1) The alarm roused me at 7:30, and after writing my pages, I walked up a flight of stairs to the breakfast room. It’s immediately above my room, so the view is the same, only unblocked by walls. And wonderful!
1a) The glassed-in breakfast room is bordered by an open-air balcony at which I got the last open table. Everyone in the hotel seems to have gotten there before me! I did feel a bit queasy, so I stuck with a coffee — I must have at least one cup, dahlings — and a banana. It was pleasant to pass an hour in quiet contemplation overlooking the harbor and a very large cruise ship.
2) The main attraction in Valletta — perhaps in all Malta — is St. John’s Co-Cathedral, the headquarters church of The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. And it’s only a three-minute walk from my hotel! So I determined to go this very day, this very morning.
2a) A friend said that, if I found Versailles understated, I would love this cathedral. And I must say, this is the Cecil B. DeMille Production of cathedrals if there every was one! An absolute orgy of Baroque decoration, from the polychrome marble tombstones paving the floor to the barrel vault ceiling of frescos depicting the life of John the Baptist. Honey, light me a cigarette, ‘cause it was good for me, too, and I’m going back for more.
2b) Like any other Cecil B. DeMille Production, the cathedral had a Cast of Thousands, and inevitably everyone was in everyone else’s way.
“Did you see them?! Did you see how they came?!”
3) Complimentary audioguides provided very erudite information, rather intimidating, really — and also had to be handheld. Since I was also holding my hat and glasses case, it made it difficult to take photos. About halfway through I just surrendered the audioguide to the staff and remained to absorb, observe, and photograph.
4) I particularly noticed the skull motif on tombstones and other monuments.
5) Caravaggio has a short and turbulent relationship with the Order in the early 17th century, which enriched this cathedral with at least two of his paintings. The Oratory is sort of Caravaggio HQ — very dark and shadowy after all the glittering gold of the church — and very moving.
The most sinister skull I found in the whole place.
6) Beginning to flag, I stepped out of the Oratory and noticed a sign directing people to the balcony. “Balcony?” I asked myself. Of course I plodded up the 45 steps to be rewarded with a spectacular view above the crowds of all the church. Thrilling.
6a) I did notice while I was up there that the guard assigned to the balcony positioned the standing fan to blow only on him.
7) From the cathedral’s website: “Congestion or overcrowding can cause a great deal of harm to the building and its priceless artefacts. This is due to fast-rising temperatures and relative humidity levels brought about by aspiration and the body heat of large gatherings.” I was definitely feeling the humidity; the space is not climate-controlled. So vowing to return, I stepped outside and popped back up to my room, feeling more than a little overwhelmed.
8) My bathroom has a bathtub, but no bath tap — only a handheld showerhead on a bracket. But it led me to the perfect way to cool down: I lie in the tub, plug it with the stopper, turn on the water as cold as possible, and just drench myself with the showerhead until the tub is filled about two inches. Heaven.
9) The other big event of the day was washing my clothes in a tiny laundromat in the next block — such convenience! — since I was down to my last T-shirt. It feels good to have clean clothes.
10) Turns out most attractions, and even quite a few shops, close for the day at 4:30. So it was unfortunate that I didn’t wake up from my nap until about 4:25. Oopsie.
My view during the cocktail hour. It took me a bit to figure out that the clock doesn’t have a minute hand.
11) In the early evening I got to fulfill the American stereotype of a European vacation, which is sitting at an outdoor café with a mild alcoholic beverage and a bit of food, observing the passing scene. The little plaza outside the entrance of the cathedral (which is where the tourists exit), filled this purpose admirably. It was so pleasant to be there then, because the heat of the day had mostly passed.
12) I observed workmen taking out temporary flagpoles that had been set up near the cathedral, all topped with elaborate gilt Maltese crosses, and all anchored into holes in the cobblestones with wooden spikes. And I observed a few couples of men, which reminded me “Oh right, Malta Pride is going on. I should do something about that.”
I may not be doing anything about Malta Pride, but the bank is.
13) Instead I went right back to my room, took my pills, and started searching for Laugh-In videos since apparently it’s Joanne Worley’s birthday today.