Sicily - Thursday, September 10

The ship docked in Giardini Naxos, Sicily on the Thursday morning and the view at breakfast was gorgeous. Didn't feel like moving!

It was very hot and a little hazy that morning!

We decided not to visit Mount Etna (that's it hidden behind the white cloud in the picture above) as the forecast was for rain that afternoon. We really are such wimps.

This port was small so the ship couldn't dock and we had to use the tender for the first time! Here it is from the deck above. No we didn't have to reach it from that height! I just wanted to see how bumpy it would be but it was very calm!

We just walked around the small seaside town of Giardini Naxos that morning.

You can see the volcanic rock here on this beach.

There was a nice looking little hotel along this very quiet street. I loved the tiled entrance and although small and only 2* is family owned and it has it's own beach. If I went back think I'd stay here.

Then we decided to walk back along the main promenade. It's a bit of a tacky little place but had its own charm.

It had a few private beaches belonging to hotels and clubs and some public ones. Here's one of the cleaner public ones.

Here's a family who found a quiet spot. Well not for long! Look who's coming!

Well, well, here they are again selling their wares. I've seen them just about everywhere I've been on holiday in Europe. Rome, Barcelona, Rhodes and now Sicily. They certainly get around. Haven't seen them at home yet but then again I don't exactly live in a tourist resort.

Even though it's not a classy resort but there were some quite nice little restaurants along the sea front but they were all deserted. It was pretty hot so we had a seat and just watched the world go by.

Now here's something we saw that surprised us. This woman just parked her car on a zebra (pedestrian) crossing even though there numerous car parking spaces around. Talk about lazy and selfish!

Here's something else that's a little out of the ordinary for us. Not sure what it was looked like a memorial. Just look at those rocks it's set into.

Other things we saw a few times were these, commemorating anniversaries. A much better idea than just sticking a notice in a local paper. They were posted in a few places around the little town.

As we were getting near to the place where the tender was going to pick us up we looked back and saw how the darker clouds were coming in. That's why I didn't want to go to Mount Etna, there's no shelter there. You'd think living in Britain I'd be used to rain wouldn't you.

Well when I'm on holiday I avoid rain like the plague. When we went to Rome a family of Americans thought we were crazy because I didn't want to go to get the Pope's Sunday blessing. Well it was tipping it down and yes I'm a Catholic but I make no exceptions for anyone!

Just look, there they go again, living on the top of those mountains. Now I have no idea why they want to live up there. It won't even be peaceful.

I keep wondering whether they are they expecting a tsunami or something? Well it is an area of earthquake activity so maybe they're safer up there.

Next stop, Sorrento!

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Memories

A two minute silence was observed at 11.00 am GMT across the country today. The silence is observed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and marks the moment that four years of war ended with the signing of the Armistice Treaty by Germany and the Allies.This year was particularly poignant as it also marks the passing of a generation. The last of the British World War I veterans died during the year.

Today in Westminster Abbey a special Armistice Day service was held following the deaths of Bill Stone who was 108, Henry Allingham 113 and Harry Patch, 111.

I was wondering whether whether any other countries mark this signing of the armistice with a two minutes silence. It certainly seems to be increasing in the UK with shops, offices, factories, schools etc falling silent. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq perhaps make us realise how peace is never really with us and also how grateful we should be that people gave up their lives so we can live in freedom.

Dame Vera Lynn singing We'll Meet Again is probably the most memorable World War 2 song in the UK and the Commonwealth. The Forces Sweetheart was only 22 when she first recorded it and is now the grand old age of 92.She toured Europe and The Far East during the Second World War providing a much needed boost to the morale of the forces. The song was popular not just because it was a great tune and she was a wonderful singer, but because it lifted people's spirits in a very dark and frightening time.

I was born towards the end of World War 2 and when I was little, this was still a very popular song. We had very little money to go on holiday and so I used to go on bus day trips with my grandparents to York, Edinburgh, Scarborough, The Lake District and other popular places in Scotland and the North of England. On the way back the people always used to sing popular songs of the day and some from the Wars. We'll Meet Again is one I always remember and it brings back lots of happy memories of those times.

