Oct 10th
This morning we got up really early and headed to the airport. We checked our bags and got on a flight to Valletta, the capital city of Malta.
It was a great flight and my brothers were given a special treat; they got to be taken up to the cockpit to meet the pilot and co-pilot!
They were so excited! It only took 1 hour to fly from Rome to Valletta.
My mom and dad decided not to get a rental car in Malta and just to take the buses around, and it is a great idea. In Malta, you can get a bus pass and then you can go anywhere you like on the whole Island. We all got bus passes and we are going to use them for the whole week!
After we got to the Airbnb apartment we just relaxed for a bit, then we went out to a near by restaurant and had dinner. Again, I had spaghetti bolognaise! I JUST LOVE THE STUFF!
Oct 11th 2019
This morning we got up pretty early and took a bus over to a very famous site in Malta. It is called the Hypogeum. Hypogeum means “underground” in greek.
It is a set of caverns and caves that were hollowed out by people almost 7000 years ago. They were used as massive sites to deposit their dead. Each cavern was dug and then filled with hundreds, if not thousands of bones. We learned that they put the bodies in the upper chambers after the people died, then when they were just bones they were moved to the lower chambers and put in huge underground pits.
There were also rooms that were dug out to be special chambers for ceremonies. They were built to look like the matching temples that were built above ground. It was pretty amazing to see. They weren’t found until the the late 1800’s when a man who was digging a cistern (a rain water holding device) underground broke through into the chambers. It was the first time they were opened for over 5000 years.
It was very special to be in there, we had to book last spring to be able to get a spot for the tour they only take 10 people every hour as they are trying really hard to protect the site. While we were there people showed up to see it and she said “I’m sorry the next available date we have is in January!”
We then traveled into Valletta, which is the biggest city in Malta. It was built after the great siege of 1575 when the Knights of St. John defended Malta from the Turkish invasion. It was really flattened after WW2, but it was rebuilt. It is a walking city and we walked all over the city.
We started by walking to the Upper Barakka gardens where a plaque had been unveiled to the brave soldiers who worked for Air Sea Rescue in the RAF in Malta. These were the crew that would go out to rescue or retrieve the down pilots from the ocean during the war. My Great-Grandfather was stationed in Malta to work for Air Sea rescue. My Papa was very proud to see the plaque!
Here is a picture of my Great Grandfather with his squadron from the Air Sea Rescue. He is right in the middle, second row from the top, 5th from the right.
We then walked down towards the Fort of St. Elmo, which is the original fort that defended Malta during the Great siege as well as during WW2. We got to see a show called the Malta Expereince, which was great because it taught us all the history of Malta and of all the people who have lived, died and conquered Malta. My dad says you can hear it in the language of Malta. Maltese is a combination language: there are Arabic words, Italian words, and even French words, and then everyone also speaks English!
Out last stop of the day was to go on a tour of the original hospital of the Knights of St. John. In the picture you can see the original hospital ward (for rich men) below each had their own toilet (see the little doors).
In Canada you can take a first aid course from St. John Ambulance. If you look at the symbol you will see the Maltese cross in the middle. That is because the Knights of St. John used Malta as a base to set up a hospital to treat pilgrims on the road to the holy land for pilgrimage.
It then became the hospital for the whole region and treated patients of all races, religions and sides during wars. We visited the hospital and although the building is now used for huge functions, it still stands as the site of one of the first huge hospitals.
Oct 12th 2019
Today we are going to the War museum. We are going to learn all about the different wars that have happened here on Malta. The two really big sieges were the one in the 1500’s between the Turks and the Knights of St. John and then the one in 1940-1943 in World War 2. We learned about both of them and how both times the Maltese people had to fight so hard to survive. An interesting thing I learned was how they stored grain. They dug huge underground graineries that could withstand intense bombings and helped the people to survive a long time. They actually used them until 1962, then they closed them up. All you can see it the tops of them, but they go way down underground.
I enjoyed learning about the WW2. My Papa’s father (my great grandfather Farquharson) was sent to Malta to protect it. He was in the Air sea rescue and also worked as a Morse code operator. He died before I was born, so it was special to try to get to know him. My Mom said he was a very special man, who always told the best stories.
If you look carefully at the Maltese Flag you will see a cross in the top corner, it is the George Cross. Awarded by King George of Britain in
1942 for outstanding heroism and devotion. It is the top honour that a King can bestow in a country. Malta was awarded it after surviving the bombing raids by Italy and Germany at the beginning of the war.
The war museum was cool. It had guns and other cool stuff. We learned that at the beginning of the war Malta only had 3 planes to put in the air against so many Italian and German Bombers. At one point in the was Malta was the most bombed place on earth. What a terrible thing.
We saw one picture of the Royal Opera house. This was the opera house before it was bombed, then the day after it was bombed, and then finally what it looks like today. It is one the only buildings they chose not to rebuild. It stands as a reminder. You can see Liam and Brendan on the steps that are in each picture.
Then we went home we had a good rest in the house and then we went back in to town. We were going go the the city of Birgu which is across the harbour from Valletta. We are going to see the Birgu lights festival.
Everyone in the whole town turned out all the lights and hung candles outside of every house, store and on every road. It was so beautiful.
We ate some awesome street food and I had the best food ever. It was called Cheese Wheel Pasta. The man poured hot boiled pasta into a huge cheese wheel then he mixed it around and served it up with bacon! Delicious!!!
We walked into the main city square and there was a huge band playing. We all had a dance party, I even got my Nanny to dance! Liam was a super star – dancing up a storm!
We headed home on a super packed bus, and finally, after a long day we went to bed.
Oct 13th
Today we went to find were my Great Grandfather was standing in a picture that we have of him from his war days here in Malta. This is my Great Grandfather Donald Farquharson, when he was 19 years old.
We have been asking local people to look at the photo to see if they recognize anything in it. When we were at the war museum, sure enough one of the guides lead us to the spot! We went on the bus to the town of Luqa. Luqa is the town by the airport and it was the sight of the RAF air forces base during the war. My Great Grandfather is standing at the airport and the clue was the church that is behind him. We found the church, which was called St. Andrew’s church. We saw a hill in the back and decided to walk to it. My Papa was really excited to find the place where his father fought in WW2. We couldn't get to the exact place because the airport has built huge big new building there now and the it is all fenced off. But we got close enough! It was a really fun mystery to solve!
After we went out to the ocean’s edge and had a beautiful lunch on the sea shore. It was our final day with my Nanny and Papa and it was a great day.
What an amazing day!
Onwards!
Tia and Mari
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