Mdina and Rabat

We are definitely becoming aclimatized and sleeping a more normal schedule. Our days pass in a blur. It's a lot like home in that the days are winter short but we do get 1 1/2 hours more of sunlight here. When we go out for the day it is likely to be from about 10:00am til maybe 3:00pm. We have to make plans to go to Valletta and Mdina in the evenings to see the Christmas displays and lights. We are so not night time people anymore so it will be a test of our endurance. Especially when you have to take a bus back and then walk a couple of blocks.

There is a population of about 450,000 people on Malta and 300,000 cars. Therefore taxis are not very common and those that you do find charge way too much.

Walked to our local wine seller this morning and ordered our boxes of Spanish wine to be delivered this afternoon when we get back. Other than groceries we don't have to carry any of the heavy stuff like wine and water.

Today the bus we were transferring onto wouldn't start. After 20 minutes a replacement bus came for us in the terminal. Everyone has to get off and then the panic to get onto the next bus becomes a little pushy shovey. A little bus rage ensued between a Brit and an Irishman, lol.....both wives were not happy with their partners. We had the Irish couple in front of us and the British couple behind us. It was all I could do not to turn around and tell him to chill out. But I maintained my dignity and didn't get involved.

This time as we went into Mdina it was very quiet. We spent a couple of hours in St Paul's Cathedral and its museum. This is said to be the sight where in 60 AD Publius? met with St Paul after he was shipwrecked on the tiny Islands in what today is called St Paul's Bay. I'm not sure of the older history, but the church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1693. Reconstruction was finished by 1705 and is what we see today.

It is hard to describe the beauty of this church, I'm not usually that impressed with a lot of the googaws inside many Catholic Churches but St Paul's really is, as stated in a brochure, a "Jewell in the Crown".

 

 

The main floor is comprised of memorial marble slabs representing dozens, if not hundreds of the Knights of St John of Malta.

 

 

Today the walled city really did live up to its name of the "Silent City". Knowing we can continue to come back we left and walked a few blocks to the city of Rabat. It's a little strange to call these places cities because they seem no more than neighbourhoods. But each has its own Kunsill Lokali, or local council and of course their own parish church.

We stop for lunch in the sunshine in a cafe looking across the square to Rabats own beautiful church. We both had lunch specials. I had my cappuccino and Bob a HopLeaf beer.

As we strolled back through the town towards our bus stop, the gods were with us and our bus was waiting. Thank goodness the driver needed a smoke or we might not have made it. We are discovering that almost every bus in this part of Malta goes through or near St Paul's Bay. A short walk up the hill and we are home.

Four o'clock and our wine is delivered. We roasted chicken, baked potatoes and fresh carrots and dinner tasted basic but good.

Thoughts and observations ....like all of Europe a lot of people still smoke. Malta does not have homeless people that we have seen any sign of yet. Our Landlord Ron told us that there is no reason for anyone to not have a job. Even if it is an entry level type of job, all education, training, even university is free. No excuse to not get ahead. Malta has no natural resources, no rivers, no forests, no mines. It is well thought of in the European Union. Somewhat like Switzerland it is a neutral country regarding world politics. It has no armed forces. It has an immigration problem with people escaping from war torn African countries. It has agreements with the United States and other countries to take an allotted number of immigrants every year. I don't know if Canada participates in this agreement.

I like their coffee:) I like their language, and I like their scarves....collecting a few more...not the silk ones of Bellagio, a heavier type, more pedestrian not so much elegance.

I'm finding it hard to start my blog each day because there is just so much to see and learn about that I often don't know where to begin. But I do know where to end ...it's almost 8:00pm and this is it for today.

 

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Blog Format Changes

Just when I think I'm comfortable with the process......posting, adding pictures and even editing, 'they' go and change the format. So this is another test post to see how things work before I spend a lot of energy writing my daily entry. A cautionery zebra crossing sign for confused bloggers. Fingers crossed.

