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Malta
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Malta
San Ġiljan

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    • ViaggiatoreTo meet Malta
      Giorno 4

      My birthday

      25 agosto 2021, Malta ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Der 3.Tag verlief toll, Frühstück, Schule ab 8.00
      Geburtstagsgrüße und 1 Gutschein für ein Muffin
      Von der Schule, meine Klasse hat für mich gesungen,
      Mittags viel Spaß mit Schülern aus Frankreich, Schweiz, Belgien, Italien, viel gelacht...
      Abends für Lena aus Düsseldorf gekocht und dann erwartungsvoll zur Wein & Cheese Party
      Welches sich als ein Meet und Besäufnis von Pupertieren herausgestellt hat...
      Flucht!! Im Apartment mit Gabriela aus Italien (älter als ich!!! ;-)) Bocelli gehört und gequatscht..
      Nächste Woche lernt sie mir Spaghetti kochen..,
      genauer gesagt Carbonara DANKE FÜR DIE VIELEN LIEBEN Wünsche      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 1

      Now we feel we're here

      4 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We settle in and gradually the clouds begin to break up. We're not talking clear blue skies but enough to give us a teaser of what to expect. A small glass of red improves matters and I can see this terrace getting a lot of use over the next week.

      Our dinner reservation tonight is at Wigi, just next to where we ate at lunchtime. We need to arrive early if we're going to get one of their coveted window seats. We do! But by five past seven all four window tables are gone. We have a lovely view across the water to Balutta Church.

      We enjoy Thai style calamari fritti and beef carpaccio with celeriac remoulade for starters. I retract my avowed dislike of celeriac and redesignate my dislike to cooked celariac. Main courses are a local fish called meagre, in a delicate olive oil and lemon sauce and pink rack of lamb served with Moroccan spiced vegetables. Mmmm. Predictably, I am defeated too soon, leaving John with some of the fish and most of the lamb to deal with...

      Then back for final drinks on our terrace, before an early night.      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 2

      What to do in Valetta in the rain?

      5 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

      As we leave the ferry in the rain I spot a sign for a free exhibition, "Fort Builders" so we duck in there. It's a detailed and interesting exhibition about the development of the fortifications of Malta over two millennia. Malta has been so historically significant in the Med due to it's superb location in the channel between Italy and North Africa, dividing the Med into the east and west basins, it has been blessed with a magnificent harbour and is easily defendable so that maintaining strong defences has been of paramount importance to its many occupiers.

      We leave and, hey, no rain! So we start wandering the streets to get a sense of this city. After a while we swing by Ortygia, a Sicilian restaurant, for lunch and enjoy a platter of meats and cheeses. Stepping outside afterwards it's clear we have, again, escaped the rain!

      We check out the city gates, the massive walls, wander the streets and finally end up in Upper Barakka Gardens shortly before the firing of the evening gun at 4pm. This cannon was traditionly fired twice daily at noon and 4pm to advise any ships in the harbour of the correct time.

      We drift down the city, passing the arrival of a bride at a church, ending up right at the end where the massive St Elmo's Fort guards the harbour entrance. No time for a visit today so we head back to the ferry.

      One's in but there is such a huge line waiting that they leave without a lot of people. We join the remaining queue for the next ferry and are 74th and 75th in line (some of us have too much time on their hands!). This crossing the coveted seats are outside on top and we get two of the last. We're straight on a bus after disembarking, and crawl back to San Giljan in the evening traffic.

      Next, a couple of asides...      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 2

      Maltese balconies

      5 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

      As you wander the streets of Valetta, take the time to look up and you will see the unique Maltese balconies in abundance. Their origins are vague but one thought is that they were acceptable forms of decoration for the Knights whilst Valetta was being built. Others believe an Arab influence seems likely and it is a popular thought that women in the 18th century could sit hidden up there and watch the world go by.Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 5

      To the Three Cities

      8 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

      Across the harbour opposite Barakka Gardens are three promentaries of land that create magnificent harbours. The end of each promentary was fortified. Three Cities, Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua, subsequently grew around the main inlet to support the forts. We're here to do a bit of exploring today.

      We bus, ferry, mini bus and ferry again to Birgu, catching the Noon Gun being fired as we cross the harbour. It's taken us two hours, mainly due to waiting for the ferry and ridiculous loading times. I'm beginning to go off the ferries.

      We cross round the top of the harbour to Senglea and walk the length of the quayside, admiring the harbour and town opposite. We climb up to the garden at the top for the sweeping views and walk the length of the pretty main street, before deciding on a quick pasta lunch down by the water.

      After that we walk back around to Birgu for a spot more pottering around the streets and view admiring. As we are here, we decide to visit Fort San Angelo.      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 5

      Fort San Angelo

      8 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

      There has been a fort on this spot since medieval times. The Knights of St John rebuilt it and during the 1565 Great Seige of Malta it became their headquarters. It was garrisoned by the British for nearly 180 years, until 1979.