Dame Vera stopped performing in 1999 so at the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday in The Royal Albert Hall, Hayley Westenra performed the song with the Fron Male Voice Choir. You can see the performance below. At 2 mins 49 seconds the video screens show Vera Lynn singing and some wartime film of Allied troops. She attended the Festival and you can see her right at the end of the video. She is still very popular.

It was good to see that this year Hayley Westenra and Dame Vera Lynn jointly launched the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal which aims to raise £31 million to support the Afhgan War's generation of wounded and bereaved.

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National War Museum - Valletta Post 128

Main Entrance to Fort St Elmo

The National War Museum is situated in a building known as the Old Drill Hall in Lower Fort St Elmo at the tip of the Valletta peninsula. It was originally built in 1553 to protect the entrance to The Grand Harbour of Valletta. The Fort was destroyed during the Great Siege of 1565 and reconstructed in 1567, there have been some modifications since then.

It now houses the Police Academy and a small part is occupied by The National War Museum. In more recent times, part of it was used as a film location jail for Midnight Express. It did look a little bit sad when we were there and in need of a bit of work to tidy it up but the entrance to the Museum has been renovated.

I visited the National War Museum about twelve years ago but it was completely renovated earlier this year and the change is amazing. Shame they haven't renovated The Fort, it's looking very neglected. Given its historical importance in the two sieges it really should be a big tourist attraction.

The Museum's collection focuses on the two World Wars 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. It recounts the story of the events which led to the two wars, their development, major actions and consequences locally and abroad.

Special reference is made to the role of Malta in the theatre of war and the contribution of the Maltese population to the war effort especially during the incredibly difficult conditions of 1942.

The visit begins with the origins of the First World War, the outbreak, major battles on land and sea and Malta's role as naval base and Nurse of the Mediterranean. Artifacts on display include German machine guns, trench mortars and a torpedo.

The fighter force defending Malta was a very small force of British-operated Gladiators, three were named Faith, Hope and Charity. Have to say Faith and Hope were very apt names for these planes. You can see more about them on this website and here's a photo of Faith on display in the National war Museum. I was amazed at how small the plane was.

Faith

I found an amazing piece of video on Google. It's an excerpt from a rare WW11 Italian colour documentary showing shows Italian and German air forces from an air field in Sicily on a bombing mission over Malta in 1942, with scenes of air battle against RAF Spitfire interceptors. It's really awful watching the bombs drop.

Here are some photographs of the various Armed Forces uniforms on display

Royal Navy

This is exactly what my Dad would have been wearing when he was in Valletta During World War 11. I remember him talking about his bell bottoms which traditionally had to have the creases horizontally across the trouser legs as well as vertically because they had to be kept folded in their kit bags. Apparently the sailors wore bell bottoms so that they could roll the bottoms up when they were working in the rigging. Obviously not during WW11!

Love those "whites"!

I really loved this Air Raid Precaution first aid kit. Note the old Boots the chemist logo!

ARP First Aid Kit

It's a great museum and has lots of personal memorabilia and awards.

This is one awarded to Carmelo Zammit who was killed when HMS Louvain was torpedoed by the U-Boat UC22 on 21 January 1918 in the Aegean Sea.

Here's another from World War 11 awarded to Frederick Neville Riley of the Merchant Navy.

There were lots more materials which have been donated to the museum by servicemen and women's families. One of the saddest was a letter notifying a Royal Navy seaman's wife in England of his death. It was written in what seems an absolutely callous way and included information on how she could claim for him. There was a photograph of him in uniform and a lovely postcard he had sent to her. It was so sad.

On Friday 15 April 1942 the entire island of Malta was awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian award for gallantry. The award is not given lightly and was unprecedented in British history.

For more information about The Cross and its recipients take a look at The George Cross Database .

The importance of the award was keenly felt by the Maltese people at the time and provided a much needed boost to the morale of the country whilst it was being constantly bombed and its people were starving.

