A lull in the weather and we were able to bring Jo's assemblage/print/rubbing work to Arthall to install for the event. Marta and Tomas were there - helping to decide what goes where and how to set up the video projector best for viewing. Afterwards we stopped at a cafe for lunch and immediately felt the exhaustion of the push to finish. Then back to the apartment for a nap.
 
10 February is the Maltese holiday of the Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. And the weather was very in keeping with the holiday - rain, wind, ferry crossings canceled, warnings for people to not go out - we contacted Marta and asked if she would prefer to postpone until Saturday but she decided to go ahead as scheduled.
 
In spite of the weather there were 9 people who came. We shared 3 of our eight videos created during the residency and they were well received. Afterwards Marta took people to tour the basement where the videos were shot. The floor of the shaft was wet but the ghost room had become a wading pool with water at least a foot deep. They must have some sort of artesian well under the building that was overwhelmed by all the rain we have had.
 
Some friends of theirs invited us to their beautiful old house for drinks, food and lively discussion. There were no Maltese or Gozitans - all ex-pats - two Swedes, a Spaniard, a Pole from Australia, and an American.  We stayed out much later than we are used to (the nap was very helpful!) and perhaps overindulged in wine in celebration.

Photos on bottom slide show courtesy of Arthall

As should be expected after 200 years of British rule, English is common and wide-spread. Though, perhaps as an act of resistance, the Maltese language is very much the primary language. The signage outside official government offices is in Maltese (leading to some confusion as we were trying to meet with Francesco Grech at the office of the Gozo Regional Council). Victoria, named by the Brits, is still referred to as ir-Rabat. Surprisingly, even though the written English used is the U.K. version, rather than the American that has dropped letters in spellings (e.g., programme v. program), the spoken version doesn't retain much, if any of the British dialect. Maltese spoken English is very different than British spoken English, making it very easy to detect the ex-pats and holiday-goers.
 

A man who looked just young enough to have never been a subject of Her Majesty, that Jo struck up a conversation with while we were hiking along the Ta' Cenc cliff trail, kept asking with his somewhat limited mastery of the language, "English?" in spite of us replying "the States" "U.S." and "America". He then proudly led us to view the Manchester logo on the back windshield of his small pick-up truck. Paul responded "football" and the man started sharing the woes of the recent loss at the 91 minute mark. We have seen more than a few football (aka soccer) pubs in both Valletta and here.

Walking in Gozo involves a lot of changing sides of the road in an effort to put yourself at the least risk of being hit by a car. The streets are narrow with no shoulder, the drivers fast, and sidewalks are oftentimes interrupted by steps, driveways and sideview mirrors of cars parked as close to the edge as possible. Fortunately blind curves feature concave mirrors to assist the drivers avoid head-on collisions and it is common practice to sound one's horn to warn oncoming traffic.
 
We plot our course, attempting to follow as many small streets, alleys and - best yet - walking trails. But sometimes major roads are unavoidable to get to where we want to go. We passed by a decrepit building that once must have been impressive as the limestone in the front had unique carvings. Then onto a very busy road that, thankfully had a parking area designated on one side.
 
We turned off onto a less traveled street and passed by a fairly large dairy operation with the dairy parlor under what looked like an abandoned overpass project: large concrete pillars supporting a mostly flat concrete roof, with no walls. As we climbed out of the valley we noted several dairy operations with the same structures, most with solar panels atop.
 
It was a very beautiful day. As we neared the coast we had a clear view of the islands of Comino and Malta as well as the channel ferry making its crossing.
 
The Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs, also known as Sanap Cliffs are extraordinary; projecting vertically out of the Mediterranean Sea at heights up to 120 meters (394 feet). The trail follows the coastline, revealing wonderful flora - some we couldn't identify - and several limestone and rubble rock huts for shepherds who tend their sheep and goats. In exposed sections of the trail the wind was powerful, once making it difficult for Jo to move forward.
 
It is an interesting trail. If one focuses solely upon the trail and the gorgeous views of the cliff and Sea then it seems that one is in the wilderness. But, shifting your view inland it is clear that "civilization" is very close, complete with the sound of construction. The trail is sometimes very manicured and other times rather rough, requiring you to look for the red paint circles on the rock marking the way.
 
Suddenly, after enjoying a long trek along the coastal cliffs, we were at the end, signified by the jarring vision of contemporary high-rise apartments in Xlendi, what was once a fishing village transformed by capitalism into an upscale resort community. The bay was filled with scuba buoys demarking areas where divers were active.

Spent much of the past few days in the subterranean level beneath the ArtHall Gallery. Marta has graciously provided us complete access to the space; giving us a key soon after we met. The basement is damp, a dehumidifier is set to run constantly, with limestone dust from the walls throughout. There is the organized mess of an artist's studio with remnants of past projects and various tools of making work in categorized areas.
 
We are working in two spaces: the "shaft", a never finished elevator for the building, and the "ghost room" a 10'x10' space with limestone arches overhead, polished marbled tile floor and limestone block walls. The ghost room has had some issues with flooding, the stone walls smell of mildew, reinforcing just how soft and porous this rock is.
 