      We're hot and sticky so decide it's time to leave. We see the ferry coming in and pick up speed. They execute an almost lightening turnaround this time and are already undoing the ropes as we yomp up! A few minutes later we're back in Valetta and take the lift to Upper Barakka Gardens, with the intent of returning to the other ferry for our journey home. Crossing Valetta, we are so close to the City Gate I suggest a bus might be quicker. It is. We're back less than an hour after jumping on the ferry.

      Dinner in Gululu is rabbit, followed by braised pork cheeks. Mmm...

      I've been keeping an eye on my pedometer and we've been averaging six miles a day. And, apart from the first two days, the weather has been really nice, probably hovering in the mid 20s and nice enough to sit outside first thing in the morning and in the evenings.      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 1

      There, then here

      4 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      After an unnecessary, but unsurprising, 3am wake up for both of us, the taxi arrives bang on time at 05.45. Security is efficient, we buy supplies and very quickly, it seems, we're belted into seats 3a and 3b.

      The flight leaves on time but we're delayed starting our descent into Malta due to the depression that is sitting over the island preventing us landing. We're warned of probable turbulence during the approach and landing, to the extent that the staff are handing out extra sick bags! In the event, the turbulence clears and Captaim Eammon executes a textbook landing.

      It's raining. A lot. Yuck.

      We whiz through this tiny airport and are in our taxi to St Julian's within minutes. We drop our bags at our apartment at midday but cannot stay long as the cleaner is due but do step quickly onto our terrace to check out the view.

      Then we potter off into the grey damp with the prospect of several hours to amuse ourselves. Thank goodness the rain has eased so we wander round the harbour checking things out for a while. Eventually it starts raining more again so we dip into Bar Moak, opposite Balutta Church, for some cold local beer, Cisk (pronounced Chisk), and some lunch, mussels for me and just tomato bruschetta for John, who had only recently eaten his Gatwick all-day-breakfast sandwich. We move on to the Irish pub, The Dubliner, for another beer until, finally, we can take possession of our apartment.      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 7

      A new plan

      10 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      We now need to rethink today. There is still plenty to see and do round here so our new plan is to visit the Palace of the Grand Masters in Valetta, have lunch and then catch the ferry back to Slimea and take a Two Harbours cruise. Sorted.

      The first bus is a direct one to Valetta which is a lot better than messing around with the ferry. We arrive and immediately change our plan by visiting St John's Co Cathedral, which was founded by the Knight's of St John. It became a co cathedral in the 1820s when the Bishop of Malta was allowed to use it as an alternative see to the one in Mdina, as it had, by then, become as important.

      Wow! Jaw droppingly lavish. It's in a whole different league to the many other churches we've visited here      Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 7

      The Palace of the Grandmasters

      10 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      We stop at Pappani's for lunch. We have a very tasty fish soup and a cheese and meat plate. Both are starters but that's plenty for us. Replete, we continue on our way.

      We enjoy the Palace. Like anything to do with the Knights, lavishness and opulence seem to be key words. Our visit also includes a trip to the Armoury which has an extensive and fascinating array of weapons and armour from the time of the Knights. A suit of armour with decorations in gold? Nothing was too good for these Knights!Leggi altro

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    • ViaggiatoreMalta
      Giorno 7

      Two Harbours Cruise

      10 ottobre 2017, Malta ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

      We bus back to Slimea from Valetta and stroll the quay to find a cruise. As it's late it turns out there's only one left today, leaving at 5pm. But it's a luzzu, there are only a few people on board and we can have a beer so all is well.

      It's a thoroughly pleasant trip. The sun is shining, we have beer and we're out on the water. Puttering along you can see how fantastic this harbour is - sheltered, lots of different inlets and big. No wonder it has been so strategically important for so long.

      We see the Grand Harbour first and then swing round Fort St Elmo into the Three Cities harbour. There are three cruise liners in today which probably explains why Valetta seemed very crowded earlier. The industrial part of the port can hardly be described as attractive but it's a working port so this is a necessity.

      The queue at the bus stop afterwards is massive so we cunningly walk back one stop to be ahead of them. Our ploy doesn't work as not one, not two but four buses sail past all packed to the gunnels. After at least twenty minutes one finally let's us on. It, too, is packed but we're on the move. We're heartily sick of the buses now.

      Dinner's at Bianco's this evening. We enjoy a trio of Maltese sausages, don't enjoy a beef cappuccino much and enjoy the pizza with double mozzarella and Parma ham.

      I bring up the subject of Gozo tomorrow and the buses. We're both in agreement : we can't be bothered with hassle of the buses so we're not going to go...zo      Leggi altro

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    Potresti conoscere questo luogo anche con i seguenti nomi:

    San Ġiljan, San Giljan, St. Julian's, San Julián, San Julian's, Сент-Джулианс

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