This year our plan is to meet our families in Malta which seems like a great place to visit with a lot of attractions both historical and natural. We are especially attracted by the mysterious cart ruts that we have seen on TV and the huge megalithic temples and hope to see them both during our one week stay on the island.
After a long flight with two layovers we arrive in Malta and have to wait two hours before our relatives arrive so we decide to visit something near the airport and our decision is to stop at the Chinese Garden of Serenity for a preview to our trip to Hong Kong. The garden is very peaceful and deserted but initially it also appears quite featureless with a tree lined path leading in both directions from the entrance.
 |  |
| Chinese Garden of Serenity entrance | Memorial at the entrance |
 |  |
| Big plaza | Not a lot in this direction - just a row of trees |
There are some nice views of Valetta and the surroundings and a weird mix of statues columns and engravings in one direction which ends right in front of what looks an ancient colomn so we return and start in the other direction.
 |  |
| View of the city | Old column at one end |
 |  |
| Chinese statues | Interesting pavement |
The real attraction is in the other direction a small Chinese like complex complete with a few fake temples and a small lake with duck and geese. It is a great place to spend an hour and we even find a vending machine to buy some water as it is quite hot and of course we have no water after exiting the airplane.
 |  |
| Entering the more Chinese part | Interior courtyard |
 |  |
| Cool doors | Looks like China - we think:) |
 |  |
| Pavillion at the end | Ducks on the lake |
Soon we are back at the airport and after picking our relatives somehow manage to find the way to our accomodation, an apartment in Xghajra, a small village east of Valletta. Driving is on the left side but we are already used to this after our previous trips however the roads are quite narrow and many are one way which makes getting from place to place an adventure to say the least and we are tired after our trip so we are happy that we manage to only get almost lost and nothing worse.
 |  |
| Airport building | Parking lot at the airport |
 |  |
| Our apartment building | View from apartment |
What we need now are some provisions so we walk around the small village searching for a market with no luck. Everything we find is closed for the weekend and as the next day is Sunday we feel that finding something open today is imperative. Even so we enjoy the small town vibe, small churches and even the seafront with some very rocky beaches that are very popular with the locals.
With no luck in town we have to return to take the car and go to a larger supermarket - we arrive there half hour before closing so it is a mad scramble to buy everything but we manage it in time and return back to the accomodation to unload.
 |  |
| Xghajra Church belltower | Typical Malta village street |
 |  |
| House in Xghajra | Seashore promenade |
 |  |
| Not a lot of sand beaches here | That beach house is actually lived in |
After a brief rest we walk down to the seafront again where we have chosen a restaurant to have a get-together dinner. Given that it is one of the few open it is quite popular but we still find an open table for us and order some traditional Maltese dishes, which are mostly rabbit and fish. Full and tired after the long day we return afterwards to the hotel and fall asleep quickly.
 |  |
| Rabbit - a Maltese speciality | Seafood also of course |
Today our plan is to find our way to Mdina - not the one in Saudi Arabia but the one named in its honor on Malta. It is a city with a history of over 2,000 years with a well preserved fortress and a lot of other attractions. The only problem is of course finding the right roads - GPS is invaluable here. On the way we pass through Zabbar which, as many other small towns here, have a huge, oversized church as the focal point of the city.
 |  |
| Zabbar Parish Church | Close up of ornate church |
The traffic is not so bad after we exit the Valetta neighborhood and soon we arrive in Mdina where we park near the fortress and then walk around it trying to find the main entrance.
 |  |
| Back entrance to Mdina fortress | Park in the moat in front of fortress |
The entrance even though it is not the original one (it was moved to accomodate the bridge and car traffic) is impressive with lions guarding the entrance into the old city.
 |  |
| Bridge to main entrance | Unfortunately cars are also permitted |
 |  |
| Close up of entrance | Protective lion |
The old city is quite small however still it is easy to get last due to the many narrow streets. It is also the host of many old buildings, right past the gate are two interesting historical buildings one that can be entered (visitor center) and one that cannot at least freely (police station).
 |  |
| Visitor center in old tower | Police in old building |
We continue on through the narrow passages until we arrive at the cathedral where it seems every visitor ends up as suddenly there is a mass of people compared to the relative quiet before. The cathedral was built in the 12th century and it stands where it is said that St Paul who was stranded on Malta met the Roman governor of Melite (as Mdina was called at the time).
 |  |
| Mdina cathedral | Cathedral plaza |
 |  |
| Ornament on plaza building | Inside the cathedral |
We continue on exploring the side streets and the many beautiful houses. It is quite relaxing and there are lots to see and explore as we make our ways towards the battlements.
 |  |
| One of the many beautiful buildings | Narrow alley |
 |  |
| Colorful windows | Cool house to live in |
The view from the top of the walls is impressive and you can easily understand why the fortress was built here as it has a great view of the surrounding area.
 |  |
| View from the fortress in the distance | Lots of farms surronding the citadel |
From here we start making our way back slowly towards the entrance. As we walk we start to notice more details as the many religious statues and building corners, weird statue heads, old pedestrian overpasses and other details that make old towns so fascinating.
 |  |
| Narrow alleys are fun to explore | Covered walkway - medieval edition |
 |  |
| Religious statues at corners are popular | This is a bit weird |
 |  |
| Carmelite Priory | Statue at the corner of Priory |
We also stop of course at a few souvenir shops and buy a few small souvenirs but not too many as we assume we are going to find a lot to buy tomrrow in Valetta. Interesting is also the Maltese Falcon souvenir shop - of course it just benefits from the fame of the movie with no relation to it but still lots of lots of tourists take photos in front of it.
 |  |
| Very popular curved alley | Pirate church (well that is what sprung to mind) |
 |  |
| One of the many souvenir shops | Capitalizing (successfully) on the "Maltese Falcon" movie |
 |  |
| Nice balconies | Getting lost in Mdina |
Before exiting we stop at the National Museum of Natural History where we start our whirlwind tour of Malta's museum and archeological attractions by buying a Heritage Malta Pass - we assume that we will be able to visit enough sites to make it worthwhile and spoiler alert - we actually do in the days that follow. The museum is the first stop and while it is not something extraordinary and it has no elevators for the elderly people in our party it exhibits quite a lot of fossils from the Maltese islands which are well explained and ordered.
 |  |
| National Museum of Natural History | Lot to climb if tired |
 |  |
| Some of the exhibits | Lots of fish |
 |  |
| Well preserved fossil | Tusk from the pygmy elephants |
there are some curiosities like a giant squid fished near Malta and overall it is good to be out of the relentless sun for some time. It even has one of the weirder toilets that we visit here that are behind a door that everyone assumes it is closed (we force it open) then going down a poorly lighted stair passage to arrive at some ultra modern toilet complex - very unexpected.
 |  |
| Skeleton exhibits... | ....creepy but oddly fascinating |
 |  |
| Huge deep sea octopus caught near Malta | Lots of birds |
Even though we are done with the fortress we are not finished with Mdina. Besides the citadel it has two more major attractions and we plan to visit them both as both are included in the Heritage Malta Pass. First is the Domus Romana a Roman townhouse that was discovered by accident in 1881. The major attraction here are the well preserved mosaics however to get there we have to pass through the small interesting museum with finds from the excavation.
 |  |
| Domus Romana entrance | Mdina=Melita in Roman times |
 |  |
| Objects found on site | Including some skeletons |
Soon we arrive at the mosaics - a room full of them. The best preserved one is a full floor one with intricate motivs and doves in the middle which supposedly was a very popular mosaic centerpiece in the Roman times.
 |  |
| The major attraction - mosaic with doves | Another mosaic |
 |  |
| Parts of mosaic - very modern | Another mosaic detail |
There is also an outside overlook over the excavations which are more extensive than we assumed. Unfortunately you cannot walk through them so after looking at them from a distance we exit the museum pass the back entrance to the citadel and then take our car to the last major attraction in Mdina, the catacombs.
