Heading home was a drawn-out process. Everything from Rome ran smoothly until we got to Abu Dhabi. We thought we had a quick change, but by the time two sick people had been taken off the aircraft and their luggage found we had lost our slot, and the next opportunity was a detour around Oman which meant a longer trip, which of course needed extra fuel had to be loaded on! Two hours later we were on our way. The rest was uneventful.
If you would like to see any further photos or catch up with other anecdotes, please call in. Otherwise, you can log in again when we head off on our next trip.
Cheers.
Europe Travels 2014
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Friday, October 24, 2014
The Vatican and Rome (8/10)
The Trevi Fountain was unrecognisable under the scaffolding and glass barriers |
Interior of the Pantheon |
The bottom half of the round base of Castel Sant'Angelo was the base of the Roman mausoleum! |
Chests that the Popes kept their treasure in. |
St Peter's from the Castel |
Crowds inside St Peter's |
On our way out we asked at a ticket desk where the entrance to the Vatican Museum was. They were selling guided tour tickets for a combined Sistine Chapel/Museum entry which we didn't want. We had already decided that we wouldn't go into the chapel because of the crowds. As we walked across the square the queues had about doubled in length in the short time we were in the basilica. We had been a bit lucky. To get to the museum we had to walk out of the square and around the walls for a bit, so we joined with what seemed to be thousands of others and headed in that direction. When we got there there were several options for queues. What we hadn't realised was that we could have booked on line which would have been easier because the queue was much shorter. Then we saw the price and considered €16 too much. We weren't sure if we could buy just a ticket into the museum, but decided that there were so many people milling about that we would give the whole thing a miss. We also decided not to boost dear old George's coffers just that little bit more. That price is by far and away the most we have been asked to pay, and it isn't as if the Vatican is short of a shekel or two. They must be raking it in! Still ripping off the masses! We thought that we might walk around the Vatican City instead, but when we looked at the map we decided that that was just a little ambitious, so back-tracked a little and headed in the vague direction of the hotel.
Normal human decoration on the Spanish Steps |
Part of the Baths of Diocletian - now a church |
On our way back to the hotel we investigated another church which had been built to incorporate more ancient Roman architecture, this time the Baths of Diocletian. It was a beautiful church with a completely unadorned, white vaulted ceiling. In a room to one side was a very informative display giving the history of the church, and it was Michelangelo who actually designed the vaulting and the church. Perhaps out of respect for his genius, it was decided that it didn't need any decoration. Whoever made the decision must have had some authority, because it was so rare to find a church like this. We arrived back at the hotel around 5.00pm which was early for us, and sat and wrote a bit, and packed the cases so that all we needed to do was put in the toilet bags and go. Dinner was scallops of veal with lemon (Jill) and marsala (Allan) sauce and vegetables. It was very good. Up to the usual Italian standards which was great for the our last dinner before heading home.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Baths, Nero, and the Colosseum (7/10)
Today
we were off to investigate more ruins, those of the Colosseum and the
baths of Caracalla, and anything else we happened to stumble across
on the way. There are bits of wall, large and small, fenced off all
over the place, some with explanation, but most without. Their
original status is probably not understood anyway.
On
our way down to the Colosseum we investigated a ruin marked on one of
our maps. These turned out to be yet another set of baths, this time
built by Trajan. These complexes are huge (running out of
adjectives!). Building bath houses was the same as building a temple
- to boost the builder's prestige, and to keep the masses happy.
These baths were built on top of an extraordinary complex built by
Nero called the Domus Aurea, the Golden house. This was the pinnacle
of extravagance and brought about Nero's downfall. It was supposed to
have had 300 rooms, and these were only for entertainment. Nero
thought of himself as a bit of a thespian, so this would fit with
that ego. So far no bedrooms, kitchens nor latrines have been found –
all very strange. The house was covered in gold leaf, and the
internal rooms were covered in expensive marbles, gems and ivory. He
had a lake dug where the colosseum now stands, and the whole complex
covered 200 hectares of ground.
Nero eventually committed suicide.
His house suffered in the fire (Rome burns while Nero fiddles) and in
the aftermath the house was buried and, Trajan built his baths on top
partly to erase the embarrassing memory of Nero as well as bring
himself some kudos. Since then, trees have been growing in the soil
for years. Obviously this is all now known because of excavation
work which has been done, but unfortunately not open to the public at
the moment. There is a lot of work being done to stabilise the
structure because water and the trees are destroying what is left.
We expect the trees will be removed, but this now has to be done
without causing other problems.
From here we made our way to the colosseum, and joined the queues, although because we already had tickets, it didn't take long to get in. Before we climbed the stairs to enter the arena, we had a look at an interesting exhibition on literature, writing, and libraries in the historical Roman context. Vellum started to be used after the ban on the export of papyrus from Egypt in the early centuries AD came into effect, because King Ptolemy wanted to prevent the Bergama (Turkey) Library from becoming bigger than that of Alexandria. Vellum was also cheaper, more flexible, and had a significantly higher durability in moist climates, so was an improvement anyway. Libraries became a accepted part of a bath house complex. Before that they were the prerogative of the rich. People were read to rather than sitting and reading themselves, partly because reading from a papyrus roll was an acquired skill, and partly because copies of manuscripts were expensive.
Jill
was a little surprised at the size of the colosseum. For some reason
she expected the actual arena to be larger, but it was still an
impressive sight. We hadn't realised that the arena was only used for
a short period for the water-based spectacles, and then the under
croft was fitted with twenty-eight hoists to move animals and scenery
up into the arena for the bloody games and fights the baying crowds
came to expect. Contrary to what some would like you to believe, no
Christians were sacrificed in the arena. Some criminals who were
Christian believers may have died in the arena, but not for their
beliefs. Ironically it was Christianity which saved the colosseum
from total destruction because of this myth. In the mid-1700's Pope
Benedictine XIV declared it consecrated ground and this stopped the
mining of stone for building materials by all and sundry. There
wasn't really much left to take. Most of the marble cladding and all
the statues have long gone, and the remaining internal structures are
brick. There are scraps of marble columns and capitals scattered
about but nothing really worth salvaging now. Most of the destruction
happened in the Renaissance, with the increase in building which
occurred during that period. We didn't go down into the under croft.
