Malta June 7th 2007
Sweethaven Village, The Blue Grotto & Rabat
The 7th June is a Maltese national holiday. Sette Giugno commemorates events which occurred on the same day in 1919. more information can be found here. Not a day for the British to be proud of but the start of something for the Maltese.
Anyway, as it was a bank holiday, we assumed that like on Sundays, that most shops etc. would be closed, so we would stick to 'tourist attractions' and so set off first of all for Sweethaven Village.
To the uneducated, Sweethaven is the Film Set of the 1980 Musical Production 'Popeye', starring Robin Williams, also known as 'Popeye Village' which was constructed in Anchor Bay, Malta
Actually a bit of research shows that quite a few big films have been made in Malta !
Anchor Bay is in it's own right quite picturesque, with those now familiar blue waters.
Actually this was a bit weird? We arrived there just after 10.00am maltese time and the whole place was empty. Still, that did allow us plenty of space to roam but somehow I think it would have more atmosphere with more visitors.
One advantage of there being only a few visitors was not having to queue to take pictures like those below.
Daniel.
Rosie.
Another notable point is to watch out for if you ever go there, 'Olive Oyl'. There I was, glued to my video camera screen, creating my own 'Blair Sweethaven' movie when out jumped Olive Oyl, or at least the best physical, dynamic and vocal representation I have seen, at least in real life. loosened my bowels it did !
Enough of that, but if you are ever in Malta, Sweethaven Village is well worth a visit, even if it is just to say you have been there.
Next we were off to the Blue Grotto, a place my parents often talked about and a place where they said we just had to visit.
This took us on quite a nice little drive in our 'nice' little car, almost one end of Malta to the other and via some of the more rural areas. The changeing quality of road surfaces is one thing that sticks in the memory. One minute nice & smooth and the next, if you don't spot it in time, you feel like the suspension is going to get wrecked.
Anyway, it didn't take long to get there and was relatively easy to find, though we did miss the road leading down to the 'Blue Grotto' carpark at the first pass, we did find a place to turn around not far on.
The road leading down to the Grotto is fairly steep, but there is a good carpark with a lovely little cafe / restaurant where we decided to eat and drink. Good it were too ! I had the best Tuna & Mayonaise baguette I've ever had here.
Blue Grotto ticket office.
Further down there are a few souvenier shops and then you arrive at the little sea inlet where after purchasing a ticket at the little office, you board your little boat that will take you seaward to the Blue Grotto.
The picture on the right shows the little sea inlet where you get to board one of the dozens of small boats, like the one in the picture, to take you around to the Blue grotto.
View of inlet.
A point worth remembering is to check the weather before you go. It was a bit 'choppy' when we arrived and I think that the boatmen were on the point of cancelling further trips.
View from our boat as we approached The Grotto.
This time is was the 'Blair grotto' project that suffered. It was virtually impossible to keep the video camera stiil and level as it was so 'choppy'
Still the video did end up quite amusing with a nack for inducing nausea whilst watching in widescreen. Hehe !
The picture on the right shows the view from inside one of the caves though none of these pictures do the trip justice.
View out of cave.
There's that Blue stuff again.
I think it would have been better on a slightly calmer day, allowing more of the 'blue water' to show.
Not to worry though. All in all a great little adventure and well worth taking an afternoon to do. Mums are sometimes right? Though, of course when she went there I don't suppose the little cafe and shops were as they are today?
What we going to do now? Are we there yet? pretty good really, I've not heard that once from the back seat yet.
Anyway, onwards and downwards, in this instance, off to Rabat to find some Catacombes as well as have a better look around.
Getting there was a doddle, whatever a doddle is? and we managed to park our little doddle er! sorry car, right outside. My Photographer didn't take many picture of the catacombes themselves, but there are a couple below. It's worth considering that it is very dark down there and that these two images make it look a lot lighter than it actually is. My video of this one does look like the Blair thingy, including the falling over parts where I couldn't see in the darkness.
St Paul's Catacombs are just amazing. How they have remained in such good repair for so long is enough on it's own. That you are able to take a walk unguided except for a handheld recorded thingy was nice, enabling you to take your time.
The entrance to St. Paul's Catacombes.
One of the many chambers in St. Paul's Catacombes.
St. Pauls are apparently the largest of Rabat's Catacombes, an extraordinary labyrinth of narrow passages lined by rock-cut tombs, all excavated from the solid rock.
They are in fact a Roman cemetary used up until 4 Centuary AD and are located just outside of the old Roman capital Mdina as burials were not allowed by law to be within the City. Rabat has grown up around or indeed on top of them since. Fishbourne eat yer heart out !
Having been 'catacombed' off we went for a trot around Rabat.
Just around the corner into the Parish square, passing a pub with an interesting name on the left side of the road.
The Beer Belly? (I got one of those.)
St. Paul's Church, Rabat.
The Parish square was pleasant enough though a bit quiet and a bit more triangular than square, probably due to the National Holiday, that's not the square being traingular but because it was a bit quiet.
The pisture on the left is of the parish church, St. Pauls, into which we went next.
First we went under the church into St. Pauls Grotto, actually linked to the catacombes some 100m away. Apparently St.Paul lived here whist staying in Malta after being shipwrecked on the Island.
Unfortunately my photographer did not take any pictures coz she though it was not allowed.
St. Pauls, Rabat. Main Altar.
Now, I'm not a particularly religious person, neither am I not, nor am I particularly fussed about looking around churches but ... .... the Maltese certainly know / knew how to build them and how to make the interior just leave you speechless. Well it did me anyway.
St. Pauls, Rabat. Interior of dome.
Altar.
By now it was getting on a bit and we had promised that the kiddiewinkies could make use of the Hotels swimming pools if we got back early enough. (You were not allowed to use them after 08.00pm because that is when they began the cleaning process.)
So off we went in our 'Noddy Car', (I'm gonna get sued by Toyota at this rate.), back to the Hotel, a relatively easy journey now we had started to know our way around as well as my driver adapting nicely to the local, if rather abrupt, driving style and roads.
Once back at the Hotel, Daniel & Rosie went off for their daily 'drowning' session while me and the missus made something to eat and took some 'quiet' time in the apartment.
We spent the rest of the evening downing a few wets and listening to some live music in the 'La Caverna' bar, which is actually under the Hotel, while the kiddies went off to play with some other children staying at the Hotel. A busy day and very pleasant evening.
Good Night
Click here to read about Friday 8th June.
(You can of course use the menu on the left towards the top of this page to roam around.)
