{"id":1838,"date":"2023-04-12T17:51:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T17:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/?page_id=1838"},"modified":"2023-04-12T20:48:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T20:48:43","slug":"malta-6","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/malta\/malta-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta – 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

St. Julians to Villetta and the Villetta Peninsular<\/strong> – 12th April 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time around, on my 2nd trip to Malta, there was no additional terror added to my flight for a change. The reason for this visit is two-fold. 1st is to support the Alex as she plays in her 1st international under-18 volleyball tournament for the old N.I. And 2nd, is to complete my round Malta walk. I only have a couple of days each side of the matches so will need to push a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today was mostly beach promenade and town streets, but it must be done. At least there was plenty of places to get water so no need to carry any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warm sun hitting me as I walked along the shore front was wonderful. The sea air filled my lungs and as the old legs started to function I could relax and feel the tranquillity settle over me. I had to remind myself that it’s only been 2 weeks since I was in Portugal and fear I’m Jonesing it when at home at and off my feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Heading
Heading away from the Love statue in St. Julian’s. The place is busy, busy, even though it is early in the morning. It is, of course, Easter hols.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Water polo seems big here. The boys getting in some laps – no heat required.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Our Lady’s church. Paul the pope on his way to an audience with the emperor in 60AD – I reckon his PR peeps were as good as the Shinner’s – crashed into Malta on his way and set immediately to work dripping his poison and preachifying, and as a result Malta became the first Christian country. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Heading along the bay. Have to use the aged and infirm’s raised and fenced-off pathway for a bit. Long may I not need it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Looking back at St. Julian’s. Building works everywhere here too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cruel to make these fish work as a weather vane just for the touristas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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They’ve carved a path through the rock, so that we don’t trip up and hurt ourselves – I suppose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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They be slowly wrecking that good mural of Hulk climbing into the building through the hole he’s just made.
The scooter club have parked and scooted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Boats and more boats. I wonder if Esme’s old boss is in?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ah! That looks like his now. Give her back her overpaid Corporation Tax you bastard!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I suppose it is better than melting them as scrap. This way, after they retire from all the booming and the banging, they get to put their heads down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I was bemoaning the dearth of churches – or was that Portugal?
Although that looks like a big V.M. it is old St. Joseph – no I don’t know who he is. One of the disciples, I expect. Either that or Big JC’s da.
What a lovely looking seat. I think I’ll park me arse for a min. and try it out.
The priest is about to make a get-away in that silver car with the collection money and the communion wine, along with his young choir boy lover who has finally passed his driving test.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The all-inclusive cube. Not a typo – not club – cube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The pigeon astronaut is just waiting for his audience to gather then he’ll hop up unto that high powered rocket and go where no pigeon has gone before.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Boats, boats, boats and through the thicket of masts you can just see the outer ravelin of Valletta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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No end to the bloody boats and an old boathouse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The place is littered with walls and battlements and this seems to be a bridge going over an old moat or ditch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Porte des Bombes. The Latin says. “While I fight the Turks everywhere, I am secure in my seat \u2013 1721<\/em>” and “For the greater convenience of the public \u2013 1868<\/em>“. Not exactly awe inspiring. Perhaps that’s why some toerag tried to burn it down in 2005. It’s stone, mate!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A shady feral cat hotel. Hope they’ve got room service. Mine stops at 7.00PM – what a lark.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A round church. You can’t hide in the corners when its your turn to serve the priest his daily fiddle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The water tower from 1615. My best guess is, “This tower decorated with the flower de-Lys for the edification of the city. Behold the life giving water.
The good Bontadino Bontadinis built me.”
Aqueduct brought water from the interior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nice tree-lined street leading to the city gates. One of these cars is not like the other one. One of these cars shall die alone.
Guess the TV program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The mall, all paved over now but the bowling green of antiquity. You know, when Walter Raleigh and the boys made it al-a-mode.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ze monument celebrating independence. But isn’t that Britannia on top?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The bastard bastion protecting the gate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The gate and suddenly heaps of peeps. Don’t like it. Feel my skin crawling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Away from the main drag and I can breathe again. St John’s Cavalier fort. Loads of different forts built inside the walls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And bloody thick they are.
Looking down at the creepy gate entrance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Good view over most of the island. That dark ridge is the cliffs of Dingli that I enjoyed last time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The thunder god struck ‘cos he didn’t like the man’s hubris. “Too high! Too high!” he cried – for some reason in an Australian accent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A sign from the 19th Century? Looks too modern.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The restored fort on Manoel Island.
The sharks are causing a whirlpool at the back of that boat, waiting for the old granny or two to topple in off their ill-advised high-heels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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St. Elmo’s fort. Perhaps if I have time I can find the ‘fire’.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bases of Roman temple columns?
Nope. Caps over the grain silos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Aha! Sign explained.
Poor old nag. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A retirement home for old anchors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Not sure of the palatial building but I’ll pass it tomorrow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A true blue British moggy having a well earned rest after ripping the union jack to shreds in disgust at them not hanging it the right side up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“Love has done these things” more probably “Built in the name of love” You lot are getting an education today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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See recycling isn’t new. More bollarded canons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It is either Trumpy’s or Putin’s. I wonder if the Ukrainians would cough up a reward?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A flower butterfly being haunted by a ghostly bird.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Yeah! Fuck those TFO discounts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Caught a bit of it previously but my God! What a fucking thing. Never in a million could you subject me to that torture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And across the Harbour, another one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That’s me done for the day. I’ll head back up to the bus station and get back to the gaff. A nice day despite all the civilisation and crowds in Valletta. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Julians to Villetta and the Villetta Peninsular – 12th April 2023 This time around, on my 2nd trip to Malta, there was no additional terror added to my flight for a change. The reason for this visit is two-fold. 1st is to support the Alex as she plays in her 1st international under-18 volleyball […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":673,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1838","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1853,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1838\/revisions\/1853"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/picton-lynas.co.uk\/walkingblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}