Monday, 19th March 2007
Exiting Fort St. Angelo
The weather forecast for the afternoon was rainy showers yet
more than sixty turned up for a repeat of the Kalkara walk that
had taken place last December. This time around, the locals were
joined by some fifteen Scots in front of the Kalkara church and
together they made their way up to the old British naval
hospital at Bighi, now converted to meet modern requirements.
On this side of Rinella beach the remains of the old villa
and the surrounding grounds that luxuriously surrounded it,
which the hospital was built upon, as well as the Ricasoli fort
facing it on the other side of the bay, were pointed out.
Next stop was at the site of the cemetery and chapel where
the cholera victims of 1881 are buried, with the sweet memorial
slab inscribed in Maltese as wrote during those early days.
St Anne's Chapel in St Angelo
Courtesy Fra John Critien
The walk was again interrupted as the
Rinella fort was reached. Rambler David Spiteri Staines,
member of the
Fondazzjoni
Wirt Artna, the NGO that runs the fort with its 100 ton gun,
was invited to give an account of the purpose for which the fort
was built and how it is being managed by the Foundation. The
brief yet concise explanation was well received.
Next stop was the Capuccini Cemetery for the victims of the
two World Wars, where army, navy and air-force servicemen of
various nationalities are buried. The cemetery is the largest
one managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Malta
and is held in a very good state of maintenance.
Rounding Kalkara 360 degrees through the Capuccini convent
and the San Salvatore Gate, the walk came to its conclusion in
front of the church at 1600 hrs.
On the streets of Birgu
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During the morning the Scottish visitors had been entertained
around Vittoriosa by the RAM president Lino Bugeja, whose
respect to his birth place and the deep knowledge of its history
made his guided tour a labour of love. The group seemed to have
relished every minute of their stay in the streets, the churches
and atop the fortifications as Lino highlighted points of
special interest of the historic city. But the climax was yet to
come as the Castrum Maris, or HMS St Angelo, opened its gates
especially for them with the resident Knight Fra John Critien
hosting them in his informal manner inside the Castellan
quarters and St Anne chapel, detailing the salient features of
his epic residence.
Good Friday float of the Redeemer statue in
St Lawrence Church in Birgu
The cherry on the cake for those who lingered there was the
pleasant lunch in the festive air at the Waterfront restaurants
on the holy day dedicated to St Joseph. Indeed some of the
visitors expressed their intention not to miss the typical
Maltese 'festa' at Rabat in the evening in spite of the hectic
day in Birgu and Kalkara.
Group shot: in front of the Castellan at St Angelo
Biggar and Hamilton and the Malta Ramblers
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this is a large file
