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Malta

Sliema Cat Sanctuary, Malta

I am Groot (chicken luncheon meat). But also Sliema Cat Sanctuary!

Sliema Cat Sanctuary
Sliema Cat Sanctuary

I am Groot (chicken luncheon meat). But also Sliema Cat Sanctuary!

I am Groot! Or some sort of mystery meat
I am Groot! Or some sort of mystery meat

We took a spontaneous walk back down one of our main streets, the one with the “Ferry Terminal”, Triq Ix-Xatt, and we took a sudden left hand turn and what do we find but a cat sanctuary! We spent a good hour here looking at all the animals, there were ducks, chickens along with the cats, all getting along.

The cat sanctuary was a lucky find
The cat sanctuary was a lucky find

There was a caretaker, a volunteer, cleaning out the living spaces, and the place, though ramshackle, was very cool and totally unexpected. There are plenty of cats in Malta but none so happy as the ones here in the Sanctuary.

The cat sanctuary was a lucky find, managed by volunteers, a very Maltese concept
The cat sanctuary was a lucky find, managed by volunteers, a very Maltese concept

A bit further along was this street art:

Just past the cat sanctuary there's a road that leads to Fort Manoel, but the way is restricted
Just past the cat sanctuary there’s a road that leads to Fort Manoel, but the way is restricted

We found the Funky Monkey after this and stopped to have a beer and sodas, sorry, didn’t take any photos, but look for the parking lot near the photo above, then turn in to the fenced off bar that looks slightly dodgy but comfortable.
Nearby on the walk back home there was the Ponsonby Store, it’s in the Ponsonby neighborhood naturally and remined me of New Zealand:

This Ponsonby Store reminded me of New Zealand
This Ponsonby Store reminded me of New Zealand

Malta is a mysterious place but also its a reflection of the natural world around it. These doors and the blue colour did it for me, amazing colour!

This is the colour of Malta, an homage to the colour of the sea in summer
This is the colour of Malta, an homage to the colour of the sea in summer

The next day we strolled to the other side from our favourite Cat Park to the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. More great architecture, a mix of old and new:

More sandstone and blue skies
More sandstone and blue skies
A very ornate and old building amongst all the new apartments and real estate
A very ornate and old building amongst all the new apartments and real estate

Our motto we’ve acquired from this trip is always take a new way to get to the same place; find new tracks. You find you make connections with your home town you never knew were there. These are sometimes shortcuts but also a bit bigger in they increase your perspective and understanding of a place.

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

A great example of taking a new track and learning something is this steep road we turned up to head back toward our apartment. What time period does this warning refer to? Maybe all generations?

"I saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by madness"
“I saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by madness”

And then there’s the humour of taking a turn and finding a wreck of an apartment, in between renovations, but with the best name, this one is “Wayne”. There were others with names like “Glasgow” and “Athens”.
Wayne! This apartment was empty and undergoing renovations, but the door and name were funny and beautiful at the same time
The sun was quickly disappearing and I captured the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel just before the sun disappeared.

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel just before the sun hid behind a cloud
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel just before the sun hid behind a cloud
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Nathaniel Flick