This had to be done with a guide, so we decided not to bother. It
was enough to know that both men and animals were killed to satisfy a
blood lust without knowing the horrific numbers.
From
the colosseum we set off for the Baths of Caracalla. These actually
provided the backdrop for the original Three Tenors concert, so it
might be worth having a look at that again. These are the most
complete of any ruins of a bath complex, and they are staggering.
They took eleven years, starting in 206, to complete, with 9000
workman working on them. All the floors were covered with beautiful
mosaics, the baths were lined with basalt, granite and alabaster. The
vaults, porticoes, gymnasium were lined with marble, and filled with
huge columns and statues. One bath alone was the size of an Olympic
swimming pool. You had the usually warm, hot and cold baths, the
steam room, change rooms etc. The baths could accommodate 1,600
bathers at one time. There were two levels, but none of the
information boards informed us of the use of the second floor. A huge
portico surrounded the complex, and this accommodated shops and a
library. These baths were in operation
until the Visigoths lay siege to Rome and cut off the water supply.
They then fell into disuse and gradually decayed. As usual, all the
valuable stone and statues were robbed away, so that all that is left
is the brick under-structure, some of the mosaic floor and a
smattering of marble cornicing here and there on the upper walls,
giving just a hint of what it looked like.
As we were effectively on the Via Appia Antica, we thought that we would walk along it for a bit. There are still the remains of many mausoleums and other Roman ruins along it so thought it would be interesting. The first part of it was lined by tall brick walls on both sides. We passed some catacombs but they weren't open. We reached the the gate of San Sebastián, one of the gates in the original Roman walls, and decided to go no further. It was peak hour, and there didn't appear to be any footpaths on the continuation of the Via, so walking it was not going to be any fun. We decided to walk around the walls for a bit, before heading back in the direction of our hotel. The walls didn't really look as if they were defensive, certainly not against artillery (the Romans did have siege engines) although it appeared that arrow slits had been introduced into the walls at a later date. There was a walkway on the top of the wall, but the walls themselves were not very thick and wouldn't have stood up to a battering, so must really have been for controlling passage of people and goods in and out of the city.
Remains of Trajan's baths |
A lot of effort is going towards preserving what is left of Nero's Domus Aurea |
From here we made our way to the colosseum, and joined the queues, although because we already had tickets, it didn't take long to get in. Before we climbed the stairs to enter the arena, we had a look at an interesting exhibition on literature, writing, and libraries in the historical Roman context. Vellum started to be used after the ban on the export of papyrus from Egypt in the early centuries AD came into effect, because King Ptolemy wanted to prevent the Bergama (Turkey) Library from becoming bigger than that of Alexandria. Vellum was also cheaper, more flexible, and had a significantly higher durability in moist climates, so was an improvement anyway. Libraries became a accepted part of a bath house complex. Before that they were the prerogative of the rich. People were read to rather than sitting and reading themselves, partly because reading from a papyrus roll was an acquired skill, and partly because copies of manuscripts were expensive.
View of the undercroft at the Colosseum. The structure allows cages of animals to be hauled to the surface by a sophisticated pulley system |
The Baths of Caracalla - the circular area was the hot room. The walls are almost 40 metres high! |
The Roman city walls seem to be symbolic rather than effectual |
As we were effectively on the Via Appia Antica, we thought that we would walk along it for a bit. There are still the remains of many mausoleums and other Roman ruins along it so thought it would be interesting. The first part of it was lined by tall brick walls on both sides. We passed some catacombs but they weren't open. We reached the the gate of San Sebastián, one of the gates in the original Roman walls, and decided to go no further. It was peak hour, and there didn't appear to be any footpaths on the continuation of the Via, so walking it was not going to be any fun. We decided to walk around the walls for a bit, before heading back in the direction of our hotel. The walls didn't really look as if they were defensive, certainly not against artillery (the Romans did have siege engines) although it appeared that arrow slits had been introduced into the walls at a later date. There was a walkway on the top of the wall, but the walls themselves were not very thick and wouldn't have stood up to a battering, so must really have been for controlling passage of people and goods in and out of the city.
Malta to the Forum in Rome (6/10)
The
taxi was on time and we were off to the airport at 6.29am. Check-in
was a bit of Rafferty's rules. The board indicated the desk to line
up at, but then all the screens would just scroll through the names
of the destinations of every flight leaving, so it appeared that you
could line up anywhere. That done Jill bought and wrote one last post
card, then we went through security. Within the EU moving from
country to country so easy. No customs checks at all. We boarded the
flight and unfortunately didn't have a window seat which was a pity
as the weather was fine. It would have been good views of Malta as we
took off. We were late leaving, but the flight took just over an hour
so I think the pilot put his foot down. It seemed to take ages to
collect our luggage - forty-five minutes from touch down to
collection of bags, and there was no customs check in that time. We
caught the train into Rome Central because our hotel was within
walking distance (as planned) of the station. Our room was ready so
we were able to drop our bags and take advantage of the rest of the
day.
We decided to walk down to the Forum, getting a feel for Rome on the way. Rome appears much cleaner than Palermo, and the driving is a little less fraught, although the drivers “take no prisoners”. They are far less tolerant of pedestrians than the Sicilians.
The Forum, or Forum Magnum as it was originally known, was really a marketplace and therefore the centre of Roman public life. Because it was where people gathered, it became the site of triumphal processions, elections, public speeches, criminal trials, etc, as well as normal commercial activity. Many of the oldest and most important structures such as shrines and temples were built close to the Forum for the same reason. Traditionally, the first forum was supposed to have been created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, sometime after 753 BC. As Rome grew larger, other forums were created centred around particular commerce such as fish, vegetables, meat, etc, while the judicial and administrative work was managed in the Senate House or Curia. At this stage the emperors built their own Imperial Forums, partly to deify themselves, and partly to celebrate a great victory or event in which they had been involved, and these were used for the main celebrations, speeches, elections, etc. Particularly around the Imperial Forums some of the temples would be built by army leaders in thanks to a particular god in return for a spectacular victory.
