers seem to thank the bus driver, it’s unusually low compared to other countries. I haven’t quite worked out why this is, although the residents of Gozo seem to be more polite to the drivers.
Overall, I thought that the bus service offered decent value for money and the timetabling is clear at stops and on maps. It’s an extensive service and generally pretty frequent, with night services also running. But, they really do need even more buses, as the journeys when the bus is full and banging up and down on potholes isn’t an ideal way to get around.
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Malta – South Eastern Region – Valletta – Firing of the Cannon
Every day at 12:00 a cannon is fired at the Saluting Battery in Valletta.
There’s a few minutes of explanation of how and why the cannons are fired which is all interesting. The guy doing the firing was enthusiastic and efficient in what he was doing, I imagine it’s all down to a very fine art now.
The initial reason for the firing, other than when Ottoman forces were sailing into the harbour and needed to be shot at, was at parades. In addition, from the 1820s the gun started to be fired at mid-day so that ships could synchronise their chronographs. It’s obviously a tourist thing now, but it’s a good tradition to keep up.
From the video I made of the firing, which I must admit didn’t entirely capture all of the firing that I would have liked…. But at least I got some of the after smoke (if that’s the proper term….). They load two cannons and only fire one, I assume the second is a back-up in case of any little incidents with the first one. Although I can imagine that any little incidents with the first firing might be sufficient to cause the cancellation of the second firing…
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Malta – South Eastern Region – Valletta – Upper Barrakka Gardens (Winston Churchill)
Winston Churchill, Britain’s former Prime Minister, is still held in high regard in Malta from what I can tell. This sculpture of Churchill is located in Upper Barrakka Gardens and was sculpted by Vincent Apap, a Maltese artist. It was paid for by the people of Malta and Gozo and I think that it looks rather dignified and elegant.
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Malta – South Eastern Region – Valletta – Upper Barrakka Gardens (Les Gavroches)
This is a copy of the statue that was once held here, but which is now in the National Museum of Fine Arts. The original was displayed in Rome and Paris before coming to Malta in 1907. It’s by Antonio Sciortino and shows three poor street children.
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Malta – Northern Region – Roman Baths (Xemxija)
Located towards one end of the Xemxija Heritage Trail are these Roman baths, which were only identified as such as late as 2000. Above are the steps down to the baths from the main trail.
The Roman baths are located on the side of this ridge, but they date back to the Punic era of around 500BC when they were constructed as tombs.
Looking back out of the baths.
The baths were converted into a farmhouse in around the seventeenth century.
It’s quite a large size and there are three distinct areas within the cave.
This is the upper room within the caves.
There are numerous niches located around the edges of the caves. The interesting thing about this site is that it’s always freely accessible and fortunately there doesn’t seem to be any vandalism within the caves. They’re a little bit off the beaten track and I didn’t see anyone else near the site when I visited. The whole trail has been intriguing, so much history packed into just one relatively short walk.
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Malta – Northern Region – Cart Ruts (Xemxija)
I went back today to complete the Xemxija Heritage Walk that I started on the first day that I visited Malta. Although going to look at cart ruts might not sound interesting, they are a mystery for historians. They date from the prehistoric period, but it’s entirely unclear what they were used for and how they were created.
There are cart ruts located across the Maltese islands with these ones stretching for 275 metres. It’d make sense for these cart ruts to be linked to the construction of the temples on the islands, but unfortunately the ruts don’t coincide with those locations. They do though coincide with where early settlements were located, but it’s unknown whether they were created by humans or through the use of carts being towed by animals.
The cart ruts are also of different widths, so if they were pre-planned, it was a slightly sloppy effort.
Stretching into the now built on area, these type of cart ruts have also been discovered going into the sea and also off the edges of cliffs. An intriguing mystery….
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Malta – South Eastern Region – Valletta – Cheeky Monkey
A lot of restaurants and cafes in Valletta often have quite old-fashioned frontages, but Cheeky Monkey looks and feels modern. It’s well presented and their web-site is up-to-date, something which numerous restaurants in Malta don’t seem to concern themselves about.
I visited on a rainy late afternoon in February, so it wasn’t a surprise that it wasn’t that busy. There was a friendly welcome from a staff member, not just a “hello”, but something that actually seemed authentic and personable. So, my first impressions were rather positive.
Having craft beer is obviously a huge bonus for my enjoyment of a location, and although I’ve had this beer a few times, I like having it as an option. It’s the Fungus Rock dry stout from Lord Chambray Brewery on Gozo, one of the few local breweries. It doesn’t have the depth of flavour and afternotes that I’d ideally like, but it’s entirely acceptable. It transpired later on that I visited during happy hour, but the pub didn’t tell me that, which might have made my visit longer……
The fish and chips, which was neatly presented and everything was at the appropriate temperature. Far too often restaurants put peas on with fish and they’re dry and tasteless, but these were excellent and despite being green, they had a depth of taste. The breading of the fish was even throughout and had a decent flavour, although the portion size was only adequate. The fish itself was again fine, although slightly uninteresting. The chips were though excellent again, crispy on the exterior and flurry on the interior, with the tartare sauce adding some extra flavour.
It was all very acceptable and the prices weren’t unreasonable given the city centre location of Valletta. The service was above average throughout, always being attentive and polite. A staff member was going around with a tablet asking customers for feedback, something which I’m not sure works or not. I very much like the concept of it for picking up any issues, but they don’t seem to be doing anything directly with the data that they get. So if a customer isn’t entirely happy, I’m not sure if the pub is contacting them either immediately or after the event. If it isn’t (and they didn’t contact me), I’m not sure it’s a great idea, but the concept of immediate feedback is an interesting one which is very rarely done in this manner.
But, everything was clean and organised, and I’d certainly go again, particularly as the staff were so friendly.