The resonance in the ghost room is extraordinary. Inspired by Alvin Lucier's, "I am sitting in a room", Paul recorded, played back and re-recorded the sound of the dehumidifier, and spoken text written by us about the spaces six times (to correspond with the number of times you have to turn the key to unlock the door) as the overtones of the room completely mutate the original recording into something somewhat akin to Robert Fripp's frippertronic tape loop experiments. It is likely that these will be used as soundtracks for the videos we are making in the rooms.
 
In the ghost room we made a stop-motion animation (aka "pixelation") with the two of us (because it isn't really an artist residency until we have done at least one of those!) and, using dialogic devising, created text and movement videos. The shaft has likewise been a site for our devising videos. Francesco Grech, a young poet/composer who has been one of our official contacts, has agreed to take part in the devising as well, as soon as his schedule opens up.
 
Jo has also been taking chalk rubbings in the ghost room while continuing to do her Gelli prints. The small space of the apartment requires organization and some creative problem solving - she has used the floor, the couch and the drying rack for places to allow the wet paint to dry. (All the works pictured in the slide shows are in-process, not finished works.)
 
Paul is working with the GoPro to create a artwalking in Victoria video so we have continued to explore the side streets and alleys. We made our way back to the Lunzjata Valley where they had cut and bundled the very tall (20') bamboo-like grasses that lined the stream. Aside from the coastline, there are really no wild places on Gozo, it is either cultivated for "dry farming" or residential. Gozo is the bread basket of Malta. Fortunately, as it was not where the British ships were docked, it was not subjected to quite the level of bombardment during WWII as Malta was and, through disciplined rationing, was able to keep Malta from starving.

Church bells commence early in the morning and continue throughout the day, pealing from different directions, each church having its own unique timbre and pitch. They don't, like a cuckoo clock, denote the hour of the day (I've counted and it doesn't match). Sometimes they are melodic other times cacophonic. And it seems that the churches don't overlap. Perhaps the various parishes, with their proud and grandiose basilicas that seem rather oversized for the populations, have an agreement to set their bell clocks to slightly different times or it is just a happy accident.
 
My best guess is the bells follow a schedule set by the 7 canonical "hours" of matins and lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers and compline (thank you Google search). It would be really interesting if these were accompanied by the Islam calls to prayer broadcast through the day but, other than the Arabic roots of Maltese language, Islam was thoroughly replaced by the Knights of St. John's militaristic devotion.
 
We have seen a few women with head scarves and one in a full black chador who, on first glimpse I perceived as a Catholic nun, however it is clear that Islam is not a dominant religion here. The language is interesting for an outsider, as it sometimes sounds very Arabic and sometimes very Italian. We also oftentimes hear very British English, perhaps from tourists or ex-pats.
 
We started another of our "slow walks on a small rock" life art project only to have to return to the apartment for a change of footgear. Jo saved on weight and space during packing by leaving her hiking boots behind in favor of her cross trainer shoes regularly used for biking. It turns out that the fit is just a bit too tight which created some hot spots on her feet on our previous day's trek that flared up immediately. A change to the looser, slip-on boots she had worn on the plane and we were off.
 
Our route retraced the start of yesterday's path before veering slightly east so we were able to identify both Ta’ Għammar hill and Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse from slightly different viewpoints. Past terraced agriculture and through some rather posh areas with impeccably maintained and very tall rock rubble walls until we reached the Wied il-Għasri Gorge. Descending the rock-hewn stairway we reached a very narrow inlet to the sea with impressive limestone walls and the sound of small round rocks rolling against each other. The tourist literature comments on how impressive it is during rough weather, which seems an ill-advised time to visit, but it would be magnificent.
 
Nearby the salt pans commence, a series of shallow flat pools where seawater is allowed to evaporate, interconnected by a series of hand dug channels. Some seem ancient, from the Roman times, and others are contemporary as they continue to serve the salt harvesting economy. There is something akin to the Sutro Baths of San Francisco as the pools appear almost as an elaborate healing spa but the numerous signs warn against going into the pools, holding barbecues or leaving trash that would contaminate the salt.
 
The channels and linked rectangular pools inhabit an eerie, somewhat lunar landscape of smooth, soft rock surface. Walking along the coastline we were impressed at the extent of the salt operation as the pools continued far beyond what the pictures and descriptions in the tourist literature prepared us for.
 
We reached Marsalforn, filled with dive shops to explore Calypso's Cave and apartment buildings constructed with modern, economical methods.  We were now on the return leg of our walk, with the highlights of the hike behind us. The blisters on Jo's feet were a bit too angry so, in spite of the nagging feeling that we were breaching some sort of code of the flâneur, we took a Bolt (the Maltese version of Uber) on a five-minute ride back to the apartment.

 As everything in the apartment is electric this impacted our morning coffee ritual, Paul didn't bring Jo's first mug to her in bed while she went through her morning stretches to mitigate against vertigo caused by neck strain.
 
Morning into late afternoon was predicted to be dry so Jo plotted out a long and much needed walk after two mostly sedentary days. It is amazing how quickly we were outside the city, into the much more sane lanes with few cars racing by. The plant life had responded to their evening soaking, the green was practically radiant in the fields of the broad valley surrounded by hills and steppes that are crammed with limestone buildings reached by steep, sometimes switchbacked roads.
 
We saw some fields with plants we couldn't identify, taking photos for future referencing. Up another very steep road we reached the Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse near the village of Ghasri. We were a bit disappointed to see and hear that we weren't alone, a group of eight young adults were sitting at a nice overlook playing pop music on a device. It was good to see them enjoying the early afternoon but their music wasn't as interesting as the birdsong.
 
