è Report #16 – April 08 – 13, 2008

On April 7 as we sailed away from Venice with champagne popping and music playing, our thoughts rapidly shifted to the next adventure - Split, Croatia.  The following morning we arrived at an anchorage about a quarter of a mile outside Split’s main harbor.  We could see Split, but could we get there?  The very strong winds and high waves were worrisome and talk of our stop being cancelled ensued between Nick and several passengers he met out on the open decks.  Talk became reality when about an hour later the Captain announced tender service would be too dangerous, so we would have to split from Split.  Retrieving the one tender that had been sent out to “test” the waters was harrowing and could have resulted in serious injuries. Thankfully the tender, with crew aboard in life jackets, was hoisted up from the rough seas and safely reunited with the ship.

The cancelled stop gave us an extra sea day that Cruise staff quickly scrambled to fill up with activities.  Within two hours a new program of the day’s activities was delivered to cabins, lest anyone think there was nothing to do.  One of the best events that day was a very interesting lecture of the changing country boundaries in Europe, from 1850 through World War II, using 25 historic maps to prove the point.

On our second sea day out of Venice (April 9), we noticed the ship seemed to be traveling at a higher rate of speed.  Sure enough, the Captain announced that we had a medical emergency and would be docking as soon as possible in Valletta, Malta, our next scheduled stop.  (Note - The stop in Malta had been announced two months earlier as an alternate to Tripoli, Libya, where we had been denied permission to dock.)  We sailed into Valletta harbor about 5pm with almost everyone on deck, some perhaps to see the ambulance and disembarking of the emergency passenger. Most, however, really wanted the full panoramic view of fabulous harbor, with its golden sandstone forts on both sides of the narrow channel entrance.  After sailing into the widest part of the harbor, the ship did a 180° pirouette and moved sideways up to the dock using bow and stern thrusters.  Once in place, the sick passenger was wheeled into the waiting ambulance and whisked away.

Since we arrived early enough to venture out and find a great place for dinner, we did just that with another couple from the ship.  The old portion of the city of Valetta is up a steep hill from the port area, followed by a steep climb up 150 stone steps.  Once on top, a large arch frames the entrance to the old historic main street – Republic Street.  After a few lefts off the main street we came upon Papannis Restaurant, a lovely small establishment with good food and wine at a reasonable price.  As we were leaving, the friendly young waitress gave us a card “for when we come back”, complete with website (www.starwebmalta.com/papannis.htm).  The walk back was all downhill and therefore much easier.  We went to bed excited about having the next full day, April 10, to explore this beautiful tiny island country.

Just a little background - Valletta is the capital city of the independent country of Malta, located about 50 miles south of Sicily and 175 miles north of the African mainland, in the center of the Mediterranean.  Malta, the country, is an archipelago of six islands, three inhabited, with the largest being Malta (the island) and second largest, Gozo.  The turbulent history of Malta began 7,000 years ago with the early settlers of the Temple period, and continued through Arab, Norman, and Roman occupation, followed by the Knights of Malta (Knights of the Order of St. John), Napoleon, and finally the English (who helped get rid of Napoleon).  In 1814 when the islands were confirmed as a British possession, it remained that way for 150 years until independence in 1964.  Malta became a member country of the EU in 2004 and converted to Euros in January 2008, just in time for our arrival.

April 10 was bright and sunny and we had signed up for an all-day tour to see more of Valletta, the countryside and the old capital city of Mdina (spelling is odd, but correct).  The old city has a number of magnificently preserved 14^th and 15^th century houses and palaces along its narrow cobblestone street, plus Malta’s earliest Cathedral and an attached museum, with a rich collection of art, archaeology and important archives.  After a few hours in Mdina, we headed back to Valletta to visit Fort St. Elmo, the national War Museum, the Barracca Gardens and the highlight of the day - St. John’s Co-Cathedral.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral was completed in 1578 and was embellished by successive Grandmasters of the Order of St. John’s.  It is the home to the largest single work by Caravaggio, The Beheading of St. John, completed in 1608 and his only signed work.  The finely carved medieval stone walls are adorned with vibrant colors and gold, and the floor is lined with ornate marble slabs.  Beneath each of these slabs is a tomb of a Knight of the Order and each individual is identified by his coat of arms.

In the tourist shops, the Maltese Cross (pins, pendants, patches, etc.) was the number one purchase made by just about everyone.  The Cross was adopted by the Order of the 13^th Century and the four arms of its design symbolize the four Christian tenets of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.  The eight points (two on each of the four arms) are said to either signify the obligations of the Order (Live in Truth; Maintain Faith; Repent Sins; Give Proof to Humility; Love Justice; Be Sincere and Whole-hearted; Endure Persecution; Be Merciful) - or - the eight tongues (languages) of the men of the original Order (Castile; Aragaon; Provence; Italy; Germany; France; Auvergne; England).

Unfortunately, our time in Malta came to an end too quickly and as we sailed away, we made a deal to return someday to continue our exploration of this fascinating country.

After two smooth days sailing the Mediterranean, we arrived in Gibraltar on Sunday, April 13.  Gibraltar is an independent British Colony, less than two square miles in size, located on the most southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula.  By land, Spain is to the north and by sea, Morocco is to the south.  Of course it is most famous for the large rock formation on its east side, crowned at the highest point by what’s known as the Rock of Gibraltar.  Our tour first ventured to the top of the Rock, and then to St. Michael’s Cave, a grotto with spectacular displays of stalagmites and stalactites.  Next it was off to see the wild Barbary apes (tailless monkeys) as they roamed free outside the entrance to the Great Siege Tunnels.  As a treat (?), our guide offered to take a picture with an ape sitting on your shoulder or head (he could arrange this to happen for a fee).  We declined.  The highlight of the day was a walk into the Great Siege Tunnels, which had been carved out of solid limestone around 1780, basically by hand, when the Spanish and French tried unsuccessfully to reclaim Gibraltar.  At the time the siege, the tunnel was 370 feet long and had four large canon-type guns mounted in it.  Nowadays from the gun portals in the tunnel, you have a clear view below of Gibraltar airport’s one and only runway (east-west).  The unique feature of the runway is the Queensway Highway that runs (north-south) straight through the middle.  Needless to say, cars do stop when the lights turn red signifying a plane is landing or taking off.

It was another interesting day ashore and at 6pm we set sail for the Atlantic Ocean, via the Strait of Gibraltar, and our next port – Lisbon, Portugal.

Photos posted on - - www.nide.smugmug.com