So, we made it back to Helsinki, in time to jam into a trolley car, headed back to the train station. Just so that you know, if you try to catch a trolley after getting off the ferry, it will be very crowded. Either lots of patience is required or being able to push forward. Once on the trolley, you will not be able to move. But fear not, most people get off at the train station to either catch a train, a bus or the Metro. Back at the apartment, we shoved our bags into the hallway, and headed across the street to Prisma, to pick up food stuffs for breakfast. Then, sleep.
In the morning, over coffee, tea and bread, we decided that we would like to head down to the Esplanade (home for pricey shops, restaurants and hotels. There is a nice park in between directions. A great place to browse and see Moomin. All the while moving towards the harbor and the outdoor market.
This particular version of Moomin is actually a floor lamp. To really get into local lore, make sure you go to Moominland, in Naantali, during the summer.
What items did we want to see, but not likely to buy? I finally got to sample a moose dog. The thing is, in Finland, you don’t just order a hot dog (pork or all beef). Here you must decide if you want the above, or reindeer, moose, as well as other combos. This is important stuff people! So, we spent a relaxing time walking around (and not spending!).
Typically European, temporary shelters are installed to take you out of the cold for while, while drinking more Glogg and eating my first moose dog. Very tasty! And for those diet conscious, low in fat.
Fortified, and raring to go, we walked through the outdoor stalls along the waterfront.
This sailing vessel is always here at the base of the harbor, with the city hall and the dome church in the background.
Now, if I hadn’t just eaten a moose dog, I would have opted for a plate of fried lake “herring”. But they did give me a sample.
Asa result of their past Russian masters, this remarkably beautiful orthodox church. (No pictures allowed inside.)
Yes ladies. These are the real thing.
Something about these sculptures caught my attention.
Walking along the street, these bike racks caught our attention. Utilitarian, but not boring.
Probably the most photographed location in Helsinki, this is the Dome, Lutheran Church located in Senate Square, near to all the government buildings and harbor.
Everything sells.
One last stop before we head on home for the day. We stopped into the indoor market along side the harbor. At one time, it was filled with a myriad of shops, selling, produce, fish, meat and other items. Now, sadly, it is mostly being taken over by restaurants. If you want to see a real market hall in action, head on over to the Hakeneimi Market Hall ( http://www.hakaniemenkauppahalli.fi/kauppiaat/ ). It is located two stops away on the Metro.
All kinds of cold and warm smoked salmon and whitefish.
In case you may have need of a reindeer skin. Not very soft, however.
For those considering a trip to Helsinki for the holiday season, there is a way cool way to do both Helsinki and Stockholm. From either city, the Viking Line and the Tallink/Silja lines have ferries that depart from either direction at 5PM. Each ship has several restaurants, buffets, cafeteria, bars and casinos. And, to the delight of most passengers, there are very large duty free shops. Since you don’t arrive until around 8AM (or 7AM, depending on time zones), get a cabin for a good night’s sleep. If you take this ferry in the summer, it will be light most of the way, ensuring you have breathtaking views of the many hundreds of islands you pass in the archipelago. And if you go to Stockholm, be sure to visit Skansen ( https://www.skansen.se/en/welcome-to-skansen)
At the end of the first week in January, the annual LUX light show is put on by professionals throughout the world, in the lighting business, as well as by local school kids. Located within a mile area, it attracts over 600,000 people, young and old, to marvel at the creations. If you go, make sure to bundle up. It runs for one week, in the evening. Way cool!
bet you don’t recognize it from the day!
Helsinki school kids made these lanterns hanging over the paths in the park.
Look closely at this sign on the lake. Very closely.
While it looks realistic, it did not come down from Mars.
And for the first time, we celebrated our anniversary while we were in Finland. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Helsinki ( https://www.kolmekruunua.fi/en/ ). No visit to Helsinki would be complete without it. Open since 1952, it has all the charm of an upscale neighborhood semi-casual restaurant. Very welcoming, comfortable, with excellent service. And a great place to seek out what Finns like to eat.
Could be the world’s best salmon soup.
Better half opted for fried herring with mashed potatoes, beets and pickled cukes.
