Back in Valletta
As our quick weeklong vacation to Malta was about to end, we decided to revisit some of the sights we had only seen from the outside. We tried to enter a few that were open to the public. Some of these were the Teatro Manoel, the Grand Palace, and Fort St. Elmo.
Unfortunately, the Grand Palace was closed for major renovations. We did get to visit the lovely centuries old Manoel whose facade was so ordinary yet impressive on the inside. Finally, we visited Fort St. Elmo where we spent a huge chunk of our time on our last day.
These is what we found.
The ruins of the old Opera House and skip and a hop from our hotel, The Osborne in downtown Valletta.
Like I previously mentioned, not all of Valletta is old. The Maltese Parliament Building right b the city gates is an example of very modern architecture.
Souvenir stands and shops lined Merchant Street just like this one.
One historic building now the site of government offices. I found it very funny that the guards here didn't allow tourists to take pictures of the facade yet the rest of the day, when they were not on duty, people could take pictures to their hearts content. There was no one to say no. Truly odd!
I just loved the Maltese architecture. It seemed to me houses all had balconies.
Teatro Manoel
Another colorful float
This church was closed when we saw and went near it. It was here in this area where we saw the huge colorful floats parked right before the culmination of carnival.
The impressive ceiling of Teatro Manoel
There was quite a number of floats during carnival that had American Disney and Hollywood movie themes. This particular float was about Beauty and the Beast.
The famous and historic Cafe Cordina
The touist office opposite the Grand Palace
A local food stand
Fort St. Elmo
Another spectacular view of Valletta
This was the Marketplace which we frequented to have our meals. Here we had seafood, Filipino, and Indian food. All delicous!
I can't recall what this place was. I do remember seeing some small exhibits indoors.
Here's a bigger and wider view of the ruins of the old Opera House very close to our hotel right in the city center.