 |  |
| Outside view of the villa | Wonder what that is? |
 |  |
| This is the back entrance to the citadel | Sparrow enjoying the weather |
Arriving here with a car is a bit difficult as the streets are narrow and parking is at a premium but we find a parking place close enough and try to enter to the obvious door - nope we are fooled it is not the right one. And then we notice that one of our water bottles has leaked so half of us are cleaning the car while the other half is searching for the entrance. Too calm ourselves we drink what is probably the "national" drink in Malta a Kinnie, it is actually quite addicting and we continue to drink one whenever we find one - it is very good against the heat.
 |  |
| St Paul Catacombs - not the right entrance | Refreshment - quite good in the heat |
Finally we find the right entrance and enter the small museum with a cool glass floor through which we can see skeletons and tombs - quite interesting. After that it is back outside in the heat in a sea of catacombs, trying to find the ones that can be entered and finally finding one and down we go.
 |  |
| Catacombs exhibit | Seen through the glass floor |
 |  |
| Lots of catacombs to visit | First one to enter |
The one we entered is the largest as we find out with lots of passages to follow and lots of tombs to look at (yes they are empty). And only a small part can be walked through - we can see the catacombs extending far into the distance in all directions.
 |  |
| Elevated walkway to protect the catacomb | Many side tunnels |
 |  |
| Tomb after tomb after tomb.... | One of the many tombs |
 |  |
| Paintings or hieroglyphs? | Meeting point in the catacombs (or something else:)) |
After exiting the tomb we have to pass the street by exiting this section and entering the other section, here there are quite a few more tombs that can be entered. Luckily all of them have a very detailed description showing what the highlights - this is very useful else we would not have seen many of the more interesting details. For certain the most interesting tidbit is that the tombs were painted and we can even see the painting on a few tombs - our initial assumption was that they were simply white as we saw them in the previous tombs.
 |  |
| Very detailed map for each tomb | Going down into the catacombs - gets tiring |
 |  |
| Tombs everywhere in the catacombs | Lots of narrow passages to explore |
 |  |
| Tombs were painted | Faint painting |
As most catacombs these were also used as a hiding place for the early Christians with Baptism fonts found in some areas - however other groups also found refuge here or buried their deads as evidenced by the Judaic symbols.
 |  |
| Baptism font for early Christians (?) | Inside window |
 |  |
| Roots through the ceiling | Drawing in the catacomb |
 |  |
| Menorah carving | Other carvings in the tombs |
We visit over 10 catacomb entrance but soon we are tired and we still have one more stop planned that we have to reach before 4 PM so we have to leave, reluctantly. We now drive back past Valetta towards Ghar Dalam Cave our next goal. This time we miss the entrance which is not signed so we have to somehow turn around (not easy on a divided street) and enter the empty parking lot. We pray that it is still open and that they have not closed early and luckily our luck holds. This time to make sure we don't miss the cave we pass the museum and decide to visit it on the way back if at all possible as we are not sure how far the cave is from the entrance. And while it is not far as we find out it is downhill with many steps so it takes a bit to get there - at least wee see a world war 2 fortification tower on the way.
 |  |
| Seeing the port in the distance | Ghar Dalam Cave entrance |
 |  |
| Going down towards the cave | Good for a quick stop to learn about plants |
 |  |
| Already down halfway | World War 2 fortification |
Arriving at the cave we are happy that we are the only people inside (not surprising really after seeing the parking lot). The cave's claim to fame is that lots of lots of fossils have been dug out from the cave bottom. Here is where we learn that Malta was home for both elephants and hippopotamus - not the current ones but some extinct dwarf species. Of course the cave was also used by early humans and lots of other animals but still - elephants and hippopotamus in Europe? Cool.
 |  |
| Arriving at the cave entrance | Cave view |
 |  |
| Lots of bones were found here | Some are still left |
It also has a few typical cave formations but nothing that special especially given that you cannot enter the deeper cave area due to the cave in risk.
 |  |
| Also has a few stalactites | This is the big one |
 |  |
| End of cave | Petrified wood |
On our return way we find one more thing that now we can (kind of) cross off our list - some cart ruts preserved right in front of the museum. They are short and end abrupty at the nearby field and we cannot get close to them but still it is exciting and we hope we will see a lot more in the following days.
 |  |
| Our first cart ruts | Cart ruts end at the property limit |
Now we enter the museum and it is good we do - it is small but full to the brim with bones found in the cave and reconstructions of the different mammals found inside. It is surprising to see how many bones were found - jars and jars of teeths and small bones - it is overwhelming almost.
 |  |
| The small museum at the visitor center | With a few dwarf elephants |
 |  |
| Close up of elephant | Elephant remains...lots of them |
 |  |
| Hippopotamus teeth | So many teeth and bones |
With the museum part done for the day it is time for us to think about food and we decide to swing by Marsaxlokk which is famous due to its pretty harbor and good fish restaurants. Finding parking is almost impossible and we spend a good 20 minutes until we find a spot far from the downtown area. From here we walk down to the shore and find an open restaurant (it is Sunday after all so few are open) and order octopus rings and fish. Neither of them are that good but we are hungry so they are good enough :).
 |  |
| Parking in Marsaxlokk | Restaurant at sea edge |
 |  |
| Octopus rings - good but not exceptional | And some fish |
Afterwards we take a short walk to see the famous harbor and the colorful boats - it is very pictoresque and makes for a nice short walk.
 |  |
| Famous harbor | Lots of boats |
 |  |
| These boats is why the harbor is famous for | Very colorful |
We then return back to our car on a different route passing the imposing Marsaxlokk Church (where Mass is being held) and then following some side streets back to the plaza where we parked. From here it is another short drive back to our hotel where we soon fall asleep as we are quite tired.
 |  |
| Marsaxlokk Church | Church from the back |
Today after breakfast we plan to start the day with one the many ancient temples that litter the Maltese islands - the Tarxien temple - which is an Unesco World Heritage Site. For that we first have to find a parking place of course and then find our way through the streets to the entrance, in the morning before the heat it is quite fun to explore the village on foot as we slowly make our way to the temple.
 |  |
| Looking for the temples | Found a sign |
 |  |
| Narrow street | Love those balconies |
Right after entering our eyes are drawn towards the huge tarp covering the temple, while it certainly breaks the immersion it is necessary to protect the temple and we have seen similar coverings also in other places that are in need of protection from the elements. However after we get inside it we are happy it exists because it protects us also from the sun and we start exploring the ruins which are quite impressive.
 |  |
| Tarxien - all covered up | Maltese flower |
 |  |
| Outside the tarp | Under the tarp |
The Tarxien temples date to approximately 3150BC, it is really impressive that people even then could build such expansive and huge monuments. It consists of three separate but adjacent templs with the middle temple being famous due to its unusual structure with six apses/rooms (3 pairs) instead of the usual four (2 pairs).
 |  |
| Famous temple with three apses | Close view of apse |
 |  |
| One of the temples | Temple detail |
One of the things that seems to be almost always to be forgotten in the shows we have seen about the temples and the cart ruts are the fact that many small stone balls were found that were used to roll the big stone slabs to the site - no alien intervention needed (likely:)). There is also a good preview of our afternoon visit to the Archaeological museum here with the bottom half of a Goddess statue being preserved on site.
 |  |
| Pottery found on site | Stone balls used for carrying the big slabs |
 |  |
| Lower half of statue found on site | Big pot |
Of particular interest in Tarxien is the intricate stonework with the reliefs and depictions looking strikingly modern, guess art is really universal. A lot of the stonework was carted to the museum so we can't wait to see the originals there in the afternoon.
 |  |
| One of the reliefs | Famous for the decorations |
 |  |
| Wonder what this is? | Thick pavement stones |
Next is another Unesco World Heritage Site, Valetta, the capital of Malta. It has a still walled old town that we can't enter with the car so we find with a bit of difficulty a car park close by from which we walk past the imposing walls into the old town.