I went for the duck with a side of creamy risotto.
And then, our flight back home to Malta (Santa was too tired to fly us back), where I have several blogs ready to create. It was kind of weird seeing roses in bloom here at home. Hope you enjoyed your holidays, as we did.
We had a wonderful six weeks in Finland and Estonia for Christmas. We had great expectations for a white Christmas and New Year when we hitched a ride north with Santa Claus. To say the least, we were surprised with the weather. When Santa landed his sleigh, he had to lower the wheels. Until the very morning we left the “Frozen North”, not a single flake fell. In fact, the average temperature, usually around -5C, was averaging about 5C. The Finns call this kind of Christmas: “Black Christmas.” And as it continued through the end of January when we left, it is also called black winter.
Normally, Finnish children get their first set of skis when they are three. Unless their parents took them above the Arctic Circle, the skis remained in the closets. It was so warm, even the pussy willows were in bloom (about three months early). I also noticed that it was so warm that the stream hadn’t frozen!
The pussy willow normally starts blooming in March, not early January. Not even any ice on the stream.
Since Santa didn’t get us there until 1AM, we slept in and slept some more. Then, we headed off by Metro (subway) and trolley (on tracks) to the ferry line, for our two-hour trip to Tallinn, the old Hanseatic city of the middle ages and current capital of Estonia, located on the Gulf of Finland.
Would you believe, people using umbrellas to keep the snow off at the Christmas market in Tallinn.
Estonia’s early success as an independent country was as a result of their creating a tech hub in their country. Their first home-grown success was Skype. Estonians are really tech savvy. Over 98% of all services available to Estonians are on-line. How could they not be tech savvy? Besides Skype, there are Bolt and TransferWise. Not only is Estonia a financial success story, they care about the environment and people. In Tallinn, all public transport is free for all Estonians.
The onion domes of Alexander Nevski Orthodox Cathedral built in the 19th century stands between the Estonian Parliament (the pink building behind) and Chapel of the Consistory of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (yellow in the front). It was built in the 17th century.
The heart of Tallinn is the Old Town. Dating back several hundred years, this walled part of the city is ground zero for the tourism industry. Great shopping, hotels and restaurants abound. Our hotel, the Kalev Spa and Hotel and Waterpark ( https://kalevspa.ee/en/home/ ) is located right on the edge of Old Town. And it is a short walk from the ferry terminal. Good rooms, with a view, good restaurant, spa, and an absolutely fantastic waterpark, including an indoor Olympic size pool. In fact it was used in the Olympics as training facility when the Summer Olympics were held in Moscow 1980.
Houses of Tallinn
Lithuanian Embassy
Pepper Sack restaurant
A real fixer-upper
City Hall in Market Square
A mix of all architecture, and very old.
Christmas markets are a very big European tradition. They are normally held outdoors in the local market squares. Normally, they are open from around the 12th of December until the 21st. Tallinn is different in that besides Christmas, many Russians still live in Estonia, so they are celebrating the Russian New Year in early January. And many Russians travel to Tallinn, as well as Helsinki in early January.
So many sights to see in the Market. We walked around and around. The better half immediately zoomed in on the booth that always sells strange looking stuffed rats, rabbits and cats. (We have a few at home.) And now, we have another one.
A marzipan artisan at work painting Santa.
Now that is a scary weathervane.
For a religious figure, he is rather threatening.
A sculpture artist next to our hotel sculpts animals, including this cat.
Guess someone left their bike, and the next person by painted it!
Why wouldn’t I buy one of everything he is selling.
As far as the better half is concerned, she would have bought everything, if we had room for them.
From morning until night, the Christmas market is a riot of color and activity.
At any rate, we got cold, standing around. So, as a good Christmas tradition calls for when browsing at a Christmas market ( https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tallinn+christmas+market+2019&qpvt=tallinn+christmas+market+2019&FORM=IGRE ) we had some glogg (a combo of wine, spirits and spices, all heated up). And some food from the stands. The favorite it seems, for all but us, is blood sausage, served with a side of sauerkraut. We opted for fried dumplings. After all, with Christmas Eve dinner a couple of hours away, we had no room for the sausages, either. They looked very tasty though!
