May 31 - Dog Guides

This past Sunday, the Lions Foundation of Canada held their nation wide fund raising walk for dog guides. The walk is held annually on the last Sunday in May. I enjoy taking part in this fund raising event.

This year, the weather wasn’t the greatest. Dark clouds were looming but fortunately for the walkers, the rain held off. I walked with Lyle and two of our friends from the vision loss support group. It was a good chance to chat outside the more formal setting of a meeting.

The Lions Foundation has been instrumental in providing guide dogs free of charge to Canadians with vision and hearing loss, and other health and mobility challenges.  As well as providing the guide dogs, the organization also provides training for the new owners. Once accepted, and there is a waiting list, applicants are flown to Ontario to be matched with their new canine guide.

As with most other aspects of life these days, costs are rising. Fund raising is essential if the program is to continue. The cost of a guide dog from the time the puppy is born to the time the grown dog arrives in the hands of its new owners is approximately $35,000.

There is a picture with this post. I am standing on the right. My friend Irma is in the middle and Shirley is on the left.  We are already making plans to walk again next year on May 25, 2025.

 

Shirley, Irma and Sue

 

May 27 - Last look at Malta

We are home and I have been thinking of what stood out for me during our holiday in Malta. There were so many small experiences and although our time didn’t allow us to do everything, I think that for us it was enough.

Our holiday apartment was in the old section of Valletta and of one thing I am sure. If we had stayed for any longer, I would have opted for a more modern hotel. Our apartment was on the fourth floor and thank goodness there was a miniature elevator because the stairs were pretty much a nightmare. I think that every step was a different height and there was no hand railing. We only had to negotiate six steps but that was enough! The main door of the antiquated building fronted onto a pedestrian only alley way – a bit scary at night! In spite of all this, the location was excellent as it was right in the middle of the city’s historical centre.

That is what I will remember most about Malta...the history!  Fortunately, anthropologists have been able to piece together much of it. For instance, we saw two pottery vases that experts estimate came from around 2,000 BC. In fact, there is some evidence that Maltese culture predates even the Egyptian pyramids.

Politically Malta is also a mix. Conflicts between Islam and Christianity prompted the Construction of Fort Elmo to guard the entrance to the Grand Harbour and the tunnelling of underground escape routes for the early Knights of St. John. In more recent times, these same tunnels were used as bomb shelters during World War Two. In 1989, Malta was chosen as the location for Bush and Gorbachev to sign the treaty to end the Cold War. Malta still stands in a strategic position in modern times as there is dispute around the Suez Canal.

Malta was a fascinating place to visit. It isn’t the easiest place to get around for anyone with mobility issues but we did see three other white cane users while we were in Valletta. One man had an identity cane and the other two were using long mobility canes. We weren’t sure, but Lyle thought that the men might have been passengers from visiting cruise ships.

Now for the pictures. We took the first picture at the main gate into Valletta and looking across to the city wall. The second picture was taken inside Fort Elmo. I am standing in front of a very large anchor from a former sailing ship. The last picture is my favourite. Lyle and I are standing with the waters of the Grand Harbour behind us, with Fort Elmo in the distance. 

 

Sue at the main gate into Valletta

Sue at Fort Elmo in front of large anchors

Sue and Lyle standing in front of the Grand Harbour

 

Thanks to all of you for joining me as I have reminisced about Malta. I hope that you have enjoyed travelling with me.

May 21 - Surprises in Valletta

I think that anyone who likes to travel can tell you that along with that experience, surprises often pop up along the way. Surprises can be good, nasty or perhaps just that ...well, a surprise. We encountered several surprises while we were in Valletta.

One day as we were walking around and admiring the many extraordinarily large and historical buildings, we came to an impressive stairway. The steps were at least several meters wide and the height seemed to go on forever. Numbers of people were wandering up and down and although we couldn’t find mention of this on our map, we decided to investigate.

You will never guess where the steps led. When we reached the top we expected to see a vista from the top of the city wall. We were totally taken aback to see that the structure led...to a parking lot! Yes, nothing historical or of any cultural significance – just a very large parking lot!

We enjoyed exploring around the city.  On another day, we paused by a large square or plaza in front of the Presidential Palace. We stood in the middle of the empty space to identify the surrounding buildings. On our third day past this same spot we noticed that there were partitions set up and what appeared to be moving trucks. We didn’t pay too much attention to what looked like just another construction site. However three days later when we came to the same place, the transformation nearly took our breath away.

The whole area was now a beautiful park with tall trees, hundreds of flowers, and park benches. How could this be! On closer inspection, we could see that the flowers were all in individual pots. Even the trees had their own large pots. It was an amazing display and so different from the stark paving stones of the previous three days. We called it a pop up park!

There are several pictures with this post. In the first picture I am standing at the base of the impressive stairway that led to the parking lot.

Sue a the base of the large stairs

Pictures 2, 3 and 4 are of the park with its miracle transformation. The first is a general view. In the second, I am sitting on one of the park benches and in the final picture Lyle and I are standing together in front of one of the trees.

Park in Valletta

 

Sue sitting on a bench

 

Sue and Lyle in front of some trees

 

 

 

 

May 17 - Mdina, Malta

Mdina was the original capital city of Malta until 1530.  The city is a walled fortress in the north central part of the island.  We spent the afternoon there.  

