cool looking car....

yesterday my son spotted this cool looking car. Click to enlarge image.

Malta Hotels

Someone today introduced my blog, so to reciprocate I am introducing their blog. It's a blog about Malta hotels, nightlife guide, travel and history. Please do stop buy and have a look. The name of the blog is Maltahotel.blogspot and I have made a link in my side bar.

Dry and hot

This is a photo to show you how dry Malta is in the summer. Winter scenery in Malta is lush and green and spring time is nice too, however for me summers here are way too long and too hot :).

Swimming anyone??

Since I had to take the long way to go up to Siggiewi the other day I was able to stop for a couple of shots. This here is 'Wied iz-Zurrieq' a place to visit if you ever decide to come to our over heated island. Don't worry the bus strike is now over and you will be able to get to this place and then you can either have a dip or visit the lovely blue grotto which is found round the corner by taking one of the boat rides available.
If you enlarge the photo you can see people swimming down there.

...bus strike......

At the moment here on the very hot maltese islands we have a pathetic situation. I say pathetic because it really is. There is no need to go into detail on the bus service provided in Malta because I am sure that somehow you either have heard about it or encountered it yourself. So right now bus drivers are on a strike , because the monoply is being taken away from them. Ha!Ha! If you want to read more about it either google it or visit www.timesofmalta.com website. I've taken this photo two days ago next to Malta International Airport, where you can see tourists stranded and policemen standing by to keep the situation 'undercontrol'.

row row row your boat gently down .........

the bay.......This is a small boat I found on a quick de-tour trip I've taken on my way home last week. There is only one oar inside and this kind of boat is mostly used by the fishermen to get to their big boats who would be anchored metres away from the shore.

Rolls, rolls and more rolls

Bulebel is one of the places in Malta where you find factories. Today I came by this particular factory. They produce boxes for packaging. Here's a photo of the material before transformed into thousands of boxes.

Malta Freeport by night......

This is the Malta free port by night, in my opinion it looks much nicer at this time. I do not like to look at those big cranes during the day, in fact for me they look like big dinosaurs invading our bay.......

Siggiewi Skyline....

Siggiewi is in the South West of Malta. It is a traditional and unspoilt Maltese village with lots of traditional houses. Wander around the side streets and appreciate the old world charm of this parish village which dates back to 1436.

At the centre of the village is a huge square where the locals gather. The parish church of St Nicholas.

Abandoned Farmhouse .....

Around the Maltese Islands you will find abandoned farmhouses. This particular farmhouse is for sale with a price tag of approximately 750K euros. Once restored this can become a very luxurious family home with pool ,garden etc..........

Shade, cold drink and 'pastizzi' .....

Once you come to Malta in either July , August or September and take a trip with one of our buses to Valletta it is a must to have lunch here at one of the many cafeteria's/restaurants found in the main road. Most of my relatives that come from abroad always stop here for 'pastizzi' (either filled with peas or rikotta). mmmmmm and not to forget a long cold drink. Let's face it you will need the drink to make up for the heat and the 'pastizzi' .... well......to enjoy !

Air Rally of Malta

26 light aircraft from seven European countries will be taking part in the International Air Rally of Malta this weekend.

Photo and information taken from our local newspaper which is found on line.

and the heat is on!!!

The heat is steadily increasing every day!! yesterday was practically unbearable already. It's so hot that one can go swimming even as late as 8pm!! and will not feel an inch of cold!! Photo was taken on a very hot morning , this is the Valletta bus terminus, it's where all the buses from around Malta stop.

A market collage.....

Fresh eggs, potatoes and onions

This lady here was selling fresh eggs, potatoes from her farm and onions. She also had capers, mint and basil plants.

more colours from our market

Colours of the market.

A photo from our local market this morning. I love the colours!

Sunset over Birzebbuga no 2

Hamrun local Square

and opposite the square there is the a very old building which has been neglected for years and now is home to many pigeons. I believe that the place at the bottom is a functional bar.

Hamrun Parish Church

Hamrun

Ħamrun (or Il-Ħamrun) is a town in the Inner Harbour Region of Malta, with a population of 9,513 people (Nov 2005).

The villagers are traditionally known as Tas-Sikkina (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as Ta' Werwer (which literally means 'those who scare' or more colloquially, 'the scary ones'). This appellation presumably stems from the trouble that the local football club, Hamrun Spartans, was known for or that a considerable number of Hamrunizi used to work as stevedores on the docks and thus carried a knife at all times.

Art exhibition

A few weeks ago I visited the Malta Chamber of Commerce and in the central courtyard of this beautiful building there was an art exhibition.

Fair Trade

Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to alleviating global poverty and promoting sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, and flowers.

Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.

Fair trade proponents include a wide array of international religious, development aid, social and environmental organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Caritas International.

Like most developmental efforts, fair trade has proven itself controversial and has drawn criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Some economists and conservative think tanks see fair trade as a type of subsidy. Segments of the left criticize fair trade for not adequately challenging the current trading system.

In 2007, Fair trade certified sales amounted to approximately €2.3 billion (US $3.62 billion) worldwide, a 47% year-to-year increase.[1] While this represents less than one hundredth of a percentage point of world trade in physical merchandise,[2] fair trade products generally account for 0.5-5% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America.[3] In May 2008, over 1.5 million disadvantaged producers worldwide were directly benefiting from fair trade while an additional 5 million benefited from fair trade funded infrastructure and community development projects.[4] (all the information was extracted from wikipedia).

