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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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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)

9 comments:

  1. Loree, what a great topic for a post -- and, as always, just gorgeous shots.

    I wonder, do you prefer rocky or sandy beaches?

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  2. Marvellous. Enjoy every minute of the coast!

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  3. that first one is spectacular!

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  4. What a magnificent cliff, and a wonderful place to watch sunsets! Your photos and information always amaze me.

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  5. Breathtaking! Your beautiful island has been on my wish list ever since I started reading your blog, and now even more!

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  6. Of course you know all these places ! How beautiful ! I suppose the tourist season started already and the island will be fill up !

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  7. Those are fantastic places to watch sunsets! Enjoyed them all, especially love the silhouetted rocks in the last one.

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  8. Wow Loree...I love your beautiful spellbinding photos and how you capture that awe of nature...wickedly beautiful..! The first shot is like a magical dreamscape and the second has a haunting feel to it..all gorgeous!
    Thankyou!
    Victoria

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  9. I am so glad that the internet allows me to look up locations on a map to give me the perspective of your gorgeous island. I do believe that there is a nature-vista around every turn and every hill on your beautiful island - love these sunsets! You will have to show us your favorite sunrise places next.

    Bises,
    Genie

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