By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
After a long time, I was visiting a country that I had absolutely no information about at all beforehand - Malta. Our cruise ship docked at Valleta which is considered as the smallest capital in Europe.
Along with my son, we made sure to go up on the deck to see the spectacular sun rise and our slow entry into the port. The view of Valletta from the distance was one of stunning contrasts. On one side we saw the typical modern buildings that you see from most ports and from the other side we saw a quaint red stone fortress on a cliff, with an ancient lighthouse too. Our ship slowly entered this strategic peninsula between the Marsamxett and Grand Harbours.
Once we landed in the port, we were besieged by taxi and horse carriage operators promising a ride around the city for a hefty price. We did read about a public lift that would take us from this lower level of the city to the higher level, but these operators repeatedly told us lies that the lifts were not working.
So under the sweltering sun, we decided to climb up the road and steps and enjoy the stunning views as we did so.
Our first family photo stop was at the famous Triton Fountain so called because of three enormous bronze statues of the Greek god of the sea, holding up a large basin.
From here we entered the main City Gate accompanied by happy music played by street performers. I just had to buy my souvenirs from a store run by Indians....yes I find Indians in the most unexpected corners of the world.
Our next stop was Hastings Gardens so called because the ex-governor of Malta, was buried in this garden in 1826. After taking care of the needs of the infants with us, we soaked in the stunning views of the north of Valletta and the Grand Harbour from here.
There was a quaint old stone armchair like structure on the side street and I just had to sit on it to feel transported back in time.
We were back on the crowded bustling narrow Republic Street with lovely old buildings on either side, just soaking up the unique energy of Valleta.
There was a huge line outside the St. John's Co-Cathedral, and we decided to give it a miss- we already had our share of beautiful churches in Europe during the previous week.
We continued walking along the bustling Republican street which had interesting buildings alongside like the Parliament, Museums and the ver impressivecthe Grandmaster's Palace and Armoury,
The previous star shaped Fort Saint Elmo with its prominent lighthouse was visible very clearly during our cruise ship entry into Malta. This Fort was converted into the National War Museum, and we really admired the grit of the Maltese people who during the II World War, withstood continuous bombing for 6 whole months (except once for 24 consecutive hours) during which time, the population of the islands lived in caves and tunnels.
In August of 1942 a convoy of British ships arrived to free them. For their grit, King George VI honored the island's people with the highest award, the famous red coloured George Cross, also known as the Maltese Cross.
The Siege Bell War Memorial was constructed at a vantage view point on the 50th anniversary of receiving the Maltese cross.
Our quick lunch break was at the lower Barrakka Gardens, soaking in the fantastic views of the harbour.
After that we again walked down another busting interesting street that was parallel to the main Republic Street, complete with roadside cafes and music
We wanted to visit the heritage home of a former rich resident of Valleta. So we bought entry tickets to Casa Rocca Piccola ia 16th-century home to get an idea of the lifestyle of a noble Maltese family.
Many homes like this were built inside the fortified walls by the Knights of Saint John after successfully fighting off the invading Turks in 1565.
We were taken around the libraries, dining rooms, drawing rooms, bedrooms and chapel. We got an idea of their costumes, especially the famous hand made Maltese lace. A colourful parakeet in the central open courtyard kept us entertained with its screeching.
The most interesting part of the house was when we got down the steps to enter a secret spacious bomb shelter. I could just imagine the people hiding to escape the wars above the ground.
We walked back along side of the shore area to soak in the last of the terrific views of the ancient side of Valleta. We decided to skip going to the modern side, which was anyway visibke from afar from our ship.
I left Valleta with a smile and better informed about Malta- the 61st country that I had visited in my life!
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.