The Amsterdam was docked by 8am, and cleared shortly thereafter. As always, we had a light breakfast in the dining room, then set off around 10am. Our first stop would be at the Hard Rock Café, located directly across from the ship, in hopes of finding their city t-shirt. We sort of figured that if we had waited, they might run out of them. And we made a good decision, because they only had a couple in the correct size. We planned on coming back here later for lunch.
On the way out of the port area, we picked up a city and island map, a much better one that the ship provides. There were several options to get to the top of Valletta…taxis (12 euros), the hop on hop off bus (possibly 16 euros), a horse and buggy ride (60 euros an hour), or walk. One other option was to take the Upper Barrakka Lift, a good deal since it cost one euro to go up, and free to come down. Knowing we could get some great photos by walking up the road by the name of Crucifix Hill, we decided to walk. We found the Kalkara Steps, and continued up to the hospital level. There we found the cat feeding station, and several little cat houses along the stairway. Must be for the feral cat population, that helps in keeping the rodents under control.
From the top of the stairs, we saw the War Memorial, and across the street, we walked the length of the Bus terminus that lined the Triton Fountain. This was the start of the main avenue called Republic Street. Between many boutique-type shops and numerous cafes, we saw the National Museum of Archaeology, the National Library, and the Grandmaster's Palace. The side streets were loaded with historical buildings as well, but we continued to search for what we thought to be the main cathedral.
We ended up passing the Manoel Theater, the oldest in Europe, and finally the domed church of St. Paul's Pro-Anglican Cathedral. As luck would have it, the end of the church service for Palm Sunday was in progress, so we got to see it. Not much different than the Catholic mass, we felt at home with the service. The inside of this cathedral was not massive, but the white domed ceiling was beautiful, surrounded by stained glass windows. At the end of the service, the parishioners were handing each other sprigs of olive branches. In the Catholic service, we have palm leaves made into a cross. Guess it was the same idea.
If we had walked down the street further, we would have been at the Marsamxett Harbor, the opposite side of the peninsula from where our ship was docked. So we headed back up to Republic Street, and followed the map to St. John's Co-Cathedral and museum. We had been told it was closed today, but only the museum part of it was closed, not the church. Once again, we happened to catch the end of another service, standing quietly at the back. This church was built entirely different with golden painted ceilings….no dome. We had been advised that this church was closed today, but we were glad that info was incorrect. In fact, we were told the shops would be closed as well. That also, was wrong information. Most all of them were opened, as were the cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants. The several squares were filled with customers….locals, vacationers, and the cruise ship folks. Very busy today.
From here we did a little window shopping, but bought nothing. Things looked a bit pricey, but then this is a very touristy spot, and it can be expected. It was getting close to noon, so we back-tracked, and that turned out to be another lucky choice.
On one corner near the start of the main street, there was an open-air stadium called the Royal Opera House Open Air Theater. It is built in the ruins near St. James Cavalier, the Church of Our Lady of Victory, and the Church of St. Catherine. The crowd seemed to be growing heavier as we walked this way, but it wasn't until we ran into friends, Ilsa and Dieter, who told us that the cannon would be fired soon, and we had 10 minutes to get to the Saluting Battery. Fantastic.
We followed the ship's tour group, who were also on their way there. This also happened to be where the Upper Barrakka Garden was located, another stop on our map. You had to pass through it to get to the balcony that overlooked the several cannons that faced the entrance to the harbor. All of us watched as a soldier prepared the end cannon to fire at exactly high noon. It went off with a blast that shook the ground, which just by luck, we got a perfect photo of the blast. Well, that made our morning about perfect, but it wasn't over yet.
Still a bit too early for lunch, we figured we could walk back to the end of Republic Street again, which led to Fort St. Elmo. It looked so neat sailing in this morning, it would be even better seeing it close up. And by going downhill at the end of Republic, we would not have to use the stairs or the lift.
Following the harbor on the water was a great walk, except for the wind. Once you left the shelter of the closely-built city, the wind was strong and chilly. We were approached numerous times to take advantage of the horse and buggy ride back to the terminal, but we said no. It would have run 50 euro according to our friends, who also decided to walk back. After the long hike, we were more than ready for lunch.
