It’s our penultimate day on Malta and time do use our ticket for the harbour tour, which was part of a bundle of tickets for sightseeing. We’ve been unable to use the ticket due to choppy seas and high winds, but finally, on Friday the winds calm a little and the boat can go. This does not, however, signify hot- or warm weather, so we choose to sit inside, which is very comfortable and pleasant.
Valletta’s harbour is an amalgam of many harbours, the coast of Malta here serrated like a pancake edge and dotted with tiny islands. Almost every part has a fortification looming high above the water with watchtowers. One huge area is for cruise ships, a couple in today getting refurbished as a jaunty crane embellished to look like a giraffe swings its neck back and forth.
Another part of the harbour houses cargo shipping and ferries- one massive catamaran the ferry to Sicily, Malta’s nearest neighbour. Then there’s a section for private yachts, of which there are a few large and luxurious specimens, of course. Here, also we spot the other side of the science centre we’d passed on the bus, the water side boasting a huge globe.
In the afternoon we wander to the back of Sliema, which has a pleasant enough seafront though nothing outstanding- no promising restaurants either. And it’s windy and a little chilly.
The next day is our last. Another look at the old town seems essential and there’s still much we haven’t seen, so we get a bus this time, round to ‘bus station’ which is next to some gardens. They aren’t spectacular, but the upper level has some colourful flower beds. There is a beautiful arched wall giving views over the harbour and the canon, which are fired each day at 4pm.
We walk back to the city centre and to the main square, where some kind of event is being set up, then get tickets for a peek at the Archbishop’s Palace. By far the most astonishing sight here is the collection of armoury- housed in a vast, long hall- cases and cases full of ancient weapons, from bows and arrows to rifles and pistols, canon, full suits of armour, chain mail, helmets, breast plates- every ancient weapon and item of warfare is here.
We cross an elegant courtyard to view the state rooms, although they are less impressive. The eagle-eyed staff that police each room are fierce guards, one nudging me away from a model table I inadvertently touch!
We leave the palace and stroll down to the ferry terminal, getting a beer in a waterside restaurant while we wait. There’s a long queue for the ferry but we are board ok and return to Sliema and our last evening on Malta.
It’s an island I’d return to, and there were plenty of sights and experiences we neglected. Another time, however I’d go a little later in the year, waiting for warmer temperatures and less of a breeze!
Novels by Jane Deans [Grace]: The Year of Familiar Strangers and The Conways at Earthsend. Visit my website: janedeans.com
Anecdotage 