Highlights of Malta

03 Mar 2011 3 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Uncategorized

MALTA

A view from the top of Valletta, Malta

 

Renee, Stan, Skip and I arrived in Malta several hours before the ferry from Libya.To date many thousands of people have come through Malta fleeing Libya.   It is amazing that we are in the hub of the world right now. All the world’s attention is on Malta and we are here. I will not dwell on the problem, because the people entering Malta for relocation are being cared for and treated with great expertise and compassion. My congratulations to Malta!  The Maltese speak English as their second language. It is compulsory during their school years. They speak French, German and Italian as well. There is a gentility here that is from the British influence.  The food  has been the best!  The other day for lunch a chicken breast was served and I made a big deal about ordering an extra dish of rabbit. The people in the restaurant were so happy we wanted to try it, they added it to our lunch on the house.  You know the tip at the end was rather large. Rabbit is good, really good, just like a skinny no fat chicken.  Does it taste like chicken? I think so, but the sauce was so outstanding I forgot to rate the rabbit. Everyone liked it. I wanted to try the horse meat dish, but time road away. Anyone know where I can get horse meat in Los Angeles?

Our delicious rabbit dish!

 

We spent the day walking lovely Valletta, a gorgeous city surrounded by beautiful harbors and side streets that slope down to the water.

Street sloping to the water in Valletta, Malta

We experienced St. John’s Co-Cathedral, a dazzling, dizzying explosion of carved stone walls and arches gilded with gold. This magnificent beauty was not expected because the outside of the cathedral does not give any indication to the breathtaking experience on the inside. A special gift of our visit to St. John’s Cathedral was the Caravaggio Painting of the beheading of St. John, the Baptist.

Inside view of St. John's Co-Cathedral

We walked to the top of Valletta and saw this view.

Next we drove to the town of Mosta and another church called Santa Marija and yet another miracle. During World War II a bomb went through the dome of this beautiful domed church. The miracle is that while three hundred parishioners were giving thanks to God when the bomb came through the dome and rolled around on the floor resting on the side of the wall, it did not explode. The miracle is that not one person was injured that day, miraculous.

I have to tell you that on this trip, Skip and I have seen the insides and heard the miracles performed inside the walls of seventeen churches and we may be off by a few more. Usually you hear, oh no not another church; is that all they have to show us is the church?  No, but each church holds a special mystery a special miracle, a special message, and no two are alike.  They have some architectural similarities, but that is where it ends. A number of churches have inlaid marble inscribed tombstones of famous Grand Master’s, knights, priests and well established families. The floors are so beautiful and in some cases they have carpeted a walk way for the churches most visited by tourists to insure everlasting enjoyment by all who want to come and see these works of art ages and ages from now.

17th church in the beautiful honey colored town of Mdina

At the 17th church in the beautiful honey colored town of Mdina, I said, “No, I just can’t go in.”  I asked our guide if this church had any special miracles attached to it and she said, “ No, but it is raining and I thought you would like to get in out of the rain.” The church did not look special in any way, except that it is beautiful as churches are to me and it is true, we were out of the rain. So I said to God, “How about stopping the rain until we get out of Mdina.”  It stopped raining until we left Mdina and another special story to tell.  By the way, Mdina is an awesome looking hill top city called “The Silent City.”  Very few people are still living there, so it is inhabited by tourists during the day and is nearly empty at night.  I tried to get a T-shirt there for daughter Dina, but sorry, honey, they do not make T-shirts with their city name Mdina on them.

We enjoyed a walk up to Dingli cliffs. The view is lovely and you can see another little uninhabited island in the distance. I know the movie and the myth of the Maltese Falcon, and while I did not see a falconer, we did see a hawk trainer.

Hawk and trainer

Lovely pose

Oops, I think St. Paul’s Church and Grotto in Rabat was very interesting and number 18 as far as churches go. The church is modest in comparison with some of the others, red and gold, but as far as miracles, being the 18th church visitation is the miracle for me. The grotto is very much what I would consider a cave. St. Paul is said to have lived there for three months while he lived in Malta.  It was very cold that day, but in the grotto it was a moderate, nearly warm in temperature. We offered a few coins to help with the upkeep of this site.

 

A lovely little surprise and gem is the Palace of the Grand Master’s in the middle of Valletta. It was once the home of the Grand Master, who was/is the supreme head of the knights. Originally it was St. John. The gems here never quit, but the room that held my attention for a long time and really I did not want to leave was the tapestry chamber. If I say the name Gobelin Tapestries, you may know this famous French company still in existence. Gobelin was commissioned, measurements taken and tapestries made especially for this room. They were donated by Grand Master Perellos in the early 1700’s.

http://www.eveandersson.com/photo-display/large/malta/valletta-palace-of-the-grand-master-state-rooms-gobelin-tapestries.html

No photos were allowed of the tapestry so I have included a web site.

Corridor of the knights

 

The Maltese Cross is an eight sided cross and is the symbol of the Knights of Malta.