We didn't linger long as we had started late, the loop was long, and we had a dinner date with the partners of Arthall (going to a restaurant and, indeed, getting together with another couple for dinner is a relatively rare event for us). Back down the hill we passed an extended family with auntie (or grandma?), two mothers, children, and two young men, all dressed up taking an after-Church stroll.
 
We retraced our steps, past several dog-walkers (it must have been the usual Sunday afternoon time to take the pooch out), back to Ghasri before turning off towards our next destination. We had noted earlier that the unleashed dogs we had encountered along the way were rather tolerant of strangers, never did we feel the aggressive defense of territory that oftentimes feels a bit of a threat when walking the countryside in the U.S.  We also saw a few serious runners and bikers logging the kilometers.
 
The Ta’ Pinu sanctuary is impressive enough with its contemporary statues and curved mosaic walls in the large courtyard in front of the church but it across the street where the real attraction lies. Up Ta’ Għammar hill is a steep pathway are positioned 14 larger than life, white Carrara marble statues, providing an effort-filled pilgrimage for the ritual of the Stations of the Cross. This leads to a large amphitheater in the round with a stone altar placed in the center. We sat at the top and enjoyed our simple lunch. From that vantage one can see the Sea in all directions, making the smallness of the island clearly evident.
 
Back down the hill we started down an even steeper path to the adjacent narrow, terraced and thoroughly planted verdant valley. We stopped after descending to the first terrace as the stone steps going to lower levels looked a bit precarious. We had seen a man pushing a wheelbarrow up the path, the labor involved in farming these difficult to access fields seem rather incredible.
 
We looped past the Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village that we has visited on a previous hike, hoping to view the Neolithic Caves At Ghajn Abdul, further on. We didn't see the caves but enjoyed some spectacular views. The dirt/gravel roads were

Haven't done any big excursions the past couple days. Been rainy and we have had some meetings scheduled.  The meetings were very fruitful and likely to develop into positive elements of our residency. (More later as things are solidified)
 
Meanwhile we have been working on the art part of our artist residency. Jo has been making Gelli prints on her handmade paper created at home and at U.S residencies, as well as exploring rubbings on limestone surfaces. Paul has been editing video and continuing to collect audio and visual resources.
 
We went to a bakery in Fontana, deciding that Maypole is not only closer, with more convenient

Some thunder this morning with intermittent showers. We walked up towards the Citadel to go to Marla Attard's office at the Cultural Heritage Directorate and walked right by it. While set along a well-traveled street rather than on the backside of a parking lot like Francesco Grech's shared office as cultural manager for the Gozo Region in Malta, it too was rather inconspicuously labeled in a very pedestrian looking building.
 
We walked into the building and immediately a male colleague of hers followed us, asking what we wanted in a way to make is seem that our presence in the building was not really allowed. Our perception is that these government agencies really don't want direct public interaction, at least without setting up a pre-arranged meeting, and perhaps, being so near to the Citadel, they get tourists wandering in with some frequency.
 
Marla came out of her meeting to give us another bag of supplies (clothes hangers and trash/recycling bags) to supplement the apartment. As always she made us feel quite welcome even though she had work to do. Finally, six days after moving in, the apartment feels like it may properly accommodate our basic needs.
 
Rain was predicted but it was clear for the moment so we took the relatively short walk to the neighboring town of Fontana to re-visit Lunzjata Valley and hopefully get to meet with the Education, Science and Culture Centre sited there with the hope that we could make arrangements for deeper investigations for our "Sense of Place" project in the Valley and other areas of natural beauty the Centre deals with.
 
Unfortunately the Centre was closed so we settled on a slow "art-walk" in the agriculturally rich area made fecund by plentiful water. Paul began making sound recordings, Jo collecting samples of flora to press, and both of us snapping photos.
 
A farmer drove by in a truck (it is refreshing to see trucks that are clearly designed for utility rather than the bloated, luxury pick ups in the U.S.), across the bridge to a large, old stone villa. As we trudged on it became apparent that the valley is farmed by this one operation/family. Awhile later we saw the man walking along a path with two large boxes filled with some greenery he harvested to load into the truck and then he walked to another small field up the valley. Access to the various planting areas is limited, there would be no large tractors working the small fields here.
 
Beginning our walk back we couldn't determine whether the cat we saw in the grass was dead or just sleeping. Jo called out "puss, puss" to see if she could rouse it and almost immediately three

Began simmering the hake bones, tail and head for soup tomorrow. We were concerned that it would stink up the apartment so were pleasantly surprised that the aroma is really quite nice.
 
The spin cycle of the washing machine in our apartment doesn't thoroughly wring out the clothes so, with the rainy conditions it takes a couple days to dry on the portable, folding drying rack (a great household item that we have tried, in vain, to locate in the States since first discovering them at our Arteles residency in Hämeenkyrö, Finland back in 2012.). First thing in the morning we started another small load so we can keep on top of things.
 
Jo broke out her paints, and paper in the tiny micro-studio she set up next to the washing machine. Not ideal conditions by any means but making do with what you have is all part of the artist residence experience.
 
