March 2017
Valetta(population: 6,000) was the last stop before disembarking the ship at Barcelona to finish up the Suez Canal cruise that started from Dubai. We were told that the best scenery you get would be the view you get as the ship enters the port of Valetta, and we were not disappointed. We knew the city might not be fully awake, but we got really antsy waiting on the ship and got off the ship around 8 AM.
From the cruise terminal exit, we turned right and walked for a few minutes to reach the lift that took us up to the city center on top the hill. As we walked out of the park around the lift exit, we came to an area with government buildings, pictured above. We walked to the City Gate and walked out of it, and there was a big bus stop with the route numbers marked for each parking stall. We had decided to go to an old capital, Mdina, first to beat the crowd. We found the C2 bus(2.60 Euros for all day) stall at the lefthand side of the road separate from the traffic circle. The 30-minute bus ride was like an introduction to Malta mini-tour.
Mdina(population 300) is not the last stop for the C2 bus, but you won’t miss the stop. Most people get off there anyway. It is just a few minutes walk from the bus stop to the Mdina city gate. Here’s a map for the town. You will see 6 maps. The first one is for Mdina. The main cathedral of Malta, St. Paul’s, is in this tiny town.
We spent a little over an hour walking around the town discovering nice surprises in little alleys and buildings. Then the tour buses started arriving and filling up the streets, which turned the sleepy little town into a major tourist attraction with hundreds of selfie sticks poking at your face. We quickly gave up on the idea of having a leisurely cup of tea at a cafe and headed back to the bus stop.
We were back in Valletta just in time for the Military Band March & Display that started at the City Gate at 10 AM. We followed them to the main square, St. George’s Square, and, they performed there for 45 minutes.
For a little town of 6,000 people, it has a lot going. There’s history, arts, culture — museums, beach, food, and, of course, churches. You can discover all that just by walking. It still is a capital city, and, even for a small country like Malta(population: 450,000), that means something. The whole city is recognized as the UNESCO Cultural Heritage site.
Another main cathedral of Malta is in Valetta. Saint John’s Co-Cathedral(called such because it shares the function of the main cathedral with Mdina’s St. Paul.) doesn’t seem much from outside, but you HAVE TO go inside. Trust me. You will not be sorry. In fact, you will thank me!
I had read about this wonderful restaurant in Valletta, but it was closed forever. But we found a pretty good one behind the Cathedral called LaPira Maltese Kitchen.
The evening view of the city of Valletta was as impressive as the early morning view. I had a feeling we might return to this charming little place.
Small Wide World 