Birgu & the Norman House

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Had a very relaxing morning with domestics & a swim around 11am. Expecting another hot day. We picked up another talinjia card (tar lini ya) for the bus & have a few rides left on it so we thought we'd go back to Birgu in Vittoriosa. They were setting up for an enormous gastronomical & lantern festival, where all the lights will be turned off & the city lit with candles. Food stalls being set up everywhere to try Snails, Rabbit, Horsemeat, Octopus & Swordfish. Huge bakery stalls. Once again we erred on caution & decided to stay away from the crowds & perhaps the food...
Heading into the heart of Birgu city we came across 'The Norman House' the oldest house in Birgu built by the Normans in the 13th century ontop of what has been newly discovered stone foundations from previous times of Arab inhabitation.
Some Norman structures of the house were still intact especially the stairs, arches & the pipes for collecting rain water which ran into a deep resovoir well under the house (5metres deep). Each house had to provide it's own collection & storage of water & were kept in these resevoirs under each house. (Today it's still necessary to collect water for reserve but the islands drinking water is desalinated).
Also under this house was a perfectly preserved stable area with large arches built in that same era.
Pics to come...

Small island with much limestone. The salt air eventually erodes construction but there is still significant findings of buildings such as this & the likes of the 'Taxien Temple' 5000BC.

The bus home was empty....can you believe it??!

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