Wednesday 24 April 2013

More Malta


Malta sits right in the centre of the Mediterranean, a day’s sail from Tunisia and from Sicily, thus forming a kind of bridge between Africa and Europe.  It has been inhabited by humans from Neolithic times, and the remains of about a dozen stone-age temples and burial complexes are still in pretty good condition considering they’ve been around for over 5000 years.  Sadly you have to book months ahead to get into the Hypogeum, a huge Neolithic burial chamber complex, but you can see the three-chambered temples, in various stages of decay, in various parts of Malta and the northern island of Gozo.  In the Museum of Archaeology in Valetta, artefacts from the sites are housed, including the mystical fertility goddess figures known affectionately as the ‘fat ladies’.
Fishing boat in Marsaxxlok

The island was later colonised by the Phoenicians and governed from Carthage (in modern Tunisia).  The brightly coloured Maltese fishing boats with watchful eyes on their high prows are apparently the descendents of the Phoenician trading vessels that once abounded throughout the Med.  Rome took over when they finally destroyed Carthage in about 150 BC.  A key event in Malta’s history was the arrival of St Paul, who was shipwrecked in 60 AD on the northern coast on his way to Rome to stand trial (he was found guilty and martyred there later).  So persuasive was Paul that the Maltese remain staunchly Catholic to this day, despite about five centuries of Arab rule, which certainly influenced other aspects of the Maltese language and culture.  There are two cathedrals, dozens of major churches, hundreds of small chapels and a saintly icon on just about every street corner and housefront.   Most of the older churches have two clocks, one with the correct time and the other with the incorrect time, to fool the devil so that he doesn’t know what time Mass will be.

Church at the end of the street - this one is in Mosta,made  famous for when two bombs bounced off the dome during a Mass in 1942. A third bomb pierced the dome, but rolled down the aisle unexploded...
From the 11th century on, the Maltese were burdened with various rulers – Normans, Aragonese, Castillians – and beset constantly by Turks and Barbary pirates.  Many of the older towns were built on hilltops well inland to guard against these depredations.  Mdina, the old capital, is a beautiful example with its golden limestone city wall winding around the hillside and its narrow streets and balconied residences very little changed from the Middle Ages.

Along with Eric from Tiger and Olivier and Lauren from Hephaistos, we visited Mdina for the town’s annual Medieval Festival.  If you set aside all of us gawping, camera-toting tourists, much of it was pretty convincing stuff: authentic-looking armour and weaponry, clothing styled to that worn by the various factions of the city, skilled drummers and other musicians, falconers, priests and villagers – even a dead-cart for plague victims and a band of heretics chained up ready for the fire. Monty Python jokes proliferated. Stalls sold souvenirs and local fare.  Then what should we spy doing a brisk trade in a corner of the square but a purveyor of  that wondrous Medieval instrument, cousin to the lute and the virginals – yep, you guessed it, a didgeridoo stall! Every single country we’ve visited has had gum trees and she-oaks (aka Australian Pines), and now it appears the didge is infiltrating as well.

 
 
Well, next up in the Maltese chronicle came the Knights of St John, in 1530.  They had been driven out of Rhodes by the Turks and were granted Malta by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V for the rental cost of two falcons per year (the Maltese, as usual, had no say in this arrangement).  By the time the Turkish attacked in 1565, the Grand Harbour had been partly fortified, but there were only 700 Knights and a force of about 8000 Maltese troops against the vast Turkish fleet.  Assistance from the Empire was slow, and slight.  The siege was protracted and brutal.  The Turks tried to demoralize the defenders by nailing the headless bodies of dead knights to crosses and floating them back into the harbour. The Maltese responded by beheading their Turkish prisoners and firing back the heads as cannon balls.  Finally a relief force arrived from Sicily and the Turks retreated to their galleys in St Paul’s Bay, suffering heavy losses.

After the Great Siege of 1565, the new capital of Valetta (named for Jean de la Vallette, Grand Master and strategist-hero of the Siege) was built and, of course, heavily fortified.  Looking out from the ramparts anywhere in the small capital city, you just can’t imagine a successful attempt on the walls.  Vast blocks of limestone, many metres thick, piled to the height of small mountains; clever constructions that leave the enemy concentrated into tight corners or spread without cover, easy targets on open ground.  Terry described it as “a pleasure to defend.” And of course, there were opportunities for further Monty Python references (“Tell ‘im we already got one!”) from the commanding heights of the battlements.