The forecast was for dry conditions until late afternoon/evening so we decided we should take another long walk, this time to the Ġgantija Temple built between c.3600 and c.3200 BC
 
The narrow, and sometimes non-existent sidewalks on narrow streets where the locals zoom past (the "Speed Kills" signs on the road seem to have no impact) while minding one's step to avoid dog waste doesn't make for the most pleasant walking but, once we leave the city limits there is less traffic, less urban dog owners, and much more rewarding views. We have noted more than a few red dog waste receptacles stationed around town so it appears the local council is aware of the issue.
 
Xagħra, the second largest town in Gozo with a population of around 5,000 is, sited atop a hill (a great defensive position). The road we walked into town featured very steep switchbacks that, in spite of intentional texturing of the concrete to increase traction, was rather slick.
 
Nearing the top there was a cemetery that we would have enjoyed exploring but restrained our curiosity in deference to someone paying respect to their loved one. Not much further up there is a beautiful area with a stele with religious image, a plaque commemorating a bicentennial in Maltese language (1818-2018) and gorgeous vistas of the Sea and the countryside.
 
Xagħra's Victory Square is anchored by the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. It seems that many, perhaps most Gozo squares are centered around a predominant church. We lunched on a couple savory pastries purchased from a nearby snack shop but found that didn't meet the high standard set by the ones we enjoyed from Sphinx Pastizzeria in Valletta.
 
Without planning, we came upon Ta'Kola Windmill and were informed that entry tickets valid for both attractions were only available at the Ġgantija Archaeological Park so we would need to come back after visiting there.
 
The  Ġgantija museum features rather astonishing artifacts demonstrating a level of artistic sophistication that we hadn't realized a Stone Age civilization was able to attain. The Temple grounds themselves, with 8 meter high exterior walls, and elaborate inner rooms reinforced this perception. Scaffolding has been put into place to prevent further collapses since the site was excavated in the 1800s. Several of the stones had holes drilled into them, some resembling the kind our door knobs and latches have.
 
We were happy to have a carob tree identified via the tourist signs. Walking around the Temple to the main entrance Paul stopped to record rather raucous birds (starlings?) in a neighboring olive orchard. Before we got to the entrance a guided tour bus made their presence felt, swarming the site and interrupted our sense of what was once the location of sacred rituals. We waited them out and were relieved to hear their tour leader ask "are we ready?" before they shuffled off after a few more selfies in front of the monument.  For a few brief periods we were actually alone in the Temple.
 
Having secured the tickets good for both heritage sites we went back to the Ta'Kola Windmill, one of the few remaining windmills built during the reign of the Order of St. John. The last miller was living and working there until his death in 1987. The top had been reconstructed due to damage from a windstorm following the old plans but were clearly made recently.
 
We decided to make our way to the Lord Chambray Brewery, the first and only craft brewer on the island in the nearby town of Xewkija. Just prior to beginning another very steep descent from Xagħra's hill we spied what we decided was a race track in the distance with a horse fitted with the small two wheeled sulky for harness racing going through it's paces.
 
Nearing Xewkija we saw four small horse trailers on the street, one with a sulky tied to the back. A little further on we realized we were right next to the 1 km Xħajma Racetrack, the only facility on Gozo that serves as the main training ground.  An internet search reveals that they also hold motocross events.
 
At the eight-year old Lord Chambray Brewery we enjoyed a flight of tasters including Flinders Rose Gose, a very light and refreshing slightly sour flavored with native caper flowers; Sunny Trails, a wheat beer with lemon and mint; Honey Winter Ale made with local carob honey; and Manhattan, purported to be inspired by the cocktail but better than that sounds, flavored

Marla came by at 10:00 to drop off some cleaning supplies and extension cords, she will bring some clothes hangers (the assortment here is rather anemic) tomorrow.
 
As there is 90% chance of rain predicted for this afternoon we decided to get some shopping done. Tutto Casa is jammed full of supplies for the house. We got a knife, some sponges and cheap rags.  Then, to a stationary store in search of red chalk.
 
Not able to identify the large, draping bush with yellow blossoms we asked at a Almar plant/pet store. They didn't know the name but said it was plentiful, suggested an identification app to use (it is Chalice Cup Vine, Solandra maxima). All of the shopkeepers we met were pleasant, courteous and helpful. One man from Almar was especially attentive, let us borrow clippers to get a cutting and then advised us where we should buy a house ("go to the west") and then provided some advice on a walk near a beautiful church with views of the islands of Comino and Malta. Jo was assured that the bunnies in the cages were meant as pets, not for eating.

Past an old church to Puxulina Fish Shop and Sea Food Gozo where both the customers and the shopkeeper were quite friendly. One customer insisted that we go in front of him, contrary to the Maltese tendency to cut the queue (explained to us as an act of resistance to the British colonial insistence that locals queue like loyal subjects).  He gave us a recipe for fish stock from the remnants of the filleted hake we bought for dinner. We also got some anchovies for lunch and some frozen fish soup from their family recipe.

Around 4:00 AM Jo noticed that the power was out. We weren't sure if it was local to our apartment or more generalized as there were some periods of strong rain last night. Everything in our apartment is electric. The early morning trip to the bathroom was with slow steps and arms outstretched until the phone flashlight was located. Jo sent a message to the owner of building via Whatsap (apparently a necessary upload if you want to communicate here) after the morning traffic sounds let us know it was getting to be time for the day to begin and shortly after we heard someone in the public hallway/stairs click a switch and for a brief moment we had power.  About half a minute later another switch was tripped from another part of the building and our energy was fully restored.
 
