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.

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Wednesday 30 May 2012

The Best Places To Enjoy Sunsets

It’s almost June and summer is practically at our doorstep. Warm weather and mostly-cloudless skies are synonymous with Mediterranean summers  - perfect conditions for spectacular and fiery sunsets.The western coastline of Malta is, for obvious reasons, a great place to choose to watch the setting sun (if you’re into that sort of thing, of course). What makes this coastline even more suited to this particular activity, apart from its location, is the un-spoilt, natural beauty of this part of the island. Towering cliffs, plunging valleys, tiny coves, sandy beaches and all sorts of caves and inlets provide a quiet (depending on the season) and often romantic spot from where to watch one of Nature’s daily shows that we so often take for granted. The following is a list of my 3 favourite spots:

Dingli Cliffs

These mighty cliffs plunge 250 metres into the watery depths and are the perfect perch from where to watch sunsets. Weekend nights may be a bit crowded but during the week they are a haven for all those seeking a peaceful spot.

Dingli Cliffs at Sunset (33)

Ghar Lapsi (Lapsi’s Cave)

This little cove on the outskirts of the town of Siggiewi is a popular bathing spot with those that like rocky beaches. The best place to watch the sunset is not down in the cove itself but from the rocks that tower above.

Ghar Lapsi 007

Gnejna Bay (pronounced Jineyna)

Deserted in winter, this small bay is usually quite crowded during the summer months but, by sunset, most of the people will have already left, leaving a few stragglers, like myself, who prefer the beach at this time of day. As the sun gets lower in the sky, it moves to the left side of the bay and sets behind the rocks. The burn-off from the sun and the jagged silhouette of the rocks creates a wonderful play of shadow and light that I never get bored of looking at.

Gnejna Again (19)

Thursday 3 May 2012

Nadur Tower

Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (15)

Nadur Tower

Nadur Tower is situated 220metres above sea level at a place called Bingemma Gap. It is one of 5 towers commissioned by Grand Master Lascaris between 1637 and 1640. The tower is about 11 metres high and consists of 2 small rooms on the ground floor. Access to the roof was via a wooden ladder (today replaced by iron rungs stapled into the wall).

Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (16)

Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (17)

Inside Nadur Tower

Nadur Tower was one of several look-out posts built by the Knights of St John to survey the surrounding sea. Each tower was located in a strategic position to enable communication with other nearby towers. This tower is in a magnificent vantage point with unobstructed views of almost all the island.

Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (13)-001Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (14)Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (18)Dwejra, Nadur &  Mdina (19)

Nadur Tower

Bingemma

May 2012

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...