 

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Showers, Shopping and Laundry

A day with no destination or plans. We had an easy morning. We are getting the hang of our Maltese coffee maker and its tasting good. It seems a lot stronger than our drip coffee at home so I don't think we drink as much. Bob gave me a touch up on the haircut and then I had a shower. We don't have a really big hot water tank and two showers in a row leaves Bob with a little cold water finish. He is going to go do some grocery shopping and I'm doing laundry. He will have his shower this afternoon. When the load is finished I can't get the door open ...push a few buttons and the wash cycle starts again.....grrrrr. This goes on two more times before I email Ron. Apparently you have to wait about five minutes before opening the door.....who knew....but that was the way things worked. Another technical procedure understood.

Malta is famous for its colourful doors and unique brass door knockers. Doors seem to be the biggest problem we have had with our apartment. Balcony door handle came off in Bob's hand and had to be replaced...we couldn't get the door key to work coming home a few nights ago and today it was the washing machine door. Is there a story here?

I really needed a home day to regroup and give my body a rest. Bob had a nap after his shopping excursion and I set myself up to do some journal pages. Painting is still feeling like an effort for me. I'm telling myself to go back to the basics of recording our daily experiences and not try to paint beyond my capabilities. For the last eight months Sherry and I have been doing our online courses and I feel I'm in information overload regarding styles, techniques, supplies and how to use them.

Here is our kitchen, a propane gas stove top and electric oven. The fridge is in the cupboard to the right of the stove and a little freezer is to the right beyond my sketch. We have a toaster like no toaster I've ever seen. I would like to take one home:)

I'm forgetting to add an explanation about some of my sketches. In AD60 the Apostle Paul and another 267 people were shipwrecked on the rocks along these little islands. All apparently were saved as is recorded in a story in the bible. Like my sketching I feel like I'm floundering with the history of this place. There are so many thousands of years of religious, cultural and ethnic history that I can't even begin to understand it all. I loved history and remember one of my favourite topics in school was about the Phoenicians which have played a huge part in the history of Malta.

A peaceful morning with coffee watching the Sunday morning unfold. European culture values its Sunday's for family and friend outings. Half the boats in the harbour went out for sometime and the promenade and benches were continually occupied, taking advantage of the sunny, warm day. We are cooking chicken for dinner tonight courtesy of Bob's morning shop. Not sure where we will go tomorrow, maybe Rabat or the Mosta Dome. Either way we will be on the buses in the morning ready for a new day's adventure. We will be clean and rested and ready to go.

 

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To Gozo

St John the Baptist Church

We hit the road running this morning by 7:45am, just to be reminded by the bus schedules that it's Saturday. Again we walk half way to Bugibba before a bus comes. Pretty quiet at 8:00 on a Saturday:)

A gesture drawing bumping along on the bus with my new Pentel brush pen....

 

Good news is that we don't have to get off in Bugibba terminal but go straight through to Cirkewwa on the north end of Malta where we will catch the ferry to Gozo. The majority of passengers are foot traffic. Can't say I even saw a car trying to get on. €9 or about $13 return for a 25 minute crossing. Not our smartest move to come over here on a Saturday that is also a republic holiday. We are surrounded by a bus tour from London plus the local people out doing their Christmas shopping. One more bus ride on the Gozo side and we get off at Saint John, the Baptist Church about half way to the main city of Victoria. We spent an hour learning the history of the church from a priest? Along with another couple from Germany. The church official spoke both English and German so we heard the everything twice.

The next bus into Victoria is not for 30 minutes so we start to walk as it is all down hill. It sounds easy but the roads are narrow, the sidewalks even narrower. After about a kilometre we decide to wait for the next bus as the road is starting to climb and we want to save our energy for exploring Victoria and its walled city.

Bob has memories of his time here 25 years ago but unfortunately there is massive construction in the main plaza and the Citadel area which is what we have come to see. As the citadel is the highest place on Gozo we know we are going up hill. Unfortunately you can't even sit in an outside Cafe due to the sound of machinery working right in front of you. We did find d a quiet spot for a sit down and a local beer as the work seemed to stop in the early afternoon, maybe due to the half day holiday?