The George Cross is mounted in a simple wooden frame with the letter from King George V1 and is housed in the National War Museum.

I've just bought a copy of James Holland's book Fortress Malta - An Island Under Siege 1940 -1943. So I hope to find out lots more about this amazing island and its people during that time.

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Source: Heritage Malta

Honest Scrap Award

I’m feeling thoroughly ashamed of myself! It’s ages since Bogey at A View From the Fairway gave me this award. In fact I was on holiday when he posted it. My thanks and abject apologies to you Bogey but not only am I a procrastinator extraordinaire I'm also an inefficient Blogger. I found this was still just a draft as I checked through my posting list. What a wassock!

I’m really honoured that you thought me an honest blogger. I do always post as honestly as I can, hopefully without offending people.
Well it’s all about honesty so I have to post 10 honest things about me. Now that has taken some time, that leads nicely to the first on the list:

1. I don’t open up to people easily or show emotions in public. That's probably how I've taken so long to do this. Sadly it’s a family trait I inherited from my Dad. My Mam was very different, wish I had been more like her. I’ve tried to open up on lots of occasions but it’s just not my nature.
   
   
2. I like my own personal space. Don’t like people invading it. Hugging doesn’t come naturally to me unless it’s with my grandchildren. After I went to Spain to stay with a family it helped, a bit!
   
   
3. I’m a bit of a perfectionist about lots of things so I put off doing them or I don’t complete them in case they’re not quite right, well perfect really. Sadly I think my grand daughter has inherited an even more extreme version of this trait!
   
   
4. I’m a messy, untidy person. I used to have a sign on my desk that said “A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind”. It made me feel better. Luckily I shared an office with a woman whose desk made mine look like I was obssessively tidy. Hers was a public health hazard!
   
   
5. One thing I’m not messy with is my clothes. I’m a bit fanatical about washing them in lots of separate colour washes, ironing every crease out of them and repairing them. It all has to be done just right! I'm such a pain but I can’t help it.
   
   
6. I hate the sound of the phone ringing. I just keep thinking, “Go away!” I detest using my mobile, they’re the devil’s invention at times.
   
   
7. I hate cooking and feel really guilty when I try to get out of it. I do love eating though.
   
   
8. I despise dishonesty.
   
   
9. I’ve never had my ears pierced and never will. Why? When I was little my Mam told me that only common people and gypsies had their ears pierced. It stuck in mind. It didn't go down well with her mother in law though. She had pierced ears!
   
   
10. I’m lazy, really lazy. I could sleep until midday in winter. I hate housework. I do clean the bathroom and toilets regularly though, can’t abide them being dirty. I would sit and sew or knit all day and night if I could. Once an old very houseproud great auntie told me that my nanna (her sister) could sit and sew while the ashes from the fire were falling off the fireplace. I burst out laughing and told a shocked auntie that at last I knew who I took after. I know that if I lived on my own I would stay in my pyjamas all day unless I had to go out somewhere, eat sandwiches for every meal, hoover once a fortnight and sew all day and night!

Well I hope I’ve been honest enough.

Now to the rules of this award:

1. You must brag about the award. (Not sure how to do this)


2. You must include the name of the blogger who bestowed the award on you and link back to the blogger.


3. You must choose a minimum of six (6) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.


4. Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog.
   
   
5. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself.

Now I find it hard to pick just 6 people as I subscribe to so many brilliant blogs. I’m going to cheat here and say please feel free to take the award. I trust you!

For my final piece of honesty here goes. When I first saw the award I misread it. I didn’t see it as Honest Scrap. I missed the letter S in scrap. Sorry but as I said earlier, it’s all about honesty.

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Blood Rock - James Jackson

I think I'm getting a bit obsessional about Malta and its history since we visited Valletta again last month. Strange because history never grabbed me at school, I preferred geography.

My previous posting about Mark Harris' book, The Information Officer, covered the second Great Siege of Malta during World War 11, this book is an excellent historical novel based on the epic Great Siege of Malta in 1565.

