TRAVEL WORDS

Postcards from Around the World

I am beginning to spot a theme in my travels. Water. With the exception of Paris and Prague most of the places I have visited are either on the coast or by a lake (and even those cities have a significant river to walk by)

Which brings me to the next European location – Montreux in Switzerland, alongside the lovely Lac Léman or Lake Geneva and only a 40 minutes train ride away from Geneva. On our first day we caught a bus* to Vevey Funi and took the funicular railway up the mountainside to Mont Pèlerin (no views sadly because of the fog lingering over the water). In better weather I expect it is a wonderful place to visit and there are Lavaux Vineyard trails to explore with spring blossoms, autumn harvesting and numerous inns and taverns and wine tasting rooms if you stop off at Chardonne.

On returning to the lakeside we then walked back along the promenade (Quai Ernest-Ansermet) into Vevey town centre for a look around whilst waiting for the next ferry boat back towards Montreux.

What is so delightful about Vevey is the floral lined promenade where swans float on the lake and boats pass by including the beautiful Belle Époque paddlewheel steamers.

Promenade

Pier

Nymph riding a Seahorse

Seating

Flora

The old town has many areas just for pedestrians and, as is common in Switzerland, has a pretty floral fountain.

(From Vevey-Marché (lac) we caught a ferry boat to the Castle of Chillon which is at the far side of Montreux, with the intention of visiting the castle in the afternoon before walking back via Quai des Fleurs and Quai Alfred Chatelanat to our hotel (2 miles). A full self-guiding tour takes approximately 1.5 – 2 hours, depending on how fast you walk and how much reading you do.)

*Guest cards

Postcards from Around the World

Remaining in the Mediterranean Sea, this week we are taking the ferry over from Malta to Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago. It is a lot more rural and quieter where life seems a little slower. The island is only 26 square miles but packs in quite a lot.

You arrive at Mġarr Harbour, with its quiet marina and church sitting on the hilltop overlooking the harbour.

We were on a day trip as it seemed the easiest way to explore the island since buses were fairly infrequent and we didn’t want the bother of hiring a car.

Azure Window before its collapse in March 2017

Our first stop was at Dwejra a small location on the West coast of the island of Gozo, known for its “inland sea” (small bay surrounded by high cliffs) and as the site where the Azure Window (naturally formed rock arch on the coast) could be found – we were lucky to see this, it collapsed during bad weather in March 2017.

Gozo (like Malta) is not short of churches and other religious buildings, every little village has its own church, often extremely large in comparison to the population they serve. This one is a much more modest one.

The chapel at Dwejra was the last to be built in the countryside in Gozo. It was designed by Joseph Mizzi from San Lawrenz. The chapel was blessed on 25th July 1963.

A much more imposing church is the Ta’ Pinu Basilica and Shrine (The Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu) close to Għarb, which was a centre of pilgrimage. The chapel remains in tact behind the altar and still contains the painting of the Assumption to Heaven of Our Lady from which the voice is said to have spoken to Karmni Grima. There is an chapel inside with some very unusual offerings and messages from people who were blessed by a miracle,

Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu was built between 1920 and 1931. In 1883 a woman from the village of Għarb, Karmni Grima, heard the voice of Our Lady at the small chapel that then occupied this site.

We visited Xlendi on the coast where we had a lovely walk along a promenade towards the tower with views along the coast with its high cliffs.

All roads in Gozo lead to the capital, ir-Rabat (Victoria), and, rising above it, the fortified Citadel accessible by a steep street climbing from Independence Square. Again you get incredible views over the entire island.

Citadel

Gozo Cathedral in the Citadel

Postcards from Around the World

If you have visited Valletta, Malta, and the upper Barrakka Gardens then you have probably looked across the Grand Harbour towards the fortresses of the Three Cities: Vittoriosa / Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua which sit like a trio of villages in the heart of Malta’s historic centre.

Fort St Angelo – Birgu. A restored medieval fort on the end of the peninsula.

The Vittoriosa Yacht Marina is the centre and heart of the Three Cities. It basically sits between all three of the neighbourhoods and its marina was likely a big reason for the heavy fortifications at the ends of Birgu and Senglea.

The city, which sits on a narrow peninsular stretching across the Grand Harbour, was originally called Birgu, but was renamed Vittoriosa (meaning victorious) following the Great Siege of 1565, to commemorate the role it played in the defence of the island. This fortified city is one of the oldest in Malta and the first home of the Knights of the Order of St John, who settled on the island in 1530.

Birgu had four city gates, three of which still survive. They were designed by Charles François de Mondion in the 18th century, and are in the Baroque style:

The main entrance to the city, known as Advanced Gate the second of the three main gates, located on the right face of St. John Bastion.

Couvre Porte Gate – the first of the three main gates, located within the west side of Couvre Porte Counterguard.

“Nobody expects the Maltese Inquisition!” From the 16th to 18th centuries, the Maltese Inquisition was conducted from the Inquisitor Palace in central Birgu. Not to be underestimated, the inquisitors of Malta had a fair amount of power and even produced several Popes during their tenure. Now a museum it was originally the official residence of Malta’s first inquisitor.

One of the best things to do is simply wander around the residential streets which are probably the most authentic of Maltese life. You’ll find a lot of the wonderful closed balconies that are an architectural feature of the whole country.

