Floriana, St. Julian's, Sliema and Ta' Xbiex

Pictures taken at Floriana, St. Julian's, Sliema and Ta' Xbiex on our Christmas Holiday 2006
Porte des Bombes Porte des Bombes (Bieb il-Bombi) is an ornamental gate in the Floriana Lines, which formed the outer defensive walls of Valletta, Malta. It is situated between Pietà Creek and Marsa to the west and southeast, and the suburb of Floriana to the east. It was constructed in Baroque style and was finished in 1721, a year after the death of Fra Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, 64th Grandmaster of the Order of Saint John. Perellos' coat of arms appears above the gate. Two other coat of arms were also sculpted on either side of the plaque, the one on the left being the Order's arms and the one on the right being Perellos' personal arms. Perellos' arms also appear four other times on the gate. Various Maltese crosses are also sculpted on the archway. Porte des Bombes saw military action after the Order departed from Malta in 1798, during the insurrection. French forces controlled the area from Porte des Bombes and the Floriana Lines to the Grand Harbour, while the Maltese controlled the rest of the islands with the help of the British. In 1868, the British government dramatically altered the original design of the gate by adding a second archway to accommodate increasingly heavy traffic in the Grand Harbour area. On the new side of the gate, the British coat of arms were sculpted instead of the Order's. The three large sculptures on top of the arch were also relocated. Lion Fountain Lion Fountain at Triq Sant' Anna in Floriana Malta Memorial The Malta Memorial is a commemorative war memorial monument to the 2,298 Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives in the various Second World War air battles and engagements around the Mediterranean, and who have no known grave. The Malta Memorial is identified by the gilded bronze golden eagle which surmounts the 15 m column of Travertine marble, from Tivoli in the Sabine Hills near Rome. It is carved with a light netted pattern and surmounted by a gilded bronze eagle 2.4 m high. The column stands on a circular base around which the names are inscribed on bronze panels. Maltese bus Typical Maltese bus, this time Ford Thames. : 2006, Christmas, Joululoma, Malta
Leyland Another old colourful Maltese bus : 2006, Malta, Valletta, auto, bussi, liikenne, loma The Triton Fountain The Triton Fountain was sculpted by local sculptor Vincent Apap in 1959 : 2006, Malta, Triton fountain, Valletta, kaupunki, loma, lähde, patsas Independence monument Independence Monument, Maglio Gardens, The Mall, Floriana, Valletta, Malta. Malta achieved independence from the UK on 21 Sep 1964. The monument was erected in 1989 to the design of Maltese sculptor John Bonnici. : 2006, Floriana, Malta, itsenäisyys, kaupunki, loma, monumentti, patsas The Mall The Mall, a park in Floriana : 2006, Floriana, Malta, The Mall, loma, puisto
Christ, the King Christ, the King Monument - Antonio Sciortino 1913. : 2006, Floriana, Jeesus, Malta, kaupunki, loma, patsas St. Publius church The church of St.Publius was still being built when Floriana became a subsidiary of the parish of St.Paul in Valletta. The church was finished in 1768 and became the Parish church of Floriana on the 15th March 1844 dedication. : Floriana, Malta, St. Publius, kirkko, loma, rakennus, uskonto Il-Fosos The knights of St.John built underground granaries known in Maltese as 'il-fosos', to store wheat as near possible to their centres of activity in the main harbour. The Floriana granaries are the most famous. These were capable of storing 57328 'salma' (equivalent to around 290,000 litres). These were still in use hundreds of years later, especially during world war II : 2006, Floriana, Il-Fosos, Malta, kaupunki, loma, viljakuopat Villa Zimmermann A beautiful villa located in Ta' Xbiex
A boat Nice, old-fashioned boat but still seems to be in good condition Manchester United Evidently the owner of this very small boat is Manchester United fan. Christmas decorations Ant Bosio in Christmas look Veteran An old car in front of the garage, could be Austin A30. It was produced between 1951-1956.
Old cannon Old cannon in new use A bit sunken Boat trying to hide from the owners A crow A crow resting below the solar panel Sultana tal-Paci The Parish Church of St. Joseph in Msida was built in 1889 and replaced the the old church of the Immaculate Conception that used to serve as the parish church. The design is typical of the traditional baroque churches prevalent a century before, but the Maltese were still adhered to this style, especially for churches. The plan is conventional and takes the form of a three-aisled Latin Cross, which was the most frequently adopted plan in the design of local parish churches. The façade comprises of a series of bays with the two outer bays surmounted by well-proportioned bell-towers. Lorenzo Gafa’s design for St Catherine parish church of Żejtun appears to have been the source upon which the architect Andrea Grima based his design.
