Maltese Cats

We noticed lots of cats that ran about in the Upper Barrakka Gardens, but they looked well cared for, didn't beg for food, and seemed to live quite happily with the pigeons!!  They did, of course, accept any scraps you were willing to give them, as did the pigeons and, although they did seem to take great delight in scattering the pigeons on occasions, it seemed more like a game to them rather than a serious attempt to catch one.

The workers in the gardens seem to give them food at the end of the working day, and they all quite happily feed together with no fighting between them.

Many restaurants also seemed to have a 'resident cat' but again these cats seemed to be well looked after and didn't come in to beg for food.

I have created a separate page for some photos of the cats as I know lots of people don't like cats so, if anyone out there is reading my blog, if they don't like cats then they can skip this page!!

Here are some photos that I took - mostly at the gardens:

Raiding the rubbish bins

Feeding time

Feeding time - and no fighting

Contentment!!

This little one had a harness and lead and was quite happily tied up outside a shop that it was 'looking after'. The owner looked quite mystified, but happy, at me making a fuss of it and taking its photo!!

This is one well fed cat!!

Sunday 20th May

Today after breakfast we made our way down to the Fort St. Elmo as we intended to watch the military re-enactment 'Alarme' which portrays the French invasion and occupation under Napoleon Bonaparte (1798 - 1800).  We had missed the historical re-enactment which had taken place the Sunday before, so were looking forward to this one, although we weren't at all sure what to expect!  The start time was given as 11 a.m. but we arrived much earlier than that and the gates were open so we were allowed to pay for our tickets and enter the fort.  (7EU per person).  We chose where to sit and then I went on the wander with my camera as I had wanted to see round some of the forts, and had been a little disappointed to find that none appeared to be open to the public.  Fort St. Elmo is currently used as a Police Academy/training centre.

Entering the fort

Chapel

Napoleon!!

The re-enactment lasted for around an hour and the narration is given in English and other languages.  Be prepared for some rather large bangs as the canons and guns are fired!!

The firing squad!!

I hadn't really known what to expect from this re-enactment, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and the time passed very quickly indeed.  I was glad too that we had arrived early as, not only did we have front row seats, I had been able to have a wander around the fort.  On the way back out after the performance, areas that I had been in taking photos were either now closed or roped off so, if you do go to one of these, get there early so that you can have a look about first.

Once we left the fort, we then popped almost next door to have a look at the War Museum,  and found that very interesting too.  This is where the George Cross is displayed that was awarded to the island of Malta in 1942.

Entrance to museum

George Cross and letter

Replica of bomb shelter

After our visit here we wandered around for a while to try and find somewhere to eat that night as we found Sundays a bit tricky with many places being closed.  We found that the De Roberts Restaurant in the Castille Hotel was open and we booked for that night.  It is situated fairly close to our favourite viewpoint at Upper Barrakka Gardens and commands excellent views over the Grand Harbour. 

From the rooftop of the Castille Hotel

Higher than the arches of the Upper Barrakka Gardens

After a lovely meal it was back to the hotel for a nightcap on the balcony and to plan our last day - could not believe that our holiday was almost at and end!!

Friday 18th May

This was it then, up early for a second time and downstairs to wait for an 8 a.m. pick-up!!  However, this time I checked with reception first and was delighted to learn that the trip was on!!  The wind had certainly dropped significantly and the sun was shining, so I just had to now hope that I wasn't going to be sea-sick!!

Our driver was a little late in picking us up, but on reaching Sliema where the boat was to leave from, other coaches were just arriving with other passengers, so there wasn't a problem.  Once the captain gave the say-so, we all boarded and my husband and I were lucky to get seats in the front section of the boat.  The captain went through some safety procedures and made sure we all knew where the lifejackets were, and off we went.  The music was playing (not too loudly), the sun was shining and the sea was calm, but then we entered open water and it did get a little rocky, so it wasn't too long before I began to feel a bit queasy!!  However, I was determined not to let that spoil my trip so just had to grin and bear it and I kept my eye on the horizon, which always helps to make me feel a little better.

As an extra to the cruise (10EU per person) a power boat trip was offered for the time spent at the Blue Lagoon in Comino to visit some of the caves, so we paid for that as it sounded quite exciting.  Not far into the cruise, the crew came round with sandwiches, but I wasn't too keen on them as there were olives and capers on them, two things which I just do not like, plus I was still feeling queasy, so I didn't eat much of them.  My husband enjoyed them and so did most of the other passengers.

On arrival at the Blue Lagoon, we stopped for lunch and some people took the opportunity of swimming and snorkeling in the clear blue water.  Then the power boat arrived, complete with its two 300hp engines!!  Wow, it looked superb and, although I was a bit wary of how I would feel on board, I was really looking forward to the experience.

There was quite a large queue waiting to board and we were at the back, so no chance of being on the first trip out.  However, it was probably better because by the time we boarded, there were only about ten of us on board, and we had a ball!!  The driver (can you call him a driver??) was totally and utterly mad and, after taking us round the caves, he took us for some short but very fast runs over the water, buzzing around other boats and then skipping across the waves and crashing down like stones!  I had no idea how hard water can feel when landing on it at such speed!!  It was totally awesome though and well worth the money spent.

Turkish Gulet that we sailed on

We were back on board in time for lunch which was a fantastic buffet which I couldn't do justice to because of feeling a bit ill!!  The crew were very attentive and made sure everyone had enough to eat and drink.  You could buy drinks on board from the bar, but during lunch soft drinks and wine were included in the price of the cruise.  We left Comino around 1.30 p.m. for the sail back to Valletta and the crew handed round some very welcome and refreshing melon slices.

Some views on board the boat:

 Some photos taken from the boat:

Gozo ferries

Dingli Cliffs

Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples

Cruise boats in the Grand Harbour

The cruise also incorporated a quick tour of the Grand Harbour then back to dock in Sliema.  We got back to the hotel around 6 p.m. just in time for a quick shower and change and out for dinner after a long but very enjoyable day.  After dinner, we could hear multiple loud bangs and discovered that a Festa must have been taking place away in the distance as we could see the fireworks.  I tried to take some photos of the night views, so here they are, but they may be a little sloping as I had to make do with an uneven wall for support!!

We walked back to the hotel for drinks on the balcony and then I think I was sleeping before my head hit the pillow!!