 |  |
| Parking lot in Valetta | Crossing the moat into the town |
 |  |
| Not much is left of the moat... | ...but the fortifications are impressive |
We continue following the main street - Triq Ir-Repubblika (Triq=street) past some beautiful well preserved old buildings and one new one, the Parliament building. The whole downtown is very crowded with tourists both staying here or just here for a few hours from the different cruise ships anchored in the harbor.
 |  |
| Entering the fortified city | Impressive building |
 |  |
| New Parliament building | Pjazza Teatru Rjal |
 |  |
| Very popular downtown area | Nice building detail |
Besides private and commercial buildings it is clear that this is the political center of Malta from the many government buildings, besides the Parliament we see the Law Courts, National Library and the cathedral which at some point would have held some political power :).
 |  |
| St John Co-Cathedral | Entrance to cathedral museum |
 |  |
| Malta Law Courts | National Library of Malta |
We stop in the central plaza of Valetta which is anchored on one side by the Grandmaster Palace and on the other by the Main Guard building (which makes sense). Here we are planning to enter the Grandmaster Palace and visit it as we are especially interested in the State Apartments which are still used for functions of state from time to time.
 |  |
| Main Guard Building in Valetta | St Georges Square |
 |  |
| Grandmaster Palace and guards | Ok then.... |
Today we are lucky and the State Apartments are opem so we can visit them during our tour. The Palace was built between the 16th and 18th century as the palace for the Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta that ruled Malta and became the Governor's office during the British times while now it is the President's official residence. The corridor we enter is beautifully decorated and it can easily be seen how with a red carpet it could host foreign diginitaries during their visits.
 |  |
| Inside the Grandmaster's Palace | Inside corridor |
 |  |
| Beautifully painted ceiling (and Malta cross) | All corridors in this area are painted |
The rooms that can be visited are well appointed in an official manner and we particularly like the purple room, the color is quite cool - wonder if any official meetings are held there?
 |  |
| One of the rooms that can be visited | Interesting ceiling |
 |  |
| Paintings are well preserved | The Purple Room (our name for it) |
 |  |
| Ceiling detail | Malta coat of arms (possibly) |
After the state apartments we go downstairs to the Armoury part of the museum which starts with an impressive exhibition of firearms and cannons - there are lots and lots of them it seems which makes sense as Malta was always quite militarized in defense of multiple foreign threats.
 |  |
| Palace armoury - weapon section | Classical weapons |
 |  |
| More modern weapons | Lots of cannons |
The second section of the armoury is the medieval section dedicated to knight armours, sword, arbalets and the like. It is interesting to see how many ways the Maltese could kill each other and their enemies and after examining them carefully (the armours, especially those of important knights, are beautifully built and decorated) we have to exit to continue our visit.
 |  |
| The armor section | Maltese knights in armor |
 |  |
| One of the fancier models:) | Lots of helmets for a reason |
We continue on down towards the sea and towards Fort St Elmo the fortress that protected Malta from the sea and now houses the National War Museum, our next goal.
 |  |
| Continuing towards the sea | Going down - we will have to climb back up |
After arriving at the Fort we walk around it until we find the entrance and then have to go back around on the inside to find the museum. It is a huge fort so it is a lot to walk in the midday sun but at least on the way we are treated to some beautiful seaside and harbor views of the surrounding area.
 |  |
| Fort San Elmo - not the entrance though | Inside the fort |
 |  |
| View over the bay | Old harbor |
Finally we arrive at the museum buildings and the collection is less impressive than the armoury but still manages to provide a good overview of the history of Malta with a focus on the many wars that influenced the area.
 |  |
| Inside the museum | Hellenistic vases |
 |  |
| Medieval armor | Maltese shield |
The biggest focus is on the World War 2 "siege" when Germany and Italy tried to bomb or starve Malta into submission. It was unsuccessful however it was very close for a period especially in 1941 and early 1942 when the Allies had huge difficulties on bringing supplies to Malta which is close to Italy and therefore clearly into the area of action of planes based in Italy.
 |  |
| Guns protecting Malta | Torpedoes or bombs? |
 |  |
| Used in the Siege of Malta | These were sorely needed |
 |  |
| Jeeps were very popular | Lots of bombs fell over Malta |
From the plazas outside of the museum exhibits (housed in multiple rooms accessed from outside plazas) we have some great views of areas of the fort that are not yet rehabilitated as well as of Valetta proper - it must have been quite impressive for the people who tried to invade from the sea.
 |  |
| Typical view from fort | Valetta from fort |
 |  |
| The barracks - unused at the moment | Fort walls from the outside - impressive |
The museum also has a separate section that is less focused on War and more on ordinary everyday things like the grandmaster's table - it is not that impressive as we expected - and models of Valetta as it changed over the years (not much).
 |  |
| Medieval Malta | Newer section |
 |  |
| Grandmaster desk | Old preserved building ornament |
We are quite hungry now however we don't have that much time so we decide to stop only for a few sweets and a Kinnie as a refreshment. As we sit on the sidewalk we notice multiple jewelry stores selling silver objects and we decide to buy some cheap silver souvenirs before continuing on.
 |  |
| Eating some sweets | Kinnie - our Maltese refreshment |
The next point of interest is the National Museum of Art which is back towards the entrance in the walled town and therefore we have to pass through the whole old city again. We decide to change the route a bit passing restaurants that sell Pokemons ala Carbonara, old churches and climbing steep streets to finally arrive at the museum.
 |  |
| Teatru Manoel - dating back to 1731 | Looks great from the outside too |
 |  |
| We are going to pass on this | Carmelite Church |
 |  |
| Triq (Street) Zekka | Hope it is one way |
The National Museum of Art is housed in an impressive building and we are not sure about the size of the collection so we just hope that we have time to see it all as we have only about 45 minutes to go through it.
 |  |
| Entrance to National Museum of Art | Beautiful entrance |
 |  |
| Inside the museum | Lots of history to this building |
We start with the top floor which passes quite fast as it is focused on medieval paintings which are always quite religious and very similar. Still there are a few standouts that we examine a bit more before returning to the ground floor for the rest of the collection.
 |  |
| Old painting section | Religious paintings |
 |  |
| Close up of painting | Hunting was a popular past time |
The ground floor is a bit more modern and also focused a bit more on art objects used in daily life and some of them are quite interesting.
 |  |
| People were transported in this | Old furniture |
 |  |
| Another religious painting section | Traditional accessories |
The artwork here is also more related to Malta and the harbor and the ships that visited it so we have fun trying to identify what we saw today in the artwork - there are quite a few things that we easily recognize. Still the most outstanding feature of the museum is the interior courtyard - it is really something else with what seems like tens of windows all of different sizes - spectacular.
 |  |
| Malta is an important harbor | Dangerous weather |
 |  |
| Interior courtyard - those are lots of windows | Not so many on this side |
Now we pass again in a hurry past the Pjazza Teatru Rjal (the old Royal Opera House bombed in the 2nd World War and repurposed as on open air theatre) towards the National Museum of Archaeology the 4th(!) museum for the day. All of them are free with the Heritage Pass but certainly this is the highlight and the top one that we wanted to visit.
 |  |
| Church of St. Barbara facade | Pjazza Teatru Rjal |
The reason that this museum is probably the most important in Malta is because many of the finds from the different megalithic temples in Malta were brought here from safekeeping so it has a treasure trove of interesting artifacts. In fact it even has a small section of cart ruts that we pass over as we walk towards the megalithic temple section.
 |  |
| National Museum of Archaeology entrance | View from the museum |
 |  |
| Protected cart ruts | Close up of ruts |
 |  |
| Model of ancient temple | Good for grinding |
Actually the whole museum seems to be dedicated to the temples with lots of interesting carvings, statues and objects found during the excavations. A lot of attention is given to the cult of the Goddess which is assumed to be the goddess of fertility which makes sense but really who knows?