Growing a tree A tree growing out of the facade of the building. Cow's head A detail on a building's facade : 2006, Floriana, Malta, kaupunki, rakennus Argotti Botanical Gardens The gardens were originally the private gardens of Grandmaster Pinto and only became a botanical garden in 1805. At that time medicinal herbs and plants were grown at Argotti Gardens and today a small part of that area is still used by the University of Malta for educational purposes. : 2006, Argotti Botanic Garden, Floriana, Malta, kaupunki, puisto Tired Cat basking in the sun : 2006, Argotti Botanic Garden, Floriana, Malta, kaupunki, puisto
Feeding the cats People take care of numerous stray cats found everywhere : 2006, Argotti Botanic Garden, Floriana, Malta, kaupunki, puisto Meow Cat having something to say : 2006, Argotti Botanic Garden, Floriana, Malta, kaupunki, puisto Sarria Church Sarria church was built in 1585 by the knight Martin Sarria Navarra. After the plague of 1675 the Order of St. John built in its place another church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. : Floriana, Malta, Sarria, kaupunki, kirkko, rakennus, uskonto Wignacourt water tower Wignacourt Water Tower: Grandmaster Wingnacourt is famous for building the aqueduct system that brought water from Rabat towards Valletta. This fountain, which is still in a good condition, commemorates the aqueduct, and is completed with Wignacourt’s coat of arms, and a bowl intended to provide drinking water to horses and other animals. : 2006, Floriana, Malta, Wignacourt, historia, loma, rakennus, vesitorni
Fort Manoel The fort was built by the Order of Saint John the patronage of Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena. The first stone was laid by de Vilhena himself on 14 September 1723, and work progressed rapidly. The gateway was built by 1726 and the ditch had been excavated by 1732. The fort was complete by 1755, although by this time de Vilhena had died. The original design work for a fort on the island, then known as Isolotto, was the work of the French engineer René Jacob de Tigné. The final design also incorporated the work of Charles François de Mondion, at that time the Order's resident military engineer in charge of works of fortification and defence. Mondion also supervised the construction and after his death, he was buried in the fort's chapel. Sliema birds Some doves hanging out in Sliema : 2006, Malta, Sliema, eläin, lintu, loma, pulu Stormy seas A storm hitting Sliema coastline. : 2006, Malta, Sliema, aalto, loma, meri, myrsky St. Julian's sunrise Hotel Dean Hamlet, morning view from the window : 2006, Dean Hamlet, Malta, St. Julian's, hotelli, kaupunki, loma
St Julian's A view from our hotel window to St. Julian's. : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka Dean Hamlet Our hotel while we spent the Christmas in Malta. Spinola Bay Spinola Bay, St. Julian's, Malta : 2006, Malta, Spinola Bay, kaupunki, loma, meri, rakennus St. Julian's Bay St. Julian's Bay, nice fishing boat in the foreground : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka
St. Julian's Bay St. Julian's bay and some newish block of flats in the background. : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka, meri, satama Luzzi St. Julians harbour : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka, meri, satama St. Julian's buildings The Portomaso Business Tower (the Tower) is the tallest building in Malta. The Tower stands in the Portomaso section of St. Julian's. Opened in 2001, the Tower is 98 metres tall, with 23 floors of mixed commercial office space. : 2006, Malta, historia, kaupunki, loma, rakennus Triq il-Wilga A shopping street in St. Julian's
Door knocker I liked this colour combo a lot, black knocker on a red door. Hard Rock Cafe Something I always try to visit, to get my dose for teddy bear addiction :). St. Julian's tower St. Julian's Tower, one of The De Redin Towers, which are a series of thirteen small fortified watch towers that Grand Master Martin de Redin of the Knights of Malta built on the island of Malta between the year 1658 and 1659. The towers are in sight of each other, and provided a communication link between Gozo and Grand Harbour, in addition to functioning as watchtowers against attack by Corsairs. : 2006, De Redin, Malta, historia, linnoitus, loma, rakennus, torni Balluta Buildings The Balluta buildings. Built in 1928 and in the art nouveau style. The condition of the building was kinda poor back in 2006 but I've noticed there has been some renovations going on later. : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka
Dragonara Casino Built in 1870 as the summer residence of the Marquis Scicluna the Dragonara Palace opened as Malta’s first Casino in 1964. The Dragonara Casino was one of the first major projects to establish Malta as a prime tourist destination. : 2006, Malta, St. Julian's, historia, kasino, loma, meri, rakennus Divers 2 Divers on St Julian's harbour : 2006, Joulu, Malta, kaupunki, loma, matka, meri, satama Cat conference Cats were having a conference Villa Rosa Villa Rosa is a luxurious villa overlooking St. George’s bay and set on the hillside on the outskirts of Paceville Malta’s nightlife center.
St George's Bay Nice sandy beach of St. George's Bay Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church was originally dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation was the first functional church in Valletta and first opened it's doors in 1570 soon after the Carmolite Friars were granted a piece of land by Grand Master Pietro del Monte, The church was designed by Gerolamo Cassar (c1550-92) but underwent many susequent modifications and additions, The Facade was rebuilt in 1852 to the design Giuseppe Bonavia. : 2006, Joulu, Malta, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, kaupunki, kirkko, loma, matka St. Julian's at night A night vision of St Julian's. Taken from our hotel window. : Malta, St.Julian's, kaupunki, loma, rakennus Christmas lights Christmas lights bring light into darkness
St. Julian's Bay St. Julian's bay in the evening.