All manner of sausages and pork chops, served with sauerkraut and potatoes. The one that looks blackened, is not. It is the dreaded blood sausage!
Our preferred activity was walking throughout Old Town. I love to photograph the very colorful doors that adorn all the homes throughout Tallinn and Estonia. This trip enabled me to document a whole slew of new ones for later printing. I also noted something that I previously had not paid much attention. That would be the very ornate shop signs throughout the town. Saves on the electrical bill.
It would seem that the national pastime is to decorate one’s home with ornate and colorful doors.
On our final day in Tallinn, we did some last-minute sightseeing, and dropped our bags off at the ferry terminal. We had two last things to do. First, we went to tour the KGB Spy Museum on the top floor (23) of the Hotel Viro in the center of Tallinn. It’s probably the biggest tourist attraction in Tallinn.
After the Soviets built Tallinn’s luxurious, but imposing, Hotel Viru in the 1970s, Estonians joked that the building was made of microconcrete, as in concrete and microphones. The Soviets contracted out the construction to Finnish companies and their workers. I am certain they were puzzled as to why many rooms were requested to include certain “enhancements”.
Few people were ever allowed on the hotel’s top floor, which the Soviet managers insisted contained only technical rooms. When the KGB fled the country in the early 1990s, the newly liberated Estonians discovered that the technical rooms housed elaborate, vintage James Bond-esque listening equipment.
The hotel’s new owners kept the rooms exactly as the KGB left them. On the door of those technical rooms is now written “There’s nothing here” in both English and Estonian, which alludes to the official answer given when anyone asked what was behind the door. Visitors now can take guided tours that focus not only on the more absurd elements of living in a surveillance state, but on the strange history of the hotel, which includes prostitution, espionage, and some of the best chicken to be had during the occupation.
Not sure if returning American tourists/government officials understood why they kept getting the same rooms. Certain rooms were set up well for recording any conversation and taking pictures through holes in the wall.
In a local’s words, find out what it was like.
“To ensure that staff was honest serving all those rich foreigners, a little bag with a snap clasp left behind on a table in Viru Hotel might have seemed like a windfall to workers trying to survive in Soviet-controlled Estonia. But anyone trying to make off with the purse rather than dropping it off with hotel security would find that opening it triggered a small explosion, leaving the culprit’s face burned — and easily identifiable — for weeks.
This is the kind of thing one learns at the Hotel Viru’s KGB Museum, which comprises four rooms of the functioning hotel’s once mysterious 23rd floor. On that top floor, despite its stunning views of the city, the KGB agents crouched next to listening devices in windowless rooms and schemed to install hidden cameras throughout the hotel and microphones into room phones.
And there were microphones everywhere: The hotel — which was built as a propaganda device, to show foreigners visiting Tallinn that life under communism was just as sumptuous as life under capitalism — operated with an entirely separate ecosystem from the rest of the city, with its own dentists, pharmacy and doctors. And of course there was entertainment – a cabaret of rather bare skin type, good restaurant and of course a bar where you could meet foreigners. They also had a fleet of cars with multilingual, friendly and helpful drivers who were of course listening to their passengers’ every word and reported back to KGB.
The 23rd floor (actually, the elevator shows only 22 floors. You have to climb a set of stairs to get to the 23rd floor). It was swiftly vacated in 1991 when it became clear Estonia was going to gain its independence. The museum is a kitsch paradise, with labels in four languages on every artifact, mannequins dressed in Soviet uniforms, phones with their wires hastily ripped out and a cheerful Estonian guides conducting tours in multiple languages.
“You have to remember, you had to be there,” explained our guide, who was born in Tallinn. “It’s hard to explain if you weren’t here.” Having lived under Soviet rule is key to guiding people around the museum, he explains, though he maintains more of a sense of humor about Estonia’s relationship with Russia than some on the tour who asked him in hushed tone if he fears an imminent Russian invasion. He just laughs the question off in a manner recognizable to anyone who’s ever seen a Californian asked “Aren’t you afraid of earthquakes?”