 

 

 

 

We make the climb to see as much as we can of the walled city and the view from the top. The city provided a sanctuary for the Gozitans from the invading Turks in the 16th century. The citizens would come into the walled city at night for protection in case of attack. But, to no avail, as in the late 1500's the Turks succeeded in their siege and took all the Gozitans as slaves. Apparently it took decades for the people of Gozo to reestablish their families once later generations were able to return to the island.

I am intrigued by the language which is primarily based on Arabic with Italian, French and English thrown in. Today's words I have noticed are exit...hrug, entrance, dhul....I'm trying to figure out how their alphabet works....like a Q at the beginning is silent, two Z's in a row are an S sound.

Here a pedestrian crossing is called a zebra crossing. Some Zebra crossings have humps, lol, as in a speed bump.

We have found a wonderful butcher shop in our neighbourhood so "jumped" off the bus on Mosta Road and picked up dinner. Then it is about six/eight blocks to home. We are done for the day. Bob is carrying about 10 pounds of meat and cheese plus a bottle of Gozitan Limoncella. I think we are home for a couple of days. Time for laundry, a little fix up trim on my new haircut, showers and catch our breathe after three days in a row exploring.

 

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Our first trip to Valletta

Today we had coffee Maltese/Italian style in our Bialetti Moka Express machine. We are getting better at this coffee business. A quick breakfast and down the street towards the bus stop that takes us to Bugibba and Valletta for the day.

The bus terminus is just outside of Valletta, funneling people into the the pedestrian streets filled with tourists and local Christmas shoppers. It is still a cool morning with a chill wind blowing down the narrow streets. I feel I don't really have a grip on where I am yet. I have read a lot about the history of Malta, seen the television program "Waterfront Cities of the World" featuring Valletta, twice. The reality is very different. I want to learn about Maltese culture and history but not through shopping areas. The language intrigues me. I am so happy to be staying where we are. It is halfway between the somewhat tourist area of Bugibba and a local, working class neighbourhood where we do all our grocery shopping. The beauty of Valletta that we saw today was somewhat diminished by all the Christmas shopping frenzy. We still enjoyed walking the narrow streets, shadowed by the tall buildings, absorbing the feel our first visit of many to come.

 

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We had lunch in a restaurant that wound around a corner block on about three different levels. I have noticed that some stores and this restaurant in particular, have a square of glass flooring that lets you look down into the tunnels and catacombs that run under the city. So many cultures have occupied Malta over the centuries that there has always been a need to have places to escape from invading forces. More history that I want to know more about. I took this picture right beside our table where we shared a "BadAss" burger and cappuccino. You can see the footprints from people who have stood on the glass for a photo opportunity. It is a little unnerving the first time you step on one.

Bob, the shopper, can't find anything yet on which to spend his money. I, on the other hand have no problem. Another scarf, burnt orange, to match my Keens, a pair of Espadrilles to wear around the apartment and another art store find...a Pentel Brush Pen, highly thought of by our Sketchbook Skool alumni.

We are getting our walking legs tuned up day by day. We have no alternative. We walk or we take the bus. The afternoon turned warm and we enjoyed our bus trip back home. We stopped on Mosta Road, our local shopping street, bought fresh pork chops, some frozen corn, and fresh bread.....our first home cooked meal. It wasn't gourmet but we enjoyed it none the less.

Tomorrow we are taking the ferry to Gozo.

 

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Mdina

The storm is abating and this morning we still have rough seas and wind but no more rain. We are going to Mdina, the walled city. First stop on our way is the wine store in Bugibba to make arrangements for a delivery. Can't get the wine I would like so we will stop on our way back and decide what we will get. On the bus to Mdina about a twenty minute ride. It is still cool today and the wind is blowing cold as Mdina is up high on a hill. It is almost impossible to describe this place. I thought it would be mostly a tourist destination but people actually live within the walls. I can only show pictures.