The Knights of St John are under siege in Malta from the great Ottoman armada of Suleiman the Magnificent who intends to wipe them out. They are greatly outnumbered by the Ottomans and there's also a traitor amongst them whose identity is hidden until the very end. It's a brutal story based on fact and fictional characters are intertwined with the historical ones like The Grand Master of The Knights, John Parisot de la Valette and Mustapha Pasha, commander of the Turkish land forces. The hero, Christian Hardy is a bit of a cliche and on occasions more of a superhero than a soldier, nevertheless he's an interesting one.

I have to say the book makes history come to life and would make quite a good film. It's a far better read than Dan Brown's novels which are frequently historically inaccurate.

For anyone contemplating a visit to Malta, it gives you a good insight into the geography of the country as well as the appalling hardships the people of this island have endured over the centuries. Post 126

The Information Officer

I saw this book when I was visiting Valletta last month. It was the number one best seller in one of the shops we visited and so I had a look at the synopsis and was intrigued. I didn't buy it because of luggage restrictions but made a note of it.

I eventually got it from our local library and once I started to read it I couldn't put it down.

It’s a murder mystery, a love story and a historic novel all rolled into one. The first and last chapters are set one evening in a London restaurant in 1951, but the main story evolves over 9 days in Malta in the summer of 1942, at the height of the terrible German and Italian bombing raids.

The story plays out against the background of Malta, the island fortress, during that great siege of 1942 providing extensive information about its geography and history. It is well written and researched with maps to help you identify the scenes of the action.

The author Mark Mills captures the feelings of a whole range of characters, British officers, other ranks, their wives, girlfriends as well as the occupied local people. They have to deal with a whole spectrum of issues, good and evil, life and death, truth and mendacity, love and hatred, joy and grief.

The central character, Max Chadwick is the Information Officer whose role is to keep up the morale of the islanders. When he finds out that a British Officer is murdering local women he has to cope with the conflict between his patriotic duty of keeping the information under wraps and his personal honour, finding the truth and the murder.

I found the characters interesting and believable with insight into the feelings of the occupied and their occupiers during this traumatic time.

The plot twists and turns as the author moves between the main story and glimpses into the motivations of the murderer keeping you guessing about the identity of the villain right to bitter end. If I have a criticism it’s that the murderer seemed the last person you would have expected, maybe that’s why the author picked them, but for me it made it a little less believable.

I really enjoyed this book the setting for me was wonderful, I loved the atmosphere, the characters with their touches of black humour and the fact it had quite a happy ending. It's not quite in the class of Captain Corelli's Mandolin but it is a very good read.

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Valleta, Malta - World Heritage City - Wednesday 9 September

Valletta (Wiki Commons)

Valletta is a wonderful port of call. I'll say now it's my favourite, even though I do love Rhodes.

We went on holiday to Malta for a couple of weeks about twelve years ago and whilst we were there we visited Valletta a couple of times. We always said we'd go back but never had until the cruise.

I've written some brief information about Valletta, apologies if I've made mistakes, maybe Loree will correct them. She knows much more about it than I do naturally as it's her homeland! Take a look at her website Snapshots of Malta. She has some lovely photographs.

The city has many titles, The Fortress City, City Umilissima, “a city built by gentleman for gentlemen”, and apparently it's known colloquially as Il-Belt, The City. All these titles recall its great historical past.

The city was built by The Knights of St John and was named after its founder The Grand Master of The Order of St John, Jean Parisot de Valette. However the city really owes its birth to his arch enemy, Grand Turk, Suleiman the Magnificent. The Knights had been driven out of Rhodes and they were given the island of Malta by Charles V to help protect Rome from invasion. Serious assaults occurred between 1551 and 1664, the most famous, The Great Siege took place in 1565. A Turkish force of about 30,000 men was repelled by 600 knights and 6,000 soldiers and volunteers. Only about 15,000 attackers survived and very few of the defenders went uninjured.

For the next 275 years these “Knights of Malta” made the island their domain. They built towns, palaces, churches, gardens and fortifications as well as embellishing the island with works of art and enhanced cultural heritage. Valletta with its impressive bastions, forts and cathedral was completed in 15 years. By the turn of the 16 Century it was a sizeable city and people from across the islands came to live within the safety of its bastions.