Barakka Gardens -an awesome view over the harbour
Once the walls were up, building picked up apace within – churches, palaces, villas, and of course the magnificent St Johns co-Cathedral (‘co’ because there was already a cathedral in Mdina). Vast and ornate as we’ve come to expect, for me this cathedral had two highlights. The first, of course, is the fact that the entire floor is paved with elaborate inlaid marble slabs, under each of which lies the body of a Knight of St John, slain in battle. These slabs typically have the knight’s details and a Biblical verse in Latin, a heraldic device and decorations such as angels or the memento mori, a skull or skeleton to remind us to have our souls always in a fit state, as Death is ever present. The second highlight is the pair of spectacular Caravaggio paintings – The Beheading of St John the Baptist and St Jerome which just glow with light. His paintings herald a new order: every figure is profoundly human.  There are no cherubs, no haloes, no miracles; we have left the medieval for the modern world. Caravaggio himself was no angel, and these paintings were amongst those he created in an unsuccessful attempt at redemption for a murder he committed in an argument over a tennis match.

By the end of the eighteenth century, decadence had set in and the Knights had become corrupt and self-indulgent. Napoleon arrived in 1798 to water his ships, and, when refused, he conquered the islands with virtually no resistance from the Knights. When Napoleon’s ships left, just a week later, they were weighted down with art and treasure looted from the island’s churches. Most of it now lies on the seabed where Nelson defeated the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. The French were so hated as colonial rulers that the Maltese people rose up and overthrew them; they didn’t want the useless Knights back, they wanted the British.

Malta became a highly prized base and staging post of the Empire , and later  was particularly important as a hospital island in World War I. A vital airbase and harbour in World War II, Malta came under relentless attack by German bombers and its supply lines were blocked at sea. This was the second Great Siege (1942) and their courage and endurance saw the entire population of Malta awarded the George Cross, which you can now see in the War museum. After a long period of difficult rebuilding and recovery, Malta became an independent nation in 1964. Although still part of the Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth as Head of State, this was the first time in history that the Maltese had governed themselves. They became a republic in 1974 under the colourful (ie barking mad) Dom Mintoff, then returned to parliamentary democracy in 1987, and joined the EU in 2002. The latest invasion seems to be hordes of budget tourists from colder climes, but this one is welcome, if the fast food outlets and Marks & Spencers stores are any indication..

Phew! Elements of this turbulent history are everywhere (though the only sign of Mintoff is a closed down Libyan travel agency), even in the tough, determined look of many of the people. We’ve taken a couple of bus trips around the island, and it isn’t hard to imagine the hardship of the wars, raids and sieges. The island is a lump of limestone with little fresh water and hardly any fertile soil. One guy told us that Malta was only rich in salt water, wind and rocks. Given the truth of this, the relative prosperity and vitality of the island is a credit to its people.
 
We are here for another few days until the wind settles down, then we'll head up to the island of Gozo, then on to Syracusa - at least that's the plan for the moment.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Malta




For the first few hours we had a decent wind behind us as we followed Hephaistos out of Lampedusa towards the island of Malta. Later we resorted to motor-sailing, eventually arriving in Grand Harbour, Valetta at 9.30 am. And grand it certainly is, with great fortress walls designed to withstand the relentless assaults the island has endured for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The towers and domes of old churches rose above the other buildings, the whole city crafted from soft golden sandstone that glowed in the morning light, contrasting with the vivid blue of the deep harbour waters. The practicalities were not so wonderful, with a very high Customs Dock presenting a challenge for small craft, followed by an unproductive search for somewhere to park. In the end, we left the harbour and sailed around to St Julian’s Bay near the tourist hub of Sliema, where we dropped the anchor and finally had a good sleep. This turned out to be a very pleasant place to stay for a couple of days, enjoying the calm, clear water and the glorious sunshine which seems to be standard for this time of year.

Ashore the island has a welcome air of prosperity and it is also a great place to buy boat stuff and services. There are lots of chandlers, each offering a slightly different range of equipment at pretty reasonable prices. The technician pronounced a death sentence on our stove, but fortunately we were offered a good deal on an excellent replacement, which is due for installation today. Bonus: this one has a grill, so the cravings for cheese on toast are soon to be satisfied! We also had a team of very competent guys from Medcomms in to fix up our inadequately performing VHF/ AIS. They replaced a faulty cable and voila! High quality communications restored.

We’ve now moved over to Msida Marina, next to a huge old replica, Black Pearl, which seems to be used mainly for pirate parties, and overlooked by the various embassy buildings. A bonus here was that a guy from the Australian Consulate noticed our flag and came down to invite us to an Anzac Day reception.

