How has spring been shaping up in your part of the world? This past week has been beautiful in Bremen. The cherry blossoms have bloomed, the lilacs are out in full force, the breeze is warm, and the birds are singing. All is right in the world.
The temperatures in Malta during my trip a few days ago was also wonderfully pleasant, although the skies weren’t always as sunny and blue as I had hoped. But I was charmed by the capital city of Valletta (population 7,000) anyway. Filled with 16th century Baroque architecture — some beautifully renovated, some falling apart — it was quite lovely just to wander the streets. I was especially taken with the colorful “balconies.” In fact, I took so many photos of Valletta’s homes and buildings that this entire post is devoted to them!
I stayed in one of these renovated old houses through airbnb — two stories, limestone arches, a lovely balcony, and wood-beamed ceilings (which nearly made up for the overpowering smell of cleaning chemicals). It’s so fascinating to imagine the lives of people who lived there hundreds of years ago!
Have you been to Malta? Could you imagine living in these homes?
P.S. If you don’t want to wait for my next post to see the rest of the photos from Malta, then you can check out the entire Flickr album here.
Lovely, lovely photos (as usual). I’d love to go to Malta – my in-laws keep going and rave about it. Sorry about the rather predictable question, but… what’s the food like? (!)
I think Malta is definitely worth a visit, especially if you can travel a bit more around the island and also enjoy some of its natural beauty. I have to admit that I wasn’t overly impressed with the food, but I also didn’t do a lot of restaurant research in advance, so there are most likely some hidden gems that I just don’t know about. Basically you can expect a lot of fish; rabbit is popular as well; and there’s a heavy Italian influence (of course). I enjoyed a very nice rabbit ravioli at D’Office in Valletta (http://www.d-officevalletta.com), which I can recommend. The service there was also very friendly and helpful (not the case everywhere in Valletta, I’m afraid).
Wow oh wow. I can see why these needed their own post. I can just imagine wandering through the streets, being transported back in time. I’m a big fan of colorful doors, and now balconies! :)
Thanks, Emily!