The Knights' reign ended when Napoleon Bonaparte's fleet arrived in 1798. Within months the French were closing convents and seizing church treasures. The Maltese people rebelled, and the French garrison of General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois retreated into Valletta. After several failed attempts by the local people to retake Valletta, they asked the British for assistance. Rear Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson decided on a total blockade, and in 1800 the French garrison surrendered. British rule began in 1800.

The Second World War proved another testing time for Malta when the city came under siege yet again. It was a crucial British post in the Mediterranean, the last line of defence against the Nazis. The island received heavy aerial bombardment from the Italian and German air forces which reached its peak in 1942. The island was the most bombed place on earth during World War 11. It was awarded the George Cross for its people's valour.

The Royal Opera House constructed at the city entrance in the 19 th Century, was one of the buildings lost to the raids. Here you can see what it looked like before the War.

Grand Opera House

The site has never been cleared or rebuilt. Maybe it's a permanent memorial of the damage caused by war. Here's how it looks today with people walking over and around it. It certainly does make you think.

Site of Royal Opera House

I didn't see any signs around to let you know what the site was but it was quite crowded, maybe I missed them. I researched it later and discovered what it was.

On 15 April 1942, King George V1 awarded the George Cross (the highest civilian award for gallantry) "to the island fortress of Malta — its people and defenders”. The original George Cross and the letter from King George V1 are framed and now housed in the National War Museum.

George Cross

The plaque commemorating the award is on the wall of the Grand Master's Palace which houses the President's office and the Parliament also meets there.

President Franklin Roosevelt, describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny bright flame in the darkness." There is another plaque commemorating this alongside the previous one. Unfortunately the Roosevelt one was covered by scaffolding when we were there.

After World War 11, the islands achieved self-rule and on 21 September 1964, Malta became an independent state and a republic on 13 December 1974. Malta joined the EU in May 2004.

Despite so much bombing, the handsome limestone buildings and fortifications that the wealthy knights left behind are still all around the city and the islands. Many of these, in particular the Forts, were used by British Forces before, during and after World War 11.

My Dad was in the Royal Navy during the war and I know he was in Valletta. He didn't talk about the War and I'm ashamed to admit I didn't ask him about it. Now it's too late. I know he loved Malta as he revisited it in the 'seventies with my step mother, she has told me a little about their visit and how much he enjoyed it.

Fort St Angelo

Fort Ricasoli and Harbour Walls

Fort St Elmo Walls

Fort St Michael

I read somewhere that sailing into Malta Grand Harbour would be like sailing into a film set and it's true, the architecture is wonderful. It's really like sailing back in time. It's not the only harbour in Valletta however, there's also Marsamxett Harbour.

We were advised to get up early to see the ship dock and it was well worth it. I was disappointed with my photographs especially the ones taken in the early morning, a lot were very poor. This one was taken later just before we sailed.

Here you can see the Saint Lazarus Bastion and the Great Siege Bell.

Saint Lazarus Bastion and Great Siege Bell

The Great Siege Bell was inaugurated in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth 11 to commemorate the dead of World War 11.

Great Siege Bell

We found it very safe and quite easy to walk about the city although there are a few streets which are a bit steep. It’s a bit cooler and quieter in the early evening if you just want to explore the city streets. We visited in September and a huge MSC cruise ship docked just after us and seemed to swamp the city with tours of Italians everywhere we went during the day. I think these ships carry about 3,000 people. I wonder what the people of Valletta think about their lovely city being swamped with tourists.

There’s been a long connection between the British and Malta and World War 11 certainly cemented that connection. The people of Malta certainly showed great courage during that terrible time.

Malta is a very popular tourist destination for British people, they still have a great admiration and affection for it. Now it’s also a popular cruise port. There are lots of things that remind you of home in Britain. Look familiar?

I've seen these two before. No not the people!

Mind you at home they've changed our lovely red telephone boxes into nondescript supposedly unbreakable aluminium and plastic things. Horrible! Bring back the lovely old red ones like this!

