Today, Wednesday, is an overcast day with some wind. The forecast is for rain tomorrow, which the Maltese farmers are hoping for. It has been an unusually dry winter with almost no rain, and that has been of concern to the Maltese. Although it is overcast, that makes it kind of nice to not be out walking in the bright sun. The temperature is in the low-to-mid 60s today, several degrees cooler than over the past few days.
Yesterday, we ventured around Spinola Bay to the Cavalieri Hotel and the Portomaso. Today, we decided to spend the morning walking a little farther and trying to get out to the Dragonara Casino. As we look out from our flat across the bay, we see the casino further beyond the Cavalieri Art Hotel and the Portomaso construction project.
When we were here in 1985, the Dragonara Casino was the only building out there. The section where the Cavalieri and that tall building are is called Paceville and was mostly a rural farming area. Paceville is now a very trendy, touristy section with lots of shops and restaurants. The Portomaso Tower is the tallest building in Malta currently, 23 floors. There’s a casino in it as well. Here’s another map that might help orient you in terms of where we’re going.
If you want to know where our flat is, look just up and to the right of the last “a” in Balluta Bay. There’s a swimmer symbol and a little quay that sticks out. Our flat is right across the street from that little quay. The map makes it seem like walking to the Dragonara Casino out there on the peninsula sticking out from Paceville is not a long distance, but it took about 45 minutes to walk there.
As I said, Paceville, pronounced Pa-chay-ville, is a regular modern neighborhood in a trendy area. We didn’t see many old style houses; everything is apartment buildings. As we were getting close to the beginning of the Dragonara peninsula, we came upon a big huge Westin Hotel. And it was really beautiful. We wandered around inside for a bit, checked out the conference center, and then headed outside to the pool area. It’s still the low season here, and today the weather is a little cool, overcast and very windy, so there wasn’t anyone at all outside. We had the place to ourselves!
On the other side of the Westin is another bay, St George Bay. We could see other very large hotels along the opposite side of the bay, most notably the Corinthia.
Then we finally made it to the Dragonara Casino. The building was built in 1870 as the summer palace of a banker named Marquis Emanuele Scicluna. What a summer retreat!
We walked up the front steps and in the door, where we were met by a receptionist in the foyer. The building was renovated recently to return it to the glory of the 1870 palace. The ceilings, chandeliers, and wall coverings were phenomenal! Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed inside the casino. To get in to the casino, we had to register, which meant providing passport or license, local address, and then having our pictures taken. We then each got a Players Card, good for 5 years! My brother Grant would love this place! We walked through the casino, which actually seemed kind of small, compared to the places we saw in Reno last fall. But it was worth it to just walk around the place looking at all the palatial décor. Really ritzy!
We found our way to a restaurant where we sat out on a glassed-in porch and had cappuccino. I’m liking this goal of having a beverage at various hotels, and in this case, casino.
We did learn from the receptionist that this is the place for the best Sunday brunch around. It will be a lovely spot for brunch some Sunday.
We made our way back through Paceville and to Spinola. There are really just fantastic sights around Spinola.
Coming around the end of Balluta Bay we saw something that I had not noticed before. Right amongst the buildings, the little square, and restaurants were some farm fields, surprising to see standing amidst the traffic at the end of Balluta Bay. I’m sure some developer has been itching to get his hands on this plot of land.
Across the street from the farm field and through the little square is one of my favorite buildings in Sliema. I think it’s just called the Balluta Building. It was built in 1923 and is a beautiful apartment building. The façade has lots of ornate carvings and those entryway arches are so grand.
We got back to the flat, had a late lunch, and then Christine went to work.
No, really, she did go to work right after her little siesta. The remainder of the day was spent at home and I cooked dinner, our first cooked dinner since arriving. Up until now we either ate out, had leftovers, or takeaway from our mini market around the corner. So, we really are settled in now.
Love the pic of Christine snoozing. Some of those touring days can be exhausting, but well worth the effort.
You better watch out, Linda. Christine will have to snap a picture of you napping. I would need at least one nap a day to keep up with both of you!