The Ancient Roman civilisation lasted for about 12 centuries and hence, as in any city, the buildings within the area were modified, destroyed, demolished, and rebuilt, and what archeologists are now trying to do is to uncover what was left after that civilisation collapsed and which has either been buried by soil build-up or utilised into other buildings which still exist today.
Allan was very surprised to see the extent of the archaeological excavations. They are far more extensive than when he was last in Rome (almost 40 years ago!), so there is a lot more information available now to piece together the history of the place.
There is no logical way way to take a tour of the area, so we will just describe some of the features that particularly caught our attention.
The temple to Saturn is the oldest one which has remains which are identifiable, and was dedicated in 497 BC, and one there is one to Castor and Pollux, dedicated in 483 BC. Some columns of these have been re-erected.
The first forum we passed was a small section of the Forum of Nerva, an Imperial Forum built by Nerva, an emperor you don't hear much of but was the first of the "five good emperors" (96AD). He was only around for a couple of years but managed to build a temple in that time.
Next to this were buildings associated with the Forum of Augustus, which has been excavated since Allan was here years ago. What strikes you immediately is the size of the ruins which remain. These aren't just a couple of courses of stones lying in the ground. These are the remains of three and four storey buildings, all built in brick, and some which have been incorporated into more recent buildings and churches. There are sections of columns lying around, along with the occasional capitol, which give you a hint of the grandeur of ancient Rome. Marble was brought from all over the empire, eg marble from Egypt and Turkey was used for Augustus' forum. Augustus built the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated in 2 BC, after promising to do so if his army was victorious at Phillipi. Often it was the spoils of war which gave them the ability to pay for such undertakings, and for Augustus it was beating the Gauls.
Trajan was able to build a forum, and the column for which he is famous, on the booty brought back from the war with the Dacians, whom he defeated. The Romans never baulked at a grandiose plan. To build his forum, sixty-one million cubic feet were removed from the base and side of the Quirinal hill! Apparently the height of the top of the column is the height of the hill before excavations started. Still standing are the semi-circular markets which formed one side of the forum, and some of the columns of his temple. Also standing is the column which depicts Trajan's two wars and his victory over the Dacians (in present Rumania). It consists of nineteen blocks of marble which are beautifully sculpted, and there is a spiral staircase inside it. There is now a continuous photograph of the carvings on the column which spiral all the way up from bottom to top. It records his victory over the Dacians in minute detail - bridges built, forts attacked, the enemy he attacked, killed, and captured.
From this part of the forum we crossed the street and were able to overlook what is left of Julius Caesar's temple and forum. This has many of its columns standing, but only because they have been reconstructed, incorporating pieces of columns, surmounted by capitols, recovered from the site.
We then headed up to the Capitoline Hill from where we were able to get a view along the length of the forum to the colosseum, the Arch of Constantine and across to the Palatine Hill. We could also see the ostentatious monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the "wedding cake" which is just so over the top, so Italian. From here we made our back down to the forum and found the entrance into the complex. Our ticket was a combined forum/colosseum ticket, so we weren't going to have to queue again for that. We headed towards the Colosseum passing a number of buildings which are still in use today, mostly as churches. These were often basilicas rather than temples as the basilicas were more usually a brick building with a columned portico. The Curia was the first of the forum's civic buildings, and was originally established in the 7th century BC, but the building itself underwent several transformations and its present location was chosen by Julius Caesar. It was originally the meeting place for the senate, but its use has changed over the centuries. It is now a church. Backing onto the Curia was the rostra which was the place where the orators and public officials addressed the people. Over time this also changed and became smaller. Another building still standing is the temple to Romulus and has managed to keep its 6th century bronze doors, still with a lock in working order. These buildings are three and four storeys high, or more. Fortunately there were very good information boards strategically located throughout the site because we didn't have a map.
We headed up to the Palatine Hill where the imperial palaces were built. This was the preferred living area for at least 300 years. These are staggering in their size. There was a huge bath house incorporated in the complex and a garden with a pool which was 160m long. Unfortunately there is no explanation as to how these palaces were used. The emperor lived here with his family, but did his retinue also live here as at Versailles, or was it empty most of the time, and was only built to impress? Don't know. We only see the brick core now. Originally these palaces were covered with marble both inside and out, floors were covered with mosaics, and some of the walls were frescoed. There would have been statues along the corridors. These palaces had running water and a sewerage system. The size leaves you open-mouthed, but when you think about the sourcing of the materials to build these you shake your head as well. These buildings are all brick, which had to be moulded and fired. Forests for miles around must have been stripped bare, unless the kilns themselves were some distance from the city, and the finished article was carted in. The logistics are just as amazing as the structures themselves when you take into consideration when they were built.
From the top of the Palatine Hill we were able to look down on the Circus Maximus, the home of chariot racing, which is 664m long by 123m wide, and initially seated 170,00, but was increased to 250,000 by Trajan. Virtually none of the structure remains, but the contour of the land indicates how it was laid out.
We returned to the forum area and continued past the temple and house to the Vestal Virgins. This was a cult is almost as old as Rome itself, having its roots back in the 8th century BC. The house was the equivalent of a convent of today, and the Vestals came from aristocratic families. They could enter in their early teens and stay for 30 years, and chastity was obligatory.
None of the temples remain in their original state, but several have three or more columns still standing to give you some idea of the height, at least twenty metres high. It must have been a very crowded area. Only the temples which faced onto the open forum and rostra would have been seen to advantage. There were a number of other commemorative columns and triumphal arches scattered throughout the area.
By now the head was spinning with information (as yours probably is trying to follow this!) and the legs were feeling a little weary. The sun was also setting so we headed back to our hotel. The forum was at least two kms from the hotel as the crow flies so we had put in a few kms in our wanderings. As we were tired, we didn't stray too far from the hotel for dinner, but what we got suggested we should have made more of an effort.
