Europe, with an Arctic cruise, a Balkan tour and bits of France and Malta

[RooFlyer]

I'd be interested to know how often (if at all) they've had to fire during a tour expedition. Have they mentioned any close encounters?

We asked them, but I don't recall the exact reply, sorry. Max last season was a flare was set off by one of the expedition crew (that's the first line of defence - scare it away). There was a human fatality a year or so before that when someone surprised a bear but I don't think that was on a cruise.

 

[love_the_life]

After lunch we moved to the northern leg of the fjord that had an extraordinary bedrock bar across most of it. How that managed not to be bulldozed away by the glacier, no-one could explain#

View attachment 454071

View attachment 454070

We crept through and the scenery was much the same as we have seen already, but the weather was decidedly uninviting and I decided not do that afternoon's zodiac.

View attachment 454072

View attachment 454073

Usual glacier

View attachment 454074

Another hut

View attachment 454075

And the expeds on point duty, as usual.

View attachment 454076

So now I can get something off my chest. Readers of my TRs will be used to me railing against lack of knowledge by the expeds of the geology around us, be it in the Kimberly, Antarctica etc. This is mainly sort of self-pi55-taking, but it is annoying where there is a great geological feature that would interest people and the expeds are clueless.

On this trip, the exped leader, French of course, was very good - he did the evening recaps and was always on the ground for a chat on land trips, with his rifle. He in his briefings, and the cruise literature both highlighted the geology of Svalbard as a feature of the cruise; amazing, etc etc. Said there would actually be a geology briefing!! I looked forward to it!

So what happened? Rien. Zilch. Bugger-all. Not a whisper for three days. There was a geologist on board and later I found out that she was very good - the best I've come across on a cruise. Being French, she was always on the French zodiacs and was never sighted on board except suited-up on her way to the French zodiacs. So I left a message for her asking when the geology briefing would be. She called me in my cabin. TL, DR - she was far too busy to give a geology briefing to the English-speakers. She had given two to the French group and didn't have any more time. WTF? After a bit of prodding by me, she said she could probably be able to do one at the end of the cruise - how would that be? Not very good, I said. Sort of giving a curatorial talk on a gallery exhibition as you left the building. She didn't like that!!! Anyway we parted and I knew I had made an enemy. Quelle domage.

So, imagine my surprise that we got a geology briefing the following evening . A bit short, but very good. Made what we had been seeing make sense. Others said so too. I happened to pass her the next day and she asked, a bit awkwardly, how the briefing was. Excellent! I think she was a bit surprised at my level of technical knowledge. But the damage had been done. Never spoke to her again.

# All the other exped crew were even more clueless about the geology than in my previous cruises. Later, I'll show a mountainside that was completly folded up - amazing sight, for anyone, I'd think. May as well be a blank wall for the interest of the expeds. I chatted to the Aussie exped once and lamented the lack of geology talks - noting that what we saw was 38% geology, 60% water and less than 2% flora and fauna and maybe there was an imbalance? He didn't mind me saying that - saw what I was getting at (in a friendly way).

Don't get me started again about the bloody birders!!

We found the same thing on Ponant in Antarctica - but possibly worse than you. Lectures/brieflings for English speakers were very short and very basic. I sat in on a couple of French ones (my French is pretty poor) but it was immediately obvious the difference in quality. Same issue with the zodiacs as well. The Arctic with Silversea was much better in terms of lectures and the quality of expedition staff - uni lecturers, professional biologists and a photographer who worked with David Attenborough on a couple of series.

 

[RooFlyer]

A sight every cruise pax knows too well. The night-before-disembarkation put-your-luggage out. Except in this case we had to put our carry-on out as well, as, we were told, we would be using busses in the morning after disembarking and they won't be the same busses (this turned out not to be the case).

So, at bed-time (and remembering to keep out clothes for tomorrow)



We dis-embarked about 8am because the crew have to turn-around the vessel before the in-coming pax at 4pm. So, what to do with us?

A bus tour. First the museum



Which was pretty good and gave an explanation about how Svalbard became part of Norway



Leaving town - and met appropriately by our next host



Its a 'husky' demo place. Or a place set up to entertain cruise ship passengers for a while.



Warm hut over there:



Containing coffee and pikletes and jam!



Back to town, passibg some of the coal mines. The last mine will close this year.



Tourists



The posh part of town - Longyearbyen Heights

 

[RooFlyer]

There are a lot of dog cages (I don't think you can keep them at home)



Fuel. 15,8 Norwegian Crowns is A$2.38, I assume a litre. Which is cheap by European standards!



Finally, we went to the airport, the incoming mob passing us in the terminal. Means 'Have a good trip'



Exit the same way you Enter ...





Actual Champagne, unlike what Ponant served us

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm home now - slept 11.5 hrs last night (with the help of a pill) after a bad SQ flight back from SIN overnight. Better get a wriggle on here, I'm off again in a month. Will try to cover Malta a bit more briefly.