 |  |
| Stone carvings from the temples | Fish make more sense |
 |  |
| Fertility goddesses | Broken in half |
 |  |
| Probably related? | The famous Sleeping Lady - much smaller than expected |
A large room is dedicated to the many carved stones brought here from Tarxien to protect them from the elements with a few from other temples in the region.
 |  |
| Another model of an ancient temple | Stone carvings brought for same keeping |
 |  |
| Room full of stone carvings | Very well preserved |
 |  |
| Altar reconstruction | Statues were similar across temples |
There are also of course lots of pottery and even a few gold objects however those are quite small - overall it is very interesting museum and well worth the visit.
 |  |
| Lots of pottery | Bronze age knife |
 |  |
| Quite beautiful | Gold figurines - very very small |
With the museums finished for today we have time to do some shopping before finding a restaurant to eat dinner. Again we go with traditional things - the rabbit of course and some type of pasta salad with olives.
 |  |
| Our dinner - rabbit | Mix of everything |
It is already dark as we make our way back to the parking lot which is now completely empty and then drive back to our accomodation, the traffic is also lighter which is enjoyable but the chance of getting lost increases which is not so enjoyable. After arriving we fall asleep quite soon as we are tired after a second full day and tomorrow we are moving to a different island.
 |  |
| St John Co-Cathedral in the evening | Outside of Valetta's walls - Triton fountain |
Today we are changing islands moving from the main island, Malta to its sister island, Gozo. To do this we have to cross the length of both islands, stopping at different sights and of course use a ferry for the first time with a car so it looks to shape up like an exciting day. The first stop, Birgu, not far from our starting point is one of the Three Cities an area of three medieval fortified cities that were quite important in medieval times. In fact Birgu served as the capital of Malta after the arrival of the Order of Saint John amd was pivotal in the defense against the Turks in the First Great Siege of Malta. Now however all is peaceful (except finding a parking space - that is total war) the harbor is full of pleasure boats and the city itself is calm and almost deserted as we climb toward the city center.
 |  |
| Birgu Harbor | Harbor with Senglea Basilica in the background |
 |  |
| Going up from the harbor | Narrow passage |
What we are looking for is the Inquisitor's Palace which was the seat of the Maltese Inquisition for 200 years and now is a museum that is part of our Heritage Malta Pass so we planned to visit it before moving on. Birgu is quite small so soon we are in the front of the buildings ready for all the horrors you would expect from an Inquisition headquarters.
 |  |
| Central plaza | Colorful houses in Central Plaza |
 |  |
| Looking for the Inquisitor's Palace | Is this part of it? |
The Palace however is quite airy with nothing hinting, at least initially, that it is anything more than a Palace that houses religious leaders. There are lots of religious paintings, the coats of arms of the different inquisitors (a few of them becoming Popes) and of course lots of crosses.
 |  |
| Inside the Palace | Can go upstairs too |
 |  |
| What you expect on the ceiling | Uplifting fresco |
 |  |
| Malta knights are coming from all corners of Europe | Close up of heraldic emblems |
Next we pass through the kitchens which were quite large and then we enter the private chambers of the inquisitor which are luxurious enough. Here there are a few robes of the Inquisitor with one of them bringing back images of much worse times in American history - probably a coincidence but still unsettling.
 |  |
| Kitchen | Stove |
 |  |
| Private altar | Inquisitor bedroom |
 |  |
| Trappings of office | Scary on many levels |
Afterwards the museum continues through a short ethnographic exhibit which seems a bit out of place with the rest of the museum before passing through the old documents exhibit as we now pass from the Inquisitor side of the palace to the prisoner side.
 |  |
| A bit discordant with the rest of the museum | Old documents |
 |  |
| We can't get from here to there so how do we get down?! | View from the Palace |
First we pass the jailor room as we descend, it is quite small probably the same size as a cell with a nice feature - a solar clock to know when to make the rounds. A bit farther below is the torture room where people were convinced to confess with a bit (or more) persuasion from the torturer.
 |  |
| Jailor's room | Sun clock to know when to make the rounds |
 |  |
| Prison corridor | Torture room |
And then there are the prisoner cells, small as expected but at least some of the had toilets even though the canalization was a huge hole filled with water which hopefully wasn't also the drinking water. None on the cells can be entered but in some you can see the usual wall carvings of ships and names.
 |  |
| Prison cell | Some had en-suite amenities |
 |  |
| Almost civilized | That is not really sanitary |
 |  |
| Spending the day in the cell carving your name.... | ....or a whole ship |
After this detour we continue on our way towards the ferry terminal passing near the Mosta Dome, a church with the third largest rotunda in the world that we see only from the outside due to the very bad parking situation.
 |  |
| Mosta Dome from the side | View from the front |
We have two more stops planned before the ferry both small megalithic temples, both Unesco World Heritage sites and both included in our Pass. The first one is at Skorba where we park near the highway and then walk to the small temple. It is really small and we probably finish walking around in 15 minutes as it consists of only one temple with the usual apses which is not that well preserved - in fact its importance lies more in what was found here than the ruins itself as it was one of the last temples found so new archaeological techniques could be employed when excavating.
 |  |
| New "temple" in Skorba | Old temple in Skorba |
 |  |
| Relatively small site | This was the altar |
 |  |
| Megaliths in Skorba | Chiseled stepping stone |
The second one is very close at Ta Hagrat - in fact tickets at both are sold as a package on the assumption that if you visit one you will also visit the second one. Here the major attraction is the well preserved and impressive doorway. Surprisingly no decorated blocks were found at this site compared to all other megalithic temples however uniquely they found a small model temple here.
 |  |
| Ta Hagrat Temple | View from the back |
 |  |
| This is what Ta Hagrat is famous for | Close up of impressive entrance |
Soon we are at the ferry and try to find out how exactly the process to get the car on the ferry works. There is no way that we can see to pay so we just enter the queue of cars (one of them because there are a few) and then follow the car in front of us onto the ferry. Then we exit the car and take the stairs up to the deck and basically it seems we will take a free ride. We satisfy our curiosity by looking on the phone and learning that you pay only on the return trip from Gozo for the whole trip - quite interesting. And then soon we are on the way and we move to the top outside deck to enjoy the views.
 |  |
| Closing in on the ferry to Gozo | In line for entrance |
 |  |
| Entering the ferry | Leaving the harbor |
The crossing is quite short and from the top of the ferry the views are impressive as we pass Comino (the third largest island of Malta) and approach Gozo. As we enter the port to our surprise the car port opens even before we are at anchor - we are glad that our car doesn't fall out :) but it also is an interesting side to see how to huge ships opens up to let the cars exit.
 |  |
| Looking backwards - lots of boats | Meeting the other ferry |
 |  |
| Gozo view | Comino - St Mary Tower |
 |  |
| Arriving at Gozo | Isn't it a bit early to open the ship...poor cars |
From the ferry terminal we cross the length of Gozo passing through the capital (Rabat or Victoria depending on what you like to call it) and arriving at our accomodation. This time the accomodation is quite special - it is a townhouse extending over three levels with the upper two having two bedrooms and the lower level having a kitchen, living room and a large pool. Even the parking is special but not in a good way as the entrance is quite narrow from a narrow street and we have an audience of 10 old Maltese people that are watching us as we try to fit the car through the entrance. Somehow we manage to park the car (inside it is quite spacious) but decide not to take it out if we can avoid it. Also in the garage is a pay for AC coin operated machine - it is the first time we have seen something like this. After unpacking and enjoying the impressive views of downtown Gharb we decide to walk there to stretch our legs and also buy some food.
 |  |
| Our lodging | View from lodging |
 |  |
| We have a pool | And a kitchen |
 |  |
| Main room | Stairwell to rooms and laundry closet |
It is a nice enjoyable walk even though we have to evade the cars on the narrow streets without sidewalks and there are lots of nice houses to admire. In the center of the city as usual sits the impressive church which we admire both from the outside and inside before looking for a minimart. We find one close by and we buy whatever provisions we can find for the next days and carry them back to the room.