The main street through the Forum. |
We decided to walk down to the Forum, getting a feel for Rome on the way. Rome appears much cleaner than Palermo, and the driving is a little less fraught, although the drivers “take no prisoners”. They are far less tolerant of pedestrians than the Sicilians.
The Forum, or Forum Magnum as it was originally known, was really a marketplace and therefore the centre of Roman public life. Because it was where people gathered, it became the site of triumphal processions, elections, public speeches, criminal trials, etc, as well as normal commercial activity. Many of the oldest and most important structures such as shrines and temples were built close to the Forum for the same reason. Traditionally, the first forum was supposed to have been created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, sometime after 753 BC. As Rome grew larger, other forums were created centred around particular commerce such as fish, vegetables, meat, etc, while the judicial and administrative work was managed in the Senate House or Curia. At this stage the emperors built their own Imperial Forums, partly to deify themselves, and partly to celebrate a great victory or event in which they had been involved, and these were used for the main celebrations, speeches, elections, etc. Particularly around the Imperial Forums some of the temples would be built by army leaders in thanks to a particular god in return for a spectacular victory.
The Ancient Roman civilisation lasted for about 12 centuries and hence, as in any city, the buildings within the area were modified, destroyed, demolished, and rebuilt, and what archeologists are now trying to do is to uncover what was left after that civilisation collapsed and which has either been buried by soil build-up or utilised into other buildings which still exist today.
Allan was very surprised to see the extent of the archaeological excavations. They are far more extensive than when he was last in Rome (almost 40 years ago!), so there is a lot more information available now to piece together the history of the place.
There is no logical way way to take a tour of the area, so we will just describe some of the features that particularly caught our attention.
The temple to Saturn is the oldest one which has remains which are identifiable, and was dedicated in 497 BC, and one there is one to Castor and Pollux, dedicated in 483 BC. Some columns of these have been re-erected.
The first forum we passed was a small section of the Forum of Nerva, an Imperial Forum built by Nerva, an emperor you don't hear much of but was the first of the "five good emperors" (96AD). He was only around for a couple of years but managed to build a temple in that time.
The Forum of Augustus. This area was only excavated in the last 10 years. |
Next to this were buildings associated with the Forum of Augustus, which has been excavated since Allan was here years ago. What strikes you immediately is the size of the ruins which remain. These aren't just a couple of courses of stones lying in the ground. These are the remains of three and four storey buildings, all built in brick, and some which have been incorporated into more recent buildings and churches. There are sections of columns lying around, along with the occasional capitol, which give you a hint of the grandeur of ancient Rome. Marble was brought from all over the empire, eg marble from Egypt and Turkey was used for Augustus' forum. Augustus built the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated in 2 BC, after promising to do so if his army was victorious at Phillipi. Often it was the spoils of war which gave them the ability to pay for such undertakings, and for Augustus it was beating the Gauls.
Trajan's column |
Trajan was able to build a forum, and the column for which he is famous, on the booty brought back from the war with the Dacians, whom he defeated. The Romans never baulked at a grandiose plan. To build his forum, sixty-one million cubic feet were removed from the base and side of the Quirinal hill! Apparently the height of the top of the column is the height of the hill before excavations started. Still standing are the semi-circular markets which formed one side of the forum, and some of the columns of his temple. Also standing is the column which depicts Trajan's two wars and his victory over the Dacians (in present Rumania). It consists of nineteen blocks of marble which are beautifully sculpted, and there is a spiral staircase inside it. There is now a continuous photograph of the carvings on the column which spiral all the way up from bottom to top. It records his victory over the Dacians in minute detail - bridges built, forts attacked, the enemy he attacked, killed, and captured.
From this part of the forum we crossed the street and were able to overlook what is left of Julius Caesar's temple and forum. This has many of its columns standing, but only because they have been reconstructed, incorporating pieces of columns, surmounted by capitols, recovered from the site.
The lock on these bronze doors still works |
We then headed up to the Capitoline Hill from where we were able to get a view along the length of the forum to the colosseum, the Arch of Constantine and across to the Palatine Hill. We could also see the ostentatious monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the "wedding cake" which is just so over the top, so Italian. From here we made our back down to the forum and found the entrance into the complex. Our ticket was a combined forum/colosseum ticket, so we weren't going to have to queue again for that. We headed towards the Colosseum passing a number of buildings which are still in use today, mostly as churches. These were often basilicas rather than temples as the basilicas were more usually a brick building with a columned portico. The Curia was the first of the forum's civic buildings, and was originally established in the 7th century BC, but the building itself underwent several transformations and its present location was chosen by Julius Caesar. It was originally the meeting place for the senate, but its use has changed over the centuries. It is now a church. Backing onto the Curia was the rostra which was the place where the orators and public officials addressed the people. Over time this also changed and became smaller. Another building still standing is the temple to Romulus and has managed to keep its 6th century bronze doors, still with a lock in working order. These buildings are three and four storeys high, or more. Fortunately there were very good information boards strategically located throughout the site because we didn't have a map.
Gardens and palace on the Palatine |
We headed up to the Palatine Hill where the imperial palaces were built. This was the preferred living area for at least 300 years. These are staggering in their size. There was a huge bath house incorporated in the complex and a garden with a pool which was 160m long. Unfortunately there is no explanation as to how these palaces were used. The emperor lived here with his family, but did his retinue also live here as at Versailles, or was it empty most of the time, and was only built to impress? Don't know. We only see the brick core now. Originally these palaces were covered with marble both inside and out, floors were covered with mosaics, and some of the walls were frescoed. There would have been statues along the corridors. These palaces had running water and a sewerage system. The size leaves you open-mouthed, but when you think about the sourcing of the materials to build these you shake your head as well. These buildings are all brick, which had to be moulded and fired. Forests for miles around must have been stripped bare, unless the kilns themselves were some distance from the city, and the finished article was carted in. The logistics are just as amazing as the structures themselves when you take into consideration when they were built.
