Malta - Valletta Part Two

Malta has that feeling of being in Paradise. I can't quite explain it. We got up early to have a wander round Valletta before it go too busy, and I got these lovely photo's of the quiet alley ways before the day got going again.

Who doesn't love a magnificent water fountain? Much nicer than the modern metal ones we get nowadays.

James had wanted to visit the postal museum, so we headed over to check it out. James collects stamps (among other things) so was particularly excited to see this one, a black & red penny stamp. stamp. The excitement was lost on me, but I humoured him by taking a photo.

This bit was quite fun, they had restored the old post office counters so you could see what it used to be like in years gone by. Wasn't it fancy back then? Nowadays the post office I use back home looks like its held together by packing tape, and always feels dirty and unloved. Maybe we need to go back to the days of making things look nice again. Tickets cost 7 euros for an adult. If you're not massively into your stamps like me, its a nice place to wander around for a little bit and see the post office of yesteryear, but if you're a bit more into it, then its a really good place to visit.

We then headed to St John's Co-Cathedral. Word of warning, this will be a surprise. The outside is rather plain and astute, and for a moment, you're almost wandering if you are at the right building. It almost doesn't feel right. You then enter inside, and you are hit by one of the worlds most decorated churches. Everywhere you look there is colour, ornament and design, to the point where I had to stop for a moment to try and take it all in. There is not a square inch inside this building that hasn't been decorated. The building was completed in 1577, and the gold shines in the light that comes streaming in through the windows.

Even the floors are beautiful, with the multi-coloured and multi stoned graves covering every inch of the floor. These are for the notable Knights who defended Malta and are often personalised and with written testaments to those buried underneath. Baroque designs are everywhere, almost as a show piece of design. You can see why I said it's one of the worlds most decorated churches!

Even as you step into some of the chapels that come off the sides of the nave, you still see attention to detail, such as this coiffed ceiling and artworks, combined with antique flags hanging from the walls.

It's amazing what you can see peeking through the arches, I love the contrast of the gold decoration with the dark marble of the funerary monument here.

And just in case you thought it needed a little something extra special, this painting by Caravaggio, "The beheading of St John the Baptist" is in the Oratory, and to say it took my breath away when I saw it was understatement. The painting is beautiful, from the way it is slightly off centre, the way the scene is lit, the clear distress and emotion, contrasted with the curious onlookers from the jail. It is simply a masterpiece, and I'm so thankful I got to see it.

Heading back into the nave, you get to see this fabulous altar, before heading down into the crypt to see the burial places of some of Malta's leaders. The white, grey and gold colour scheme here gives it a real feeling of lightness and calmness, especially contrasted with the busy decoration upstairs. It was also perhaps the quietest part of the church, and it was nice to stand for a minute and take it all in peace.

And then, we got to go up to the balcony and look over the inside of the church. You don't need me to tell you how dazzling the place is, you can see it here. I have never, ever, been somewhere like this before, and I would return in a heartbeat. It's one of those buildings that feels alive if you know what I mean, and one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

Tickets for adults start at 15 euro's, and I will say this, it is something not to be missed. If you do anything in Malta, this has to be top of your list. And even more special, is if you are in a tour group, you can arrange for a personal tour in your group after the cathedral closes with a guide. How fantastic is that? 

We then grabbed ourselves some dinner, and did a little bit more of exploring Valletta in the night-time. They really do some amazing lighting. I'm surprised there's not tours of Valetta at night, I think that they would be very popular.

No idea what this building and the sculpture was about, but it caught my attention as we walked past to the fountain. Now that people, is how you light up a water fountain. Not since I'd been to the singing & dancing fountains in Yerevan had I been so impressed with a lit up fountain. 

Even the little doggie was impressed. It's the Tritons fountain, not far from the parliament buildings and as you enter the main part of Valletta. Well worth a visit at night, particularly if you have a good camera who can do slow mo, blurring an other such effects. Could make yourself a fortune if you printed and sold them. Hang on, maybe thats how I finance the next trip away! Forget I said anything...