Valletta - what a place!
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2007
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3
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Trip End
Oct 17, 2007
Valletta,
Malta
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I hopped on a ferry from Sliema and enjoyed a wonderful 5 minute voyage across the harbour to the ancient city. I was buzzing with excitement as the ferry docked. The dock yard where we were let off had a flotilla of fishing boats and weather beaten old Maltese men going about their business in the morning sunshine. I imagined the scene before me would have been replayed exactly the same countless times over the centuries, parts of Malta just don't change
Ferry trip to Valletta from Sliema.
. For the next few hours I would be swept away with the charm of Valletta. The incredibly narrow streets, charming locals and countless small shops with vendors selling their wares. One thing that I felt added to the charm of Valletta was being a crammed city with very narrow alley ways there were many parts of it where cars were unable and/or not allowed to go. The cars were one of the main things to remind you that you were in fact in the 21st century, without them you could not be sure!I remember when I visited Florence a few years ago I took a horse drawn cart trip around the city and loved it. In Malta they have the same traditional custom. I haggled with the driver to get the price down a bit, even used a few Maltese words so he would know I was not entirely foreign, and set off on my journey on the cart. It was great and well worth the cost. He took me around the city, stopped for me at some places to get photos and also explained what the main buildings were along the journey including a little bit of their history. Great way to start. I also visited the home of the Knights of St John. It was a magnificent baroque cathedral that had incredible detail and countless paintings and sculptures depicting the history of the Knights and St John the Baptist, their patron saint. As many of you know I love the medieval and fantasy genre so I was in my element! I also visited the armoury where over 5000 suits of the knight's armour are stored, along with countless weapons and other items that helped describe the struggle against the Turkish empire the Knights had during 16th and 17th centuries
Manoel Island.
.Lunch was a ricotta pie in the town square! My mum makes a mean ricotta pie, she knows it is my favourite Maltese delicacy and she would make it for me from time to time. So I was keen to try one at the source, it was good, but I think mum's are better! :) By mid afternoon I was getting pretty tired so I strolled down to the water front and caught the ferry back to Sliema.
I have sourced a local bar not far from where I am staying. It over looks the water just north of Sliema. The owner is a football freak so the walls and ceiling are covered in jerseys from many European football clubs, most of them from the premier league. I also thought it would be the kind of place that Becks would hang out should he be in town so that was another attraction. Anyway a few days ago I starting talking to a girl who worked there, she was nice. Mum would be impressed, a nice Maltese girl! :) She was working again when I ventured there for afternoon tea and a few drinks so we chatted in between her serving other customers. I asked her name this time and she told me "Nadia". Hmmm so far the two girls I have met have been called Svetlana and Nadia. Russia must have been all the rage in Malta 25 odd years ago.
I had arranged to have dinner with my aunty Julie and uncle Leo later that night, I was looking forward to it
Ferry trip to Valletta from Sliema.
. They used to live in Australia but moved back to Malta 27 years ago. Having a home cooked Maltese meal was definitely part of the attraction as well! The meal and company were fantastic. I had a great time at my uncle and aunty's place and they offered to take me to Mdina on Saturday. That is a really ancient city and vied with Valletta as the capital many years ago before Valletta was chosen by the knights of St John. So I was looking forward to going there. I also met Josette, my cousin Michael's wife whom I had never met before, she was great. Very friendly and her and Michael seemed very happy. Josette was born in Malta and lived here her whole life. I picked her brain about a few things regarding the culture etc so that was interesting. By the time I got driven home it was after 11 pm local time and with me still waking up around 6 I was ready for sleep. Tomorrow would be another day on my Maltese adventure. Nothing really concrete planned but I was hoping to source the nightlife for the first time in Paceville, see how that goes! 
