The Detouring Doctor

Back on the main island of Malta I have booked another car rental for a day driving around the island. Scarred by the tribulations of driving around Gozo, my life partner pleads with me to cancel the booking but it is too late. Gozo in particular was difficult with extremely narrow roads and erratic drivers.

Just south of Valletta is the famous Blue Grotto. Stopping at the lookout above we appreciate the limestone arches carved out by the sea. Unfortunately the cloudy sky dulls the sea colour. Heading down we hop onto a boat ride and as the sky clears we get the beautiful turquoise sea experience.

It’s off to the ancient capitol called Mdina. It is here when the wheels fall off for my navigator. Streets are narrow and drivers drive chaotically. We have asked Google Maps to take us to the main carpark. Despite driving around repeatedly it is full. Traffic is everywhere there is no place to stop. I ask my life partner to find me another car parking area and she loses it. Nothing! I drive without direction further out, stop the car and reset Google Maps. Eventually I squeeze into a tight park on a steep incline. Known as the “Silent City” due to the absence of cars and the tiny population of only 242 residents in the historic inner city centre it is pretty and well worth the angst.

Leaving Mdina the driving becomes easier. Next stop Dingli Cliffs.

Final stop is the quirky Popeye Village. An odd theme park in the middle of nowhere!

Off the beaten track, car rental is more difficult here especially on a weekend where everything closes at 1 pm. Eventually, I find online an operator who lets me keep the car until 5pm and am delivered a run down car for the day.

Driving around, the island seems a bit scruffy. Vegetation is minimal and generally restricted to rocky fields. There are no trees to speak of.

Our first stop is Ggantija Temples, aptly described by my life partner as “Barney Rubbles” Dating back some 3500 years it impresses me for its antiquity.

The Calypso’s Cave viewpoint affords a coastal beach view. The Cave itself is closed.

The Ta’ Pinu Basilica is a more recent 19th century construction but is impressive arising in the middle of nowhere.

Dwera lake is interesting. It is an inland sea that communicates with the sea through a hole in the sandstone rock. We were looking forward to the boat trip through the arch in the rock but they were not operating due to the rough seas.

Xewkija rotunda is dedicated to St John the Baptist

A short ferry ride, or water taxis on colourful traditional Maltese boats, takes us across the harbour to what is known as the three cities. Once separated they are now one big city. The central one, known as Birgu, is where the knights of St John originally settled and defended against Suleyman the Magnificent’s naval siege. Having won that battle they then established and built the ultimate capitol across the harbour, Valletta. What remains in Birgu is a charming older historical quarter great for wandering through narrow pretty alleyways.

St Lawrence is the patron Saint of Birgu. He was martyred by the Romans in 258 AD. He was slowly roasted alive on an iron gridiron over hot coals. He is said to have joked with his executioners “I’m cooked on that side, turn me over and eat”. His pretty church is just off Victory square.

After lunch it was a hot and sweaty walk to the third of the three cities, Senglea and up to the top of fort St Angelo which played a pivotal role against the Turks. From there one gets panoramic views of the Valletta waterfront.

The last time we struck the Knights of St John was 2 years ago in Rhodes. Officially known as the Knights Hospitaller they were founded in the 11th century as a hospital in Jerusalem to care for sick and poor pilgrims walking from Europe to the Holy Land. Protected by papal bull, time it evolved into a military force to protect pilgrims and Christian territories in the Holy Land.

After losing the Holy Land to the Ottoman Turks they moved their headquarters to Kolossi Castle in Cyprus then to Rhodes between 1310 and 1522 when Rhodes fell to Suleyman the Magnificent’s fleet and finally to Malta from 1530 to 1798. King Charles 3rd of Spain gave the Knights Malta in return for an annual payment of a Falcon a year on All Saint’s Day (November the first).

Here we are in Malta in a land that has been irrevocably reshaped by the Knights. They first headquartered in Birgu across the bay from the present capitol Valletta. In 1565 Suleyman the Magnificent had another go at the Knights of St John this time at Malta. They laid siege to the fortifications but the Knights prevailed this time. Ultimately the grandmaster of the day moved the Capitol to where it is today. His name was Valletta.

