Tag Archives: travel photography

Banners for the upcoming Feast of St. Augustine, Valletta

One of the striking aspects of strolling the streets of Valletta, Malta, are the colors that abound everywhere. For instance, in May there’s a week-long Feast of St. Augustine, and vivid red-and-gold banners fly everywhere. Even though M.S. Prinsendam arrived some three weeks before the festival, the banners were already in evidence over many streets. And below is a photo of a Valletta vendor vending various vines beneath a vaulted verdigris dome (sorry; couldn’t resist that one):

Valletta vendor vending various vines

Let us remember that Malta has been for much of its history a very strategic fortress. As such, there are many fortifications on the island. Here is a view of St. John’s Bastion:

St. John’s Bastion, Valletta

There are many statues and fountains around Valletta, such as the ones below:

Statue on the General Workers Union building, Valletta

Republic Square, Valletta

Triton Fountain, Valletta

Wall fountain at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta

And, of course, those wonderful wooden Maltese balconies, called gallerija:

Maltese gallarija (balcony)

Valletta Waterfront

There is a lot of history in the Mediterranean, and the island nation of Malta (Republic of Malta) is the focal point for a lot of it. And while Malta is actually an archipelago consisting of many islands (many not more than large rocks jutting from the sea), only the three largest are inhabited. The island we’re on today is Malta Island, and the city we’ll be exploring is the capital Valletta.

Valletta Waterfront

The cruise ship port in the Grand Harbor is alongside an area called the Valletta Waterfront. What is today a retail complex with stores, restaurants, and bars dates back to the 18th century.

Valletta Waterfront

The Valletta Waterfront is but an appetizer to what you’ll find later, but for now let’s just concentrate on this area. Notice above the bright colored doors green rails of the balconies, and multicolored shutters set against the soft yellowed stone masonry. It’s and really fun contrast. In the shot below you’ll see wood-enclosed balconies, which seems to be a feature of the architecture here in Valletta. These balconies are called gallarija(see: Mysteries of the Maltese ‘gallarija’)

Valletta Waterfront with ‘gallarija’ balconies

You’ll be seeing a lot of these gallarija during our tour of Valletta, but here’s a closeup view to whet your appetite:

Maltese gallarija (balconies)

Walking along the waterfront, we encountered one gentleman who was preparing to test his newest R/C boat model. He was quite excited that I correctly identified is as John Kennedy’s PT-109, since he had yet to place the decals on his pride:

PT-109 preparing to launch

There were other, larger vessels awaiting digital capture here, as well:

Port of Valletta

We’ll venture out beyone Valletta Waterfront starting with some images on this week’s Fun Photo Friday, and start talking about Valletta in earnest next week. Until then, here are some samples of what awaits:

Valletta Waterfront

Malota

Malta