From the top of the Palatine Hill we were able to look down on the Circus Maximus, the home of chariot racing, which is 664m long by 123m wide, and initially seated 170,00, but was increased to 250,000 by Trajan. Virtually none of the structure remains, but the contour of the land indicates how it was laid out.
House of the Vestal Virgins |
We returned to the forum area and continued past the temple and house to the Vestal Virgins. This was a cult is almost as old as Rome itself, having its roots back in the 8th century BC. The house was the equivalent of a convent of today, and the Vestals came from aristocratic families. They could enter in their early teens and stay for 30 years, and chastity was obligatory.
None of the temples remain in their original state, but several have three or more columns still standing to give you some idea of the height, at least twenty metres high. It must have been a very crowded area. Only the temples which faced onto the open forum and rostra would have been seen to advantage. There were a number of other commemorative columns and triumphal arches scattered throughout the area.
By now the head was spinning with information (as yours probably is trying to follow this!) and the legs were feeling a little weary. The sun was also setting so we headed back to our hotel. The forum was at least two kms from the hotel as the crow flies so we had put in a few kms in our wanderings. As we were tired, we didn't stray too far from the hotel for dinner, but what we got suggested we should have made more of an effort.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Gozo part 2 (5/10)
Holiday flats, regulated deck chairs and beach umbrellas |
Trip across. Traditionally painted boat with Gozo in the background. Note the blue sky |
There are several geological features here which have become tourist attractions. There is a small bay called the Inland Sea because it's only access to the ocean is via a tunnel through the cliffs. Here, we took a short boat trip to go to Azure Cove, the Zerka Window and the Fungus Rock. We left in sunlight to first go to Azure Cove, a sea cave which has the most intense blue water in it. We think it is a combination of light and water depth which gives it its colour, but Jill would have called it lapis lazuli not azure. There were some purple and orange soft corals on the cliffs. From there we went past Zerka Window which is a natural arch formed in the limestone, and was quite impressive.
The Zerka Arch with the storm in the background |
Weather on the trip back - what a difference! |
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Marsaxlokk to White Night Malta-style (4/10)
The
day didn't start well. We had hoped to go back to Gozo today, but it
was after 10.00am before we were contacted about the power, or lack
thereof. Finally we got a phone call and it took precisely one minute
for Allan to locate some keys so that he could get into another fuse
box down by the front door. Why they couldn't have contacted us as
soon as Allan messaged them this morning who knows. So that meant a
change of plan. We decided to reverse our plans and go down to
Marsaxlokk today and go to Gozo tomorrow. It is a pity, because there
was a festival and market in Marsaxlokk tomorrow which would have
been interesting.
We
caught the bus into Valletta and decided to go to St. John's
Co-cathedral before heading off to Marsaxlokk because we didn't know
how long we would be down on the coast. It was just as well. The
Cathedral closed at 12.30pm today so we would have missed it again,
but what a crowd! To put other information into perspective, it was
worth the effort. The cathedral was started in 1573, although the
foundation stone for the new city, started after the Great Siege, was
laid in 1566. Fortunately it escaped damage during the war. For the
first hundred years its austere exterior was matched by a simple
barrel vaulted interior.
Off the nave were chapels for each of the eight auberges which the Order was divided into, and each of these was dedicated to their own patron Saint. As the power and wealth of Rome grew, the Order decided that it had to match the extravagance that was being created in Rome, not to mention a little competition between the auberges as well. This was at the height of the Baroque period, so every square inch of the interior was decorated. It was breath-taking. Gilded stucco work was everywhere, and in each of the chapels was a painted alter piece, and often at least two memorials to past Grand Masters of the Order. Some of the sculptures were beautiful, having been carved in Italy by the masters of the time. You have to remember that many of the Knights of the Order, and in particular those who held office, were very rich men in their own right, so they could afford to pay for the top artists.
The floors of
the chapels and the church were covered in the beautiful gravestones
of the most noble of the knights who died on Malta and were
subsequently buried there. They are all of inlaid marble of many
hues. The workmanship is stunning. From the main church we moved into
the Oratory, built by the Order where the noviciates were taught
practices of the Order. This was a little less ornate, but held two
magnificent paintings by Carravagio. One, the largest and only
painting he signed, of "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist"
was originally the alter piece in the church, but this was replaced
in 1710 by an equally magnificent sculpture of "St. John
Baptising Christ In the River Jordan ". Carravagio arrived in
Malta after fleeing Rome on the threat of imprisonment after he
killed a man in a brawl. He became a noviciate and was accepted into
the Order, but after just several months he quarrelled and injured a
knight of higher rank and was jailed. He managed to escape, and never
returned. The second smaller painting is "Saint Jerome Writing"
and was bequeathed to the the Chapel of Italy, but has been moved
into the Oratory for safe keeping.
From the Oratory you had the option of going through the museum or exiting the cathedral. We opted to go through the museum, and saw some of their collection of tapestries. This is apparently the only complete set of tapestries known. Often sets are broken up when they fall out of fashion or their owners need some cash. There are twenty-nine of them, and they are huge. The original cartoons for them were drawn by Rubens. They used to be hung in the cathedral on special occasions. At present there isn't enough space in the museum to have them all on display at once. There were also some very early books of choral music, in a very large format, but perhaps this is so that several choristers could gather around them to read the music. It would have been too expensive to have had individual sheets of music. There were some vestments donated by several of the Grand Masters, all beautifully embroidered. Although the cathedral was very crowded, we were pleased to have seen it. Photographs give you no comprehension of what it is really like. It is like listening to the radio instead of being at the concert.
It was then back to the bus station via the crêperie as it was lunch time. They welcomed us like long lost friends. Allan had a chat with them. They are from Brittany where they said there was too much competition so decided to try their luck elsewhere. They knew about the crêperie we have been to in Melbourne. This time it was one savoury one and one sweet one.
The bus trip to Marsaxlokk took us in a different direction again, this time down to the south east. The countryside really doesn't vary very much. We took a little while to get through the suburbs and then we were into rural country, where the fields are a little larger and are probably big enough for a tractor rather than a hand-guided rotary hoe. We passed several watchtowers along the way. These were built by the Order to maintain a coast watch system.
