Monday, 25 October 2010: Malta
The weather continues to be spectacular, kindly providing us with bright, clear mornings and afternoons, and evening sunsets that streak the sky and sea with a palette of reds and golds. This is my first visit to the island nation of Malta and its companion island of Gozo, so I am eager and excited about the all-day tour which takes us to Valletta (the capital city), Mdina (the “quiet city” of the Middle Ages), and a number of viewpoints around the island.
Valletta and Mdina
We enter the port of Valletta just as the sun is rising and are treated to views of fortifications on each side of the harbor and the city rising on the hills above. The buildings are bathed in the rosy light of the morning as small fishing boats and larger sailboats begin to ply the waters.
Valletta, home to the Knights of Malta, is surrounded by its medieval walls; we stop in gardens outside of the walls for a view over the harbor before entering the gates of the city. St John’s co-Cathedral (shared by Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholics) is a fairyland of wild baroque decoration, much of it marble, and the rest gilded wood and stucco. The aisles surrounding the nave contain eight chapels, each dedicated to one of the languages spoken on the island (don’t ask). The highlight of the cathedral is Caravaggio’s “Beheading of St John”; the dark vitality of the original puts all the copies to shame. Valletta itself is a charming town with many architectural relics from the Medieval to the Baroque. After strolling through the older parts of the city we leave through an old city gate (of no particular historical or artistic interest) that is being replaced by a municipal structure designed by Renzo Piano, that will contain visitor center, auditorium, concert hall, and meeting rooms—as well as providing a new gateway to the old city.
After leaving Valletta, we ride through small prosperous-looking town surrounded by olive trees and long grasses waving in the breezes. Next are the ruins of the Tarxian Temples, built of local limestone in 3000 BC, probably by refugees from nearby Sicily. The site overlooks the sea and the ruins sit amidst wild clover and cypress trees. The nearby streams are swollen and muddy—we have just missed intense rains over the past several days (but today the sun is shining). We stop for a leisurely lunch at Razzett L-Antik, housed in a building dating from 1743, and famous for its home-baked bread (crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, with the aroma of the fields and the mill still adhering). We also make a brief stop at a “crafts village,” but the good pieces on display are too large and too fragile to transport (rugs and modern art glass, for example), and the smaller pieces are just the usual tourist trinkets.
Our last visit of the day is the best: the “quiet” city of Mdina, the oldest city on the island, with only 300 inhabitants. This is another walled city with so many quaint alleyways, picturesque doorways, and fascinating architectural detail, that my camera just takes pictures (far too many) by itself—I don’t even have to look. The prize of Mdina is the Cellini silver altarpiece in its Cathedral, the most beautiful and valuable one in all of Europe.
Cunard Tours
All of the shore excursions have local guides, most of whom are quite knowledgeable and helpful (at least up to this point in our trip). Additionally, a person from Cunard accompanies each tour to evaluate the local guides and drivers, as well as to assist passengers. We were lucky to connect with Elizabeth (Mexican by birth but living most of her life in Toronto) on a number of these tours. She is sort of half passenger-half Cunarder, as she helps out with the tours. In addition, her 28-year-old son (the oldest of five children) is the production director for all the electronics and entertainment on board the Queen Victoria. She is a lively and charming companion and we have enjoyed her company at a number of street-side cafes.
Tonight’s Dinner
- Gazpacho; leaf lettuce with tomato and shaved fennel in vinaigrette dressing; rack of lamb, potato roti, roasted vegetables; strawberry ice cream (L).
- Minestrone soup; Norfolk turkey slices with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, stuffing, sausage; sticky toffee pudding (W)—Thanksgiving a little early.
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