But in Estonia and in Hotel Viru in the 1980s, that fear was real: KGB agents had people disappearing to prisons in Leningrad and Murmansk and even to cells at their Tallinn headquarters — now also a museum, though, our guide cautions, much less fun than the KGB Museum. When the KGB fled the hotel that night in 1991, he says, hotel staff waited two full months to break down the door to the rooms the agents had occupied. What if they had rigged the door and it would explode, or if they were still in there? Or worse, what if they were coming back?”
I would highly recommend this tour, out of the past, to all. Seems like 1990 is a century ago. Many people lived through those times and remember it well. To this day, many Estonians have little love for those Soviets (now Russians) who stayed rather than return to Russia. Many were born in Estonia and have no real understanding for Russia.
Built by the Finns for the Soviet union, to spy on Westerners and to provide luxury for visiting Soviet dignitaries.
The Soviet built phone was heavy enough for a weightlifter.
All about Comrade Brezhnev
Inside the 23rd floor, just as they left it in 1991
Spy equipment to listen in on all guest rooms.
Not exactly out of the transistor world.
Put a hole in a guest room wall, and you insert camera into opening, and take pictures.
Crude, but effective, Soviet listening devices.
One night, they just opened the door, and the spies on duty just walked away. They left everything as you see it.
Every room was bugged.
Our last stop on our latest Tallinn adventure was to our favorite restaurant, The Farm. ( http://restaurant.farm/?lang=en ) I would urge all who visit Tallinn to stop in for dinner or even lunch (the menu is the same.) They are located near the main entrance of Old Town by the arches.
The salad surpassed the ordinary.
The better half had the rissotto with a pile of mushrooms.
I opted for the superb duck breast.
An absolutely wonderful experience, both food and service.
The lobby table served the animals in off the street.
We took a brisk stroll through the early evening winds coming off the Gulf of Finland back to the ferry terminal, reclaimed our bags and climbed aboard our ferry back to Helsinki. A great five nights. And, we will be back. Estonia is a great place for a spa vacation, sightseeing, and talking with the wonderful people we met. An added benefit is that Estonia has not been widely known as a great winter and summer tourist locale. As a result, the crowds are not as big as they will get.
Next up will be our winter stay in Helsinki, along with a great light show. Should be available for you in a couple of days.
I know, I am getting ready for our flight with Santa in his sleigh to the frozen north. But I can’t help it. I was browsing through my photos when I realized that I had many pictures of cats. Not just any cats, but alert and ready for action, even if that means with their eyes closed.
Maltese people love cats, even if they do let them run to fend for themselves occasionally. But I captured them being, well, being cats, in all their moods.
Hope you like them, Amy.
Enjoy!
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (Il-Milied it-Tajjeb U Is-Sena T-Tajba) and a Happy Hanukkah.
By the Promenade in Sleima, they erected a statue to the prolific cats of Malta.
The security guard at the entrance to San Anton Gardens.
Catching a few zzzz’s is standard.
Some prefer full-on sun bathing.
Not often you can sneak up on a cat. Look up!
She should have been here now to feed us.
I will dine when I prefer, by myself.
These cats give a new meaning to a window overhang.
I know it is because the temperature rarely gets above 65F (18C). Oh, and there is rain from time to time. Another sign is that all the children are bouncing off the walls, getting very excited. And one last sign is that the Christmas lights are now on in our village of Naxxar. We knew that even before we saw them because there was a short but very noisy display of fireworks. This is, after all, Malta. So, out we went, seeing the first street lights at the end of our street. Then it was off to dinner.
Leave our home, turn right, walk a half a block, and we are at Triq Parrocca (Parish Street). The start of Christmas.
The better half loves Risotto. This came with mushrooms.I had the tagliatelle with squid ink and shellfish.(The Daily Grub) Yum!
Then it was time for a stroll through the village to see how it was looking; all ready for Christmas. And it does look ready!
Day or night, the Naxxar Parish Church looks spectacular.
Every neighborhood has their own lighting.
And of course, the Band Clubs participate… and celebrate.
And everyone decorates their front doors.