We guessed correctly and got off at the right bus stop and walked down into Marsaxlokk, a fishing village which has grown somewhat. Fishing is probably still its livelihood but tourism also plays a large part. There were a number of market stalls along the waterfront. Riding at anchor were many of the small, brightly painted traditional fishing boats called luzzu. These have a very high prow and vary in size, although most are small enough for one man to handle. They are supposed to have derived from the Phoenician boats, and all of them have the eye of Osiris painted on the bow, which offers protection against all the dangers the sea might throw at them. We wandered along the waterfront, through the market and back again. There were a couple of bus loads of people, but in the main it was very quiet and peaceful. Were a
couple of bus loads of people, but in the main it was very quiet and
peaceful. We had a bit of a wait for the bus back to Valletta, but it
was warm and sunny, so it didn't matter.
We went straight back to the apartment and then decided that we would return to Valletta for an early dinner then see what Valletta's version of "Notte Bianca" or "White Night" had to offer. We sat outside (haven't eaten inside since Sicily) and were busy eating our pizzas at a restaurant in the main street when the drums, then the pipes of a local band started away in the distance, then marched down past our table and disappeared. It created a real stir amongst many of the patrons at the restaurant. That set the scene for the evening. We finished dinner and set out to explore.
Our
first stop was on the steps of the cathedral. Here a group of singers
were performing popular arias from a number of operas. I have to day
that it quite a surreal experience having the toreador doing his
thing in one ear, and having the bagpipes playing a Scottish air in
the other. The tenor coped very well. When the singers had finished,
an army band took over. We didn't wait for them to finish their set.
From there we went into the building which at one time had been the
law courts and is now the Public Health Department. The building was
originally commissioned in 1757 by Grand Master Pinto to house the
Civil and Criminal Tribunal of the Order. It also housed a chapel and
a prison. The courts were eventually moved out of here in 1853, and
it became a girls school before being abandoned for nearly half a
century before before becoming what it is today. It was actually here
where the discovery was made that Brucellosis,
which
was present in goat's milk, was the cause of fever and that measures
could be taken to prevent this. There were many other government
buildings not normally open to the public which had their doors open,
but the queues were very long so we avoided them. Having earlier in
the day paid to go into St John's Co- cathedral, we decided to have
another look to see what it was like at night. This proved worth it,
because there were fewer crowds, some of the chapels we hadn't been
able to get into were accessible, and the chairs had been moved so
that you could see the tomb stones in all their massed magnificence.
From here we wandered down a side street and came across an
Australian jazz band which we listened to until someone literally
pulled the plug on them and the music died. The auberge which is also
the parliament building was open but as I said the queues weren't
worth it. There was a stage in front of it where some musicians were
setting up, but they were taking so long we wandered off, passing a
band in the old opera house which seemed to make more loud music
without much tune. We hurried past head-banging group down yet
another street and came out onto St George's Square where there was a
brass band playing up on a balcony of another of the aubergues. From
there we came across a female jazz singer who had a great voice and
could really play the piano as well, and then heard the last number
by a duo playing ukulele and guitar. Our final hoorah before heading
back home was to go via St John's cathedral steps to see what was on.
There we heard a tenor sing several popular songs, then "I'm A
Believer" followed by "Nesum Dorma". We decided that
those two did go together. Shrek sang the former, and Pavarotti the
latter, and both had a similar physique! We decided Valletta had put
on a much better White Night than Melbourne, and we thoroughly
enjoyed it.
St John's co-cathedral - very ornate |
Off the nave were chapels for each of the eight auberges which the Order was divided into, and each of these was dedicated to their own patron Saint. As the power and wealth of Rome grew, the Order decided that it had to match the extravagance that was being created in Rome, not to mention a little competition between the auberges as well. This was at the height of the Baroque period, so every square inch of the interior was decorated. It was breath-taking. Gilded stucco work was everywhere, and in each of the chapels was a painted alter piece, and often at least two memorials to past Grand Masters of the Order. Some of the sculptures were beautiful, having been carved in Italy by the masters of the time. You have to remember that many of the Knights of the Order, and in particular those who held office, were very rich men in their own right, so they could afford to pay for the top artists.
Some of the marble-inlay floor |
From the Oratory you had the option of going through the museum or exiting the cathedral. We opted to go through the museum, and saw some of their collection of tapestries. This is apparently the only complete set of tapestries known. Often sets are broken up when they fall out of fashion or their owners need some cash. There are twenty-nine of them, and they are huge. The original cartoons for them were drawn by Rubens. They used to be hung in the cathedral on special occasions. At present there isn't enough space in the museum to have them all on display at once. There were also some very early books of choral music, in a very large format, but perhaps this is so that several choristers could gather around them to read the music. It would have been too expensive to have had individual sheets of music. There were some vestments donated by several of the Grand Masters, all beautifully embroidered. Although the cathedral was very crowded, we were pleased to have seen it. Photographs give you no comprehension of what it is really like. It is like listening to the radio instead of being at the concert.
It was then back to the bus station via the crêperie as it was lunch time. They welcomed us like long lost friends. Allan had a chat with them. They are from Brittany where they said there was too much competition so decided to try their luck elsewhere. They knew about the crêperie we have been to in Melbourne. This time it was one savoury one and one sweet one.
The bus trip to Marsaxlokk took us in a different direction again, this time down to the south east. The countryside really doesn't vary very much. We took a little while to get through the suburbs and then we were into rural country, where the fields are a little larger and are probably big enough for a tractor rather than a hand-guided rotary hoe. We passed several watchtowers along the way. These were built by the Order to maintain a coast watch system.
Traditional boats at Marsaxlokk |
We went straight back to the apartment and then decided that we would return to Valletta for an early dinner then see what Valletta's version of "Notte Bianca" or "White Night" had to offer. We sat outside (haven't eaten inside since Sicily) and were busy eating our pizzas at a restaurant in the main street when the drums, then the pipes of a local band started away in the distance, then marched down past our table and disappeared. It created a real stir amongst many of the patrons at the restaurant. That set the scene for the evening. We finished dinner and set out to explore.