 |  |
| Fields in Gharb | Lots of flowers |
 |  |
| Gharb Church | Inside the church |
We decide to return downtown once more to find something for dinner and we find a carry out restaurant (not that there are many restaurants) where we order some pizza, burgers, and rabbit ravioli (they really use rabbit in everything) that we eat back at our accomodations before enjoying the poolside and then going to sleep.
 |  |
| Gharb fast food | Good enough after a long day |
Today the first place that we intend to visit after breakfast is Victoria (also known as Rabat), the capital of Gozo. We find a parking spot close to the downtown area and from there we intend to find our way through the citadel while passing through the old city. The downtown area is quite busy and enjoyable with many interesting buildings and we even find a small market area where we can do some souvenir shopping.
 |  |
| Victoria - Astra Theater | Getting lost in Victoria |
Right next to the market is the St George Basilica built in the 17th century and the center of the downtown area. It is richly decorated inside as befits such an important Catholic church and we enjoy the cooler temps inside before the climb to the citadel which looks daunting in the heat.
 |  |
| St George Basilica | Ornate door |
 |  |
| Inside St George Basilica | What you expect of a Catholic Church |
The climb up is actually shorter than we expected and it would have been even shorter if we didn't try to take the elevator from the visitor center up to the citadel. As it was not working it was an unnecesary detour but the stairs were still working:) so up we went to the entrance.
 |  |
| Climbing to the citadel | Shop selling the famous Gozo lace |
Right at the entrance is the first attraction for the day the Archaeology Museum, this one more focused on Gozo. It is also quite small with probably a couple rooms on each of the two levels. We start in the one focused on the antiquity which has some interesting exhibits that are based on objects excavated on Gozo - based on what we see it appears that if you dig anywhere on Gozo at random you will find some remnant of the ancient culture. Most interesting to us is an example of a tomb burial which shows the different objects found inside the tomb.
 |  |
| Inside the Archeology Museum | Stones used to carry the megaliths |
 |  |
| Typical temple burial | Archeological finds |
 |  |
| Goddess figurines | Beautiful pottery figurines |
The second area dedicated to the medieval time period is smaller with a section related to shipwrecks and a few tomb covers being the main attractions.
 |  |
| Things found in wrecks | Leftover from the Muslim period |
 |  |
| Christian period | Quite a few medieval stones |
Next we explore the citadel a bit more passing by the cathedral which is built to impress seemingly on top of the hill (it isn't) and this is the first one where entering costs money so we decide to pass on it as we prefer to explore the narrow streets instead.
 |  |
| Victoria Cathedral | Close up of cathedral |
 |  |
| Narrow streets in the citadel | Shade - always great for a few minutes |
There are some great views from the walls of the surrounding area, basically it feels like we see the whole of Gozo from here and likely that is why it was built here and not because the views are so good. The walls are quite impressive even now, you can see how with a moat this castle would have been very difficult to conquer.
 |  |
| View from the battlements | An area not yet developed |
 |  |
| Walking the battlements in the heat | Quite impressive (and stark) |
 |  |
| Guns and the moat | Basilica is visible from almost everywhere |
Next we visit the old jail it is a very small museum and we are the only people inside which is good as the corridors are quite narrow. Even if it is small the jail was actually used continuously from the mid 16th century to 1962 which means that either the people here are unusually law abiding or there was another larger prison somewhere in town.
 |  |
| Old jail door - like in the movies | Inside the cell |
 |  |
| Ship drawings were very popular | This is also universal it seems |
After the jail we visit the small Natural Science Museum - it has some interesting fossils and minerals but what is most exciting to us is to see the famous Malta fungus, a reproduction really but still great to see it at least once somehow. The fungus is famous because it was thought to have medicinal properties and that it grows only on one small island that the Grandmaster was protecting around the clock even going as far as cutting the rock to ensure it is more difficult for robbers to steal the fungus. In the end it was neither unique (it was found on other islands too) nor had any medicinal properties but still it is an interesting part of Maltese history.
 |  |
| Natural Science Museum - shark teeth | Petrified starfish/anemone/something like that:) |
 |  |
| Bird section | Malta fungus - assumed panacea |
Next is the Folkore Museum however we can't find it easily it seems so we get lost a bit as we look for it. It almost feels mazelike walking through some what appear to be abandoned areas (maybe fallow fields?). Finally we find our way and soon we are at the entrance to the museum.
 |  |
| Looking for the folklore museum | Lots of destruction here |
 |  |
| We feel in a maze | Maze from above |
This museum is a bit larger and the exhibits are quite interesting as they deal with local customs, clothes and furniture and show that through multiple rooms that are decorated as they were back in the day. It is also fun to explore as it has many "hidden" entrances especially towards the cellar.
 |  |
| Inside the folklore museum | Door locks or weights... |
 |  |
| Tmissx - very popular word in museums | Garden inside the museum |
 |  |
| Old furniture | And old dress |
With all the things finished in the citadel we return back to our car through downtown Victoria but take a different route that leads us past the narrowest street in Malta (we guess). As we exit the tourist area it is much less hubbub and we can enjoy the old houses in peace as we walk slowly to the parking lot.
 |  |
| Old downtown Victoria | Narrow street - name and literally |
 |  |
| Religious symbols abound | St George emblem |
After a short stop at the accomodation to refresh ourselves we go north this time to Xaghra where we want to see the major attraction for us in Gozo - the Gigantija Temple. But first we have to find a parking space - we are surprised that the city is not that full of cars until we notice all the banners and the fact that many streets are closed - it is parade day. In fact the parade (for the National Day) starts right next to our car when we leave the area so we have to wait a bit at that time so they can finish so we can exit the area.
 |  |
| Xaghra - near parking | Lots of decorations up |
 |  |
| Even a festival for the National Day | Quite impressive |
Before Gigantija we stop at the Ta'kola windmill one of the few historic windmills remaining in Malta. It is an interesting visit as we climb to the top and look at the machinery, living rooms and also the view outside. It is actually built like a fortress almost and as we are exploring we are wondering if it was supposed to be used as a last resort defensive tower in the case of an invasion.
 |  |
| Ta'kola windmill | View from the side |
 |  |
| Entrance and milling stone | Inside apparatus to turn the stone |
 |  |
| Kitchen | Nice handle |
Close to the windmill is Gigantija temple, the one thing that attracted us first to research Malta. We saw it on "Ancient Aliens" of all places and after a quick search we found out it is a real place (you never know) and then we continued our research on Malta and were surprised at how many things there are to do and see and the rest is history as they say. But before the actual temple we visit the smallish museum with some very interesting pieces and exhibits.
 |  |
| Ggantija Temple Visitor Center | The number of sites (only on Gozo!) is impressive |
 |  |
| This is how a temple looked like | Object found on site |
The most interesting collection is the one of goddesses, there are many of them of different sizes but very similar poses.
 |  |
| Godesses everywhere | Close up of statues |
 |  |
| Nice pottery fragment | This looks cool |
And then it is time to go outside and walk towards the temple on the boardwalk passing gardens and native flowers before arriving at a viewpoint of the ruins - they are still afar so not that impressive so we can't wait to get closer.
 |  |
| Walking towards the temple | Fields on the way |
 |  |
| The weird flowers again | First view of the temple |
From the front it is much more impressive but still we can't really see why it was singled out from all the temples in Ancient Aliens - the megalith stones are huge but not outsized compared to what we have seen at the other temples. The temple structure with the apses is very similar also however here the walls are still standing at an imposing height compared to other temples where the walls seem more eroded.
 |  |
| Getting closer | First entrance |
 |  |
| Door hinge hole? | Detail inside the temple |
 |  |
| Wall is supported in places | Modern structure supporting the old one |
You can enter in two of the temples and explore them into more depth and see the different details and read descriptions of what has been found and what they think it means. It is very informative and to the point and we enjoy the walk before having to exit the temple as it is getting close to closing time.