There are also lots of British and international shops like M&S, British Home Stores, Tommy Hilfiger, Colours of Benetton etc. This shop is in a much more interesting building than many of its UK counterparts.

Most tourists seem to visit the Baroque St John’s Co-Cathedral and the queues we saw proved that. It apparently contains incredible memorials to the Knights of St John as well as Caravaggio’s ‘Beheading of St John the Baptist’. We opted out of the queue as I really dislike going into churches full of tourists and have an objection to paying to go into churches. I refuse to pay to go into Westminster Cathedral too. So we visited the church of St Paul’s Shipwreck. This church is known as The Hidden Gem and has a magnificent altarpiece and other fine artistic works. It also houses a relic of St Paul’s wrist bone and a piece of the column on which he was beheaded in Rome! No charge just a voluntary contribution and absolute peace and quiet. Definitely a little gem.

There’s a number of gardens in Valletta worth visiting. The Lower and Upper Barrakka Gardens have wonderful views of the Grand Harbour.

Upper Barrakka Gardens Looking onto Grand Harbour

The Upper Gardens contain lots of statues and monuments including those of Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein. There is also a very poignant monument to a young British Army doctor who died whilst treating people during the terrible cholera outbreak of 1865.

Winston Churchill

Memorial to Albert Einsten

However my favourite place to visit in Valletta is the National War Museum down at Fort St Elmo. I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided to do a separate posting on it.

There are some lovely coffee shops in Valletta and we were pleased to find one, Caffe Cordina, that we had visited about 12 years ago. Reminded me of the Lyons Corner House cafes my Nanna took me to when I was little. Fabulous coffee and sumptuous cakes. Nice to see some things don’t change.

My shopping habits don’t change much even on holiday. I was having a quick browse in a book shop and I came across a book which was number 1 in the Malta book sales charts called The Information Officer. Now I was drawn to the book title because that was my job title when I worked in the Careers Service. The book was by Mark Mills and needless to say it had nothing to do with the Careers Service! It was set in Malta during the Second World War and tells the tale of a very different type of information officer. Here’s a summary:

For the people of Malta, suffering daily bombing raids, the British are the last line of defence against the Nazis. And it is Max Chadwick's job as the information officer to ensure the news the islanders receive maintains morale. So when Max is given proof suggesting a British officer is murdering local women, he knows the consequences of discovery are dire. With the violence on the war-ravaged island escalating daily, he embarks on a private investigation, hidden from the eyes of superiors, friends and the woman he loves. But Max finds himself torn between patriotic duty and personal honour in his efforts to track down the killer! An elusive figure always one step ahead of his hunter.

I’ve checked on it in our local library. It’s out on loan at the moment but I've ordered it! If it's any good I'll do a post on it.

Update - Here's the review

Back to the present, we saw a huge amount of renovation and new building work going on in the area around Valletta. There’s no doubt Valetta will benefit greatly from it. One thing that impressed me is that many of the new buildings we saw are totally in keeping with the traditional architectural style and materials of Valletta.

New Buildings Around Valletta

Many beautiful old cities in the UK have been ruined by the planners total disregard for their city’s heritage and we have to bear some of the blame for our apathy. However I've read on some Maltese websites that there seems to be some criticism and disagreements about the current development of Valletta. One development that caused disagreement a number of years ago, was when the original city gate was removed to improve the traffic flow. Sadly it was replaced by a very mundane looking gate and I have to say it does seem out of place in this very beautiful old city.

I mentioned earlier there was more than one harbour, here's a view looking over Marsamxett Harbour, you can see the difference between Valletta and the tourist resort of Sliema opposite Valletta. I've never been to that part and have to say I've no fancy for it. Give me the traditional buildings any day.

Looking out over Marsamxett Harbour to Sliema

As long as people continue to voice their feelings, hopefully Valletta will be developed with consideration for its World Heritage status. It would be sad if it lost this.

Now I just have to try and book a holiday in Malta, I really need to see more of lovely Valletta and this beautiful island.

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