 

[RooFlyer]

Another night at the Novotel CDG - even scored a "Welcome back". Left my check-ed bag with them, leaving for a 5 day trip to Malta (incl Gozo).

Check-in terminal 2D with KM Air Malta, sent to the Extime Lounge, which seems to service a bunch of odds 'n sods



But its a top lounge!! Large, comfy chairs in a variety of settings, attentive staff, good brekky & bev selection. Wifi 280 Mbps.









KM Air Malta: KM479 dep CDG 9:50am arr MLA 12:45pm (3 hrs). 2A



Eurobusiness. OK, so its better than Euroeconomy







A very nice flight. Not much interaction from FAs, but went well.

 

[RooFlyer]

Easy arrival, got an Uber to the Fast Ferry (to Gozo) terminal at the Valetta Seaport. There is Uber and Bolt here and many drivers are on both - my Uber arrived with a big 'Bolt' sign on the side. If you come to Malta, get both apps. A couple of times my request for an Uber got the message 'No rides available'.

Gozo is the second of the three main Maltise islands: Its capital is Victoria, also known as Rabat to the locals, reflecting the Ottoman (Islamic) history. In fact Gozo is called Għawdex by the locals (pronounced Awwdesh - the Gh is silent ) but no need to call it that to impress the locals - its Gozo. Population about 40,000. The island in between is Comino; no settlement now but a well-known Blue Lagoon diving and snorkling area on its NW.



The fast ferry runs hourly each way on the 0:45 and lasts 45 min (in the summer, at least). 7.5 euros, seniors discount available. An aluminium cat





Arrived Mgarr (port on Gozo) then a 12 min Uber ride to my accommodation Battastini Boutique Living and Spa

Battistini Boutique Living and Spa, Victoria, Gozo, Victoria, Malta







Its in a very nondescript street, ... about 10 min walk to the centre of Victoria (Rabat); quite safe, except maybe a twisted ankle if you weren't careful.

 

[RooFlyer]

There are 359 churches, cathedrals and basilicas in Malta, one for every 1,000 people, and walking the streets that figure is easily believable. Many of them are very large.

An orientation walk in Victoria - its small and the centre, Independence Square, is only 10 mins walk, but it was very hot - 34-36 degrees every day I was in Malta.

Four very typical scenes.









The main commercial drag



Independence Square lined with cafes

 

[RooFlyer]

One of the main things to do is to visit the 'Cittadella' on the hill above the town.

Wikipedia:

The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas.

During the medieval period, the acropolis was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. A suburb began to develop outside its walls by the 15th century, and this area now forms the historic core of Victoria. The castle's defences were obsolete by the 16th century, and in 1551 an Ottoman force invaded Gozo and sacked the Cittadella.

@Human may wish to take note

Of course there are umpteen steps up to the citadel, in the still substantial heat of abt 8pm. Almost there



The Cathedral of the Assumption is bang smack in the middle, built around 1700



There is an easy to navigate walk around the walls. Entry to the Citadel is free and 24/7; there is a visitors centre with museums etc which charges, but it was closed when I visited.







Downtown is just to the bottom left.







in the distance, mid right in the pic below you can see the Rotunda of Xewkija, or Rotunda St John the Baptist church. There was a 17th century church there but the villagers wanted a larger one, so, largely by volunteers and local craftsmen, they built the current version.



The dome is 75 metres (246 ft) high. The circumference is 85 metres ). The dome is the world's third-highest unsupported dome and taller than St Paul's in London. I told you they like their churches here!

 

[RooFlyer]

Breakfast at Battistini; pleasant setting, but the cooked component lets the place down a bit. Not horrible, just very plain - the lady at the front desk is also in the kitchen in the morning - maybe the owner.



A cute thing about many of the houses is the religious ?iconography and names on many.



Today was my main touring day on Gozo, and the main attraction for me was the neolithic temple at Xaghara , a 10 euro Uber away. I got there a bit early so a wander aound the town (village).







The Ta' Kola windmill

 

[RooFlyer]

In 2020 I visited the Ħaġar Qim temple on the main island of Malta and was keen to see the contemporary (Neolithic) Gozo 'Ġgantija temples'.

Wikipedia again:

The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic, which makes these temples more than 5,500 years old and the world's second-oldest existing manmade religious structures after Göbekli Tepe in present-day Türkiye.

Holy globigerina limestone, Batman! Some of the stones are massive and were quarried some way away and were rolled up the hill to here. This is the back. There are 2 separate but attached structures.













These structures will be reflected in the underground Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum I'll visit near Valetta.



Side

 

[RooFlyer]

Back in Victoria and the St George's Basilica.