 

 

 

We spent about 3 hours walking the streets. There are many tourist shops selling Maltese crystal, lace jewelry and the usual "stuff". I found a stationery shop that had a fantastic array of pens. I have been wanting a fountain pen with ink cartridges.

We could have spent many more hours wandering around, so many things we didn't see, but we also know we have lots of time to come back again. Caught the bus.....getting pretty good at this after only a couple of days, back to the wine store, ordered our wine and as it was our first delivery they wanted one of us to go with them to show the way. I preferred to walk so Bob went with the fellow and organized the delivery up to our apartment. The afternoon had warmed up and I enjoyed the short walk home. Even the feral cats were enjoying the sun.

About 5:30 Ron came over with a microwave and a "coffee maker". We were expecting a regular drip coffee maker like at home. Wrong....they make coffee ala Italiano, espresso, or they do instant. We had one of these in the apartment but didn't know what it was.

So we are set...can't think of anything else we will need...we then walked over to the Portabello for pizza. When we came back we couldn't get the key to work in the apartment door. What next!! Thank goodness we have Internet and it worked outside the apartment door. Emailed Ron but he was out of the town so said he would send brother Edward to check. We sat in the stairwell for twenty minutes. Edward was there quickly as he tends to drive like the 25 yr old he is....lucky for us. And of course he tries the key and it works. I punched him because my thumb is bruised blue from trying ....Murphy's law ....he left us the spare key and said he was going for a beer, goodnight. They really are a wonderful family but I hope we won't have to need anything from them going forward, at least for a week.

The end of our first week. It has been eventful, a lot of organizing, catching up on sleep, but still walking and exploring every day. I think we have done a good job so far. I am delighted with everything I have seen and the people we have met....tomorrow we are taking the ferry to Gozo.

 

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Storm Watch

At 2:00am we woke up to the biggest thunder and lightning storm I've ever seen or heard. There had been one earlier in the evening while we were still up and we could feel the window frames vibrating from the thunder of that one. After a half hour it had moved away from right over our heads and we were able to go back to sleep to the diminishing rumbles and flashes of light.
Today is our forecasted big stormy day with lots of wind and rain. We made a quick trip to the shops early while there was a break in the rain. We now have enough supplies for the day.

For the last twenty years Bob has offered to cut my hair any time I say I'm getting it cut. I have just rolled my eyes at him with no intention of letting him touch it. After not being satisfied with any of the last three haircuts I've got, I told him he could cut it all off. I figured worst case scenario I have three months to grow it back before we come home and no one knows me here:)
Not having a lot of hairdresser supplies with us he had to use the Fiskar all purpose scissors he brought with him. I always thought Fiskar was basically lawn care tools and these do look somewhat like the lawn clippers I have in the shed at home. But with one cut down to an inch long we were committed and I am now happy with my pixie cut similar to the one I had twelve years ago. I'm just not going to bleach it blonde like I did back then.

We decided to walk up to the corner where there is a restaurant that is highly recommended by Trip Advisor and our Landlord to make reservations for Christmas dinner. They don't do an evening meal just a fixed menu lunch from 1:00 til 4:00. For €28 you get a choice of Turkey, Prime Rib or Fish plus all the other courses. Apparently when you come for the lunch you can stay for the afternoon. They only take bookings for the amount of seating available. We decide we might as well go there for Christmas Eve too as it is so close. After that we might start to think about cooking at home, but maybe not. It is so easy to get food for dinners. We have breakfast at home and then something light for lunch depending where we are.

Slowly but surely I will get the sketching habit back again. I got away from it the last few weeks before we left. Too many things to be thinking about at the time and I didn't feel inspired. Getting my journalistic "reportage" juices flowing.
Thinking of Gramma Cog today as the family says goodbye to her. Sherry did a beautifully captured portrait. The Youngsons and the Gales have been connected for over 50 years.

Daylight is starting to fade, the lights have come on along the promenade and the sea is still crashing over the breakwater. It has been a productive day despite the weather. This picture doesn't do justice to what we see but it does tell the story. The inner harbour looks muddy but the sea beyond still shows the blue of the Mediterranean.

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