Malta June 5th 2007
Valletta
We had a late start today, had a another look around Mellieha and went back to the Hotel for lunch deciding that we would head off to Valletta in the afternoon . . . . . by bus. Dad Dad Daaaa ! There were a few reasons really, one, that I lived there for a while, (not that I remember), two that we wanted an excuse for a bus ride and three, well it is the capital of Malta.
Malta Bus at Valletta Bus Terminal (bus nest)
We did not have to wait long for a bus and I thought the fare, though I can't remember exactly how much, was very cheap. After reading and hearing so many tales of the Malta Buses, we are all keen roller coasters, I/we were a little dissapointed to receive a reasonably comfortable, fairly new and sedately drive to Valetta.
We arrived at Valetta, virtually 'door to door', at what can best be described as a 'Bus Nest', but which in fact is the Bus Station surrounding the Triton Fountain, totally unscathed.
For information: Assocjazzjoni Trasport Pubbliku - ATP , though there are many other websites to be found with a lot of interesting information about the Malta Bus.
I felt that the City gate let down the City a bit, looking far too modern and not a patch on the previous one. Well I've seen a picture somewhere? It's still a rather grand entrance!
The objective today was to have a good look around Valletta and try and find where I lived for a while in Old Mint Street.
Valletta's City Gate
View down Republic Street
We started off down Republic Street just generally as a first thing to do. We started at the top and went right down to Fort St. Elmo.
From the busy top end with all of it's shops, restaurants & monuments, Republic Street becomes more 'residential' the further down you go. This just has to be one of the most interesting streets anywhere.
Steps are a very practical and effective means of getting from one level to another, a feature of Valletta that becomes very apparent, very quickly. By the time you reach the bottom end of Republic Street, which is all downhill and so no problem, it first occurs that at some point you have to go up again !
"...Adieu, ye cursed streets of stairs! (How surely he who mounts you swears)"
(Written by a very observant Lord
Byron when he lived in Old Bakery Street.)
I think Rosie was flagging and thinking like Mr Byron by this point, Though I doubt if she would put it quite so eloquently. (Now there is a word I thought I didn't know how to spell.)
View up Republic Street
(Myself & Daniel in the picture).
When we reached Fort St. Elmo, at the bottom end of epublic Street, we went left or northwestish, that's a good word, along the French Curtain with the intention of reaching Old Mint Street. It's not until we looked back from St. Sebastion Street that you get a feeling for just how fortified Valletta is. It must be quite an impressive sight when arriving by ship but not nearly as impressive as the planning and workforce it must have taken to construct in the first place.
Fort St. Elmo
Fort St. Elmo
Old Mint Street, sign.
Proof, If ever proof was needed.
This, I'm afraid, is as close as we get. We stood at this point in the picture and telphoned my dad, but the best we could work out is that we lived in a flat, on the right hand side, somewhere just after the bottom of the 'valley' in the road.
It would be nice to narrow it down, I don't know why, but it would. So there !
View up Old Mint Street.
View across Grand Harbour of Fort St. Angelo.
We spent the next couple of hours or so just wandering around. There are so many things to see and find that it is just impossible to do Valletta in a day.
We crossed the city to get views of and across Grand Harbour. Grand it is to.
We eventually arrived back at the Bus Nest but carried on through The City gate to get something to eat. Perhaps the only way to stop Daniel and Rosie complaining about how far that we had made them walk. I was a bit peckish by now though. So to appease the masses, McDonalds it was. Yeh, alright, I know !
Sustainance gained it was time to head back to the Bus Nest, where we quickly figured out when the next bus was back to Mellieha. Not long to wait, the buses are pretty frequent, though they do seem to stop around 21:30, which is a bit of a downer if you wish to see the sights at night.
Next cames the good bit not that the rest of the day wasn't. Alton Towers eat your heart out. Nemisis ? Pshhhtt ! Have a go on one of the older Malta buses. YeeeHa ! Door open, radio on, driver chatting to a couple of friends and seats that are just a little too small to be comfortable, certainly only lightly padded. I should have noted the make and model, though I think it was 'Chieftain', as in tank, at least that is what it sounded like. At one point we were 'tanking' up a hill, in the middle of the road, overtaking all in our path and scaring the **** out of any holiday makers driving in the opposite direction. Well, I thought it was cool, though I suspect the Maltese people are used to it.
Rosie enjoyed the bus, (nutter?).
Overall though? Well Valetta is a splendid City, with so much to see and do and with so much history. It was good to just wander around even if we didn't see half of it. Maybe we will go there again someday and take in a few more of it's many attractions.
It was also a little strange to think that we walked along streets and paths where my mum once walked with me in a pram or pushchair. That took the strain out of the steps, at least for me.
Click here to read about Wednesday 6th June.
(You can of course use the menu on the left towards the top of this page to roam around.)
