|
|
Panoramic Views |
CONNECT NOW TO |
horizontal scrolling
Malta's Grand Harour
Deep, naturally indented, sheltered and spectacularly adorned by high stone bastions, Malta's Grand Harbour commands the respect of many; seafarers, tourists and history-lovers ... of all nationalities.
Looking onto this quiet harbour in the tranquility of a magical Maltese sunset, it is difficult to imagine how in this same location fierce battles have taken place over the ages, fire rained from the sky and destruction abound. And yet, even today, little can compare to the wondrous sight of Malta's own Grand Harhour at sunset.
Visitors to the Maltese Islands in the past included the likes of Hans Christian Andersen, whose entry into Malta's port in March 1841 left on him such a lasting impression that he still felt compelled to mention "the fortifications at Malta" in his 1872 fairy tale 'The Shepherd's story of the Bond of Friendship', aside from his travelogue 'A Poet's Bazaar' (1942) wherein he tells of the enchantment of the Maltese harbour.
This grand harbour -- a most fitting name -- has played a major part in Malta's fate throughout history, not quite because of its aesthetic beauty, but because of the opportunitites it offered those who sailed the Mediterranean, at the very centre of which it served as a haven for 'friendly' shipping and horror to its foe.
Passenger Liner berthed at the Grand Harbour,
Valletta, 23rd September, 1936
above, Fort St.Angelo (Vittoriosa) and, below, Senglea
