Mdina has been around in some form or another for 4,000 years! It boggles my mind. The Phoenicians gave it the current name... one that simply means "walled city." They constructed the walls and gave it the fortress look. The width of the walls can be seen in the pic - wide enough for a car to drive along. They reckon that the Apostle Paul sheltered here after his shipwreck on the island.
One enters through the gate (pic) and encounters the ancient Cathedral ... about 1300 AD. Mdina is in the middle of the island and high on a hill overlooking Mosta and Bugibba (where we stay) and I took a pic of both places from the walls of Mdina. They call it the silent city and it is. Some say because there are no cars, others because the residents (descendants of the nobles) just stay indoors. Certainly the narrow streets seem deserted, apart from the tourists.
Well, here we had a peaceful day... Judy at last found her knight in shining armour; we discovered the cutest little restaurant through a little door in the wall and ate a mediterranean platter (the little man in the green/yellow top summed up the meal); Gary took a break on steps that led to no-where and we wandered aimlessly on timeless cobblestones enjoying the rather weird feeling of walking on streets that date to antiquity and (perhaps) upon which the great apostle himself trod.
Hmmm... now where is that tomato paste and Maltese bread....??
1 comment:
Isn't it mind-boggling to have this 'antiquity experience'? It sure puts Australia in a different category, doesn't it?
Enjoy every moment.
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