An operatic group keeping the crowd entertained |
A Jazz group lead by an Australian |
Embattled Malta, Tarxien Temples (3/10)
We
had quite a thunderstorm last night which was great as it cleared the
air a little. We were off to find the Malta at War Museum and the
Tarxien Temples today, both on the opposite side of the Grand Harbour
from Valletta. This meant a number of bus changes again, but we didn't have to wait to long for any of them which was good. The war museum was located in the walls
of the original bastion of Vittoriosa, one of the Three Cities
opposite Valletta. The Three Cities is made up of Senglea, Vittoriosa
(formerly Birgu) and Cospicua. During the Great Siege, the
inhabitants of fortified Senglea and Birgu showed great courage in
surviving the onslaught and it was only after the seige that Cospicua
was also fortified, and this new fortification enclosed all three
cities with massive bastions, hence the grouping. These cities predate Valletta, and the
Order (Knights of St John) had its original seat of government here, but after it was
transferred to Valletta the Three Cities remained the base for the
Order's shipyards and navy.
The Knights must have kept their people very busy as there are bastions everywhere around Valletta, and you never know what they are hiding. It is to be expected that they have guardhouses and weapons stores and this is where this museum is housed. This
time we had to pay direct entry into the Museum. (Up until now most
of the museums and historical sites we had visited had been on a
Heritage Malta ticket which made it certainly worth buying.) We knew
that Malta had received the George Medal for its fortitude during
WWII, but were short on details, so we hoped this visit would remedy
that by giving us some of the history.
At the beginning of the war, Malta was almost abandoned by the British in favour of Alexandria because the French were supposed to look after the Western Mediterranean, but when France capitulated, Britain realised that Malta must be held at all costs. It was recognised by both sides that Malta held a very strategic position in the Mediterranean. It was from here that the Allies could attack Axis supplies to Rommel in North Africa, so Hitler desperately wanted it neutralised (he needed Libyan oil as well), and Britain was equally desperate to maintain it as an air and naval base. The situation on Malta sat on a knife edge throughout the three years they were under attack, and it became more desperate as the siege lengthened. Food rations dropped to under 2000 calories a day, there was little fuel, and clothing became scarce. On the military front, sometimes there were no planes in flying condition to scramble to oppose the incoming bombers. Even though more aircraft eventually arrived, a submarine base was created, and naval power was strengthened, the siege of Malta wasn't lifted until Rommel was defeated at El Alamein and Allied forces were landed in North Africa in Vichy French Morocco and Algeria. At the start of the war, most of Malta's population live in Valletta (23,000 in 0.65 km2) and the Three Cities (18,000 in 1.3km2), and these areas suffered the heaviest, most concentrated, and most sustained bombing in history. For the density of population the casualties were relatively light - 1300 killed. But the privations suffered were felt most in the young and the old. Infant mortality rose to 256 per 1000 births. Many Maltese left the cities and fled to the country. Those who remained were eventually housed in an amazing network of dugouts in the cliffs surrounding the Grand Harbour. Some of what we have seen when moving about the island started to make sense.
By the end of the war, 30,000 buildings had been destroyed. Britain offered the Maltese assisted passage to emigrate to Australia or Canada. Most of those who took up the option were the able-bodied younger generation and this is why there are almost more Maltese living in Australia then there are in Malta. This may also account for the land we have seen which appears un-worked, and for the number of buildings which seem abandoned The older generation stayed, and when they passed away there was no-one on the island to take over. Also, farming here would be very hard. There is little arable land, fields are small requiring manual labour to till the soil, and the climate is harsh. Having endured the hardships of years of war, many would have taken the opportunity to move away from a difficult rural life, or a life which lay in ruins in Valletta. We may be a bit harsh in this assessment as we are seeing the land at the end of summer and they have been expecting rain for several weeks now. (No photographs allowed in the museum)
The museum itself covered many different aspects of the war, but perhaps the most interesting were the underground tunnels in which the Maltese sheltered during the bombing and which were now part of the museum. We had to wear hard hats to go down, and with good reason as we bumped our heads a number of times on the ceiling of the small tunnels. (May not have been an issue for the Maltese as we haven't seen so many short people in a community). There were tunnels everywhere, and these included a small hospital. It would not have been a very pleasant place to stay, but then being outside was no fun either.
On our way down to the harbour from the museum we walked past the Inquisition Museum. This was included in the Heritage Malta ticket so we decided to investigate. It wasn't huge and was housed in the building which the Inquisitors lived and worked in until Bonaparte told them to go away. They were no better or no worse than the East German Stasi or the KGB, in that you were expected to let the authorities know when you had witnessed something which was against church dogma. We found out that less than ten percent of individuals were tortured (very good of them!!!) and most punishments were not physical (just stretching!). At least there were no torture implements on show, but the building did include the prison cells. These were rebuilt after one chap dug his way out eight times! (The Count of Monte Cristo was an amateur by these standards!).
After
checking out the Grand Harbour from the other side, we set off to
catch the bus to the prehistoric Tarxien temples. Fortunately Allan
followed his intuition and we got off at the right stop. This
temple complex is the youngest of these ancient ones on Malta, and not
surprisingly, the most sophisticated. Again the floor plan is a
series of apsidal rooms grouped around a central passageway, although
here there is no mention of there being an astrological component to
their alignment. These temples have more decoration, and more niches
than the others, There are also several "altars" which have
small niches on top of them, and one was found to have flint knives
and animal bones in them. There were also several large vessels and
the remains of a huge statue of a large-bottomed sitting figure
found. The decoration is mostly variations on a spiral theme, but
beautifully worked. Under a number of the megaliths have been found
large balls of worked stone, and some have theorised that these were
used to move the stone slabs into position from the quarry. The
society which built the temples on Malta and Gozo seems to have been
home grown, existed for just over a thousand years then suddenly
disappeared. During the Bronze Age, the Tarxien temples were used for
funerary purposes and turned into a cremation cemetery, and finally
abandoned. This group came to light again in 1913 when farmers
complained to an archeologist, working on a site nearby, that their
ploughs kept hitting large blocks of stone. In the 1950's more work
was done on the site, and there was a lot of reconstruction carried
out. Many of the standing megaliths were capped with concrete, and
some stone walls re-erected, but the essence of the site has been
maintained and further work is currently being carried out.
