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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.

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Thursday 5 April 2012

The Breakwater Bridge

 

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This is the new breakwater bridge. The first one was destroyed during an attack by Italian E-boats in July 1941. The E-boats did not manage to enter the harbour – the guns stationed at  Fort St Elmo and Fort Ricasoli (situated at either end of the harbour) made sure of this. During the attack, the bridge suffered considerable damage and was deemed unsafe. In October 2011 this new bridge, constructed in Spain, replaced the former structure. As yet, it is not accessible to the public.

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The foundations of the breakwater were laid in 1903 but the history of the harbour goes back much further than that.

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On a beautiful morning in mid-March we walked the winding part beneath Fort St Elmo in an attempt to get to the bridge. However we found the last part of the path to be blocked. It did not matter – we made plenty of other interesting discoveries on the way. Beautiful scenery,rusty gun posts,  the blue sea, wild flowers, fossils … it would have been perfect were it not for the crumbling fort above our heads. It makes me sigh, and hope, that one day, Fort St Elmo will be restored to its former glory. Its glorious past deserves nothing less.

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Photographed at

St Elmo Point

Valletta

March 2012

5 comments:

  1. I'm sure you'll return when it's opened! I like the bright !

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  2. 'It makes me sigh, and hope, that one day, Fort St Elmo will be restored to its former glory. Its glorious past deserves nothing less.'

    That is a beautiful thought, Loree.

    That water is bluer than any I have ever laid eyes on.

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  3. lovely shots of the bridge and those rusty gun posts.

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  4. Wonderful photos of the bridge and water. It is interesting that there was no bridge for 70 years, and after the new bridge was essentially completed it is still not open. What are they waiting for?

    Loree, the history that accompanies your photos is always interesting.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  5. HI Loree
    Happy Easter!! I know it is almost over .. but I hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend..

    Love the brilliance of the blue waters in these shots.. and contrast to the stone buildings.. fabulous!! Thanks so much for popping in my way.. I'm such a slow blogger these days..

    ciao ciao xxx Julie

    ReplyDelete

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