We decided we had to take advantage of the clear day as the rest of the week the forecast is wet. Some internet research and plotting some destinations on Google Maps we had our route uploaded to our phones. We purchased a Sim card for Jo's phone so it is fully functional, took the Sim card out of Paul's to avoid international charges but, with WiFi available he may still utilize it for more than just a camera. As Jo's phone ran out of power the day before while navigating and picture taking we decided that Paul would serve as navigator on the first part of our trek and Jo would on the second part.  To doubly guarantee our digital maps would be powered Jo utilized the Nikon SLR while Paul was a bit conservative on his shots, with the old Pentax in reserve.
 
There is a relief when our pathway turned onto less well-used streets as the cars go fast and perilously close to narrow if non-existent sidewalks. Not sure if it is due to the effect of the fumes being intensified by slot canyons of row buildings on either side or if the exhaust output regulations are somewhat lax but the noxious smells spewed by the vehicles speeding past are severe.  Or, perhaps our perceptions are based in the novelty of walking along roadways, something we avoid in the States.
 
The urban environment is delightfully interrupted by the verdant Lunzjata Valley, lush agricultural plots lined with ancient caves. A local Gozitan commented to Paul how beautiful it was and "this is the last beautiful place in Gozo because of all the building".  P responded that we had noticed all of the construction going on and was corrected, "Not construction, building. They use concrete, not stone." He went on to point to a flat-topped span that was meant to be restored to its original arched state with limestone but, due to economics a simpler and cheaper material and method was utilized.
 
We enjoyed the respite from roads on the narrow walkway and stairs out of the valley. Prickly pears are plentiful with fruit nearing harvest. We turned the corner at the top of our climb back onto streets, more suburban and rural with views of terraced fields, glimpses of the Mediterranean, sounds of chickens, and the ever present cats (Gozitans love cats as much as the Maltese). Smells alerted us of a dairy operation near houses before we reached an area solely dedicated to agriculture.
 
Fields with stone fences and small stone huts (for shepherd's?) with vistas of stone cliffs and terraced fields. A plaque notated a EU funded project before a suddenly wide and smooth section of the road. Traffic, which had fallen off to no longer be a consideration, picked up again with large cement trucks, dump and hauling trucks that had to stop to let on-coming trucks pass as the road again narrowed and became bumpy and rutted. Cued by the Gozitan man at the Lunzjata Valley we expected to come upon a massive construction project.
 
We stepped off the road up a drive to view a small duck pond and gained the attention of several chickens that followed us quite awhile down the road. As the road narrowed and worsened even more we were happy to follow a truck slowly picking its way down as it ensured we wouldn't have to deal with any coming towards us. A massive quarry revealed itself as the reason for all the trucks that were coming to resupply for building projects throughout the island.
 
We turned off onto a walking path atop the cliff faces abutting the sea. Truly magnificent views on a beautiful day. The color of the water is an incredible blue. We passed by a popular site full of people taking short jaunts from the parking lot cars and tourist buses. Our trail turned once again to street as we looped back, through San Lawrenz and onto Ta'Dbiegi Crafts Village where we had a disappointing lunch of fish soup and a tuna fish version of a ftira sandwich, neither of which we are willing to consider prime examples of traditional cuisine.
 
We had a 17:00 appointment with Francesco Grech of the Gozo Regional Council so we opted to finish our over 10 mile trek on the most direct, main road, passing some aqueduct ruins along the way. Arriving at the apartment there was a bag with some of the items we requested - Manuel is no Michele Ripper, our dear friend from Victoria (Australia) who knows how to properly kit out an AirBnB for people who cook - we went to a store to purchase a small cutting board (I don't understand the reason for glass cutting boards like the one provided in the apt) and a paring knife (the provided serrated bread knife and added steak knife don't really it cut it for chopping veggies).
 
Thoroughly enjoyed our meeting with Francesco, a native Gozitan who lives part-time on Malta, who shared insights on Gozitan culture and suggested approaches for our artistic project.

 Slow start on a rainy and overcast day. After picking up some drinking water at the local market (the tap water is not very tasty) we decided to head up to the Cittadella (the Citadel) the walled fortress atop the highest hill. It was cold, wet and windy but we decided to postpone exploring the various museums for another day as the weather made the lighting ideal for shooting photos.
 
We entered near the Cathedral of the Assumption and wound our way up to impressive views of the countryside below. Corroded cannons were stationed at various outposts along the way. Walls within created a maze of streets, marked by name at intersections. We wound our way around the perimeter of the fortified structure before coming back out onto the street below. At the base of the walls are several holes dug into the rock, neolithic grain storage silos that went down into the earth as evidence of an early (agri)culture.
 
We meandered on back streets, stopping for a lovely shared lunch of a "cheese pie" from a shop on St Francis Square. Then back past Pjazza Indipendenza (Independence Square).  As it is Sunday most of the shops were closed. We continued on back streets past St Francis School and the Mother's house of the Poor Sisters of Clair.
 
Consulting Google Maps on Jo's phone we found Villa Rundle Gardens, a delightful public space with sculptures intermingled amongst the gardens.
 
Back at the apartment we heard a cannonade that we assume was fired from the Cittadella as well as several peels of church bells that we have heard all day.

