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A riot of flowers – Spring comes to the Garigue

4/4/2013

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From mid-March to May is probably the best time to be in Malta. The days start getting longer and the weather is warmer - and mercifully the torrid summer heat is still some way off yet.  Life starts to move more and more to the outdoors and there are markedly more activities around, not least the first flurry of local festas as well as a number of other themed village festivals.

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Nature also marks its last hurrah at about this time, before the fierce summer sun dries out all but the most resilient of plant life.  The Islands boast approximately a thousand wild flowering plants and around seven hundred of them are indigenous – i.e. they occur naturally here rather than being alien introductions.

The climax of Mediterranean ecosystems, woodland, is sadly almost absent in Malta; with the archipelago’s first settlers having probably deforested the islands by the end of prehistoric times. The Knights did somewhat rectify matters by planting Buskett, which after 500 years or so of existence has become a self-generating woodland, characterized by Aleppo pines, olive and orange trees.

Garigue and maquis are by far the most interesting and richest of our habitats and there are plenty of examples in the islands.

Maquis is normally associated with the sides of steep valleys where the relative shade and humidity allow for the growth of smaller trees and bushes. Carobs, olives, lentisk and bay laurel abound here; accompanied by various climbers like ivy and wild asparagus and the beautiful bear’s breeches with its towering white and purple flower stalk.

But it is the garigue which probably brings out the best in Maltese flora. Garigues are rocky expanses bearing numerous depressions which allow soil to collect and water to percolate. The garigue habitat is mostly prevalent in the west of Malta with good examples around Mellieha, Rabat, Dingli, Mgarr and other towns. Gozo has some garigue expanses as well, the largest being the one at Ta Cenc.

The most attractive of garigue residents are probably the orchids, of which Malta has around a dozen species. Two of them, the Maltese Pyramidal and the Maltese Spider orchids, are also endemic – found here and nowhere else worldwide. Equally beautiful is the Southern Dwarf Iris which has a very limited distribution in Europe – found only in Sicily and parts of the former Yugoslavia. Another show stopper is the Sicilian Squill – a plant with an exquisite flower head of white and celestial blue and only found here and in small numbers in Sicily and Calabria – in both of these last places it is considered close to extinction.

The garigues are also home to several low aromatic bushes. Among the most common is the wild thyme which only comes to flower in late May and turns some places into a pale violet carpet. At any time of the year one cannot escape the plant’s sweet, sharp scent. Another aromatic herb is the rosemary whose leaves are frequently used to garnish pork and other dishes.

Yet another heavenly scent comes from the Bushy Restharrow with its small yellow flowers and sticky aromatic leaves. Interestingly this low bush is also of some historical significance since it was the first species to be afforded a measure of official protection. In the eighteenth century Grand Master De Rohan issued an edict forbidding its collection for firewood prior to a fortnight after the feast of St.John ( June 24 ) in order to allow seed formation and dispersal.  Progressive thinking for a place where brushwood for fuel was a luxury.

Where garigues border the seaboard cliffs, look out also for Malta’s national plant – the Maltese Rock Centaury – another endemic and a remnant of pre Ice Age flora. Its Maltese name – Widnet il-Bahar (literally “the ear of the sea”) is poetically precise…the plant thrives best in precarious crags on vertical cliff faces as if perpetually listening to the sounds of the sea far below.

These are but a few of the many species which inhabit the garigues. Other plant species are found in other habitat types and man- made environments such as cultivated or fallow fields. Perhaps the most recognizable of the field flowers are the poppies which in Malta come in red and purple varieties.

Ironically (and disappointingly) the most common flowering plant in Malta, the Cape Sorrel, is a South African native; reputedly introduced to the Islands in the early years of British rule by a well meaning but ultimately foolhardy English lady. The plant adapted so well here that it has reached practically all corners of the islands with populations running riot on wide stretches of fields and fallow ground. A pretty sight admittedly – but a plant which has done untold damage to indigenous species and no doubt led to some local extinctions.  The Maltese collective memory appears not to have forgotten this alien intrusion – to this day the cape sorrel is colloquially known as “haxixa Ingliza” – the English weed.

To end on a positive note: Malta is lucky to count among its citizens a foremost botanist who has done sterling work in the field of local flora. Edwin Lanfranco not only identified the Maltese Cliff Orache as a separate species but has had the unique distinction of having the species named in his honour - its scientific moniker being Cremnophyton lanfrancoi.


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The article above was first published in the April 2013 edition of Il-Bizzilla - Air Malta's inflight magazine 

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Take a Walk on the South Side

3/12/2012

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The article below first appeared in the December 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. 
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The popular tenet goes that the best way to see a country is to walk as much as possible. The three main towns of the South East – Birzebbuga, Marsaxlokk, Marsaskala and their environs - can easily be seen on a leisurely 3 to 5 hour coastal walk. It’s a great way to see locals at work and play, an opportunity to come across bits and pieces of history and enjoy the cool sea breeze.