The entrance to the city was across a drawbridge and through the main gate.  There were quite a few tourists around this area.  We opted to take a horse and carriage tour so that we could get the general lay of the land.  I think for us this was a good choice.  At some points I was surprised that the carriage could actually fit along the very narrow streets.  We saw one man almost get stepped on by the horse and another woman almost got run over by the back wheel of the carriage.  Later, we retraced some of this route on foot, always being careful to listen to the clattering hooves of any horse approaching from behind us.

Of particular interest were the two clocks of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  This church was competed in 1702, replacing a medieval version which had been destroyed by an earthquake.  It is believed that the cathedral was built on the site of the villa belonging to Publius, the Roman governor of Malta who was in charge when St. Paul was shipwrecked on the nearby shores.  However, the clocks were a sign of modern day culture in that they both showed the same time.  In days of old, two clocks on the church face were set at different times in order to confuse the devil as to the presence of the faithful.

We climbed the steps to the top of the city wall which was the lookout at the highest point of the island.  It was too high for me to see anything, but Lyle could see the waters of the Mediterranean in the distance.  

Our horse and carriage tour took us past two of the other gates of the city - the English and the Greek gates.  The island of Malta is a mix of so many different cultures.  The city itself predates Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.  There is so much history wrapped up in this one site.

There are four pictures with this post.

Picture 1 - Sue standing on the drawbridge of the main Mdina gate.

 

 

Picture 2 - Our horse and carriage.

Picture 3 - The two clocks at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

 

Picture 4- Sue on one of the very narrow and steep streets.

May 13 - Aviation Museum Malta

 

The aviation museum in Malta is located north of Valletta.  It is not to be confused with the International Airport. We took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus here and it was a good stop.

The museum is small with three hangars open for viewing.  The third hangar has lots of information about aviation history in World War II.  Lyle was especially interested in the aircraft that were on display, and also in the stories of pilots flying out of Malta during the war.

We enjoyed the quiet surroundings and decided to have our picnic lunch at the small coffee hut.  The cappuccino was quite passable for only one Euro.

There are two pictures with this post.  The first picture shows Lyle in front of a Spitfire, and in the second picture, Sue is sitting at a table outside the coffee hut.

 

 

Lyle in front of the spitfire

 

Sue sitting in front of the coffee hut

May 7 - Malta

Visiting Malta has been on my bucket list for ages, and now we are here!  It was a surprise to me that so many other people must have had the same idea.  There are lots and lots of tourists around and about.

We are staying a little bit off the beaten track.  Although our apartment is clean and reasonably comfortable, the building itself is very, very old.  The steps to our unit on the fourth floor are a nightmare - narrow, uneven, and no handrails.  Fortunately there is a tiny modern lift. The only steps I have needed to negotiate are the ones near the ground floor.  Even those five steps are of uneven heights, and I have needed to be super careful.

These steps are an indication of what we have found all around the city.  Valletta, the capital, is built on a hill.  Roads and alleys go up and down, and steps stairs seem to pop up at random intervals.  I use a cane consistently.

We have been here for four full days so far and have had fun exploring the area.  Some places we have just come across by chance.  For instance, St. Paul’s Co-Cathedral is just up the hill from where we are staying.  It is called a Co-Cathedral as there is no resident bishop. We attended the Sunday Service there, along with a visiting forty-two member Cambridge choir.  The music was great.  After the service, refreshments were served - tea, coffee, juice, cake - and would you believe it, a choice of red or white wine, all serviced outside on the portico.

One of our best experiences was today when we toured a hospital infirmary built in the 1500’s by the Knights of St. John.  This ancient building stretched six levels underground.  The main ward was capable of housing 900 patients, who paid for their stay.  This gave them their own bed and a private toilet.  The ward was huge, well over one hundred metres in length.  The next level down was another ward of the same dimensions where people with no money could receive free care.  However, at this level, there were four patients to a bed and they shared one toilet.  There were no women allowed in the hospital as either patients, staff, or visitors.  All staff were men.  If sick, women stayed at home and were cared for by nuns.

The fifth and sixth levels down were built as escape tunnels for the Knights.  Currently these levels are closed to visitors because of rising sea levels and water is beginning to seep in.  

The tour was part of the Malta Experience, an audiovisual presentation of the history of Malta followed by the walking tour of the ancient infirmary.  One infirmary level is now converted to a reception area, used for weddings and other functions.

There are four pictures with this post:

Picture 1 - Street view near our apartment building.

 

 

Picture 2 - Sue standing beside the baptismal font at St. Paul’s.

 

 

Picture 3 - Sue standing in the low ceiling tunnel at the Infirmary.

 

 

Picture 4 - Lunch outside

 

 

May 1 - Board Games

When I was fully sighted, two of my favourite board games were Scrabble and Chess. These days I can’t see the individual tiles or game pieces and I certainly can’t memorize their position on the game board. I still like to play games but I have needed to adjust my perspective. So, I am learning to enjoy games that utilize team work and audible clues.

This past weekend was a good example of how far I have come with this. Our family was together and our two grandchildren – ages eight and nearly eight – were my partners in several games. Knowing that I was unable to see any print, they were very adept at reading clues, letters and directions for me. Sometimes these needed to be whispered so that the other team couldn’t hear but somehow that just added to the fun of the game. How fortunate am I to have two such supportive little ones in our family. Of course, I know that they are also following the example set by their parents.

It has taken me a while to let go of the very visual games of Scrabble and Chess, but I am learning to enjoy this new game perspective. I am holding to the tenet that it’s never too late to learn new ways of doing things. Certainly, these days we can choose from what seems to be an abundant variety of board games on the retail market.