The most important church here is the Cathedral of St John (the Baptist) completed in 1578. It is an amazing church where the first thing one sees is the mosaic floor of gravestones. It also hosts two Caravaggio masterpieces.

The Spanish capitol is a pleasant easy city to navigate. We are staying a little bit out of the centre in Salamanca which is a classy suburb with tree lined boulevards and boutiques. The historical centre is similar and fascinating.

Traditionally the Plaza del Sol has been the meeting point for many protests. It is immortalised in Goya’s painting May 2 1808 when the Catholic Spaniards defeated the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte. It houses a number of tourist places but today it is a sea of tents and young unwashed radicals protesting. The protests started as a response to the housing crisis here but as is always the case has been hijacked by left wing radicals with socialist banners and Palestine flags, none of which have anything to do with unaffordable housing.

Our final organised tour is through the Royal Palace and just like the Prado it proves to be a revelation. Built in the 18th century it is the largest palace in western Europe. It occupies the site of a former Islamic place (Alcazar) which burned down in 1734. Legend has it that members of the court of King Philip V started the fire to enable the construction of a Versailles style palace. The result is a massive opulent palace which still houses the Spanish Royal family to this day.

We are rushing to get to the meeting point for our tour when a young man steps towards us I move laterally to avoid him and he follows my movement intent on blocking me. “I am sorry you can’t go there they are filming”. “But we have a tour to get to” I blurt out anxiously. He speaks into his ear piece and lets us through. We meet our guide and ask what the filming is about. The answer is “Woody”

At the amazing age of 90 Woody Allen is directing his 50th movie here in Madrid and here I am metres away from the man whose movies I enjoyed as a young adult. Despite the minders forbidding photos I snap a paparazzi shot surruptitiously.

I love the arts but some more than others. Opera and symphonic pieces for me surpass ballet and the classical theatre means more to me than visual art. I will happily seek out the world’s best galleries based on name recognition but not lesser artists. The Prado is one of the top art galleries in the world.  Having said that I was absolutely blown away by the variety of fine art here. If you have absolutely no interest in paintings switch off now and hopefully the next blog is more to your liking.

There is a blanket rule of no photography inside the gallery but one can download anything from their website for free. I have selected out a few of my favourites.

A name to conjure with! Title of songs. It is a name synonymous with the Alhambra touted as the best monument in Andalusian Spain. Once again it is a fusion palace complex initially islamic from the 8th century and then Catholic from the 14th century. Everyone who has been there waxes lyrical about the place> Strangely, and because of the hype I found it a  bit underwhelming. Nevertheless it is somewhat impressive so enjoy the pictures.

Our day begins with a two hour drive off the beaten track. We are off the motorways and on winding mountain roads. This part of Andalusia is the home of the white villages where all the houses are painted white to reflect sunlight as a temperature control measure.

In the Malaga province of Andalusia is a unique town called Ronda. Sitting 800 metres above sea level the city is cut off by a deep gorge (el Tajo) carrying the Guadalevin River. The two halves of the town are connected by the 18th century Ponte Nuevo bridge.

Not Dwayne Johnson, I am talking about Gibraltar! It’s a tiny British Overseas Territory, self governing on the southern tip of Spain, just a stone’s throw from Morocco and controlling the entrance to the Mediterranean.

The British captured Gibraltar in 1704. Spain formally ceded the peninsula in perpetuity to the British Crown in 1713 in return for British support for Charles V of Spain in the War of Spanish Succession. Subsequent centuries have seen Spain trying to renege on the treaty. In particular during the Franco era in Spain Gibraltar repelled attempted invasions and survived years of birder closures amounting to a siege. The result is a quirky old fashioned British outpost somewhat frozen in time.

Dominating it all is “The Rock”, a 426 metre high limestone monolith.

Getting up the rock traditionally was via cable car but this has been demolished and is being rebuilt with a likely 2028 reopening. The result is a boon for local operators with minibus traffic ams up the narrow roads up the rock.

Legend has it that if there are no Barbary macaques on the rock, British rule very Gibraltar will end. During WW2 the population of apes here dropped to 7! British PM Sir Winston Churchill had hundreds flown over from Morocco.