We are now two again, Carolyn from Brisbane has joined me for the remainder of this years European journey….she arrived yesterday arvo….exhausted from a 30 hour ordeal!!! The things we do for a little bit of paradise on the Rock of Malta!
After a twelve hour sleep she was brand new…so we started the tourist adventures….leaving the flat at 7.30am and walked to Bormla for our morning coffee…
Rouge Cafe… the best coffee in town…I then realised it was the Birgu street market day (even though last week I decided it was not worth visiting in summer) but Carolyn’s first time here….might as well see the place!
We wandered up the hill and Carolyn got her first glimpse of the grand harbour… feeling like she was in a fairytale! After the hour or so in the street market we headed off to our planned taste of history….
Sitting on the wall of the bridge to the Malta at War museum and WWII shelters…lucky us….we were just in time to join nine other punters and get dragged off on a guided (at no extra cost) tour of the underground shelters!
But first we had to hairnet and helmet up as the tunnels were low in places…then off we went down into the tunnels… our German/Italian guide running off like it was a race….ironic that he was of this heritage as these countries were the ones responsible for the bombings and the necessity of the underground shelters ….. but to be fair he was passionate about his history knowledge, although I felt a little weighted towards the fascist regime that almost bombed Malta to the ground!
An hour or more underground, while we were led from one area to the next…it was pretty warm down here and at times hard to breathe, one can only imagine what it was like with up to 500 people (we were only 11) up to 12 hours at a time with no water or food! We then took a (self guided) tour of the museum and all the war artefacts- cannons, guns, bombs, medals and navy attire!
By the time we left it was nearing 1pm…as we strolled through the decorated (in readiness for the feast this weekend) streets…
Carolyn realising that you are either going up or down….and that Malta is not a flat rock!
The bunting in all its glory in this historic town (Birgu) where there are no new apartments and all buildings are renovated to heritage building code….
To the town square…the religious statues (barring me) all out of storage adorning the square…down past…
The doorway to heaven – near the church opposite…kinda looks locked….
Bells ringing and doors open…enough culture for us today….a wander along the waterfront marina to an Italian cafe for a cool drink and snack!
To walk or not to walk (from here) the 2.5kms back uphill home…an easy decision as we waited in the nearby bus stop.
All who wander are not Lost girls 