After uploading the last blog entry at our assigned studio in Valletta Design Cluster, Paul went to the Fast Ferry website to purchase tickets for our passage to Gozo on Saturday where we are conducting the main portion of our residency for the next three weeks. We were alarmed to see a notice that high winds required the cancelling of the ferry service from Valletta to Gozo.
 
Fortunately the various folks connected to different organizations we are dealing with were very responsive to our emails. We have altered our itinerary to take a taxi to the Cirkewwa terminal and catch the ferry there. This is a much shorter trip than the one from Valletta (25 minutes v. 45 minutes) and is in more protected waters and the boat is larger from Cirkewwa so the windy conditions are less of an issue.
 
Once this was decided we were able to relax. We are happy to have had the time to explore Valletta on the island of Malta but are quite eager to begin what is the primary focus of our residency: "Gozo - A Sense of Place".
 
We strolled to Muża, the National Museum of Fine Arts and spent two and a half hours exploring the permanent exhibits there. The ground floor is dedicated to 20th century/contemporary artists, the 2nd focuses upon the 16th century reign of the Knights of St. John, and the third floor upon the time of the British rule. There didn't seem to be any exhibits dealing with the arts during the Napoleanic rule of the archipelago.
 
Unsurprisingly we were most taken by the more contemporary works featured on the ground floor. The exhibit circa the rule of the Knights reinforced impressions we had during our tour of the Co Cathedral. There were many, many paintings of John the Baptist. It appears that painters created and gifted pictures of the patron saint of whichever organization/community that had the deepest pockets with the hopes that this would result in further commissions. The portraits of bloated, obese officials of the Order revealed a privileged elite, many of whom seemed incapable physically of mounting any sort of martial attack. Will and Arial Durant reveal in their multi-volume Story of Civilization that Cardinals, Bishops and other high officials of the Church oftentimes weren't in the priesthood, to the contrary, the "red hat" was oftentimes given to those who would donate the most to the Vatican and they would then practice rather extreme nepotism in the awarding of prestigious and rewarding positions.
 
We noted that the style of painting shifting considerably after Caravaggio, most following were heavily influenced, if not direct imitations of his style. There were several works by Mattia Preti, including preliminary sketches for the six sections of the Co Cathedral ceiling. It was good to be able to view them up close as one would need binoculars to view details within St. John's and be able to ignore the baroque cacophony of images dulling the senses to focus solely upon his beautiful renderings.
 
By the time we reached the British rule on the third floor we had already reached museum saturation which affected our receptivity but our interest in the work was inversely correspondent to the higher it was from the ground. It was interesting, given his recent ascension to the crown, to see busts of the former Prince of Wales.
 
Afterwards we tried to find a store that would sell quality beer. After walking past a few no-go's we found a possibility that was scheduled to open at 4:30 PM. We strolled along the waterfront, heard a cannon fire in a tourist

We were expressing concern that we packed our bulky London Fog coats uselessly and then it decided to rain today. Yay, we get to use our coats! It wasn't that bad a rain and it quieted down the tourist traffic.
 
We tried to find an Artisan Center that was on the map but, even with Google Maps, we failed on several attempts. We decided to go to the 67 Kapital pub for lunch based upon their web menu promising sandwiches and soup. The kitchen wasn't open yet (it was around 12:30 so they must have been running late) ordered small glasses of beer (stout and white IPA - OK, not exciting) and perused the lunch menu that was handed to us.  No sandwiches, no soups, only platters of cheeses, meats, bread, etc. 
 
As that wasn't what we were in the mood for we finished our beers and went to Sphinx Pastizzeria. We ordered a Pastizzi Pizelli (smashed pea filled pastry), Pastizzi Rikotta (ricotta filled pastry), Qassatat Spinachi (tuna and spinach roll), and Timpana (pasta pie with penne, bacon, hard boiled egg and minced meat). We walked to the square and found a large unused portico and sat on chairs stowed there by the neighboring restaurant from their outdoor dining to keep them dry.  Delicious. The flaky pastry was very buttery. Jo just looked them up and found out how fattening they are so that is likely to be the last we have them. We didn't think to take photos so you will have to use your imagination or look them up online.
 
Lunch finished we took the self-guided tour of St John's Co-Cathedral, founded and dedicated to the Knights of St. John who were "given" Malta by the Pope after they were driven out of Jerusalem during one of the many campaigns of the longstanding conquests of land and booty known as the Crusades.
 
The predominant style of the cathedral is baroque - not leaving an inch undecorated with gilded motifs - with a few instances of neo-classical lines attempting to simplify the saturated figures.  The Knights were Hospitalers of the Crusades however, based upon the repetition of death images, weaponry and celebration of the killing and subjugation of Islamic and African "infidels" they seemed very much to be a death cult.
 
The literature and the recorded tour stated that the decorations were to the glory of God and the Virgin however our impression was that it was about the glorification of wealthy and powerful individuals who paid for their tombs (the entire floor was made up of individual marble, finely detailed tombstones) and the grand masters of the order who were honored by three dimensional monuments aligning the walls of each of the side chapels, featuring their busts, their earthly remains, a record of their feats of carnage and enslavement, symbolic references often of pagan origin, and reproductions of their weapons of choice. As is true with the naming of public spaces after the largest corporate donor, the more resources provided by each nobleman/knight related directly to the pomposity of their funeral memorial.
 