The Maltese Cross

Each of the eight sides represent one of the nations that were part of the original  chapters of the order. The four arms of the cross are supposed to represent the four cardinal virtues: Fortitude, Justice, Temperance and Perseverance.

We LOVE Malta!

 

 

 

 

Gozo, Malta

03 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Sheila Clapkin in International Travels

GOZO

Harbor where the ferry to Gozo docks

There are three main islands that comprise the Maltese Archipelago. Malta, Gozo and very tiny island Comino where two brother’s and their cousin live.  It was a dry but rain was threatening  as we drove to the ferry to take the twenty-five minute float to Gozo, but by the time we walked onto the ferry, it started to rain.  It started with sprinkles and as the day wore on it became more furious. Hey, you are on a trip. You have come a long, long way; this is the only time you will see this island of Gozo, so we set about it in earnest. Gozo is 9 miles wide by 5, so it does not take long to go from place to place. All the homes and buildings are made from a honey colored limestone, so the facades are all the same color. It looks soft and soothing. Actually, the buildings look delicious.  When the stone is first cut it is soft, so many of the homes have carved balustrades around balconies and once they have been carved and set, they harden and will last for centuries.

The Maltese Islands were an interest of conquest because they are exactly in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Now, tourism is the main industry, but mostly on Gozo they are still farmer’s and men of the sea. Gozo is clean, green and fertile. Sixty percent is agricultural land. The countryside is terraced and ownership of the land is divided by stone walls, reminiscent of Ireland’s countryside walls.

Ggantija Temples

Ggantija Temples: They claim that these free standing temples are the oldest in the world, older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge. They were built around 3600 B.C. I tried for the entire time we visited this area to get a vibe from the past, a glimpse into any little pocket of time ready to burst and talk to me, but alas, nothing but cold stone, wind and rain. I made my heartfelt offering on the sacrificial alter and it was not a goat, or a little lamb. It is a hope for the future of humankind.

Next stop on our private tour was the Citadel. Walking the grounds in the hard rain was interesting because it is all uphill and the rain cascaded off of the marble and stone paths like a river heading for the sea. We stuck with it to get to the top for the glorious views.The early inhabitants were required by law to spend their nights in the Citadel because there were great dangers due to raiding pirates and tribes who would take the citizens into slavery. We noted many lookout towers in Gozo to protect the island as well.

View from the Citadel walls

We were delivered to a local old Gozitan farmhouse for an authentic Maltese style lunch and local wine. When we sat down a great wind hammered the window and the rain pelted down with a fury. The food was salty and the wine was not the greatest,it was cold, but we were in the countryside of Gozo, in an old farmhouse and we were happy. It was a happy house.

St. Ta' Pinu Basilica

After lunch we visited the St. Ta’ Pinu Basilica.  Madonna St. Ta’ Pinu has EVERYTHING to do with cures, real life saving miracles. Okay, this is why I came to Gozo, I am convinced. I didn’t know it then, but I surely do know it now. The church itself is lovely, but along all the walls of the corridors, and rooms are photos, thank you letters, and items sent by people who have thankfully been cured of their ailments. The walls are covered with wartime medals of honor, silver hearts, baby clothes, crutches, casts and all memorabilia of cures. I do not have words to tell you how moving this experience still is in my mind.  If all of these people believe in this saint’s ability to cure and have sent proof, rooms full of their belief in her curative powers, then, who am I to argue any of this, so I believe, too. I believe as well, that the power is in the belief.  I purchased very little on this trip, but I did buy little trinkets depicting the likeness of St. Ta’ Pinu and if you want one, ask, and if I still have one I will be glad to give it to you!  I am wearing a little bead bracelet with a tiny likeness of hope and cure plus, I feel ten times better than I have in years.  Now remember, the power is in the belief and I believe in the power and the cures relating to this belief. Imagine all of these cures and all of this power of belief delegated to St. Ta’Pinu residing in a hilltop Basilica on a little fairly remote island called Gozo. Best of all, now, I got in on it.

Lace Making

We visited lace making, wine and cheese tasting and the town square in Victoria, the new name for the capitol of Gozo. The ancient name is Rabat, an Arabic name.

Both Malta and Gozo have many traditions and words in their Maltese language that date back to the times they were occupied by neighboring countries. They switch from Maltese to English and back again all day long.

The law is there are no divorces, so choices have to be carefully made. No abortions and no cremations.

Something to be noted: Garbage is collected every day in Gozo as well as Malta. Lucky. They just set out their bags, recycling is optional at the moment and the trash will be gone in the morning. Also, on Tuesday’s and Friday the people buy their fresh fruits and vegetables. This morning is Tuesday and walking down the road we spotted a man selling vegetables and fruit to the local women from his truck.  You know I loved that scene. What no camera on hand? Skip’s Uncle Danny used to sell fruits and vegetables from a truck in Albany, New York almost a seventy-five years ago.

Gozo is beautiful and note the honey colored lime stone used in building.