From the church, looking down Triq Labour (our main street).
Now that is some view. I do wonder, of course, just how Santa will make it without snow.
Inside the church, an international choral festival, with choirs from all over Europe.
Two weeks and we will be heading off to Finland for a winter holiday. I made arrangements with Santa Claus for us to hitch a ride with him up to the Frozen North. He is making his last-minute checks of naughty and nice in Malta before heading back to the North Pole. (It really is in Rovaniemi, Finland.) https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/love/santa-claus-magic-of-christmas/ He will drop us off in Helsinki.
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (Il-Milied it-Tajjeb U Is-Sena T-Tajba) and a Happy Hanukkah.
Will Blog with you all in 2020! With many pictures from the Frozen North.
When we moved into our flat in Naxxar, we knew the village had history. The fact that the village motto is Prior Credidt, “First to believe”, is a certain tip-off. As the ancestral residents supposedly rescued St. Paul from a shipwreck, while on his way to Rome, Naxxar has history.
And lo and behold, one of our neighbors, three blocks removed, owns the Parisio Palace and Gardens. As we were determined to get to know the neighborhood, we set out to explore it, along with our guest from Vancouver.
The backside of the church is a short two blocks from our home. And the Palace is located right across from the frontside of the church.
Built in 1733 by the Portuguese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, it was acquired in 1898 by Marquis Guiseppe Scicluna, local banker, philanthropist and pillar of the local community (also quite rich). His great granddaughter and her daughter are the present owners. They have overseen its restoration, as well as the magnificent gardens. Not bad for a family home in our neighborhood. The three focal points for visitors are the palace, the gardens, as well as a well-respected restaurant, Luna.
When moved into our flat on the back side of the village church, we had no idea of the presence of such a spectacular neighbor on the front side of the church. Lgawdu l-sbu Ħija u splendor. (Enjoy the beauty and splendor.)
Someday, when we save up enough money, we may try the restaurant.
The entrance to the Palazzo. Sure sets the mood.
Ornate is the least one can say,
The family coat of arms on the ceiling.
Somehow, I don’t think the dinner table was set for us.
Nothing like a gold screen for a little privacy.
Think he was there to guard the silverware.
Not to mention the watchful eye of the palace cat.
Between the palace/restaurant and gardens is a wonderful place for breakfast or a drink.
Not exactly like the wall at the back of our home in Kenmore.
Who wouldn’t want to stroll through this garden.
And just behind the garden wall, was the local mill.
Directly across the front entrance of the Palace, is the main entrance to the local Naxxar parish church.
When moved into our flat behind the village church, we had no idea of the presence of such a spectacular neighbor on the front side of the church. We have many more pictures of the Palace and gardens. If interested in seeing them, please let me know. Happy to share.
Lgawdu l-sbu Ħija u splendor. (Enjoy the beauty and splendor.)
After the hiatus, it’s time to get back to the blog. In the past couple of months, we have been busy buying and closing on our new home in Naxxar, a village of about 14,000 people. Located just a few kilometres from our rental apartment in Lija, we are located just two blocks from the village parish church: Our Lady of Victories.
The Naxxar Parish Church, dedicated to Our Lady of Victories, was built between 1616 and 1630. Our apartment is two blocks from the church.
Like much in Malta, Naxxar dates to
pre-historic times. The early residents helped rescue the shipwrecked Saint
Paul; and were the first converts to Christianity.
As with our time in Ħal Lija, we note just
how quiet it is, although located just stone’s throw from the village plaza.
Unlike Lija, Naxxar has a bigger central core. With nearby shops, restaurants
and a supermarket, we are only a short walk from about everything. In fact, our
closest bus stop is now only half a block away, as opposed to a seven-minute
walk.
Getting back to exploring Malta, our next blog will present the Palazzo Parisio and gardens. Hope you all have had a wonderful summer and are now looking forward to the cooler weather and the upcoming holiday season. Il-Vaganzi T-Tajba. (Happy holidays.)
