Malta, London and Rennes

Malta

Malta consists of two large islands, Malta, Gozo and five much smaller islands. My earliest connection with the country was the large number of Maltese children who were in my class at primary school in Merrylands. Their parents had migrated to Australia after WWII and about 30% of the class had names like Borg, Mifsud, Micallef, Azzopardi, Sultana and so on. I have been curious to learn more about the country and had assumed that it was effectively some sort of mini Italy.

Part of the wall around Valetta

 

However, it is actually influenced by several regions- Tunisia/North Africa in the south west; Turkey in the east, and Italy/Sicily in the north. Due to its strategic location it has been settled over the centuries by the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Hapsburgs, Spain, French and the British. It had been a British Colony for several centuries. The language is a product of this mixed heritage and street signs in Maltese are difficult to comprehend and written language is unintelligible although there are some English language newspapers.

 

Sunset on the west coast

 

When I tried to enter St Paul’s Bay in the GPS it did not register and I spent a few frustrating minutes before realising it would be San Paulo!

The Queen lived in Malta for a year or two in the late 1940’s as her husband, Phillip, was a naval officer and there was a large British naval base at Valetta. This was before her coronation in 1952.

The population is about 500,000 and there have been periods in the late 1940’s and 1960’s when there were significant exoduses as the size of the country limits opportunities. As a member of the EU, the locals have freedom to work elsewhere and many British appear to either live here or have holiday lodgings.

Ancient Foundations

 

4000 year old temple ruins

Malta has been an important trading and strategic military post for millennia. There was a stone-age civilisation resident 5000 years ago and archaeological digs abound. In 1900 while constructing some homes, workers accidentally dug into a large vaulted underground structure.

It is known as the Hypogeum and it is thought that these chambers were for burial rites. They are remarkable in that they look like quite elegant temples with columns and beams-but they have actually been etched out of the soft limestone rock. They would not have had iron or brass and would have used stone and antlers for the task. That particular civilisation died out and there is no record of what happened to them – or why.

At various vantage points there are ruins of forts, lookouts and gun batteries. Valetta itself is heavily fortified by a massive wall and a wide moat system. The Crusades against the Turks used Malta as a staging post in the 1200’s.

The Church is very well established and while only a relatively small landmass, large churches/basilicas are dotted around the countryside. The farmland is terraced and most holdings appear small with stone fences.

Typical street scene dominated by a church

Malta was a key strategic base in WWII and suffered an incredible amount of bombing during the war as the Germans were worried that it might have been used as the springboard for an allied invasion later in the War. I noticed quite impressive memorials and acknowledgements from the Allied leaders attesting to the bravery of the Maltese.

One afternoon I was at a waterside rural area and noticed families collecting what I thought must have been berries. However, on closer examination I discovered they were collecting snails which are cooked in a traditional fashion and are regarded as a delicacy.

Bayside scene Valetta

 

People you Meet

My children have observed that it would be unfortunate to be assigned a seat alongside me on a flight- due to the inevitable flow of communication that would occur. On the flight from Malta to London I met my match when I was seated with a London Cabbie who was highly entertaining and had a lively interest in military history. He is also very involved in charities that support veterans. In May each year about 60 London Cabs go to Arnhem in The Netherlands conveying WWII veterans who were based there. The Dutch hosts make them very welcome and there are well attended parades as this convoy of cabs move through the city.

My fellow traveller on this annual expedition usually takes in his cab a Scots veteran of the Black Watch who is now in his early 90’s but is very alert and in reasonable health. It turns out that he is the person who identified Heinrich Himmler (head of the SS) at the end of the War. Himmler tried to merge with the thousands of displaced military. He was wearing low ranking uniform but the Scotsman, who was assigned to an intelligence unit, thought that Himmler’s spectacles were way too fashionable for a low ranking soldier. He was pulled out of the crowd of soldiers for further interrogation and Himmler subsequently admitted his identity but used his cyanide pill and suicided in front of this (now) veteran.

London

 

Regents Park

It is always great to land in London which in my view, is one of the best cities in the world. Christmas preparations are underway and the weather is mild for this time of the year. The mood is buoyant and the UK appears to be moving on from the GFC. Hyde Park and Regents Park are looking colourful as the last of the autumn leaves glow and fall making a thick matting that crunches under foot.

Hairdressers

Business names for hair dressing salons are often creative and amusing – eg Hair Apparent etc. Yesterday I saw ‘Jack the Clipper’!

Theatre

I saw a West End play, Neville’s Island, which is based in a jungle and deals with a team of four executives who are lost in a team building exercise. It was hilarious and the story line had lots of potential. Adrian Edmondson (Vivienne in The Young Ones) was outstanding.

 

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is well known as an iconic songwriter and a very average singer. But I had not realised he was also an accomplished artist and I saw some of his work at a gallery in St Christopher’s Walk. He apparently has received a Pulitzer Prize to recognise his contribution over the last four decades. I think he is probably a much better artist than he is a singer!

Rennes

Gar, Greg and Paul at Orgeres

On Sunday I flew from London Southend direct to Rennes where I was met by Gar. It is always great to visit Brittany, Gar, Paul and Gregoire. Paul is in the last phase of High School and Gregoire is in junior high school. Gar and I did some walks around Orgeres and a nearby village as well as visiting Rennes which I had not really explored before.

They are at some very early stages for planning a possible trip to Australia in July 2016.

River near Orgeres

 

Regulations in France

Orgeres is a pretty village-one of many surrounding Rennes, the capital of Brittany. The area was originally settled by the Celts and the modern day villages are set up on the site of former old villages. There are often ruins of small communal ovens used centuries ago (probably for making those famous French baguettes!). These modern villages offer a close community in a rural setting but no more than 10km from a big centre- a bit like having a rural village at Strathfield. 

The various layers of government ensure that housing meets a whole range of regulations including permissible colours and pitch of roof! But the effect is very pleasing. All amenities are well thought through and I saw this contraption near a bus stop on the outskirts of the village.

 

 

Bicycle Locker

 

It is a lockable bicycle locker. You hang up your bicycle inside one of the doors and you leave a euro and take the key - making public transport that much more accessible.

Realising that the families who moved into Orgeres in the 1970’s and 1980’s are now at a stage where less children are using the schools, the planners are releasing more land for housing so that more younger families can move in and enjoy the facilities. Planning regulations have changed and now there is radical use of bright colours of colorbond in lieu of the cream coloured established housing.