The Great Siege Monument in Vittoriosa Square

Coming off Victory Square are plenty of small backstreets that have a cosy, pedestrian vibe to them. Look for the small details of the balconies and doors in the maze of streets that have probably looked the same for hundreds of years.

Visiting the Three Cities is one of the best things to do in Malta, and you can get there easily by bus or ferry and the best way to explore the area is on foot.

Postcards from Around the World

Malta sits in the central Mediterranean Sea, the largest island of the Maltese archipelago between Sicily and the North African coast. It is a fascinating country with a long history related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. Many historic sites can be seen including fortresses and underground chambers.

Valletta is the modern capital city, but in this week’s trip around the world I am taking you to the centre of the island to Mdina and Rabat. Sitting on top of a hill overlooking large parts of Malta, Mdina is a fortified medieval town enclosed in bastions, small but rich in history and once served as the island’s capital until the Knights of St John arrived in 1522.

It has a nickname of the Silent City, but this has nothing to do with keeping quiet or ghostly connections, but the fact that when the capital moved to Birgu also known by its title Città Vittoriosa (“Victorious City”) the streets were emptied of people.

Mdina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role but its medieval name describe it best – ‘Citta’ Notabile’: the noble city. The streets are very narrow and twist and turn so it feels like you are in a maze, but although popular it doesn’t seem busy.

Pretty squares in the city

You’ll hear the sound of horses hooves as horse-drawn carriages (karozzin) are used to take tourists around the city.

Karozzin – the horse drawn carriages seen across Malta

Balcony – note the Maltese cross

Stone balcony and flowers

Old door

Casa Castelletti Gallery, Triq Villegaignon

Surrounded by a ditch that has been turned into a public garden, you can wander around freely and enjoy the view of the age-old bastions from underneath.

Rabat which lies just outside the fortresses walls is a commercial centre and acts as a market to its large agricultural hinterland. It is also well established on the tourist map due to its archaeological and historical sites: The Roman Villa (Domus Romana), catacombs, St. Paul’s Grotto and the fine churches and monasteries.

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Whilst you are visiting Mdina it makes sense to visit Rabat at the same time. Although we didn’t visit the catacombs of St Paul, I have on my previous visit to the island back in 1978 when I lived in Paceville / St Julian’s for a month. (Now recognised as a ‘party’ district with late night bars and clubs, back then it was a quiet residential area).

Note that you can reach Mdina / Rabat by bus from Valletta.

Postcards from Around the World

This week we are remaining in Slovenia, but heading to the capital city the delightfully named Ljubljana, the city of the dragons. And there are literally dragons everywhere: guarding the bridges, flying high on the city’s official flag, and even adorning the drain covers throughout the city.

Dragon bridge

Not to mention bridges. There are in fact 17 bridges crossing the Ljubljanica River.

Triple bridge – Prešeren Square which is actually oval shaped and the centre of the historic old town. The pink church is the Franciscan Church of Annunciation.

Cobbler’s bridge built by the architect Jože Plečnik between 1931 and 1932, was formerly occupied by a covered wooden bridge connecting the Mestni trg and Novi trg squares, two major parts of medieval Ljubljana. The bridge provided space for cobblers’ workshops – hence the name Cobblers’ Bridge.

Triple Bridge. Between 1929 and 1932, the side bridges, intended for pedestrians, were added to the original stone bridge to a design by the architect Jože Plečnik, who thus created a unique architectural gem of Ljubljana.

Between Castle Hill and the Ljubljanica River is the city’s Old Town, defined by three ‘squares’, which are actually more like narrow, cobbled streets. The whole area is pedestrianised and easily walkable with lots of charm and history.

I have blogged about this city before, but let me introduce you to some more of the interesting and quirky sights on my wander around.

Križanke – Knights of the Cross monastery. The architectural complex of Križanke is a popular open-air venue for performing arts in Ljubljana. The architect Jože Plečnik converted this former monastery between 1952 – 1956. The conversion of the Križanke complex was Plečnik’s last project.

The town hall

The fountain of three carniolan rivers

Skeleton in a cage

Slovene poet France Prešeren and his Muse

The Križanke Summer Theatre with a capacity of 1,400, regularly hosts concerts of various types and is one of the main venues for the summer Ljubljana Festival.

“Locksmith Street,” is a narrow alley in the medieval old town in the Slovenian capital city. The entrance is marked by a key. In the middle of the cobblestoned street is a gully that appears to be flowing with hundreds of strange little faces. Some happy, some sad, some rather strangely distorted. There are 700 of these bronze faces running through the centre of the alley, culminating in a drinking fountain and a couple other odd sculptures, namely a bronze hand and a skeleton trapped in a cage.

Ljubljana Grad, is the castle on top of the hill in the centre of the city. It was originally constructed in the 11th century as a medieval fortress, but most of the current structure dates back to the early 16th century, when most of the castle was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake. It’s been used for everything from a military defence fortress to an army hospital and even a prison; as late as the 1960s it was even used as public housing.

Funicular to castle

Castle

A good thing about this European city is that it is not overrun with passengers from cruise ships so although there are tourists it still very much feels like a city where locals live and work and have fun.

The city has a vibrant café scene and one of the best places to be on a sunny day is sitting outdoors by the riverside watching the world go by. It feels a bit Mediterranean crossed with eastern European with street cafés, bars and restaurants, lovelocks, open air markets and Viennese Secessionist architecture and 19th-century wooden shop fronts, quiet courtyards and cobblestone passageways.