Could it finally be over? Seems like just yesterday we were taking in our first Festa at Ħal Balzan. Then it was on to Ħal Lija, Mosta, Attard and finally, it ended with Naxxar. Along the way, we learned so much, about Malta, its people and culture. And, to be sure, so much about the band club culture, fireworks and Maltese food.
Our hosts wanted us to experience the real Maltese rabbit dinner, not a restaurant version. The home version takes more than a day to prepare. This is our appetizer of rabbit pasta. Notice. No tomato sauce.And this work of culinary art requires a marinade in herbs, wine and garlic for many hours. Then it is pan fried. And finally, it is sautéed with more wine, herbs and garlic. And lastly, potatoes and peas are added (no French fries came near this recipe).
The best way to tie it all up in a bow would be to clearly state that Maltese people are the friendliest, warmest and most welcoming people we have met anywhere. So far, these blogs have captured much of what we have learned over our first six months in Malta. And there is so much more to learn.
It’s just that the last couple of weeks have been so quiet. We have gotten used to fireworks at 8AM, noon, around 6PM, and again around 9:30PM. So much fun!
Our first experience with ground fireworks.The Maltese band club tradition starts with the very young.
Are the fireworks over? Nope this coming Saturday is Independence Day (‘Jum 1-Indipendenza'(September 21, 1964), with a huge display over Valletta.
And for us, the first week of October will bring us to our first Maltese language class. No doubt, this will greatly enhance our experience. And hopefully, your enjoyment.
Can’t wait for the new fireworks next year. They are already working on them now.
We landed in Helsinki after midnight on Friday morning. After throwing our bags into the apartment, we ran across the street to Prisma to buy some food for breakfast on Friday. Got to sleep at 2:30AM. Sometime in the middle of the night it started pouring buckets. It kept on going all Friday and early evening. All told, almost three inches of rain. Lots of flooding. I believe I said I would like some rain after almost three months of sun in Malta!
Saturday night we took the Metro (subway) into the center of downtown Helsinki. We decided on having sushi at Luckiefun’s sushi buffet (https://www.facebook.com/luckiefun ). Was our second visit. Still very good, and a good bargain.
Decided to walk off dinner by walking along the Esplanade to the Inner Harbor. Stared at the new Moomin Mugs in the Arabia store. At almost ten, it was still light enough to see all the sights from the Allas Seapool https://www.allasseapool.fi/en/ , a combination Sauna, three outdoor swimming pools and multiple bars and restaurants on three different outdoor levels in the Inner Harbor. Sat down with a couple of mojitos; and looked over the harbor. Life is good!
And today, we peddled on over the bridge to Vuosaari (in eastern Helsinki), to visit a family friend. She promptly took us to an outdoor Sunday market, where I finally had my favorite fried lake herring and onions and pancake and coffee for dessert. Sigh!
In the display window of Stockmann’s Dept. store, they are advertising the coming ballet of Alice in Wonderland.
Guess this is Alice.
Helsinki is divided into quarters. This how they are named.
Every city should have a big wheel, including one with a car that is a sauna!
From our perch, we can see the restaurants and marinas on the nearby island.
What better way to end the day than with a couple of Mojitos.
From our comfortable reclining seats, we have great view of the inner harbor and the three pools.
Ok, they are owls. Just not sure why they are there.
Before heading on home, we said goodbye to the horses.
As it’s finally time head on home, as the light starts to fade over the Central Church in Senate Square.
Well, since we don’t have a car back in Malta, maybe we should bring it home.
The market is next to the local library.
Although they looked good, I passed on the elk hot dogs.
Fried lake herring can be addictive. Got the last of them before they ran out.
After drooling over the frying herring, time to pick them up, one by one, and chomp on down. Yum!
Since we made a clean sweep of the herring, we opted for dessert.
After the herring, had to have another Finn favorite, pancake with strawberry and cream.
Happen to come across field testing of driverless bus on the island. Way cool!
Just realized that being retired does not eliminate your desire for a holiday. Right in the middle of the dog days of summer in Malta (and a whole lot of festas), we figure it is time to head on off to the defrosted north, to Finland. Helsinki to be more precise. So, right at the end of their late summer festivals’ season, we will look forward to a somewhat less heated environment. For those in the States and Canada, enjoy your Labor Day holiday. Busy times ahead in September.