 |  |
| Another entrance into the temple | Altar area |
 |  |
| Close up of wall | Historical graffiti |
 |  |
| Looks like a bench | Seems done very precisely |
It is closing time for the temple but not for us we still have a few things planned. First we want to see the Calypso cave where supposedly Ulysses was held as a prisoner of love by Calypse for seven years (in the Iliad). Unfortunately little is left of the cave after a cave in but it is a nice viewpoint of the Ramla beach further below.
 |  |
| Ramla beach | Calypso cave - somewhere here |
Lastly to end the day we stop at the Ta-Pinu church near our lodging. We saw it in passing every day but now is the first time we can actually stop at it. If it was good enough for two popes (John Paul II and Benedict XVI) it should be interesting enough for us for a quick stop. We are lucky and can even enter it and see it from inside before finally returning to the accomodations tired and ready to go to bed.
 |  |
| Ta-Pinu church | View from the side |
 |  |
| Inside the church | Not that oppulent (yet) as the others |
Today we start on our trip back to the main island of Malta but first we have to make a stop close to our accomodation at Dwejra if we could only find the right road. Finally we get on the right road and after a short drive we arrive at Dwejra which has multiple attractions that we plan to see. The first one that we see just as we exit the car is the famous Fungus Rock where the precious fungus was growing and which was well protected by the Maltese Knights.
 |  |
| Fungus Rock in the distance | Close up of famous Fungus Rock |
However the major attraction currently is the Azure Window which attracts busloads of tourists. It is a beautiful site but we find it quite difficult to find a good viewpoint that isn't already mobbed by other people. In addition it is also popular for divers so there are also quite a few of them right beneath the arch which seems a bit dangerous to us with all the waves.
 |  |
| Azure Window in the distance | Close up of Azure Window |
 |  |
| Pool of brackish water | Fossil mussels |
For us the more interesting attractions of the area though are the cart ruts, the first ones that we see outside a museum. They start in the tourist area near a small church but as we climb just a bit outside the cart ruts are in a much better shape and there are no other tourists around making this a great short hike for us.
 |  |
| First cart rut not in a museum | Going up into the hills |
 |  |
| This is a serious cart rut | Ending abruptly |
From the top the view is quite great as the sea stretches in the distance over the almost barren cliffs. We also find an interesting landing strip in the middle at the top of the cliffs, not sure what it is used for but it seems well maintained.
 |  |
| We have climbed quite a lot | On top of the cliffs |
 |  |
| Beautiful blue sea | Landing pad for something? |
As we start our descent from the cliffs we find quite a few more cart ruts and many of them are very impressive. Here we can go close to them measure them and examine them in depth - they seem quite deep for cart ruts but not sure what they could have been used otherwise.
 |  |
| Cart ruts are everywhere | Some go towards the ocean |
 |  |
| Some seem to go forever | Impressively looks like modern machine made tracks |
Before we leave we take a look at the last few attractions here that we are not able to visit today - the Dwejra Tower, the old Knights tower protecting the approach to the beach and the Fungus Rock as well as the inland sea, a protected swimming hole which supposedly is also good for snorkeling.
 |  |
| Dwejra Tower in the distance | Inland sea - good for bathing |
On the way to the ferry we make another quick stop at the Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village, which supposedly is dedicated to traditional Gozo crafts, to look for a few more souvenirs to buy before returning to the main island.
 |  |
| Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village | Gozo specialties shop |
This time we have to pay for the ferry before entering but it is much more empty than when we came to Gozo. It is a short trip and quite windy so we stay mostly inside until we arrive to the main island.
 |  |
| Entering the ferry | Much emptier today |
 |  |
| On top of the ship | Inside the lounge |
Our next stop is close to the ferry terminal, the St Agatha's Tower also called the Red Tower for obvious reasons. It is one of the network of Knights towers that protected the approaches from the beaches to let the central authority know if an invasion is underway and to delay it as much possible. It is very impressive built on the top of the hill with some good views of the area. We enter it and climb the steep stairwell to the top where we do our best to avoid the strong winds while exploring the views in a safe manner.
 |  |
| Red Tower or St Agatha's Tower | Close up of Red Tower |
 |  |
| View from the tower | Marshes in the distance |
 |  |
| Inside the tower | Climbing the tower |
The top is flat with four small protective towers, one at each corner, and it has some great views from here. You can see far in the distance any approaching vessel or armies which made this spot a natural one to build the tower.
 |  |
| One of the side towers on top | Can enter all four of them |
 |  |
| View from top along the ridge | Other castles in the distance |
The last major point of interest for us is the National Aquarium - while not high on our list of attractions it is included in our pass so we decide to stop when we are driving past it. We are also hoping that there is a restaurant nearby as we are quite hungry and happily after we arrive we see there is one inside the aquarium so we decide to eat our late lunch here. The food is unexpectedly good and full we are ready to enter the aquarium.
 |  |
| Malta National Aquarium in the distance | Entrance to the aquarium |
 |  |
| Pizza late lunch | And some good pasta |
The aquarium is a bit difficult to navigate (and finding the toilets is almost impossible) but it has quite a few exhibits with some interesting fish and some of them are even open at the top which is a bit unusual.
 |  |
| One of the aquariums | Close up of fish |
 |  |
| Seahorse aquarium | Close up of seahorse |
Beside the fish there are also a few exhibits with lizards and poison frogs however the most interesting looking one is a cylinder type aquarium with multiple Maltese fish. After finishing our visit at this unexpectedly interesting aquarium we are ready to drive to our accomodation for the night.
 |  |
| Lizard in the terrarium section | Poison frogs |
 |  |
| Lots of colorful fish | These fish are beautiful |
 |  |
| Circular aquarium | Round and round they go |
Finding the entrance to the lodging is quite hard this time so we park a bit farther away and walk to it with our luggage - it is placed weirdly as the only entrance on a connecting street between two narrow streets that both are one way with no way to park closer (so we made a good decision to park further away). Inside the structure is also a bit weird with the kitchen and living room downstairs and then 2 bedroom and a bathroom at the first level and then one more bedroom up top with no door or bathroom but with a terrace - very weird.
 |  |
| Lodging entrance | That looks dangerous |
 |  |
| Still we did it:) | Table on top |
 |  |
| Main room | Nice nook |
After settling in we decide to walk around in the neighborhood trying to get to the center of the downtown area. It is a maze of narrow streets so keeping the direction can be challenging a bit but we manage it in the end passing also past the house that Napoleon supposedly stayed in while he was on the island to conquer it.
 |  |
| Church in the neighborhood | Religious symbols are everywhere in Malta |
 |  |
| Another protective figure | Napoleon stayed here (supposedly) |
The major attraction in the downtown area is the Main Church (as always in Malta). As we arrive they are just taking down the decorations for the national day and they are inviting as in even though the church is officialy closed so we can get a glance of the inside of the church before returning home eating a dinner from our provisions and then watching TV before going to bed.
 |  |
| Main Church in Zurrieq | Still in festival colors |
 |  |
| Inside the church | Main altar |
In the morning we need to buy a few more things for the day so we look for a minimarket in the neighborhood - there are a couple of them but getting there we have to be careful as the cars can drive quite dangerously (and against the law) on the narrow streets.
 |  |
| Buying something for breakfast | Traffic in Malta can be crazy |
After breakfast we drive towards the Blue Grotto a nearby coastline attraction. We first stop at the overlook from where we can see the arch that the area is famous for before descending to the water level where the boats that enter the arch and visit the coastline are leaving from.
 |  |
| Walking towards the Blue Grotto overlook | Blue Grotto - impressive |
 |  |
| Shop near Blue Grotto | Eating a parfait |
Getting into a boat takes a bit of time as the queue is long however the loading of the boat is handled quite quickly and soon we are on our way passing below the cliffs and old towers protecting the approach historically.
 |  |
| Waiting for the boat | Starting our Blue Grotto boat tour |
 |  |
| Quite close to the water | Passing a watchtower from below - scary |
Not long after the start of the boat trip we arrive at the area that the boat explores more in depth and it starts entering grottos some with unreally blue water and some with interesting formations - unfortunately we can't stay long in the grottos as the next boat is already waiting at the entrance so we have to exit after what seems a very short time.