Back across from the ship, we found the Hard Rock was quite busy. Once again, we got lucky and ran into Barb, Susie and Woody, and joined them sitting outside. The noise level was really bad inside, as there were many young kids in there with their parents. On the menu was an entrée that has been deleted from most all of their offerings at the other HRC…..the haystack chicken salad. It happens to be our most favorite salad there, so of course, we ordered two of them, with large Cisk Lager draft beers. We left a bit of room for a shared apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream. The sun had begun peeking out of the clouds, making our stay there very nice. What more can you ask for? We stayed until after 3pm, before coming back onboard the ship. All aboard was 4:30pm today…..way too early for such a wonderful place to explore. There's never enough time.
The ropes were dropped shortly after the all aboard time, and we were off to navigate the windy exit of the harbor. As usual, we watched from the aft deck, but with our arctic jackets on this time. Well insulated, we were completely comfortable no matter how fierce the winds blew. With some sharp turns to get around the fortresses and the narrow harbor entrance, the ship handled it well. We were glad to know we had an experienced pilot with the Captain doing this maneuver. The waves hitting the coastline were impressive as they spilled over the rocks and seawalls as we left.
We are now headed in a northerly direction on our way to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but with a wonderful day at sea before we get there. And the nice thing about today was that it never did rain. That's because we packed the umbrellas with us all day, right?
Hanging out in our room until dinner, we accomplished some report and photo work. We had the company of Carol once again, and she was most happy, as she considers us family now. Nice for all of us. For our entrees tonight, we had the beef stew, but with a fancier name. It really was comfort food…..hot and tasty. One of us has been ordering the fruit plate, which really has been a refreshing way to end the meal. Despite all of us being tired from a long day in port, we stayed talking until well after 10pm. So we missed the entertainer, Jaz Danion, a juggler, and balance artist, who was billed as a two time world record holder. Now that's different for a change.
Plan to lay low tomorrow, and hope the weather remains the same, although the Captain did say that a storm was tracking our way.
Bill & Mary Ann
View from the cruise liner dockage in Valleta
Pier housing
Ancient city walls
The Grand Harbor of Valletta
Container port across the harbor
New port construction in the harbor
Will it rain today is the question?
Opposite shoreline from the port
The Hard Rock Café is located behind those tents
Tour buses wait for passengers
Gangway
Lots of room on this dock
The way to town
Looking good
Local ship
Narrow opening of the harbor
A naval ship under the French flag
Narrow small boat harbor
Map of the harbor front
Heading through the terminal
Shops and cafes are housed here
Too early to be opened
Hard Rock Café opened at 10am
Palm tree-lined promenade
Walking towards the city's center
Businesses and apartments
Horse and carriage ride (60 euros – 1 hour)
Lascarius Wharf area
Ft. St. Angelo across from the cruise terminal
Carriage fares
Amsterdam docked close to town
Bouganvilla
Ancient walls of the old city
Kalkara Steps
Cat feeding station was located near the old hospital
Cat houses on the hillsides
Well-fed and happy cat
Old hospital
View from the top of the hill
Slowly, but surely
Geraniums on Mt. Ganado
Flowering redbuds
The tower marks a memorial
View of the Vittoriosa Harbor
Gardens on the cliffsides
War Memorial
We saw eternal flames here
Inaccessible walls
Roman arches
Better than a taxi
The Commonwealth Walkway tell the city's story
Heading towards Republic Street
The main thoroughfare
Typical balconies were protected from the wind
Dressed for Sunday services
Start of the many, many shops
Republic Street
Old city ruins near St. James Cavalier
Impressive architecture
A city full of history
High-rent apartments
Tight alleyways
Boutique shops
Not too crowded yet
Kiosk
This leads to the Marsamxett Harbor
Follow that cat..he knows where he is going
Typically British
Important icon
A courtyard
Maltese heroines
Treasures sold on the street
Coffee shops
Shops and cafes
One of many side streets
Arches
National Library
Every corner has interesting balconies
One of the largest squares
This is a table top at a local cafe
Artistic
Unique
Manoel Theater – oldest theater in Europe
Famous site for concerts and plays
The first church we visited
Carmelite Church (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel)
Interior of the church – Palm Sunday services
