Whichever page of the blog opens, you can start at the beginning using the list (right)
Friday and Saturday
Friday turn out wet, just as Weather.com had said it would. So we set out to do the museum and the gallery.
Even the building was worth seeing, as these shots of the staircase show
Be sure click on the image to the right, to see the fine sculpture.
I had to include St Catherine of Siena, her being a Dominican of course.
This statue is St Luke with his image of the Blessed Mother.
At his feet is his symbol, the ox.
Actually, the ox had the biggest appeal for me, though I did marvel at how the artist conveyed that the image was not alive, in a work that itself was not alive!
Religious themes were the most common
But I really liked this early version of a baby-walker in the corner of a big picture.
and the bulls were very impressive.
I don't do figurative pieces myself, but I admire the works of others.
This javelin thrower is quite small, but powerful just the same.
Again, I am intrigued by the 'difference' between the real and the reflected image.
I liked this modern triptique with its central image of Mary gloriously pregnant -
then sorrowful in the midst of joy.
There were very few 'grand masters' in this collection, but I really enjoyed the small modern pieces.
When we left the art gallery, it was still raining somewhat, but not too bad, so we headed for the cafe on Republic Street where we had planned to have lunch. The reason it appealed to me was that Baroque music was coming from a speaker right over it.
But when we got inside, they had musak playing, so we didn't hear a note of baroque until we left.
Our next port of call was the gallery of architecture.
I really enjoyed this place.
Some of their ancient stuff is very old like Ireland, and it was lovely to see they were into spirals also.
One thing they have that we don't (so far as I know, at least not as old as 4000BC) is human figures.
A great favourite is the little sleeping woman.
The tracks (right) are in their limestone equivalent of our Burren - it is thought they may have kept carts on track - but really, no one seems to know for certain.
This is one of my favourite spirals, situated just near the entrance/exit.
Saturday
Saturday (our last day) we were exploring small streets near the hotel when we found this:
(Left) is the door of the Embassy of the Knights - yes they are current!
Left is their parking sign, and below, their doorknocker with the Maltese cross.
We were intrigues by the fortifications of this building that is still in use.
That big main door, and this little one (right) seem to be the only entrances.
(Left) shows repairs to the surface of the wall.
(Right) some kind of seat, but no information
The great walls - it would have been lovely to get a glimpse of what was inside.
The rain water cascaded down on the parked cars.
this sign outside the playground at Hastings Gardens show smoking forbidden, even out of doors - WOW!
More fortifications in Hastings Park.
(right) note the buildings, I think they were a cafe of some sort
And this is how deep this particular 'ditch' is!
I was a bit surprised at how small this cannon is - I've no idea how far it could shoot, but it would have to clear the fortifications ....
(Right) shows the other side of the Knights' Embassy - still no doors or windows.
We were quite surprise to find we were so near to the bus-station - as I said, getting oriented wasn't easy.
This is the new parliament building, not yet finished, with the steps at the side - a modern version of what went before. I like that.
and a little gleam of sunshine on the wet pavement.
Cloudy skies,
and a nice 'dished-pavement' outside a bank.
Do we display multiple versions of our flag on state buildings?
I was very fond of these little 'pill-boxes'. No idea which era they date from, but either ways, I doubt the guards had much protection.
Cloudy skies over the harbour, but look, a scrap of blue can be seen ...
Sign outside the Stock Exchange - like the last line about the motto:
"Integrity generates confidence" It must date from before the crash.
Upper Barrakka fountain, yet again.
I loved its many moods
I didn't arrange this - but I was struck by the symbolism of the fallen martyrs palm.
We have been complaining about all those hilly streets, but there is a lift - free to go down, sharge to come up!
Views around the bottom of the lift
Another unknown street-corner saint ...
View going back up in the lift
Back in the city centre again
We took a peep into the entrance garden of the palace, but didn't buy the tickets.
Pity I haven't more space at home to get this effect with my paving!
"What are they talking about?"
By now, the skies had cleared, and we got to the Presidential palace, with the huge plaza and fountains coming straight out of the ground.
The spitting man was a bit on an anti-climax after all that!
Narrow street with no steps!
(right) Quiet pigeons
This kiosk could have been the one we saw shut that first day. It was the last place we bought anything - and what do you think - we both bought seeds to plant back in Ireland, (ordinary seeds) just to be able to say: "That came from Malta"