The highlight of the cathedral at the end of the tour is the Oratory, originally meant for inspiring novitiates rather than serving as grandiose celebrations of the wealthy and powerful members of various subdivisions of the Order.  It features The Beheading of St John as well as other works by Caravaggio. The subdued palate and use of empty space illuminating very human endeavor is a relief after the dense baroque ornamentation depicting martyr warriors and saintly conquerors in as garish a fashion as possible. Ironically, the Order chose these paintings as best to inspire new recruits yet Caravaggio himself only lasted five months with the Knights as he couldn't keep his violent temper aimed only at the infidels and instead took it out on his colleagues. Regretfully access to the paintings is limited so we only could gaze at them from a distance and the museum, where the paintings could be displayed in a manner more advantageous to viewing, was closed for restoration (restorers were actively at work in various locations within the cathedral as we toured). Fortunately his extraordinary painting of St. Jerome has been temporarily moved into the Oratory from the museum so we were able to see that as well.

As promised, here are photos of VDC. We are very impressed with the balance of contemporary and historic aspects the architect has accomplished with this 2018 project. The award winning roof-top garden is a wonderful respite from the dense city that is open to all. The vertical garden continues the greenery into the space, with a retractable glass roof with solar panels atop. There were wonderful choices made here that retained the original space, resulting in irregular sized doors and a few lower hanging obstacles for taller clients - we doubt these choices would be allowed in the U.S. as they would violate codes.
 
As is true throughout the city, accessibility for those with mobility issues is a challenge. This has been dealt with by installing an elevator with stops between floors to avoid stairs to slightly different levels throughout.
 
As requested we made a presentation for a small audience. In previous residencies we have presented our work towards the ends of our stay, sharing the works we created while in residence. This time we were presenting prior to our actual project commencing (our time in Valletta is a "preview" of Maltese culture before our project begins in residence in Gozo). As such we were left to present ourselves, triggering feelings of our lingering "imposter syndrome" that we have never completely exorcised.
 
We opted to show two videos we have prepared for academic conferences. P, unfortunately didn't "read the room" well after the first 20 minute video and gave into our tendency to provide too much material. He launched right into the next 20 minute video that had even more of an academic tone than the first one. Both are good videos but they are densely packed with content and more than a fair share of academic-speak so the effect was a bit deadening upon the audience members who had come straight from work to the audience talk and then were subjected to 40 minutes of video in a darkened room.
 
There were two graduate students who seemed fully engaged. Perhaps this is because they are immersed in academic speak so it didn't phase them or, because they are still emerging

Daniel Azzopardi and Gabija Kazlauskiene took us for a tour of the Spazju Kreattiv building in the morning. We taught our workshop there for Opening Doors Association the night before but had only accessed a ground floor studio to use through a side entrance so we hadn't viewed it in its entirety.
 
The building is atop the highest hill in the city and sandwiched between Parliament, the Stock Exchange and other official, "important" structures. It was the first permanent structure created in the newly established city Valletta in response to the Ottoman great siege of 1565, repelled by Grand Master Jean Patriot de La Valette of the Knights of St. John.

 As is true with other ancient buildings in Valletta, it was re-purposed throughout the centuries. The British constructed two very large cisterns for the collection and storage of vital water in this arid climate. It served as barracks during WWII (Malta was the most bombarded nation during the war) It housed the national press.
 
The configuration of Spazju Kreattiv was completed in 2001. The exterior retains its historic surface while the interior is almost completely contemporary with a few reminders throughout of the historic building. There is a sense of roundness in both the walls and the ceilings of the spaces. The original intent of the building - to keep people out - provide a paradox for an organization inviting the community in to share in the Arts.
 
There are several creative spaces (hence their name "creative space"): a theater-in-the-round placed within a former cistern, a recital hall, a cinema theater, two large exhibition spaces, a smaller exhibition space, and several studios for classes and creative work by artists.
 
With one very notable exception, all the spaces of SK strive towards architectural tabula rasa, providing artists with empty spaces to realize their own visions. The second cistern is a large rotunda designed by an architect who imparted his very specific aesthetic to the space; even installing a full-sized, mummified palm tree.

All images on this entry are photographs by Elisa von Brockdorff.
 
In the early evening we walked to Spazju Kreattiv ("creative space"), the National Centre of Creativity to teach our workshop in one of the studios there to participants from both the theatre and dance groups of Opening Doors Association.  We had a delightful time with the wonderful students and two hours flew by.

Andrea Stegani, Creativity Coordinator with Valletta Design Cluster (VDC), took us on a tour of the beautiful restored yet contemporary building that started life as an abattoir (French for slaughter house) then a bakery before falling into disrepair filled with squatters, garbage thrown in by neighbors which attracted rats. The restoration was within the past few years, funded by European and Maltese grants and creates multiple spaces for member organizations to meet, make, and teach. A decision was made to incorporate a small road that ran between the formerly two spaces within the renovated building when it was discovered that a natural spring is under the site. The spring and collected rainwater are utilized for the extensive roof garden and accompanying vertical wall garden.  Unfortunately we took very few photos during the tour but we will be snapping shots while we are here and will share in a later post.
 