My most favorite Finnish summer dish: fried lake herring.
Looking out from the Finnish public sauna (Allas Seapool), we can see the Presidential Palace, City Hall and Swedish Embassy, along the inner harbor. In the background is the Lutheran Church, in Senate Square.
Now if this doesn’t offer up cool and tranquil to you, what will? This is a former timber mill outside of Pori, a couple of hours west of Helsinki.
Day and night. For all the summer, the sound and sights of fireworks. In fact, at noon today, 15 minutes straight of petards blasting skyward, with a fluffy puff of white, followed by a really loud boom. Not that we are complaining. To the contrary, we love it. But we keep asking ourselves why the Maltese are obsessed with fireworks. And we found the answer. It comes from this article in the GuideMeMalta.com.
“Summer in Malta is not complete without fireworks – that somewhat deafening boom and the bright, albeit short-lived lights punctuate the sky for four exuberant months. In fact, if the Maltese summer were to have a theme tune, it would be the cracking boom of fireworks mixed with the harmonious ringing of church bells set to a background of boisterous brass band marches.
Fireworks are probably the closest you’ll get to defining the Maltese character – a loud burst of color and passion. And the creators of such magic are all about passion. The tradition of fireworks manufacturing in Malta goes back for centuries, with the knowledge being handed down from one generation to the next through hands-on learning. Today, however, things are a little different – fireworks manufacturers are required to attend an official course and pass a written exam before obtaining the necessary license to mix the chemicals. There are 35 fireworks factories on the Maltese Islands with around 1,900 licensees and a further 700 about to obtain their license. A thriving industry, you might think. And while it is, it is also one that essentially only makes money to burn back on the fireworks themselves, since all these manufacturers are volunteers, and their work is purely a labor of love!
A Maltese Cross above Lija.
Malta’s fireworks tradition dates back to the time of the Order of the Knights of St John, who would celebrate important feasts with pyrotechnic displays, quite likely inspired by celebratory cannon or musket gun salutes. Years later, Italian pyrotechnicians came to Malta and shared their expertise with local manufacturers. Nowadays, Maltese fireworks factories have gained a global reputation for their unparalleled creativity, and regularly win awards at international festivals and competitions. “Maltese fireworks are unique, and that’s not just me saying it,” Josef points out proudly. “In other countries they tend to use single shots. We are very creative. We’ve even managed to spell out words using fireworks, and even depict faces of cartoon characters. I consider the Maltese pyrotechnicians of today true artists. They are painters of the sky.” St Mary’s show, held annually on 14th August, is especially renowned for its innovativepyrotechnic tricks, including the jaw-dropping Tower of Light.
With all this talent, it’s hard to believe that these exceptional fireworks masters all give their time for free to create such artistry. “The fireworks factory is our second home after the family. We make huge sacrifices to produce these fireworks for the joy of our village parish feast and all those who come to admire our fireworks. Many volunteers come in every day at 4pm after work and stay on till midnight, and sometimes even work through the night to produce the fireworks,” explains Josef. The competitive spirit between the parishes to produce the best fireworks display for their village festa fuels this creativity and passion. The factories have to raise their own funds to manufacture fireworks, partly through the generous support of the villagers, but mostly through selling fireworks to other towns. “A typical display for our village would cost around €50,000,” reveals Josef. “Two weeks after the festa, we start planning the following year’s festa, and one month before the show, we start preparing the letting off site.” (Article from GuideMeMalta.com)
The creativity of the fireworks factories is breathtaking.
So, now you know why and how. I guess the most important ingredients are dedication, belief, volunteerism and no pay! It reminds me exactly about the Band Clubs. Young kids are given free training, free instruments, and a way to express themselves. In return, they give a lifetime of service to the Band and village, just like other kids give their all to the local fireworks factories. To me, it is a very encouraging and patriotic act on the part of Malta’s youth. And a way to preserve and improve on a worthwhile tradition.
Seattle to Malta 6,087 miles (9,796 kilometers)...... And a lifetime. 