A good starting point is Birzebbuga’s Pretty Bay. The bay’s name is rather flattering - these days the view is somewhat dented by the giant gantry cranes of Malta Freeport, sited at the southern end of town.  Still this stretch of sand remains the town’s most popular open space and bathing spot, and the dredging work related to the creation of the Freeport some years back did enlarge the bay to a degree that it is now one of the largest sandy beaches on the Island.

 Following the coastal road northwards one soon comes across a large sculpture dominating an otherwise drab open space. This is the so called Summit Monument and commemorates the formal ending of the Cold War, when the then U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his American counterpart President George H.W. Bush held talks on board the Soviet cruise ship Maxim Gorky in Marsaxlokk Bay on 2nd and 3rd December 1989. Disappointingly for a country eager to parade its winter sunshine to the world, nature decided otherwise on that historic weekend and the sea threw up a raging storm, earning the Summit the journalists’ moniker “The Seasick Summit”.

Approaching the tiny St.George’s Bay one can also make out a number of deep cylindrical holes dug in the rock by the shore – these are the remnants of a larger group of Bronze Age storage silos which were once sited here. On the landward side of the street stand a number of fine old houses – Birzebbuga served as a resort of sorts for a long time and a number of Maltese still own or rent a small summer house here.

 An inland detour from here will get you to a massive Bronze Age defensive wall in the area known as Borg in-Nadur. Confusingly, a large modern-day cross sits on top of this historic artifact; the result of reputed (though highly suspect) apparitions of The Virgin to a local man. The site is a popular pilgrimage place although the local church authorities have never pronounced themselves on the veracity of the celestial claims.

Detour aside, the road continues along the coast through Qajjenza, best described as a sunny, nondescript suburb of Birzebbuga, with one relieving factor – a former Knights’ coastal battery now converted into a stylish eatery. Leaving the built up areas behind, the next landmark is St. Lucian’s Tower; a massive, squat structure built by the Knights in 1610 to guard over the bay. It was here after all that the Turkish Armada landed in 1565 – the opening move in the epic Great Siege of Malta. Today the tower serves as an aquaculture centre and entry is not normally possible. One can however stray off the road here and take a cliffside path through fields leading to Marsaxlokk. 

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Marsaxlokk, and more specifically its colorful market, is the target of busloads of locals and tourists alike on a Sunday.  But come here on a working day and you’re likely to see the real fishermen at work, mending nets and generally keeping themselves busy maintaining their colorful sea craft. It’s a riot of colors with vibrant yellows and blues dominating – and of course the famed Eye of Osiris is there on nearly every large vessel, a portent against the sea’s more unsavoury elements. The Maltese may be religious but superstition still lingers on underneath.

Away from the picturesque promenade with its array of inviting restaurants and a small perennial weekday market, there is not much to keep you in Marsaxlokk, so steer to the next landmark – the small chapel of Tas-Silg at the top of a hill just outside the village. Take the winding road past the chapel until a small tree-lined lane (marked Xrobb l-Ghagin) on the left takes you past yet another military installation. This is the British period Tas-Silg Battery – today a home for stray dogs run by the Island Sanctuary. The road eventually turns into little more than a country path and leads back to the coast (always keep left)– and a dramatic piece of coast it is too.

The Munxar headland is an imposing clay cliff jutting out to sea and unquestionably one of the area’s top beauty spots– our own miniature version of the white cliffs of Dover. Take time to relax and enjoy the open views here, then continue along the path which meanders its way along the promontory leading to St. Thomas Bay.

St. Thomas is another popular bathing area with clear waters, though somewhat marred by a ramshackle collection of boathouses and garages of dubious legality. Curiously this bay is the site of the only reported fatal shark attack in Malta. It happened way back in 1956 and the victim was an English serviceman stationed here. A weathered plaque on the north side of the bay commemorates this bizarre incident.

Leaving the bay, keep to the shore front leading into Marsaskala. The road here is lined with swanky modern properties in what is obviously a well-heeled area. As the road curves round this last headland, have a look at the fine St.Thomas Tower, another bulky structure built in 1614 to reinforce this area’s defences. Unlike St. Lucian’s however, this imposing moated tower is today hemmed in between buildings, which obviously diminishes its visual impact.  The seafront road passes by some rock-cut saltpans before eventually leading to Marsaskala creek, the real heart of town with a wide selection of eating places and watering holes, and an appropriate place to end this longish walk.


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The Addolorata Cemetery

11/11/2012

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This short article first appeared in the November edition of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime
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In common with Christian cultures all over the world,  most Maltese mark the month of November with a  visit to the graves of their departed loved ones. There are several village cemeteries scattered all over the Island, mostly humble, quiet and somber places usually adorned by a small central chapel.

