Our invasion of Malta

We had an uneventful night passage to Gozo and made our way into the harbour at Mġarr (pronounced mmm – jar) the following morning to check into Malta. Thankfully we had been advised by friends that it was far easier to do so here than in Valletta. We were allowed to park alongside one of the outer pontoons of the marina and found the customs police very conveniently placed next to the marina office. Our crew list was duly stamped, copied and stamped again and we were soon legal and on our way.

Mgarr harbour, Gozo

 

Sailing past Valletta into Marsamxett harbour

Marsamxett harbour

We had a quick look at the Blue Lagoon on Comino as we searched for a nice bay to anchor and catch up on sleep. The rocks were covered with umbrellas and you couldn’t see the water for boats of all shapes and sizes. We had had our fair share of turquoise water recently so decided to give this very popular anchorage a miss. We continued south along the east coast of Malta and eventually plumped for Mellieha bay. It soon became apparent that we weren't going to find a tranquil place to doze as many of the bays appeared to blur into one conglomeration of hotels. Early the following morning we continued south and entered Marsamxett harbour, the northern of Valletta's two natural harbours. It was an impressive sight. We were lucky to secure a berth for a couple of nights at Msida marina. Sightseeing would have to wait as we began dinghy hunting in earnest. We spent two days scouring chandleries near and far before finally opting for a Zodiac and Evinrude package.

Fishing in Msida marina

Auberge de Castille, Valletta

Republic Street, Valletta

Time to catch up with some history and see what the Knights of St John had been up to. A bus ticket for the day costs 2.6 euros with no limit on the number of rides. We caught a bus to Valletta and entered the old city by foot. The city was named after Jean Pariso de Valette, a grand Master of the Knights of St John, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. After the great siege, he commissioned the construction of the new city of Valletta in 1566. The Knights were organized in eight langues, the national geographical divisions within the order. Each langue had its own auberge and chapel and consequently the streets and piazzas are awash with baroque palaces and churches. We visited the Grand Masters Palace and the very impressive collection of arms and armoury. Sadly St Johns Co-Cathedral was shut so the marble floor and Caravaggio's Beheading of St John the Baptist would have to wait for a return trip.  We timed a visit to the Upper Barakka Gardens, created in 1661 as a retreat for the Knights and affording a wonderful panoramic view over Grand Harbour and the fortification of the Three Cities, to coincide with the midday firing of the gun from the Saluting Battery.

Noon gun salute, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta

Valletta

Malta and its fortifications have also featured in many movies including Midnight Express, Munich, The Da Vinci Code and Troy. We found ourselves enjoying a cold Guinness in The Pub , a bar where Oliver Reed enjoyed his last drink while filming Gladiator.



Dockyard Creek, Vittoriosa

Collachio, Vittoriosa


Back on the bus we skirted the Grand Harbour and continued on to Vittoriosa (formerly Birgu), the home base of the Knights between 1530 and 1571. We'd left the tourists behind and enjoyed the peace and quiet wandering round the beautiful alleys of the Collachio area with their overhanging balconies and lines of pot plants. We toured the Inquisitors Palace and went down to the waterfront at Dockyard Creek where we also had a look at the Maritime Museum.

                                     Fishing in St Peter's Pool in traditional luzzu boat

It was getting too hot for anymore sightseeing and time to get out of the harbour. We set sail for the south of the island stopping briefly for a dip in St Peter's Pool and then on to the old fishing village of Marsaxlokk and the home port of Malta's largest fishing fleet. The pretty harbour is full of the brightly coloured traditional luzzu boats. It is also well known for its sea food restaurants that line the harbour and we joined the many locals that come down here at weekends for a delicious feast of a variety of freshly caught fish. We're off next to explore Gozo and Comino....
 

Marsaxlokk harbour

Marsaxlokk harbour