Malta is a group of islands about half the size of Singapore. Few people this side of the world in Asia know much about it, including me. Since there are unused time share weeks due to expire soon, and we had already planned one week in Tuscany, Malta seemed like a good place to explore as well.
This is a throw back to our December holidays last year. Yes, the blog is coming out of its hibernation.
What to expect in Malta – ancient temples, a rich cultural history, idyllic isles, knights of yore and simply spectacular sunsets. It’s a big mistake to put off writing about your travels until months later, because you can’t quite remember what, when and where, which is evident here. So this will be mostly pictures with captions and scant descriptions.
Stone-washed homogeneous buildings like these litter the horizon all over MaltaA glorious sunset to be savored from our balconyOur Hotel in Paradise Bay, MelliehaSoaking in the sights of the old cityThe to-do list – Think we did more that half on this listPaul was shipwrecked in Malta in AD 60, where he was bitten by a viper but suffered no harm. He went about healing the sick there and were warmly received by the islandersMarsaxlokk is a fishing village in the south of Malta where the boats are brightly coloured with eyes at the bow. On Sunday, the entire village becomes a bustling marketMarsaxlokk from another perspectiveYoung aubergines at the marketAs the sun is about to set over a sleepy fishing villageAnother spectacular sunset!The statue of the Risen Christ atop a hill in Gozo. It was rather tricky to locate. We parked along a little used road and tried to walk up the cobbled path. Only one sure-footed young man made it all the way up to snap this clear shot.Xwejni’s salt pans of GozoOtter’s Bistro and Lounge in Gozo island – outdoor dining by the sea. Lovely food and great ambienceWandering among the ruins, which are UNESCO heritage sitesAnother day, another UNESCO site, and we are still in the same pose!These add a charming touch to the alleyways and homesMdina, the old cityAnother view of MdinaAntonio Sciortino created this masterpiece at the age of 24. It represents 3 street children who roamed the streets of Paris during the days of the 1848 revolution, inspired by the novel Les Miserables by Victor HugoSunset over MdinaAnd another sunset…Hung out to dryExperiencing the Crusades of the KnightsIn the line of fireEnding with a live firing of canons. Quite an experience!
So What If The Day Started Badly This morning, as I was reversing my car out of the porch for a dental appointment, I drove right into a van who just happened to park in front of the house across the road, right at the very instant. The knee jerk instinct was to feel sorry and angry with myself at the same time. I said a little prayer for comfort and that the rest of the day would turn out better, with small mercies along the way. I also texted G, telling him what happened and that I was a little shaken by the incident, trivial as it was. The text came back " No worries". It was all the comfort I needed - no judgment, no reproof, just a quiet understanding and acceptance. The Rest Of the Day Got the tooth fixed, had my comfort food for lunch, left car with dented bumper with mechanic, took a bus to Ang Mo Kio library to while away the time. Along the way, discovered my favorite Yong Tau Foo franchise had moved to the food centre here, much nearer home, and also picked up a ...
Teemo APRIL 7, 2021 MY FURRY KIDS Teemo came into our lives on 9 March 2021 . His fosterer told us he is about 3 months old so this lucky boy will have two dates to celebrate – an “agak-agak’ birthday on 9 Dec 2020 and his adoption day in March. But first, here’s a long preface to where we got to be where we are. Don;t be fooled by my coyness I’ve always loved animals but since G developed allergies to cats and dogs, we stopped having them for goodness knows how long a deprivation dry spell. Things changed one day when a runaway or abandoned hamster found its way into our house. We took Hammie in and just as suddenly as he came, he became listless one day, developed a wet tail ( a fatal syndrome in hamsters ) and died. I was very upset and felt the loss deeply. G wanted to get me another hamster but since their lifespan is only 2 years, we decided to get bunnies instead. That was how Miu Miu ( the Brown ) and Prada ( the Black ) joined the family. Surprise, surprise, G is not all...
Gnomes, Locks and Other Distractions – Wroclaw Part 1 OCTOBER 18, 2016 BAREFOOT TRAVELS , EUROPE Wroclaw ( pronounced rots wahv ) is a picturesque city in Poland known for its beautiful market square and many delightful pockets of quaint features. It is spanned by more than 100 bridges, and floats ethereally perched as a city on water. That aside, the real draw for us was the legion of little people with larger than life personalities that add to the lure of this magical place – the gnomes ( or krasnale , in local parlance ) It started with a protest against the authoritarian regime by dissidents who cleverly used these whimsical figurines to register their discontent. How could the police make an arrest with something so nonsensical? And so it grew, until it acquired a cult status of its own in 2001 when the country became a democratic state, and an official statue of a gnome was erected on the city’s main street. It did not stop th...
Comments
Post a Comment