Malta-Spring 2014

So I had the opportunity to visit Malta with a dear friend of mine, Viwan.  It's an interesting place, beautiful in some respects but not a place I plan on visiting again...too many places, too little time!

Here I am in the town of St. Julian waiting for the bus to the capital, Valletta.  The country is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.
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Below are some pictures exhibiting the architecure of the small village, Marsaxlokk, in the southeastern part of Malta.  

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village with a population of 3,499 people.  

One of my favorite UNESCO world heritage site stops we made was to the Hypogeum of Paola, Malta,  meaning "underground" in Greek, is a subterranean structure dating to 3300-3000 BC in Maltese prehistory. Thought to have been originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times and the remains of more than 7,000 individuals have been found. It is the only known prehistoric underground temple in the world.   Only 60 people per day are allowed entry so we hade to make reservtions far in advance. No pictures were allowed so I took this off Wikipedia. 

Here I am at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta..... it's a gem of Baroque art by artist Caravaggio.  

One of the main attractions at St John`s is the splendid inlaid marble floor consisting of a collection of tombstones making the floor a unique treasure.

Medieval Mdina-We were lucky enough to be in Mdina for their annual festival that included re-enactments, music, food, knights in battle, exhibitions etc.  The city offered a chance to walk the narrow streets, winding around the various city alaces of the ancient noble families, small churchs and medieval architecture.  I couldn't go back in time to live that period but I could go back to Mdina and live in this beautiful, charming, small community.

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One of Valletta's most beautiful parks, Barrakka Gardens, was created in 1775 on the bastion of St. Peter and Paul. In the park there are several statues, including one from Sir Winston Churchill, and a sculpture by the Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino, entitled Les Gavroches (The street boys).

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. It is twinned with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, and offers a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.  These pictures (below) are being taken from above, overlooking the shipyard and the lower-lying parts the capital.

The Saluting Battery is one of Malta's most vibrant visitor attractions where history is brought to life daily! Located high along Valletta's eastern historic ramparts it enjoys unrivalled spectacular views of the Grand Harbour and its surrounding fortified towns. It is also perhaps the oldest saluting battery still in operation anywhere in the world.

Thanks for reading!