Friday 29th December : Kalkara

A glorious day boasting a splendid sun glimmering on a becalmed sea turned the bay of Kalkara into a splendour of colour reflections to host around seventy ramblers on start of the last walk of the year. A short stroll up to Bighi and entry into the gardens of the former British naval hospital brought surprised delight to the faces of all, as the canvas by God's own hand spread the magnificent panorama of the Grand Harbour in full view in a light so magnificent that nature's colours responded exquisitely.

Lino Bugeja delivered a brief on the architecture and the story of Bighi Hospital to the wondering wanderers before they made their entry into central edifice of the complex, with its high vaulted halls and service rooms on the ditch or garden floor, and then up into the chapel of the erstwhile hospital with its later stone pulpit, from where our president continued with his explanation. All could admire the meticulous restorative works on the place but could not understand, on exiting, how the eastern building was left in such a contrasting state of abandon.

Leaving the neoclassical site the group rambled down Rinella Bay and up to pay a visit to the baroque gate works of Fort Ricasoli. It was explained that the imposing columns are indeed a poor restorative imitation of the originals damaged during the war.

Our next stop was at the chapel dedicated to Our Lady at Wied Qammieh. Lino again took the stand to inform about the devotion to the chapel, which was built on the site of a mass grave for the old people who died at nearby Fort Ricasoli, where they had been transferred after the outbreak of cholera early in the nineteenth century.

By now the day grew warmer but a cool breeze ensured a pleasant body temperature during the walk to the Rinella Fort, where a large part of the group joined the guided tour by Mario Farrugia. The rest of the group continued their walk to the Cappuccini Cemetery after a brief respite, where they were able to appreciate the well-tended war graves of hundreds from differing nations who lost their life in Malta during military service.

The other group followed in due course in the same retinue and thence to the quaint Capucchin convent of Santa Liberata, so reputed but with its church dedicated to Santa Barbara. It was an easy walk then down to the starting point at Kalkara, passing in front of the recently visited San Salvatore gate.

The tour proved to be a scenic and cultural one par excellence with the majority of participants admitting that places visited were unknown to them or unvisited by them before. The surprising number of ramblers that joined in the guided tour at Fort Rinella confirms that cultural visits are indeed in demand by our members. And our president is always pleased to oblige.

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