Greetings family and friends,
That is the protocol at the Saluting Battery – load two guns and fire one. On this day, it was fire No. 7 Gun with No. 8 Gun being in reserve. The video was five minutes to cover the entire loading of both guns, but edited it down to the last minute to show just the actual firing. The Saluting Battery is located at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta. The battery has a long history including usage to mark important events as well as to allow ships at harbor to sync their time pieces.
The Saluting Battery
The Siege Bell War Memorial
Further down the peninsula that Valletta lies on, is the Lower Barrakka Gardens. This location includes the Siege Bell War Memorial which commemorates the Maltese defense of the island during World War II that resulted in Malta being awarded the George Cross. Continuing down to the end of the peninsula one arrives at Fort St Elmo – see the gallery for photos of the extensive fortifications as well as views from the ramparts.
Towards the center of Valletta can be found St John’s Co-Cathedral which was built by the Knights Hospitaller. The exterior of the cathedral is not particularly awe-inspiring in my opinion, but the interior is a visual overload. One of the interesting aspects of the cathedral are the nine chapels within, of which eight are specific to the European regions from which the knights originated (for example, France, Germany, Italy, etc). I had also hoped to tour the Grand Master’s Palace which now serves as the office of the president of Malta. Unfortunately, it is closed for renovations.
St John’s Co-Cathedral
The Red Tower
At the north end of the main island of Malta past the town of Mellieha is the Red Tower. It was one (if not the most colorful) of a series of defensive towers on the inhabited islands. From the tower, one can see Comino (population of two or three) and Gozo (population of 32,000 plus). In addition, other towers are visible, including the White Tower. Most of the towers are simply known by their Maltese name, but a few are also known by the name of a saint. The gallery has a photo of a poster board showing all the towers.
That’s it for now. As always, please feel free to share this link with anyone who expresses an interest. Please have a look at the gallery below for full-size versions of the photos above as well as additional photos of Malta. Next dispatch will be from another island in the Med, but quite a bit further east!
See you soon,
Papi
Super Michel ! Contente de voir que tout va bien. L’architecture est incroyable ! Bonne continuation !
Merci Lisa. Oui, l’île est un grand livre d’histoire!