After a long day in Mdina I decided to re-visit Valletta and see all the things I was unable to the previous visit. The day started the same as the others; watching the sunrise from my balcony and drinking a lovely coffee purchased from Jugos over the road from the hotel.
After figuring out the plan, I set off and got the bus into Valletta once again. Although I had already been inside St. John’s Co-Cathedral on the Sunday I had not been around the whole cathedral due to the service being on. I therefore headed straight to the cathedral and joined the early queue. Soon the doors were opened and, after paying €15, I made my way into what is quite possibly the most ornate and adorned cathedral I have ever visited. I accepted the audio guide and started my tour.
The cathedral is like many others with different chapels lining the sides along with a crypt and I was also made aware of rather large Carravagio painiting that was housed there. Each of the chapels were dedicated to the Langues of the Knights of St. John. Originally there were 7 Langues which were Provance, France, Auvergne, England, Germany, Italy and Aragon. These were the areas where the Knights came from. Later an 8th Langue was created when Castille and Portugal split off from Aragon. It is from the 8 Langues that the Knights created their cross with 8 points, which is now seen of the flag of Malta. Each of the chapels dedicated to the Langue were decorated in each regions style, with former Grand Masters laid to rest in tombs.
I then headed down into the Crypt though once at the bottom of the stairs I was confronted with a glass window and not able to enter due to work being done inside. However, it was very interesting to see more of the tombs of the previous Grand Masters including Jean Parisot de Valette himself. Once the crypt was done I decided to hunt for the Carravaggio. Soon I was confronted with a rather large scene, Carrivaggio’s ‘The Beheadding of John the Baptist’. A brilliant painting with lots to appreciate and observe. In fact after taking it in I headed upstairs to the interactive scene where the painting is disected for the visitor, explaining each aspect of it. Follow the link to read more about Carravaggio’s ties to the Knights and the cathedral. Caravaggio – St John’s Co-Cathedral
I finished off the cathedral and headed to the Lacelles war rooms, something I had planned to visit the previous time but was shut. After a bit of confusion as to where the enterance was I manage to find my way in. To my dismay it was card only and cost €20 (which I personally felt was a little steep) but as I had personal family ties to the World War II siege of Malta I decided it was worth it. Throughout the museum there were various exhibitions on the WWII Siege of Malta, Operation Pedistal, the relief of the Siege and the use of Malta as a staging ground for the invasion of Sicily in Operation Torch. I would say there was a slight overload of information in fact, though many of the information boards did repeat details so it was easier to digest.
After a wander around – making my ticket worth it – I left and headed to the Upper Bakkara Gardens to observe the Saluting Battery. Having arrived at 11.30 I managed to find a spot near the front and waited the 30 minutes for the firing of the cannon. By the time the cannon fired I was surrounded by onlookers and grateful I arrived so early. It was then I noticed at the foot of Fort St. Angelo there were people watching the cannon firing towards them and I endavoured to see if I could observe from that angle later in the trip.
It was time for me to find some food, and I was able to walk back into town and to a road which I descovered on the first day of my trip with various cafes on each side. I settled for Piadina and enjoyed my food there. Having had such a busy morning I decided to wind down for the day – though not before being overcharged for some stamps to send a postcard home! I ventured down to the ferry to finally cross having tried on the previous day only to be thwarted by the wind. I was slightly confused when they charged me €3 having thought my Talinja card covered the short ferry ride though it turns out I only bought the bus card. Undetered I paid the €3 and watched Sliema draw nearer as Valletta fell to the distance.
Soon I was back in the hotel for a well earned chill on the balcony. I later decided to head out and get some food to eat in the room and enjoyed a sunset walk on the way. Planning for the next day’s adventure was top of the agenda and then it was soon time for sleep.
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