This is now also found in Malta and is situated in Valletta, so for the Maltese next time you go to Valletta take a trip down st. Paul's Street and have a look at what they offer.

The Maltese Clock

On one of my recent trips to Valletta, hidden away in a cellar I discovered one of the gilders found on the Maltese islands. ( A gilder is a craftsman who works with gold and silver to artistically cover an object as in the gold leaf process).

It is difficult to trace the origin of the The Maltese Clock, however, tradition has it that they adorned houses of the Maltese nobility as far back as the 17th century.

The clock was made of wood suitable to take on several layers of gypsum, which was then engraved and decorated with gold. The case had two doors. The inside door incorporated the hand painted dial to which a hand made clock mechanism by Maltese Clock Master Makers was fixed from behind. Further down in the clock face the moving pendulum could be seen through a decorated aperture. On the front there was another door, which was framed with glass to protect the dial and ornate hands. The clock case was then painted and abundantly decorated with flowers typical of the colourful finish for which the clock is renowned.

These clocks were made either as wall hanging or table clocks. The former were, however, the most popular. Today, the Original Maltese clocks are collectors items and very hard to find for acquisition as they fetch very high prices running into thousands of Liri.

However, the tradition goes on with the reproduction of these clocks. They are made in the same original manner using the same technique. The only difference is that one cannot find the original hand-made clockwork. Two types of movements are used nowadays: a mechanical movement, which is adapted to be wound from the inside of the clock or a quartz battery movement. The latter is more commonly used being more practical.

The Maltese Clock reproductions come in different colours, the most popular being green, black and terracotta (maroon colour). Our clocks are decorated in 22-carat gold leaf. They carry the Clock Studio’s certificate of authenticity. Every clock is carefully made after a long process. Mass production is not possible!

Valletta Bastions and Harbour no 2

more Harbour shots..........

Valletta Bastions and Harbour

Some more images taken from the lower barraka gardens in Valletta.

Siege Bell Memorial - Valletta

This bell is located on the Bastion adjacent to the lower 'Barrakka' Gardens. The memorial commemorates some 7000 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilians who died in Defence of the islands during World War II.

Houses of Character ....

In Malta you will find different styles of houses. There are the old houses of character which are usually found in the core's villages and are now a days being restored to lovely houses, then there are apartments and maisonettes which obviously start from small to very big, there are the terraced houses which are more modern and big, there are the villas and also something I wish to own one day there are the farmhouses, these are usually found on the outskirts of the villages. The photos I posted today are of an old house of character which has been restored.

Blog of the month for April !!!

I just found out that somebody voted for the blog post "Għar Lapsi ..... a diving experience ... ".

This vote is valid for the blog post of the month (April 2008) and the blog of the year (2008).

The reaction of the reader:
"Dina shows beautiful photos of our lovely sunny island and promotes a really good insight of our maltese traditions and everyday life in Malta."

MALTA BLOG AWARDS 2008
http://www.sandrovella.org

Siggiewi........

 

 

The centre of Siggiewi is dominated by the imposing baroque parish church of St Nicholas. Designed by Lorenzo Gafa', who was also responsible for the Mdina Cathedral, St Nicholas' is one of the finest examples of a baroque parish church on the islands.

Roses ......

Roses blooming side by side to Maltese oranges,
bright peach red and orange,
behind the rubble wall,
colours that reminds me of fall,
which is now gone
and reminds me of dawn............. thank you.....

I wish you all a nice week :)

Happy Mother's day !

Mothers cannot do it all
But surely do they try.

Mothers hear the angel's call,
To comfort all who cry.

Mothers for themselves may fall,
For others they will fly.

Mother's bear the weight of all,
For their children, they would die.

A Mother's gift extends beyond
All bounds of time and space.

Her lovingness and nurturing
Make Earth a peaceful place.


Wonderful Mother

God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He molded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me

'il-Garigor' Spiral Staircase

Spiral Staircase made from stone which in Maltese is known as 'il-garigor' and are usually found in the older houses. They are however a trend amongst some and are being rebuild in modern houses.

Valletta Bastions ... No 2.

Valletta Bastions

Here's a photo taken last week. These are part of the Valletta bastions and tomorrow I will post a photo so you can see how impressive the size of these bastions are.

The well shaped bell....

The bell shaped well. This is how the wells in the early ages used to be built. These photos were taken from my visit at the Maltalimestone heritage. For all of you who live in Malta, this is a place to visit, and for all of you who will come to Malta make sure you save a morning for this place. It is very interesting especially if you have children that are still in primary school.

Friday Sky..

For Friday skywatch here's some photos I've taken of our Sky whilst sitting on the beach playing sandcastles with my daughter. Visit Wiggers world
for more friday sky watchers.

Also visit maltamedia
as my blog has been featured here!

the cart and it's trip.....

In the early years the Maltese builders used to transport the hand cut pieces of stone with this cart and it was called ''il-vjagg'' which literally means a trip.


Malta Limestone Heritage is situated in the old village of Siggiewi. It is a family run enterprise and was opened in May 2002. For further information with regards to the complex you can visit their website
Malta-limestone heritage