Mdina has been inhabited in one form or another for well over 4,000 years. So it not an exaggeration to say that in more recent years the Apostle Paul was said to have lived after being shipwrecked here around 60 AD.
Mdina used to be the capital of Malta and you can see why. It dominates a large hill which affords views for miles many around and it is more or less in the centre of the main island.
Over the centuries it was developed into a fortified and walled city which is how it remains today. It makes a very imposing view as you drive up to it. If I was an Ottoman Turk, I certainly wouldn’t want to try and climb those walls and expect to have an easy time.
These days, the fortifications serve as viewing platforms for tourists and the walls keep out the cars of non-residents earning its name of ‘The Silent City’.
I did this painting outside St Paul’s Cathedral after visiting the Cathedral museum where I made a point of seeing a collection of prints by Albrecht Durer. As I was exiting the museum, I spotted this building as it sits in the cathedral square.
I just loved its symmetry and elegant Baroque façade. Though I have no idea what its name is or indeed its function. I sat in the shade and got to work. This is a natural passing place for the tourists clipping up and down on the horse drawn carriages so I noted them in as well.
Breakfast at Tiffanys, Marsascala
This painting of Tiffany’s Cafe is available to buy here.
In the UK we still have old Cafes that still sell filling and cheap British food. They are affectionately known a ‘Greasy spoons’.
Every country in the world has an equivalent. In the USA they have Diners, Turkey has Kebab shops and, in Vietnam they have street food that you eat sitting on the pavement.
The Maltese have theirs as well and ‘Tiffanys’ in Marsaskala is just such an example. It looks a bit rough and ready though the welcome and the food is the tops. It is a mixture of Maltese, Italian, British and general Mediterranean cuisine.
I can recommend the chicken wraps.. Oh and the burger and chips!
I painted this from across the road on the quayside beneath a palm tree. Tiffanys and Marsascala is an easy-going corner of Malta and that’s what I was looking for in this painting.
By the sea, Malta
Naturally as a visitor, the sea will feature heavily in anything you do in Malta. It is also a natural gathering and socialising place for the locals too.
This is especially so in the evenings. You can be in a loud quay side bar that you assume is full of partying tourists, and then you realise that you are the only non-Maltese person there.
The Maltese always seem to have the energy of people on their only holiday of the year.
Of course things can be calm too and I saw this lone fisherman by a boat covered in drying washing one morning and decided to paint them both. Getting the colour of the sea is really tricky. It has its own light and seems almost other worldly compared to the dark pea soup sea we have in the UK.
You can see part one of this blog here.
