Dingli Cliffs, a temple and a miracle in the rain
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2003
1
14
15
Trip End
Feb 21, 2003
Rabat, Malta
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
We try to see the Hypogeum in Paola, an underground monument and megalithic temple circa 2400 BC. But you must purchase tickets at least one week in advance. I knew this but hoped it wouldn't apply to the winter. Charlie tries the "But I'm Maltese" angle. It doesn't work.
Back to Valletta and the Museum of Anthropology, which we somehow missed before. The museum costs 1l and is small, but holds a good selection of Neolithic pieces: altars, decorative stone, the sleeping lady who is smaller than my hand, the fat lady who is a big as a car. There's even a model of the Hypogeum so we can see what we missed. In hindsight, we should have come three weeks ago, as the museum is a good primer for Maltese history.
The rain lets up for a bit and we walk to The Grand Masters Palace, which has been closed every time we tried previously. There is an article in a local magazine touting the palace's fantastic Gobelin Tapetry collection, which I am desperate to see. Taunted! The palace is still closed. However, we can see the armory: knight's armor and weapons, muskets, canons and a "sword-gun."
Back in Rabat, May and Charlie treat us to one of the most popular dishes in Malta: rabbit. May has prepared it two ways and we eat both: fried with tomato & spaghetti and in a stew. I've never eaten rabbit, but this is a great introduction. And to eat in a Maltese home, prepared by such generous people is special.
A quick visit to Dingli Cliffs and even though the rain is worse, we push on to Hagar Qim. Charlie stays in the car with the heater on. We fight the wind. I have to put in the umbrella before it blows inside-out. Brian and I stand under the Neolithic archway to keep out of the rain but I think the rain is running sideways now.
We're too late in the day to see Mnajdra. It is so cold and thus we spend only 15 minutes circling Hagar Qim, taking in what's left of the giant stones and their intricate carvings. The museum exhibit in
Valletta that shows pieces of the temple is better preserved but the windy cliff is a better context. In the gloomy grey of today, there isn't much to see. Back to the car!
Wet through, we drive the splashy streets to Mosta and its church of miracles. Story is: during WWII, a Luftwaffe bomb drops through the dome and into the church where a service filled with 300 people. The bomb skids across the floor but does not detonate. Behold, a miracle.
At the house in Rabat, we are warmed by tea with almond cake then back to the hotel for a night of reading and takeout pizza. Too tired even to watch the football game.