The parish originated in Byzantine times from the time of Emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century. The original church was the main Roman pagan temple of Gozo which had been converted by a Greek missionary into a Christian church dedicated to Saint George. The Roman temple stood at the site of the present church. The church is also documented in manuscript sources in c. 1250, when it is recorded functioning as a parish church. ... It was the last church to celebrate the Byzantine liturgy on the island until the transition to the Roman rite. The church had been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages because of the increasing population of the island. ... Reverend De Apapis managed to buy his freedom some years later and returned to Gozo and rebuilt the church of St George which had been badly damaged. Likewise the church was reconstructed again in 1583 and 1598. ... The present church was built in 1672.

Like many churches in Malta, it is baroque and a bit overwhelming inside.







A beautiful dome





Upwards shots









There was a prominent sign on the door about dressing appropriatly (men and women no shorts, and a chap on the door taking admissions, so I'm not sure how this happens (I was sweating in jeans!)

 

[RooFlyer]

Edit @kileskus may be interested in the Punic aspect

 

[RooFlyer]

I wanted to do a quick circle up to the north of the island to look at a few things, so I booked my first Bolt, specifying 2 stops and return to my hotel.

When I checked with the driver he appreciated whjat was happening, he was unhappy. Thought it was a 'tour' and the fee wouldn't cover his time. I assured him it was a 'stop and photograph' trip. He was a bit happier and was more relaxed as we got chatting on the way.

The first stop wasn't on my itinerary! He thought he knew what I wanted to see more than me.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu near Għarb. Its a 20th century building, replacing a medieval one. Visited by multiple Popes recently





Then, the church I actually wanted to visit. The Basilica and Collegiate Parish church of the Visitation of Our Lady at Għarb, built abt 1700. It has a very pretty façade and would look good at night. The driver said 'no-one comes here'.





This is a 2-way street



Then, on to the coast. Again, the driver said he knew better than me where I wanted to go and this time he was right.

The coast


And nearby, a sea-cave at Dwejra and lake connected to it.

 

[RooFlyer]

Dinner in Victoria. Rabbit stew, an island classic. Way too much!!





After dinner walk





Not wild about this. Didn't buy the fruit.

 

[RooFlyer]

Next morning, the fast ferry from Mgarr back to Valetta.

Its a pretty harbour





the cat again





Comino coast



Approaching Valetta

 

[RooFlyer]

Valetta is built over a hill, with a steep side to cliffs from the port. Pro tip - use the Barrakka Lift to get from the port level up to the town level.



Its free to go down, pay to go up but a ticket up is included in the Fast Ferry fare.

You arrive at Battery Square, where the gun is still fired daily at noon and 4pm. I've been to Valetta before, recounted in a TR here and had seen the canon firing.



But now it was just a general view on the way to my hotel.





Usual narrow, step-laden streets. Valetta is def undergoing a building and redevelopment boom.



My joint - Battery House.



its a restored and modernised old building. Entrance



Complimentary drinks in the lobby!



Only 2 rooms per floor. I met the housekeeper - I booked through booking.com and stayed in touch with the owner and the housekeeper via WhatsApp



@JohnM approved bathroom pic





The room description said 'sea view' - which was true, but I wonder for how long.



Aircon worked a treat; all in all very good and I'd recommend it.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Catching up, so a few things:

I see the cross of the Order of Malta on a balcony above (albeit stretched out). I dare say they would have been out in numbers two weekends ago for the Feast of Corpus Christi and associated procession around town.

Sometimes the lesser visited churches are the best to go and see. The lack of visitors can allow the sacred to be more, well, more sacred (!).

Bath in the hotel room, eek, a big X for me. I can barely sleep if there's a sink in the room!

Do the Maltese close for siesta hours?

 

[RooFlyer]

I see the cross of the Order of Malta on a balcony above (albeit stretched out). I dare say they would have been out in numbers two weekends ago for the Feast of Corpus Christi and associated procession around town.

Ah, that might explain it. There were still flags out everywhere - some really big ones too.

Bath in the hotel room, eek, a big X for me. I can barely sleep if there's a sink in the room!

Yes - my heart sank when I saw it, but at least there was a good shower in the bathroom. This was a ridiculous situation and it had a shower wand as well. The floor would be flooded very easily. Took up a lot of room.

Do the Maltese close for siesta hours?

Not that I observed, but that was in the touristy areas.

 

[Seat0B]

Of course not ignoring the cool presence of volcanic bombs that mark the rock as volcanic tuff - soft for digging in, just like Cappadocia in Türkiye.

Well, as those ash layers settle, the volcano keeps spitting out bigger stuff and you’ve probably heard the term of volcanic bomb, which is actual rock such as the size of a football. These go splat into the unconsolidated ash layers and you get a feature like the one I photographed in the Galapagos Islands, where softer layers are deformed by the incoming bomb. The bomb itself has broken into several pieces on impact and then was covered by more ash layers, the lighter grey stuff above it

Ah there you are @RooFlyer - I've been missing my geology education!