Malta also has a large national cemetery which merits an off the beaten track visit for its architectural and aesthetic values. The Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery, on the outskirts of Paola, was designed by local architect Emanuele Luigi Galizia and opened in 1869, initially as a burial ground for the towns and villages of the vicinity. Galizia was a gifted architect who not only introduced the Gothic revival in Malta - best exemplified here - but also experimented with a number of styles, most notably in the construction of the Turkish cemetery in Marsa as well as a number of Moorish themed houses in Sliema.

At the Addolorata, Galizia made exceptionally good use of the site’s topography, placing the cemetery’s main chapel at the top of a hill from which a number of tree-lined lanes meander down to the cemetery’s main entrance which is adorned by a gatehouse and a beautiful curved portico.

The Addolorata easily compares with the finest of Europe’s monumental cemeteries, having a good number of richly carved private mausoleums in its older parts and a good representation of funerary sculptures.

Most noteworthy of the latter is a poignant bronze put up by a travelling businessman who, upon his unexpected return to the Island, so surprised his ageing mother that the excitement apparently helped to quicken her demise. Like most other places in Malta, the Second World War left its mark on the cemetery and this fine sculpture still bears the unmistakable scars of bomb shrapnel in its lower part.  Another notable monument is the one dedicated to the memory of the Sette Giugno victims. On 7th June 1919 a number of Maltese were killed while rioting against the colonial forces. The unfortunate deaths are widely perveived as the catalyst that eventually led to Malta being granted its first Constitution by the British in 1921.

A visit to the Addolorata may not be everyone’s favourite excursion but this extensive burial ground certainly represents another aspect of Malta’s rich cultural and historical heritage.

The Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery is open every day of the year from 7am to 4.30pm.

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Trekking Ghajn Barrani...and Beyond

4/10/2012

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The article below first appeared in the October 2012 issue of Air Malta's inflight magazine Skytime. I am pleased to reconnect in a small way with the airline which was my employer for nearly thirty years.
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After the first autumn rains the Maltese islands shake off their terracotta hues and take on a fresher mantle of varying hues of green. Gozo, where clay is much more predominant, tends to remain greener in summer but it is still the early rains which lull nature out of its summer torpor.

Virtually all of Gozo is good walking country and the villages themselves provide plenty of colour and contrasts for the more sedate rambler. But the wilder parts of Gozo are more rewarding if you’re up to it.  Most of the coast of Gozo is walkable and offers a variety of scenery including majestic cliffs, ancient salt pens, well hidden inlets, and of course sweeping sea vistas.

One of the more rewarding treks in Gozo is the stretch of coast between Ramla l-Hamra and Marsalforn, an area generically known as Ghajn Barrani. This area is made up mostly of clay slopes with a few boulder screes in places and is hemmed in by cliff tops to the south and the sea to the north.  This area now also enjoys legal protection as a Natura 2000 site, part of an EU-wide network covering important natural sites showcasing Europe’s rich biodiversity.

Starting from Ramla l-Hamra one finds a trek at the bay’s  western end which leads to a smaller sandy cove ringed by steep clay sides. Since shoreline progress beyond this cove is not feasible, this is the cue to start the upward trudge up the slope and this can be quite breathtaking – though not quite in the way this walk is meant to be!

Reaching the top of the slope, take time to enjoy the panoramic view of now distant Ramla . From here progress is easier as it’s a downhill walk and if you look closely enough there is a well trodden path which makes picking one’s way much easier. The open seaward views here are incredible and there is little if any sign of human habitation.


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Crossing this vast clay slope and eventually going up a gentle hillside, keep an eye open for the next landmark – a large jutting rock which some enterprising soul long ago turned into a wilderness refuge by carving a sheltering space within it.  This high vantage point offers more beautiful vistas and immediately below one can see an isolated rock shelf strewn with reddish boulders. This is one of the remotest bathing spots in Gozo and it is well worth clambering down just to enjoy the sound of the sea in this otherwise silent place.  A small year round spring trickles its way into the sea here – the Ghajn Barrani (foreigners’ spring) by which the area is known.  A swim in the clear waters here is an enticing option if weather conditions permit.


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Leaving the rock beach, continue westward by following a trek which leads one away from the immediate foreshore. There is some bit of climbing here but again it is mostly on smooth, well beaten clay treks, and the going for most part is gently uphill.

Next to come into view some way below is the imposing white cliff known as Ghar Qawqla. By now you are approaching the touristic hub of Marsalforn and a southbound track will eventually get you on the road leading down to the seaside town’s promenade.

If this two to three hour trek has not tired you out you might well take time to enjoy a beachside drink at Marsalforn and then keep following the shore until you leave town. There are two pretty inlets here, the miniscule Qbajjar Bay and immediately next to it Xwejni Bay with its imposing clay stack jutting above a limestone cliff. From here a lonely shore road leads past numerous salt pans carved long ago in the soft limestone. Before the road winds its way up to the hilltop village of Zebbug, a peek at the dramatic fjord-like inlet of Wied il-Ghasri is definitely worth a short detour.


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