Oosterdam European Adventure, Valletta, Malta... Part 1 of 2

It was a gorgeous sail into the Great Valletta Harbor. With 4 ships in port, we docked at Boiler Wharf in the town of Senglea. We were lucky our guide Alfred picked us up at Boiler Wharf. In fact, it was our guide who informed us of that the ship was docking at Boiler Wharf before the ship communicated this information. The port authority provided a water taxi to the Valletta side of the harbor. Leaving the port, we drove through the town of Senglea with its view of the Grand Harbor. Our first stop was the Victoriossa, the first city to be inhabited by the Knights of St. John. This town has a lovely setting across from the Grand Harbor. Vittoriosa was severely damaged in World War II, some of its old fortifications remain. Some of the highlights included the Church of St. Lawrence and the Malta at War Museum, as well as Fort St. Angelo which played a major role in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. We then drove to the quaint fishing village of Marsaxlokk. We walked along the waterfront for a view of the numerous fishing boats bobbing in the harbor and stopped at a few stands in the market. Continuing along we made a quick stop at Birzebbuga to see the monument dedicated 1989 Bush/Gorbachev Malta Summit for end of the Cold War. Next, we went to the Blue Grotto viewing point, located at the rugged southern coast of Malta, the Blue Grotto is a network of seven magnificent sea caves, accessible only by a boat ride…. we choose not to do the boat ride. We did a quick photo stop at the Hagar Qim and Mnajdta a megalithic temple complex, with its large prehistoric stones. Next, we continued to Dingli Cliffs, on Malta's western coast, the highest point of the Maltese island. The views are lovely over the terraced fields and the panorama of the vast open seas with the small uninhabited island of Filfla. Our next stop was Rabat and the Mdina. We toured the inside of the Mdina, through the narrow streets of the island's old capital, taking in one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled/fortified city. Mdina looks like something straight out of the pages of a historical novel and no surprise that it was used as a movie set for the Game of Thrones! After a stop for lunch, we visited one of Rabat’s main attractions, the St Paul’s Catacombs, an ancient underground burial site used by the Romans. The complex has over 30 underground tombs. We also visited the air-raid shelters used during the Second World War. The small museum adjacent to the catacombs displays many artefacts. Our next stop was Mosta Cathedral, with the 3rd largest unsupported dome in the world…what a beautiful church! Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, commonly known as the Mosta Rotunda or Mosta Dome is dedicated to St. Mary and is furnished in the neo-classical style. The dome is the main feature here and measures 121 feet and 220 feet high, making it bigger than the Pantheon in Rome. Much of the inside of the church is decorated in gilt and the floors are paved with marble. The dome was hit by a bomb in 1942 and pierced the dome but luckily there was no major damage. Apparently, the bomb was a dud! Returning to Valletta, we stopped at a number of scenic viewpoints like the Florianna Gate and Walls, World War I monument, Auberge de Castille now the Prime Minister’s Office and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. This garden offers one of the most impressive views of the Grand Harbor, looking over the Grand Harbor and ‘The Three Cities’, Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua.  Malta has an almost mythical quality to it, the streets here wind around towns and villages taking you past churches, markets, and museums, and some of the oldest buildings in the world can be found on this pretty island. One can never miss the sail away from Valletta…the views are spectacular. The Oosterdam received a special gun salute from the Lower Barrakka Gardens overlooking Fort St Angelo and Valletta’s Grand Harbor. It was a fabulous day in Malta!