Saturday, July 30
Today was our last full day in Valletta, and there were a couple of places we wanted to see. The first was the Saluting Battery for the firing of the noonday cannon, and we watched this from the Upper Barrakka Gardens - it was a good boom with lots of smoke.
We also visited the Archaeology Museum, which covered Malta's history from about 5000BC when the first people were recorded living and building monument's here. Some of them are dotted around the islands, but we didn't get out to see them "live", but the exhibits in the museum certainly gave us a good appreciation of what they built and how they lived.
After lunch at a traditional Maltese artisan baker we headed to the Hospitaller Knights of St.John experience, which covered the 700 year history of the Knights in the building where the Sacra Infermeria was located. For the times they had a good approach to healing and running a hospital, while being generous in looking after the needy as well as the Knights and well off people. Their history covered the Crusades to the Great Siege, and it was all contained in underground caves and great halls where the sick were cared for and treated. It was very well done!
We had to pack in preparation for moving onto Gozo tomorrow, but after dinner we went for a stroll around Valletta at night and it was very charming. We even saw some fireworks in the distance for a festival that was being celebrated this weekend. There seems to be a festival on somewhere every weekend, but we have missed them so far.
Today was our last full day in Valletta, and there were a couple of places we wanted to see. The first was the Saluting Battery for the firing of the noonday cannon, and we watched this from the Upper Barrakka Gardens - it was a good boom with lots of smoke.
We also visited the Archaeology Museum, which covered Malta's history from about 5000BC when the first people were recorded living and building monument's here. Some of them are dotted around the islands, but we didn't get out to see them "live", but the exhibits in the museum certainly gave us a good appreciation of what they built and how they lived.
After lunch at a traditional Maltese artisan baker we headed to the Hospitaller Knights of St.John experience, which covered the 700 year history of the Knights in the building where the Sacra Infermeria was located. For the times they had a good approach to healing and running a hospital, while being generous in looking after the needy as well as the Knights and well off people. Their history covered the Crusades to the Great Siege, and it was all contained in underground caves and great halls where the sick were cared for and treated. It was very well done!
We had to pack in preparation for moving onto Gozo tomorrow, but after dinner we went for a stroll around Valletta at night and it was very charming. We even saw some fireworks in the distance for a festival that was being celebrated this weekend. There seems to be a festival on somewhere every weekend, but we have missed them so far.
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