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| Valletta, Malta Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
THIS IS probably really unfair, but I rate Malta as one of the least engaging European destinations we have visited. Circumstances, of course, temper the experience and perception. It is one place we didn't book any kind of tour.
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| Ft. St. Angelo - Birgu, Malta (directly across the Grand Harbor from Valetta) Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
INSTEAD, WE opted for the Hop on - Hop off bus around the city. We sometimes do that early in order to get a feel for a place. However, we have found the Hop on - Hop off systems to be quite inconsistent from one place to another. Our first experience was in Dublin, Ireland in 2014. We spent a day there and an overnight before joining a group of O'Brien Estate Vineyard patrons for a week-long, land-based trek over The Republic of Ireland. We thought it was terrific. Conveniently for us, one of the stops was very close to our Hotel. The narrative was good, and we really did get a kind of "birds-eye" view of the city and its high points. We would spend another couple days in Dublin at the end of that trip, and the bus system really gave us a "leg up," we thought. You purchase tickets (either all-day, or several day) and as the name implies, you can get on and off as many times as you want, as often as you want. At least, that is the idea. In reality, it doesn't always work as smoothly.
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| The Grand Harbor - Valletta, Malta Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
VALLETTA WAS, I am pretty sure, our second time using the Hop on - Hop off system. This time it was not so good. They were so crowded that if you weren't in line where the route begins, your chances of getting on one of them at any other stop were virtually nill. To us, it appeared as if this was true during the entire day we were there. So even though there was a stop or two that we might have gotten off and explored, we didn't dare get off, for fear we would not get back on and make it back to the ship (we didn't really think about it, but we probably could have done a taxi - but that's not the point). When the weather is decent, the open upper deck of these buses afford the best "open air" view. When the weather is inclement, though, the experience isn't as pleasant. Temperatures were well in to the 80's the day we were there, and the sky was clear. By the time we got on the bus, the upper deck was the only place there were seats. We roasted. Given the route, and the traffic, the full circuit on the bus was nearly 3 hours. And in the middle of the circuit, without explanation or communication of any nature, the driver parked and shut the bus down. He walked into a cafe for a break. Nobody on the bus had any idea what was going on (for at least 10 - 15 minutes).
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| Valletta, Malta Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
I SUPPOSE I shouldn't let a pretty bad experience on the Hop on - Hop off bus color our entire experience in Malta. NOr should I let the Malta experience completely color my view of the Hop on Hop off system (though we had a similar sketchy experience in Helsinki, Finland, a few years later). On the trip around the coast, we could see that the "stay and play" aspects of Valletta could probably be very fun. Lots and lots of bars and restaurants, and many marinas, filled with pleasure boats, dotted the entire coast. I also know there are several forts around Malta and near and around Valletta. There is also the huge and visually impressive Grand Masters Palace (our bus did a circle around it, but as noted, we didn't dare get off to explore it if we ever wanted to get back on and complete the circuit). The city is architecturally pretty impressive, also.
Valletta is the Flag location for all of Celebrity's Cruise ships
MOST OF my photography that day consisted of things around the port and near our ship's berth. I have noted here before that it is usually pretty challenging to make photos from a moving platform like a bus. I did catch a couple. At one time the administrative center for the Catholic Military Order: The Knights of St. John (a/k/a The Nights Hospitallier), the island was ruled by them for many years, until the eventual capture of Malta by Napoleon (after which the order more or less dispersed from all of its bases around the world). Though originally inhabited by the Phoenicians, and later Romans, most of the significant architecture occurred during re-building under the Knights of St. John's control. It was primarily "Renaissance" architechture; followed later by Baroque, Neo-Gothic, and Neo-Classical. Later yet, after WWII, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and modern styles emerged.
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| There is also significant commercial shipping activity along the wharf adjacent to the cruise terminal - Valletta, Malta Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
I SUSPECT the majority of my readership here are from the U.S. and it is perhaps appropriate to acknowledge the significance of Malta to our nation. Our relationship dates back to the U.S. Revolutionary war when the Knights were a significant ally to our fledgling nation, particularly in helping to persuade the French Navy to assist us. During WWII, it was a critical staging point for Allied (British and U.S.) military planes.
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| Our Ship Docked at its Home Port - Valletta, Malta Copyright Andy Richards 2017 |
THERE IS one other point of importance to me (and maybe other cruisers). With the exception of three of its ("Explorer Class") fleet, Valleta is the Flag location for all of Celebrity's Cruise ships! One thing I do know is that if Valletta is ever a stop again on one of our cruises, we will certainly try to book an excursion/guided tour.
