Majestic Malta -

May 13, 2017 - Valletta Grand Harbour - last port of call.

The early morning arrival - cabin window rinsed by sea spray, but oh what

 a perfect shade of sea blue with the golden city beyond.

The Grand Harbour of Valletta, the 16th century 'Fortress City' built 

by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.

Go HERE for more of the very interesting history.

Arrow marking our ship, Noble Caledonia's MS Island Sky, being refueled

 on arrival in Malta.

Australian traveling friends, Michelle and son George enjoying

views of the city from the famous Barrakka Gardens, highest point of the 

city's 16th century bastion walls built by the Knights to protect the city.

Statue of Sir. Winston Churchill in the Barrakka Gardens. 

Maltese cats enjoying the gardens.

Always ancient faces peering down - what historic tales they could tell.

The richly decorated St. John's Cathedral was constructed 1572-1577 with

 elaborate inlaid marble tombstones and artworks, including in the oratory 

the famous Caravaggio painting 'The Beheading of St. John the Baptist'.

The interior was re-decorated in the 17th century and is considered to be one

of the finest examples of high Baroque architecture in Europe.

The barrel vaulted ceiling of the cathedral is painted with scenes from the

 life of St. John the Baptist. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . and the beautiful floor is inlaid with the glittering tombs of 400 Knights.

Queen Victoria (Malta was part of the British Empire for over 150 years) 

contemplating ordering a tasty Maltese pizza perhaps. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . whereas we opted for delicious coffee and pastries at the historic Caffe Cordina.

Our day ashore in Valletta became very hot and there was little green shade.

I was continuing to fight 'the bug from hell' and was definitely challenged trying

 to do a lot of sightseeing. . . . . . . or celebrating at the farewell dinner that night. 

It was an amazing trip through Sicily and Malta, covering such a lot of ground

 and sailing on the beautiful Mediterranean sea.

These last four photos at Marsaxlokk Harbour taken with

 my iPhone - other photos with Sony DSC-HX400V camera)

The following day we disembarked the MS Island Sky early morning and were transported

 by coach to the airport for the return flight to the UK.  A fun quick stop along the way was

here at pretty Marsaxlokk Harbour where the fishermen were tending their boats and nets.

 Restaurants around the harbour were opening for business - all looked inviting

 but we had to be on our way.

A return trip to Malta with more time to explore the history would be

 wonderful - who knows, perhaps it will be possible.

 Never say never when you plan to travel to distant shores.

Sicily - Siracusa

May 11, 2017 - 7 AM - Island Sky docked at her berth at Siracusa (Syracuse). 

This was our last port of call in Sicily.

The approach to the city was somewhat murky that morning, however 

the closer we got the deeper the colors became. . . . . . .soon the details of

 the ancient ochre buildings became clear, beautiful and welcoming.

Our ship, Noble Caledonia's Island Sky, moving in toward her berth at 

the Syracuse waterfront - aways fun to watch the crew maneuvering a ship alongside

 and, as you can see, we couldn't have been closer to town which was great.

That morning I was really feeling the effects of the 'Euro-bug' which had hit me, 

several other passengers, plus the Island Sky's chef, quite hard.

I'd already croaked for three days with laryngitis, then a burgeoning cough over

 several days had me feeling lousy. 

Not going ashore was out of the question - most likely I would never be here

in Sicily again - so off I went, camera around my neck, bag stuffed with tissues,

Ricolas for my throat, and sunnies to hide my red, watery, no makeup eyes.

Still a few more stories to come from the May Sicily/Malta cruise - such a wonderful

 voyage to new to me places.

Sicily - Villa Romana del Casale. . . . . . .

The Sicilian port of Licata rarely receives cruise ships as most are far too large.

Fortunately, Noble Caledonia's beautiful small expedition ship, Island Sky, was able to

 dock here, making it so much easier to go ashore than alternative ways.

Prior to visiting the winery for the amazing lunch, HERE, we were off the ship

 early morning heading by coach to Piazza Amerina, Province of Enna, for the visit to

 the most amazing 4th century villa urbana. . . . . . . Villa Romana del Casale. 

It contains the richest, largest, and most complex collection of Roman

mosaics in the world, and understandably has been designated as one of

 49 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy.

The villa has the most sensational mosaics, their style and technique reminiscent

of those found in Northern Africa. Thanks to tent-like covered walkways, constructed

 to provide shelter from the elements for the mosaics, the rather slow-moving lines

 of visitors were also sheltered from the hot sun, a huge plus as there were so many

mosaics to view.

The mosaic pieces themselves are incredibly small making the finished scenes
 so detailed, almost like paintings. 
I can't even imagine how many artists, and how much time, completion of these
 amazing mosaics took.

In 1959-60 a mosaic was excavated on the floor of the room dubbed

 "Chamber of the Ten Maidens".

Informally called "the bikini girls", the young women perform sports including

 weight-lifting, discus throwing, running and ball games. 

The leopard kill of an antelope - even the dripping blood is visible.

For me, and I'm certain many others, especially if one has been on an African safari,

 the long, undulating floor of the Corridor of the Great Hunt is breathtaking, 

almost heart stopping! I wish so much I could have had more time here to look

 even closer and learn more about its story.

This mosaic is very complex and is the depiction of the capture of live wild animals in

 the most distant parts of the empire, and their subsequent transport by ship to Rome

 for the venationes, fights involving wild animals, that were held in Rome in the

 Colosseum and the Circus Maximus.

The Corridor of the Great Hunt.

Views from the Corridor of the Great Hunt ~ Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily.

The villa was probably the center of a huge agricultural estate for around 150 years, 

then damaged and perhaps destroyed during the domination of the 

Vandals and Visigoths. The site was abandoned in the 12th century AD after

 a landslide covered the villa and survivors moved to the current location of

 Piazza America. Some of the tallest parts of the remains were always above ground

 and the area was cultivated for crops. Early in the 19th century pieces of the mosaics

 and columns were found - and later that century the excavations started.

What an amazing place!

Please be aware that these are all photos taken by me in May 2017.

I will be happy to give permission to use any or all if you make a request via e-mail.