 |  |
| Looking for the caves | Exploring a grotto |
 |  |
| Very very blue water | Not sure how safe it is here;) |
 |  |
| Passing another boat | Another blue grotto |
The most interesting part of the visit is when we pass under the huge arch we have seen from the highwy and then enter a deep grotto - it it a bit unsettling to be in this dark cave with the water being quite rough but it still is a special experience.
 |  |
| Approaching the arch | Close up of arch |
 |  |
| Below the arch | Entering another grotto |
We explore the coastline a bit more afterwards seeing a few more grottos and the natural "Pig foot" rock formation which is interesting enough before returning back to the dock and continuing on our way.
 |  |
| Rocky seashore | View of the seashore |
 |  |
| Waiting to enter a grotto | Close to the wall |
 |  |
| Impressive scenery | Pig foot |
Next are the last temples that are easily visitable and are part of our Pass which was certainly worthwhile for us - we saved over 20 euro per person I think overall but we visited almost all attractions that were part of it. Hagar Qim Museum is quite small but has a 4D experience included which is fun enough for us. Then it is back into the heat for the short hike to the ruin which we are happy is covered and therefore offers some shade.
 |  |
| Hagar Qim Museum | Find from the temples |
 |  |
| Covered Hagar Qim temple | Temple entrance |
Hagar Qim was one of the first excavated sites in Malta and it is certainly one of the larger ones. It consists of one temple surrounded by other megalithic structures including some that are between the oldest in Malta. It also has one of the largest stones used in building the temples which looks weirdly out of place compared to the smaller surrounding stones. There seem to also have been a lot of stonework finds in the area some of them quite nicely decorated.
 |  |
| Inside the temple | Interesting structure |
 |  |
| Another part of the temple | Inside door |
 |  |
| Quite large temple | Huge stone |
Actually here we get two megalithic sites for the price of one - besides Hagar Qim inside the same complex there is also the Mnajdra temple a bit farther up a paved trail. After finishing with Hagar Qim we walk towards Mnajdra trying to avoid the golf cart that caries the less athletic people for a token amount. It is a bit smaller but it still is interesting and has a lot of things to explore.
 |  |
| Nice wall near the trail between the temples | Mnajdra Temple |
 |  |
| Inside the tent | Double entrance |
Actually it has quite a few of well preserved details like a cool niche, nicely carved stones and the temple itself which is impressive enough so we enjoy our walkaround but soon it is time to return to our car.
 |  |
| One of the doors | Second door |
 |  |
| One of the temples | View from above into one of the temples |
 |  |
| Close up of altar | Interesting stone |
Instead of returning on the paved trail we decide to take the nature trail which passes close to the sea. It also has quite a few attractions including one of the protective towers of the Maltese Knights, a small arch near the cliffs and a lot of wildflowers and there are no other tourists so it is a great walk even if it takes a bit more time to get back to the car.
 |  |
| Abandoned house | Memorial at the seashore |
 |  |
| Arch in the distance | Close up of arch |
 |  |
| Tal-Ħamrija Coastal Tower | Close up of tower |
Continuing on our tour we stop at the Buskett Gardens, one of the few wooded areas left in Malta, trying to find a good restaurant but we have no luck. However we get a chance to see Verdala Palace, which is the summer residence for the Maltese president, from a distance.
 |  |
| Buskett Gardens entrance | Inside Buskett Gardens |
 |  |
| Verdala Palace in the distance | Summer residence of Malta president |
Close by is one of the major sites for cart ruts which was named the CLapham Junction due to the number of tracks that were found here. While it is marked the parking is in front of s private house so we are happy that we are here at a reasonable hour and can walk around in peace. It also has a feeling of being quite remote at least outside the major tourist circuit. We find the cart ruts quite soon and following them we get to the famous intersection of cart ruts which is more unique as as far we have seen the cart ruts don't intersect usually. We explore the hill side a bit more and after being satisfied that we found all of them we decide to search for an open diner somewhere in all the surrounding villages as we are now really hungry.
 |  |
| Clapham Junction cart ruts | Going up |
 |  |
| Starting from a bush | This is the junction |
We drive around for about an hour stopping in a few villages but nothing is open so we decide to return towards the city where our accomodation is as it is a bigger city and might have something open. On the way we stop at a few more points along the coast including the Magdalena Chapel built in the 17th century which unfortunately is closed but there are some good views from nearby.
 |  |
| Roads in Malta can be very narrow | Magdalena Chapel |
 |  |
| View along the coast | Radar station on the shore |
In the city the only thing open is a pizzeria so we go there and eat some pizza and a wrap with fries - not the most traditionally Maltese dinner but good enough.
 |  |
| Pizza dinner | Wrap with fries |
After returning at our accommodation and relaxing a bit we decide to follow a walking tourist route that passes next to our home and is supposed to take us towards a few more old windmills. We miss a few of them but still find the major one that was transformed into a tower, the Bubaqra Tower, which is quite imposing.
 |  |
| Church near our accomodation | Walking the Maltese roads |
 |  |
| Bubaqra tower wall | Bubaqra Tower view over wall |
 |  |
| Close up of Bubaqra Tower | Another of the many towers in the distance |
After that we walk down to the downtown area once again to take in the church at night before returning home to pack as tomorrow we have to move on towards Geneva.
 |  |
| Walking towards the downtown | Central Church lighted at night |
This morning we enjoy the terrace at our accomodation for the last time to eat the early breakfast before checking out (which means leaving the key in a hiding spot in this case). The drive to the airport is uneventful and returning the car is also without human interaction (you drop the key in a mailbox) and then it is time to say goodbye to our relatives and Malta.
 |  |
| View from the terrace | Looking in another direction |
 |  |
| Garden view | Looking above the roofs for the first time |
As luck would have it the best return trip for us was passing through Geneva so we decide to spend an extra day there as we never visited Switzerland before. The plane gives us an impressive view of Malta as we pass over both the main island and Gozo en route to Switzerland.
 |  |
| Leaving Malta | View of Malta |
 |  |
| One of the huge basilicas | Valetta - impressive from the air |
We have booked a hotel close to the airport so we take the shuttle to it and after checking in we hurry to the nearby mall hoping to find something to buy to eat the next day. We are lucky as we get there half hour before closing so we have time to buy a few things before closing time, we are the last customers to exit it seems.
 |  |
| Our hotel in Geneve | Nearby mall - got in just before closing |
After unpacking the groceries we are ready to go to the downtown area for the evening. Interestingly if you stay in a Geneve hotel you also receive a free transportation ticket so we use that to go to the downtown area. The old town is quite empty and most stores are closed so we have it mostly to ourselves as we explore the narrow streets and passageways.
 |  |
| Geneve downtown | One of the many imposing buildings |
 |  |
| Interesting alley - love that overpass | Nook with paintings |
Slowly we make our way toward the famous Saint Pierre Cathedral - famous because Calvin, one of the founders of the Protestant church, preached here. Today we have no time to visit, we just pass by it and make a mental note regarding the location for the next day.
 |  |
| View over Geneve | Cathedrale Saint Pierre Geneve |
 |  |
| Another view of of the cathedral | View from the cathedral square |
From the cathedral we descend towards to lakeshore where we have fun a bit with the grass chairs before crossing the bridge trying to catch a glimpse of the famous water fountain.
 |  |
| Interesting tower | Beautiful towers everywhere |
 |  |
| Those are some cool benches | Bridge over Rhone |
We see first a lot of waterfowl, ducks, swans and seagulls before finally noticiting the famous Jet d'Eau water fountain which, along with a few others that we know off, claims to have the highest water height in the world. We are mostly finished with our walk and are getting a bit tired and hungry so we decide to return to an area where we saw two restaurants open (most are closed on Saturday evening!) and choose the one that seems to have more Swiss related specialties. What we wanted to eat mostly here is fondue and the one we order has wild mushrooms in it and is quite good.
