WELCOME

This blog is dedicated to Malta - my island home. My aim is not to bore you with history but to share my thoughts and a few facts together with a photo or two. For a more in -depth background of the island please go here. The purpose of this blog is not to point out the short-comings of the island. There are plenty that do that already. My wish is to show you the beauty of an island at the cross roads of the Mediterranean, a melting pot of history; a place where fact and fiction are sometimes fused to create unique myths and legends; a country that has been conquered so many times that our culture is a mish mesh of the lands that surround us and of lands far away. I confess that my greatest desire is to make you fall in love with this tiny enchanting island.

Pages

Sunday 24 April 2011

A Girna And A Moment That Took My Breath Away

There is a saying which goes something like this:

Life is not counted by the number of breaths you take but by those moments that take your breath away.

I thought that there was not much left on this little island that could take my breath away. I felt I had seen all there was to see. But sometimes I come across something which, in its sheer simplicity, is so pretty that it literally does leave me breathless for a moment or two.

Fawwara 220

This humble girna did just that and so much more. I suppose it all had to do with the fact that it was so unexpected – the contrast of the hash stone and the hundreds of vibrant yellow flowers. It seemed like the perfect place to be alone and write or read a good book. Or to just close my eyes and let myself be deafened by the silence. While the structure itself does not look like much more than a hovel, yet the view and its surroundings are fit for a king or, in my case, for a queen. And I would not mind being a queen of all this for a day, or even for an hour …

Fawwara 292

Note

A girna is a small hut built of stones often found in fields or in the countryside. They were used by farmers to store their tools, as shelter for livestock or as a short term dwelling when work in the fields became particularly intensive. These small buildings come in a variety of shapes but the most common shape is circular or oval. The interior is always domed and the roofs are flat.

Fawwara 250

While these corbelled stone huts are quite a common sight all over the countryside this girna at Fawwara is one of the most picturesque that I have seen.

Fawwara 293

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful pics as usual! Love your description of the scene too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lyrical description! You took us there with your words as well as your photos.

    thanks,

    Astrid

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful post! I can't believe you lived in Chesterfield!! We were neighbors ;) Wishing you a lovely week. xoxo, B

    ReplyDelete
  4. i love the bright yellow flowers as well. it's my first time to hear about the use of girna.

    ReplyDelete
  5. what a beautiful quote.
    i can almost feel the warmth of the sun. you captured it perfectly.
    do you have a guest room? ;)
    big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very interesting to learn about these structures. This girna looks so beautiful with the yellow flowers and blue sea. Indeed, breathtaking!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi dear Loree... 'YOUR' island is just so pretty.. and I think those cliff top views would take my breath away..!!

    Hope you had a lovely easter.. ciao xxx Julie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your delightful prose is matched only by the exquisite photos... I understand just how this took your breath away!

    Your island is a treasure and how wonderful that you are still discovering its secrets!

    Bises,
    Genie

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know, I don't think those stones are harsh, they are soft to me and blend in so well. It is definitely a lovely little beauty and so interesting, too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ahhhh, what a pitoresc historical building on the countryside! It reminds me to the Italian Trullis in the deep south of Italy. Thanks for this interesting post and hugs from Luzia.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is as lovely to look at as to read you describe it. Have a wonderful day ~ xox Alexandra

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow..such stunning photos! i love this series Loree...fabulous! Picture #3 steals my heart..brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It IS beautiful! So sculptural and I just love stonework ... all of those organic shapes so carefully fitted together... and with the flowers and view!
    Just lovely Loree!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I can see why you were smitten with this find, this view. there is something quite special about stone work, stone walls and dwellings. Thank you for sharing this with us.

    ReplyDelete

The Azure Window: the end of an icon

The Azure Window was a natural limestone arch that rose majestically out of the blue Mediterranean sea to a height of 28 metres (92 fee...