Valletta

This morning we start with our main portion of the trip, so there is an 8:30 meeting with the trip leader. The Tunisia portion was the pre-trip, with only eight people on it, now we are 34. After the meeting we head into the UNESCO World Heritage Site Valletta to tour for a few hours.

The bus dropped us off near the Church of St. Publius. Saint Publius was the Roman governor of Malta when Paul visited and is considered the first Bishop of Malta.

It’s possible to get a horse drawn carriage ride to get closer to Valletta.

We walked to Triton’s Fountain and through the new controversial gate to the city.

As you cross through the new gate, you cross the old moat that protected the city.

The first building that draws your eye is the new parliament building, completed in 2015. It’s sometimes referred to as the cheesegrater for it’s exterior.

We passed by the statue of Jean Valletta founder of the city.

Then we headed to the Upper Barracca Gardens for views of the Grand Harbor.

There were volunteers dressed up as WW II soldiers that described the defense of the city at that time.

Next we headed to St. John’s Cathedral. by the entrance was this monument that has been taken over by the friends of Daphne Caruana.

There are two paintings by Caravaggio in the church.

We walked up Strait Street and heard the stories about sailors and barmaids.

We walked by the Grandmaster’s Palace but didn’t go in.

The grandmaster was the ruler and could pretty much do what he wanted and that attitude leaked into the details on the palace.

We had a nice lunch outside and visited with a couple that has joined the trip for Malta and Sicily.

Donna wanted to see the National Archeological Museum, as it contains many things about the early history of Malta from 5000 BC on.

This statue is a good example of the typical statues of the Temple Period.

The sleeping lady was recovered from the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. We will visit there in a few days.

The Venus of Malta was recovered from Ħaġar Qim which we’ll visit in two days.

This tiny bead trimmed with gold was found in the Tarxien Temples which we will not visit on this tour. It is unique, no other bead like it has been found on Malta. The meaning of the symbol is also unknown, but it appears on other objects found there.

Then back to the hotel and a group supper.