From here it was back into Valletta to go to St John's Co-cathedral. This was the original cathedral built by the Order of St John when Valletta became their base. Unfortunately we arrived too late. So then Jill wanted to go to the post office before it closed at five. Ha ha – firstly it was difficult to find as it was not well signposted and then it closed at 3.45pm! So, we headed off to walk down to the waterfront and came across a real French crêperie (set up in a space just wide enough for the lady and her hotplate to be side by side). This lifted the spirits - a proper crêpe smothered with home-made salted caramel. We shall return!
We did get to the
waterfront and looked across Marsamxett Harbour towards where we are
staying. This is the harbour on the other side of the peninsula that
Valletta is built on - Grand Harbour on the south east and Marsamxett
Harbour on the north west. We also found a post card seller who also
sold stamps so the day ended not so badly after all. Then it was back
home for a bit, before wandering out to dinner. We thought that we
might catch the bus around to another area of restaurants north of
us, but the buses were full, so we gave up on that idea. We suspect
that it may also be the nightclub area and it was Friday night.
Whilst eating dinner, lightening started to play in the sky, so we
decided to head home before it started raining. The storm broke not
long after and we lost all power and lights. We suspected it was a
fuse, but the fuse box in the apartment wasn't the one which would
switch on our lights, so it was off to bed after letting our landlord
know of the situation.
Part of the walls and moat (now part utilised with more buildings) of the Three Cities |
At the beginning of the war, Malta was almost abandoned by the British in favour of Alexandria because the French were supposed to look after the Western Mediterranean, but when France capitulated, Britain realised that Malta must be held at all costs. It was recognised by both sides that Malta held a very strategic position in the Mediterranean. It was from here that the Allies could attack Axis supplies to Rommel in North Africa, so Hitler desperately wanted it neutralised (he needed Libyan oil as well), and Britain was equally desperate to maintain it as an air and naval base. The situation on Malta sat on a knife edge throughout the three years they were under attack, and it became more desperate as the siege lengthened. Food rations dropped to under 2000 calories a day, there was little fuel, and clothing became scarce. On the military front, sometimes there were no planes in flying condition to scramble to oppose the incoming bombers. Even though more aircraft eventually arrived, a submarine base was created, and naval power was strengthened, the siege of Malta wasn't lifted until Rommel was defeated at El Alamein and Allied forces were landed in North Africa in Vichy French Morocco and Algeria. At the start of the war, most of Malta's population live in Valletta (23,000 in 0.65 km2) and the Three Cities (18,000 in 1.3km2), and these areas suffered the heaviest, most concentrated, and most sustained bombing in history. For the density of population the casualties were relatively light - 1300 killed. But the privations suffered were felt most in the young and the old. Infant mortality rose to 256 per 1000 births. Many Maltese left the cities and fled to the country. Those who remained were eventually housed in an amazing network of dugouts in the cliffs surrounding the Grand Harbour. Some of what we have seen when moving about the island started to make sense.
The view from one bastion to another, and yes, those are yacht masts in between - the yachts are in the narrow harbour. |
By the end of the war, 30,000 buildings had been destroyed. Britain offered the Maltese assisted passage to emigrate to Australia or Canada. Most of those who took up the option were the able-bodied younger generation and this is why there are almost more Maltese living in Australia then there are in Malta. This may also account for the land we have seen which appears un-worked, and for the number of buildings which seem abandoned The older generation stayed, and when they passed away there was no-one on the island to take over. Also, farming here would be very hard. There is little arable land, fields are small requiring manual labour to till the soil, and the climate is harsh. Having endured the hardships of years of war, many would have taken the opportunity to move away from a difficult rural life, or a life which lay in ruins in Valletta. We may be a bit harsh in this assessment as we are seeing the land at the end of summer and they have been expecting rain for several weeks now. (No photographs allowed in the museum)
The museum itself covered many different aspects of the war, but perhaps the most interesting were the underground tunnels in which the Maltese sheltered during the bombing and which were now part of the museum. We had to wear hard hats to go down, and with good reason as we bumped our heads a number of times on the ceiling of the small tunnels. (May not have been an issue for the Maltese as we haven't seen so many short people in a community). There were tunnels everywhere, and these included a small hospital. It would not have been a very pleasant place to stay, but then being outside was no fun either.
On our way down to the harbour from the museum we walked past the Inquisition Museum. This was included in the Heritage Malta ticket so we decided to investigate. It wasn't huge and was housed in the building which the Inquisitors lived and worked in until Bonaparte told them to go away. They were no better or no worse than the East German Stasi or the KGB, in that you were expected to let the authorities know when you had witnessed something which was against church dogma. We found out that less than ten percent of individuals were tortured (very good of them!!!) and most punishments were not physical (just stretching!). At least there were no torture implements on show, but the building did include the prison cells. These were rebuilt after one chap dug his way out eight times! (The Count of Monte Cristo was an amateur by these standards!).
Temples at Tarxien. Partly restored |
An inner part of the temple at Tarxien. Because of drawings on the walls it is thought that this might be an entrance for pigs, perhaps for sacrifice |
From here it was back into Valletta to go to St John's Co-cathedral. This was the original cathedral built by the Order of St John when Valletta became their base. Unfortunately we arrived too late. So then Jill wanted to go to the post office before it closed at five. Ha ha – firstly it was difficult to find as it was not well signposted and then it closed at 3.45pm! So, we headed off to walk down to the waterfront and came across a real French crêperie (set up in a space just wide enough for the lady and her hotplate to be side by side). This lifted the spirits - a proper crêpe smothered with home-made salted caramel. We shall return!
Looking across the harbour towards our accommodation |
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