Heather's travel tales 2023: June 30 Valletta at our own pace

We say, and sometimes desperately feel like, we want to rest, to just kick back, but exploring new places on our own at our own pace has great allure. There were a few places we hoped to see that had been on our tour itinerary which they didn't get to so off we went today. More climbing! To get anywhere from our hotel we had to climb up to the citadel, the lovely old city.

We retraced some of our steps from our first day in Valletta but took time to duck into clubs and shops. So much of that is still very British. We came across one place which was totally British - the Wembley Store. It is a specialty food store with a range of goodies and wine – mostly British. We stocked up for a picnic.

Part of the Move Trail

There have been so many movies or rather scenes from movies shot in Malta particularly around the magnificent harbour that they have created a Movie Trail. When we were there Russel Crow was supposed to be in town for more filming. .

The new rather stunning Parliament House built in 2015

These colourful hanging balconies were built to relieve the starkness of the fortified city

Palm Goddess bronze (2015) stands outside the ruins of the Royal Opera House

I love the sign for Wifi above the old telephone booth

Many Clubs or bars had wee booths in the entrance where lottery tickets are sold

Inside the Kings Own Band Club - definitely a boys' lcub

The Philharmonic Society club was old but quite grand

The very British Wembley Store

A drinks break - iced coffee and berry smoothy

Many street corners featured shrines or mini statues

Note the shape of the knocker

Not a place for disabled people I'd say

We were heading for the Upper Barrakka Gardens which is on top of one of the imposing bastions. After a zig zag climb through old Valletta we reached this tranquil spot. The gardens themselves are not fantastic but offer lots of shade and the setting is spectacular. From the terraces outside the arches you gave the most amazing 180+ degree view of the Grand Harbour. Well worth the climb. It is built on part of the bastions which was guarded by the Italian knights. The arches were built by the Italian knight, Flaminio Balbiano in 1661 as a place for the knights to relax. In the C19th it was transformed into beautiful gardens decorated with fountains and monuments. You also have a birds-eye view of the Saluting Battery below. The cannons fire at noon and 4pm Monday to Saturday. There is a café there but the chairs and tables are were completely covered with bird droppings and nobody was cleaning up tables - all otally self-serve. From there you can take a lift down to the harbour to catch a ferry or simply wander. Everywhere around Valletta we were trampling around Bastions, fortifications which held the city safe - or so it seems. This was a rather tranquily spot amongst all those defense structures.

For posterity!

Entrance to the Saluting Battery - it was closed at the time

Twice a day there is a ceremonial gun salute.

From the gardens we descended and by sheer accident found one of the entrances to the Lascaris War Rooms, an underground complex of tunnels and chambers that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of the island was conducted during WWII. The rooms were later used by NATO. It is now open to the public as a museum. We had thought to return but we didn't make it.

Opposite the entrance is a delightful secluded garden, the Herbert Ganado Gardens. He was a prominent Maltese lawyer, politician and author. We walked along part of the fortification and peering down we looked into the Laparelli Garden, named after the Italian architect who designed Valletta in 1566. It is a public garden located in the 'ditch' below Valletta’s City Gate bastions. I guess they could attack any would-be intruders from these humorous 'bollards'.

From there we hiked back into the city for a late lunch - a deliciously toasted lamb sandwich