Malta is just about dead centre of the Mediterranean, so as you might imagine, it is another place with a long history of conflict. Most famous have been the two ‘Great Sieges’ – the first where the Knights of St John defended the island from the Turks in 1565, and the second where the Maltese withstood a Nazi blockade and relentless bombing for almost two years in 1941-2. The whole nation was awarded the George Cross for bravery. Malta also has one of the oldest and best preserved Neolithic sites -  a huge underground necropolis and a mysterious trefoil-shaped temple, dating from about 3600BC. More historical detail in the next blog.

We had been told not to expect anything special in terms of food in Malta, and it’s true that lumpy English takeaway is endemic, but there have also been some real treats, such as Legligin, a small family restaurant in an atmospheric cellar where we had a great tasting plate of typical Maltese foods served tapas-style; in Sliema we found and excellent cheap Turkish restaurant, and Terry has managed to find some decent meat pies at last too.

Malta is yet another destination that we hadn’t really planned on, but it’s turned out to be lovely – perfect weather, glorious clear blue water, fascinating history and pleasant, obliging people (who speak English as well as the strange Malti language that sounds like Arabic spoken to the tune of Italian).


Saturday 6 April 2013


We left Monastir at last on the afternoon of March 28, and enjoyed ideal south-westerly winds for the first two-thirds of the short hop to the tiny island of Lampedusa. Common Sense scooted along at six knots as though she was enjoying being back on the open sea once again. Sideways chop made for a slightly uncomfortable passage, and I confess I had to feed the fish a couple of times before recovering my sea-legs. At about 4am the wind died and we motor-sailed the rest of the way, past the limestone cliffs and lovely azure bays into the harbour, arriving at about 9.30 am. Past the entrance, Lampedusa’s harbour is shaped like a trefoil, with a small anchorage and beach to the left, the main fishing harbour straight ahead, and to the right a sort of general docking area for ferries, unloading fishing vessels, Coast Guard etc. We headed into the right and tied up near some fishing boats until a friendly local taxi driver came along and offered to take us up to the Guardia to check in. They were also very friendly and jovial, saying we could tie up at the dock in front of their office, but no-one was the least bit interested in our passports or ship’s papers. One bloke pointed to a passport cover and asked where we came from; when I said Australia, he laughed and said, “All-a Europa same same, no problemo!” So there we were, ‘officially’ in Italy!

Docking in front of the Guardia was fine for a while, but when the swell came up a bit, we were being bumped against the concrete wall. Some French cruisers (Pascal and Barbara) came along and told us it was a rough place to stay and suggested we head around to the little anchorage, which we promptly did. This was much better - calm aquamarine water and a pretty white beach surrounded by small hotels and villas. Already we were enjoying the contrasts with north Africa: the colours and variety of buildings, the cheerfulness of the local people, the relative lack of litter, the delightful musicality of the language and now, beautiful young people in swimsuits (even bikinis!) playing on the beach. It was Easter Saturday and a holiday, so the town was quiet, but even so, the feeling of openness and freedom was palpable.
Later we welcomed some of our friends as they arrived – Rene and Christine, Laurent single-handing Caracal, and Lauren and Olivier on Hephaistos. The next couple of days were not so great, however: the winds strengthened and seemed to change direction totally every few hours. Our normally reliable anchor didn’t work so well as we swung around to all points of the compass, and we dragged a couple of times (always in the early hours of the morning, of course). Laurent and Olivier had both tied up to the rocks with a stern line as well as their anchors on the bow, and we now realised why. It had seemed an uncomfortable thing to do, putting themselves broadside to the swell, but at least they didn’t move. We have a lot to learn from veterans of the Mediterranean!

Eventually we all joined the exodus out of the anchorage and into the harbour, where we are now rafted up with Hephaistos, and enjoying the chance to explore the island. Lampedusa is the southernmost point of Italy, officially part of Sicily. Only about 4000 people live here permanently, though it is a popular summer resort, and the population has been swelled by boatloads of refugees from Libya, Algeria and also Tunisia during the revolution. The people of Lampedusa have been recognised for their generous and humanitarian treatment of these north African refugees. The island is also noted for its environmental initiatives – it is a haven for sea turtles, there are extensive wildlife protection zones on land and sea, and recycling is clearly fostered. On Wednesday we hiked about half-way around the island, enjoying the scenic coastline and the wonderful scents of sea air and wild thyme. Yesterday (Friday) we took the island bus with Lauren and Olivier out to Rabbit Island, a famous beauty spot with great views from the high limestone headlands and a really lovely beach. Once again, we did Australia proud, braving the freezing waters of the Med. Everyone has promised that it does warm up in summer!

There are strong winds expected tomorrow (Sunday) but the forecast looks promising after that, so with a bit of luck we should be in Malta early next week for a fortnight stay.