Mdina And A Tale Of An Ancient Seductress

It’s been a while since I’ve taken you with me to roam the silent streets of Mdina at night. I’ve written many a post about her seductive beauty but no matter how many times my feet walk those ancient streets, it seems that I always discover some new charm. From sleepy convents to houses so old that their walls could tell  a thousand tales, each sight is familiar – for I have gazed at these dwellings at least a hundred times; a thousand even.

Yet every time she weaves a new spell, the old seductress. Some mysteries she has revealed, but others she keeps to herself, hiding them in her bosom, for some other visit, for some other walk through the echoing, cobbled streets.

The ghosts of Mdina are always kind – benevolent, almost. And amongst the ghosts walk the shadows of my younger self as countless fragmented memories stir and take form every time I wander through her winding streets. I never know what she’ll choose to reveal, but I welcome them all – these brief glimpses into a long-lost time. And no matter how far away my journey takes me, I know I will always return to this silent city which has seduced my soul.

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As I said at the beginning of this post, I have written about Mdina many times. If you go to my sidebar and click on the label Mdina it will take you to all my previous posts and each one will reveal a little bit of the enigmatic whole. It’s story is so old that I always balk at the idea of trying to write it in a single post and, more often than not, I do not reveal much as the place takes me on unprecedented flights of whimsy every time I venture inside its gates. But I hope that slowly, over time, I will be able to reveal a bit more so that  one day you may  be able to put the pieces together to see the unbroken truth.

 

Photographs of

The Streets of Mdina

May 2011

Ruby Tuesday: Red Balconies in Birgu

After a long absence I am back participating in Ruby Tuesday. I hope that by now I have accumulated enough images with red in them to be able to link up to this fun meme on a weekly basis.

For this week’s entry I have chosen a photo of some red balconies in the medieval maritime city* of Birgu (aka Vittoriosa). Balconies, of course, are the quintessential adornments of most of the older houses in the Mediterranean and can be covered or uncovered and made of wood or stone. Covered wooden balconies, like the ones in the photo, are perfect for a spot of eavesdropping, if you are so inclined, and also provide an ideal perch above the street from where you can watch the daily neighborhood drama being enacted. I think that the current fad of painting local balconies in bold reds, greens and blues contrasts well with the honey-coloured limestone that makes up Maltese houses.

Photographed in

Main Gate Street

Birgu

Like any medieval town or village in Malta, Birgu is made up of narrow winding streets flanked on each side by buildings which are 2 to 3 storeys high. Being a harbor town, Birgu has a long history of maritime, mercantile and military activities. Following the heavy bombardment it sustained during WW2, Birgu experienced a sharp decline in its population (which was almost halved when compared to pre-war years). For a large number of years, many of the remaining buildings went in decline and the population continued to dwindle. In the past decade the government, together with a number of private entrepreneurs, started to invest in the area and many of the older buildings are being renovated and restored. A Yacht Marina was built and the buildings and palaces on the waterfront at St Lawrence Wharf have been leased to house restaurants and cafeterias.

I have already written about Birgu another time and you  may read the post here. New readers may also read more about the chequered history of this town at the official portal of the Birgu Local Council.

Major attractions in Birgu include Fort St Angelo, the Maritime Museum (housed in the former Royal Navy Bakery), the church of St Lawrence, the Inquisitor’s Palace, the Couvre Port and the extensive fortifications (to name just a few).

*Please note that the word city here in Malta is used very loosely and does not refer to modern metropolises such as London or New York. In fact, some of our ‘cities’ (like Mdina) are inhabited by not more than 500 people.

For more posts with pops of red, visit Mary at Work of the Poet.

Ruby Tuesday: Balcony

Today's entry ties up with my previous post. This is a balcony in Mdina. Our buildings are mostly made of limestone and red contrasts really well with it. This is especially true of older buildings because as the limestone ages it turns a honey yellow so red doors, windows and balconies act as a perfect foil.

This balcony is somewhat different in that the lattice work on it is quite unusual and is not a common feature of Maltese balconies.

For more Ruby Tuesdays from around the world go over to Mary the Teach at Work of the Poet.

A Tale of Two Balconies

Side by side they perch - as close as two lovers; as familiar as two old friends - through long, hot summers and the biting winds of winter. Beneath them they have seen countless generations walk through the streets. What secrets do they know? What gossip have they heard? Perhaps during the dead of night, when all around them is silence and slumber they come alive. And they whisper to each other. Of bygone days. Of people that once walked the streets below them. Of the ghosts of the past and the people of the present. Sometimes the air is filled with ghosts as they tell their secrets to each other. I wonder what they have seen. What scenes were played below their wide open eyes. I would love to know. It would be interesting to see the world through their eyes, to see the changes that the passing years have wrought.

Note

There are hundreds of these types of balconies in all the towns and villages of Malta. Although the enclosed type, like the ones in the picture, are the most common, open balconies also exist as do balconies which do not overhang the street but are part of an upper floor with a balustrade at the front and walls on the sides.