Photo taken by Mr C
The breakfast room was rather chaotic and the local cuisine options that I had intended to try had run out, requiring me to fall back on my trusty continental breakfast choices.
After breakfast we walked through the city gate to St John’s Co Cathedral which was a lot quieter than the previous day when the cruise ship was docked. We were provided with an audio tour which pointed out the various aspects and artworks within. We found the order of the guide a little confusing compared to the building layout but we got there in the end. There was a chapel decorated by each nationality within the Knights of Malta. The artwork was exquisite but, for my taste, over the top leaving me with a feeling that the church was more to the glory of man’s achievements rather than to God.
Photo taken by Mr C
Even though there was no queue, the Cathedral was still very busy inside so after our visit we stopped at the nearby café Granelli for a refreshing drink, in my case fresh orange juice. We decided that, next, we would visit Fort St Elmo but before we entered, we had lunch in a nearby café where I chose lemon cake and Mr C opted for a sandwich which when it arrived was enormous (enough for two people).
Photo taken by Mr C
Once inside Fort St Elmo, we found that the site also housed The National War Museum. This museum contains some interesting exhibits and gives an insight into what Malta went through during WWI and WWII. One of the most interesting exhibits is the George Cross medal which in 1942 was given to the people of Malta as recognition for their bravery during WWII.
Photo taken by Mr C
There was so much to see in the museum we ended up getting back to the hotel later than intended, leaving us only a short time to get ready for dinner in the Mezzodi restaurant. The food was perfectly presented, in my case sea bream fillets rolled and stood on their ends. We finished off the meal by sharing a portion of Tiramisu with a difference.
Before returning to the hotel, we enjoyed a nightcap from the Grano bar in the lovely street where St Paul’s Shipwreck Church is located.
Wow, the inside of that cathedral looks amazing!
The artwork is very elabarate.
That cathedral is definitely way over the top, Cherry, I agree. One wonders how many people suffered to build it!
I have only seen information on the artists and artwork rather than the actuall building of the Cathedral.
I love art, I love churches but somehow I didn’t warm to this place.
I do like the way that you are always determined to miss nothing, Cherie
I do have a habit of trying to take in all the details
Sounds a very enjoyable crammed with delights.
We had a great day that gave us more than we were expecting
While we were in the cathedral, they were renovating some of the gold panels, that was quite the job. It looks like you had a great time overall. Looks like a fine restaurant for dinner
They were still renovating some panels on our visit. This was one of the places we got confused, they had removed the number post from that chapel area!
It was one of our highlight meals of the week
Malta is such a beautiful island.
I have not been there yet.
One day, maybe?
There is a lot to see. I want to go back and see some of the things I missed or that were unexpectedly closed. I also want to stay on gozo so that we can explore in more detail, especially the Citadel.
glad you enjoyed church service dear Cheri
war museum sounds interesting
Malta seems full of fun and art
Malta is full of history, art and culture. It is an amazing place