After the tour we went to Studio 6 (There we have good enough Internet access to be able to upload this blog.), the space reserved for us at VDC during our week stay before going on to Gozo for the artist residency through Spajzu Kreattiv, the cultural organization hosting our residency that is housed in a restored historic building in Valletta (we will be teaching a class there on Tuesday for Opening Doors Association, an organization devoted to providing arts experiences for adults with intellectual disabilities and will be touring the building on Wednesday).
 
Back to the VDC townhouse to start a load of laundry and eat our lunch before going to the National Museum of Archeology exploring the 7,000 years of human habitation on the island (the museum is housed in yet another historic building undergoing renovation - Valletta has an incredible number of historic sites throughout the city). We were especially impressed by the designs of the Neolithic era pottery that are amazingly sophisticated. Then onto the Bronze era and Phoenician era collections. The museum is about the right size, lots to see but just when you are about to be totally fried and can't take in any more the exhibits come to an end.
 

 Woke earlier than on Saturday. Still didn't get out quite as early as we wanted but a couple hours earlier than yesterday. Decided to walk counterclockwise along the water - opposite from the day before - but discovered stairs down to near water level and again walked toward Lower Fort St. Elmo where we had explored above on Saturday.
 
Took a lot of photos and ran down the power on our IPhones in short order.  Decided to go back to the apartment to collect the Nikon and the Pentax to circle left according to the original plan. Triq Marsammett is a major thoroughfare so decided to head a bit inland to smaller streets and far less cars. Stopped in a little shop for meat pie and a smashed pea filled pastry, walked back towards the water for lunch at a small playground looking out at Fortizza Manoel on Manoel Island.
 
Made our way up some steep, winding pedestrian stairs towards Hasting Garden - some beautiful old, gnarly trees that we haven't identified and some interesting flowers.  Mostly stone pathways with some planter beds rather sparsely planted with flora for arid climate. Walked around the very large but artistically unimpressive Triton Fountain near City Gate. Google Maps claimed that the usage was low but there were still way too many tourists about for our enjoyment.
 
Went past Spazju Kreattiv housed in another centuries old stone military building in a city filled with centuries old military buildings and churches with vertical walls lining the various inlets of the port. At the entrance they have very enticing displays going up the stairs. We decided against going in as we are teaching a class there Tuesday early evening and will be given a personal tour by Daniel Azzopardi, the director on Wednesday morning.
 
Onto the Barrakka Garden, that we had seen from below during our walk on Saturday. Just like Hasting Garden it is a lot of stone work with some planting areas. Barrakka Garden overlooks the port. It is filled with memorial plaques to WWII military members who defended against the Axis (Malta was a British possession during the war and its location is very strategic for naval engagements with Italy). Looking down a level were several cannons (there is evidence of past employment of cannonade in other old structures we have viewed. It became clear why Valletta, with the various inlets that can be defended from all sides of the water was a value for the various powers that controlled it.
 
Saw that there is a Chocolate District on Google Maps so headed to it. It was, like many other shops, closed on Sunday.  Had an espresso at a small street-side table outside a little restaurant before walking past the National Library and then back to the apartment.

We had the heater turned to 16C.  In the middle of the night it came on. Unfortunately the fan stayed on which was a bit too much cold air blowing on us. We had foraged for blankets so we were prepared. We fell asleep right away but Jo woke up again at 10:30 PM for a bit. P was up about an hour or so before J. No coffee maker so we did the same approach we had used in Riga - espresso grounds in cup, steeped for a bit - just fine. After a breakfast we finally got out about 12:30.

Walking along the shoreline for awhile taking lots of pictures of old structures then a three course set menu lunch at Nenu the Artisan Baker. 

Jo
Starter:
Brungiela mixwija - Grilled aubergine, served with Maltese honey, crushed walnuts and a date pate
Main:
Ta' Karmnu l-Bidija - Maltese bread dough topped with pork belly, Maltese sausage, gravy, thin sliced potatoes and sesame seeds
Dessert:
Torta tal-irkotta helwa - sweet ricotta tart baked with poached pears on almond frangipane, cinnamon custard.

Really quite wonderful.

Kept walking in hunt of a bank ATM for cash.  Found a big store with a food court above and Arkadia Market below.  Bought lots of supplies and were surprised at the check-out that we qualified for a free 6 pack of 2 liter bottled water. Loaded up we carried our heavy loads back to the apartment.

Arrived in Paris. Walk through Disneyland-type waiting maze even though there is no one in line. Have to dump good water out of our bottles. Exit the area to go to public toilet to dump water. Have to walk through the labyrinth to get back to security. Go through security - have to take out ALL electronics, the exiting conveyor belt smashes the boxes full of other passengers' items into your many boxes that had to be pulled out and separated, making repacking rather annoying and somewhat panicky. DeGaulle Airport is a mess. Separate, disconnected terminals that must be accessed via shuttle buses.
 

The signage in Terminal B is unclear. After several wrong paths and asking more than a few employees (who are few and far between as they are all seeming to be stationed at the bus waiting stations). Finally we realize that we are to go to Terminal D.  Following the few and incomplete signs and asking someone wandering past the unmanned customs office, we discover we have to exit, re-enter, pass through passport check and then another really infuriating security to get into D.  Then trying to find Gate 66 takes some sleuthing.  Paul is losing his shit at this point while Jo is reminding him that swearing in a foreign country is probably not the best idea. Finally arrive at gate. Enjoy coffee and a pastry at a nearby place before boarding.