 |  |
| Swans near the Rhone | Seagull relaxing |
 |  |
| Jet d'Eau view | Our dinner - fondue |
Before returning to the tram and to the hotel we walk a bit more through the downtown area and the waterfront - the water fountain is more fun when it is in color after all - doing some window shopping as nothing is open either today or tomorrow so we won't be able to buy anything. When it gets late we hop onto the tram and soon are back at the hotel and ready to retire for the night.
 |  |
| Art display | No way to buy anything - closed weekends |
 |  |
| Jet d'Eau at night | Artistic fountain |
Today we have a full day in Geneva and we prepare ourselves with the breakfast buffet offered by the hotel - it is sooo different from a US breakfast buffet (in a good way). There are lots of choices and we are quite full when we start our day - in fact we made it through the day without any additional lunch or dinner.
 |  |
| Breakfast buffet - quite some choice | Our first selection |
Yesterday we wandered through the streets but today we are on a mission so we make a beeline towards the cathedral. That is the plan but given the downtown labyrinth in 3D (we have to climb the hill also) we are probably taken a bit off course as we climb the hill partway using the elevators in a mall and then some stairs.
 |  |
| Passing through empty malls | Restaurant from day prior - closed today |
 |  |
| Streets are empty today | Cannons on the street - dangerous;) |
Still soon we are at the cathedral where we want to visit something we saw the night before - the archaeological site below the cathedral. We are not sure what to expect however surprisingly it is a very extensive sight well curated and preserved. The walkway goes up and down with different epochs being marked by different color codes. We start in the Roman area when Geneva was a small city on the lakeshore and continue following the walkway through the different historical times.
 |  |
| Inside the Archaeological Site - weird find | Looks like a huge bird track:) |
 |  |
| Columns found below the cathedral | This you expect to find |
 |  |
| Lots of pottery found in the area | Close up of pottery |
It is surprising to see how below the cathedral there are remains of houses and cottages and then suddenly as we get closer in time to the present we encounter foundations for temples and then churches.
 |  |
| Walkway through the excavation | Old foundations - they are colorcoded by age |
 |  |
| Quite an extensive area was excavated | Circular building foundations |
 |  |
| Old door | Metates found inside the houses |
In fact there were multiple churches and cathedrals built here one on top of the other and the excavations have uncovered the clear foundations of each of them and also a lot of details including the baptism font of one of the older churches and animal bones in another part of the church.
 |  |
| Mosaics were also found | And stone decorations |
 |  |
| And voodoo bones :) | Lots of stone decorations |
By far the most interesting part of the museum is the mosaic that has been found beneath the cathedral. Supposedly it was the archbishop's meeting room and it is quite surprising how well preserved the mosaic is after more than 1,000 years.
 |  |
| Ensemble view of famous mosaic | This was an unexpected find |
 |  |
| View from ground level | Close up of mosaic |
After exiting the museum it is time to visit the cathedral itself. It is a stern cathedral with few florishes as you would expect a Protestant Church to be. Still it is of an impressive size likely because it was a Catholic church before it became Protestant. We see the pulpit from where Calvin preached and the Rohan Chapel, the tomb of the leader of the French Protestants.
 |  |
| Inside St Pierre Cathedral | Majestic but less ornate than a Catholic one |
 |  |
| This is where Calvin preached | Rohan Chapel |
There is one area that is more ornate, the Chapel of the Maccabee, that was used as a warehouse but then reconsecrated and redecorated. Another attraction are the choir stalls which survived the reformation as they were not in the church at that time.
 |  |
| Looking up | Stained glass window |
 |  |
| Beautiful painted motif above the door | Choir stalls with fake seats |
When we entered the Archaeological Site we bought a combo ticket that includes entrance to the towers (and the International Museum of Reformation) so now it is time for us to climb up the towers. The climb happens in stages and tries to be orderly in directing people up or down but mostly fails. Still at the narrowest staircase there is a stoplight to direct people which seems to work quite well. On the way we see the church bells and the city from different vantage points.
 |  |
| Climbing the Tower | View on the way |
 |  |
| Bell level | Quite a way up already |
 |  |
| Climbing even further | Controlling the traffic |
The best vantage points are from the top and from those that are not protected by a net or glass as we can take photos easily or from high up. There are some great views in all directions and we enjoy it as long as there are no tour groups that shout loudly disturbing the peace.
 |  |
| View from the top | View of Geneve downtown |
 |  |
| Famous water fountain with cathedral | Very austere buildings |
 |  |
| View of UN buildings over the lake | Jet d'Eau close up |
Close to the Cathedral is the International Museum of Reform that is part of our combo ticket. Unfortunately for us it is underwhelming as we leave it with us many questions as we entered it - it seems you needed to have a background in Protestantism (know the people and what happened) to understand some rooms and the other ones are dedicated to proselytizing.
 |  |
| International Museum of Reform | Entrance to the museum |
From here we are walking across the town looking for the Geneva Museum of Art and History that we intend to visit next as it is free so we can spend only a little time in it if it is not interesting. The first exhibits are medieval era related with armour pieces and tapestry pieces with some nice pieces here and there.
 |  |
| Geneva Museum of Art and History | Armour pieces |
 |  |
| Old tapestry | Fun chair with ducks |
We like the next area more which is modern furniture mostly and has some interesting pieces - while they are not things that look to be comfortable they certainly look great.
 |  |
| Modern furniture section | Interesting armoire |
 |  |
| Nice copper work | Lots of copper objects |
The museum is much larger than we expected with a large interior court and is split over 3 levels so after we finish the initial level we decide to move on to the Classic era floor.
 |  |
| Inside of museum | Stained glass |
The Roman and Greek section is surprisingly extensive with a good collection from statues to pottery to ancient glasswork.
 |  |
| Roman tomb | Old mosaic |
 |  |
| Hall of statues | Very expressive |
 |  |
| Beautiful pottery | Thousand year old glass |
The last history section is dedicated to early local history and has a lot of artefacts found in the Geneva area over the years. Some of them especially the early one are interesting however of course the craftmanship doesn't come close to the Romans or Greeks.
 |  |
| Finds from the surrounding area | Bird pottery |
 |  |
| Some of the oldest finds in the Geneve area | Old burial site objects |
The museum has also a smaller art section but while small it has some beautiful paintings including a few from Van Gogh - the impressionist section is especially good in our opinion.
 |  |
| Inside the art section | Scary painting |
 |  |
| Impressionist painting | Van Gogh painting |
 |  |
| Painting by Van Gogh | Liked this one |
Before we leave we also visit the contemporary section - it is always fun to see the modern paintings and to try to understand them.
 |  |
| Modern paintings | Well - this is a pain |
Now it is time to do one of the touristy things to do in Geneva - take the water taxi across the lake. It is included in our free pass and after finding the right dock it is easy enough to board and start on the journey. It is an nice short journey over the water that is quite enjoyable and we can see also the water fountain from the water which is fun.
 |  |
| Taking the boat across the lake | Inside the boat |
 |  |
| Quite a few ducks on the lake | On the lake |
On the other side of the lake we continue along the promenade people and building watching along the way. Our plan is to walk to the United Nations area but we soon discover it is too far away for our tired legs so we decide to take the bus instead.
 |  |
| Hotel on the shore | Everyone is happy for a sunny day it seems |
The bus ride is not long - 2 stops then change the bus in front of the Unicef building for another 2 stops and there we are in the front of the UN building. Like everything else it is closed on Sunday so we can see it only from the outside so we take a few pictures and then wait for the next bus to take us to the hotel.
 |  |
| Unicef building | World Meteorological Organization |
 |  |
| United Nations Building with the three legged chair | Bus station in front |
In the morning after another breakfast buffet it is time to leave the hotel and Geneva for our long return trip back to Phoenix. We really enjoyed this vacation especially Malta which has a lot of attractions for such a small island nation.
 |  |
| Leaving Geneva | Airplane food |
No comments:
Post a Comment