Contents

Day 1

The Last Leg to Malta

Arriving in Malta

Day 2

The Plan to Valletta

Valletta - How to Get One

Valletta - What to Do With It

Valletta - The Manoel Theater

Valleta - The State Rooms

Valletta - The End of the Peninsula

Valletta - St. Paul's Shipwreck Church

Valletta - The Fading Hours

A Few Notes On Busses

Back to the Hotel

Day 3

Mdina - St. Paul's Cathedral and Museum

Rabat - St. Paul's Catacombs

A Few More Notes on Busses

Day 4

Altering the Plan

Valletta - St. John's Co-Cathedral

Finishing Valletta

Relaxation Spoiled Only by a Map

Day 5

A Few Notes on Pants

Introduction to Gozo

Gozo - Ggantija Temples

What Not to Do in Gozo

Gozo Done Wrong

Gozo - Il Kastell

The Parting Hours

Day 6

Of London and Buckeyes

Day 7

The Worst Breakfast Ever

The Long Flight Home

Malta - Day Two

St. Paul's Shipwreck Church

St. Paul is very popular on Malta, thanks to the fact that he was shipwrecked on the island -- as described in the Book of Acts -- in the very early days of Christianity. Or at least the Maltese claim that the island where St. Paul was shipwrecked was Malta. I'm not sure who else lays claim to being this island, but I'm sure that they are a few others and I'm sure they are pretty adamant about it too.
What with the fact that St. Paul was one of the most able of the saints, he spread the word about Christ during his stay on Malta and, as a result, the Maltese count themselves as being among the first Christians. Thus, they are also very proud of their place in the early days of the faith and hold St. Paul and his fortuitous shipwreck in great reverence. Thus, in Valletta, you can find a place called St. Paul's Shipwreck Church.	"I'd put the Bible verses in here, but the Book of Acts is really long." -- Alex Meske
Or at least you can if you happen to be walking down just the right street at about 5:30 in the evening when the church is, mysteriously, still open and taking visitors. All the sights in Malta seem to shut down by 4:30 at the latest, so we were surprised we could visit this particular sight at such an hour. And we were rather surprised that it was a sight at all, since it looked like somebody's house from the outside. Finding the Sights in Valletta Another note that should be made about Malta in general and Valletta in particular is just how unremarkable the exteriors of buildings are. St. John's Co-Cathedral, the major destination on the island, is remarkably drab on the outside. Part of this is due to the fact that it was designed by a military architect, but part is also due to the fact that everything is so close together that there's little space in which to admire the outside of a building. St. Paul's Shipwreck Church went even farther down that road. It seemed to blend right into the sides of the shops and houses that made up what we thought was a fairly unremarkable street. Admittedly, we were tired, but the only indication we noticed that there was a major church in the area was the hand-painted sign sitting in front of it. I thought there was a mistake and it was actually some sort of gift shop, but it seemed to be worth a try. It should be noted that Maltese buildings are not entirely unadorned. The corners of buildings frequently host statues of saints that I really should have taken pictures of. Oops. It was a good thing we did take a stab at St. Paul's Shipwreck Church, because it provided a striking introduction to the Maltese cathedral. The interior was covered with paintings and frescoes and the ceiling was done in the usual, flamboyant Baroque style that seems to mark all the Maltese churches. However, the floor was the starring attraction. Not being familiar with the Baroque, I can't say that this is a feature unique to Maltese churches, but the most striking feature of the church had to be the intricate marble inlays that covered the floor.
Samples of the marble floor. Actually from St. Paul's Chuch in Mdina, but now seemed like a good time to show them.
The Scenes of St. Paul's Shipwreck Church Expertly crafted and durable through the long centuries that have laid their footfalls upon the sculpted floor, these marble masterpieces took a variety of forms that followed no greater pattern. It was a hodgepodge quilt in living rock that was a treasure to see underfoot. Yet the recurring theme of skulls and skeletons made me realize that, though I was not yet fully acknowledging this to myself, each marble masterwork was, in fact, an expertly crafted tombstone. And the floor was covered with them. In Malta, the bones of the men who came before are not far from the feet of those who stand upon their legacies. We did have the chance to see St. Paul's wristbone and a portion of the column that Paul was beheaded on. Or at least we saw some things that we were told were St. Paul's wristbone and a portion of the column that Paul was beheaded on. Anyone familiar with the Church and holy relic trade will know why I wasn't awed. The problem with visiting St. Paul's Shipwreck Church, however, was the fact that it was very dark in the interior of the church, so it was difficult to make out distant features. For instance, the ceiling was heavily shrouded by the darkness and the area of the altar was not helped by the few tapers found there, so I cannot recall much detail of the ceiling or the altar. Taking pictures was out of the question, since I knew that flashless pictures without a tripod would be utterly futile in that situation. Rather a shame, as I now have no pictures to show of the first Maltese church we encountered. From St. Paul's Shipwreck Church, Chris and I headed in the general direction of some restaurants we thought we remembered. It wasn't hard to remember that, since a great lot of Malta's street level is filled with tiny little cafes and restaurants that left us both wondering who pays for all this food and coffee. Especially when everyplace seemed to be closed by 6:00.