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| 15
days in Malta |
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April 8-22, 2010 |
| Land
Only Price: $3695 |
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Come
to beautiful Malta to paint with artist Gill Morden
and archaeologist Meg Morden. Travelling with these
two sisters will allow you to explore the rich historical
and archaeological tapestry of Malta and expand your
technical skills under the tutelage of an experienced
art teacher in an exotic part of the world. |
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| Day
1 |
Thursday,
April 8 |
Marsaxlokk |
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| The
group will be met at the airport and taken to our hotel
in Marsaxlokk, where we will be staying during our first
week in Malta. Marsaxlokk is a small fishing village on
the east coast, famous for its fleet of traditional fishing
boats. It is a perfect place to paint the early morning
light. We will use Marsaxlokk as our base to explore and
paint the land and seascapes of the main island. Tonight
we will have a welcome reception and dinner. |
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|
Luzzus
in Marsxlokk Harbour |
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| Day
2 |
Friday,
April 9 |
Marsaxlokk |
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| In
the morning we will have our first watercolour session,
painting the harbour of picturesque Marsaxlokk. After
lunch we will visit the nearby cave of Ghar Dalam and
its museum. The deposits excavated inside the cave tell
the earliest history of the island. |
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| Day
3 |
Saturday,
April 10 |
Marsaxlokk |
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| Today
we will visit and paint in Rabat and Mdina. The former
is noted for its catacombs, burial vaults dating back
to Roman times. Mdina, the “silent city”,
is a particularly fine example of a medieval walled city
and a delight to explore and paint. There will be an option
to visit the catacombs and the Roman Villa Museum. |
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Mdina
Skyline |
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Mdina
‘The Quiet City’ |
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| Day
4 |
Sunday,
April 11 |
Marsaxlokk |
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| Today
we will make our way along the south coast to Wied-iz
Zurrieq where it is possible, weather permitting, to rent
boats and visit the Blue Grotto with its underwater caves.
We will paint the dramatic coastline with its cliffs and
natural arches. |
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| Day
5 |
Monday,
April 12 |
Marsaxlokk |
|
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| This
morning we will head south to explore the remains of the
temples at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, and to enjoy the scenic
beauty of the Dingli Cliffs. We will paint the well-preserved
temple of Hagar Qim in the morning light when shadows
enliven the façade. |
|
Hagar
Qim: Aerial View and Altar |
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Mnajdra:
South Temple |
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Mnajdra:
Guard Dog |
Mnajdra:
Apse with Altar in the South Temple |
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| Day
6 |
Tuesday,
April 13 |
Marsaxlokk |
|
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| Today
we will drive inland and paint in the charming village
of Naxxar. We will visit some of the archaeological sites
of western Malta including the Neolithic temples at Skorba
and Ta’ Hagrat. The scenery along the way is outstanding
and we will have plenty of opportunity to linger. |
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Ta
Hagrat: Entrance to the Temple |
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| Day
7 |
Wednesday,
April 14 |
Marsaxlokk |
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| Today
we will spend the entire day painting in and around the
harbour. |
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| Day
8 |
Thursday,
April 15 |
Gozo |
|
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| Today
we say goodbye to Marsaxlokk and make our way northwest
to the ferry to Gozo. On our way, we will stop to visit
the Church of Santa Marija Assunta in Mosta with its magnificent
dome, one of the largest in the world. After taking the
ferry and settling into our new hotel, we will spend the
afternoon painting. |
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Mosta
and the Church of Santa Marija Assunta |
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| Day
9 |
Friday,
April 16 |
Gozo |
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| Since
it is Easter weekend, there will be plenty of activities
happening on Gozo. On Good Friday the main attraction
is the candlelit procession in Victoria, which includes
seven life-size tableaux of events of the passion and
crucifixion. The statues are papier mache` models, most
of them richly dressed in velvet clothes, just like those
in Seville. We will spend the day exploring the sights
of the town and painting in the citadel. |
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Victoria:
Kastello |
Xewkija:
The Rotunda Church |
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| Day
10 |
Saturday,
April 17 |
Gozo |
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| We
will spend the morning painting in an around the Ta Cenc
cliffs on the south coast of Gozo. These cliffs are where
the famous Maltese falcons nested and give vistas off
to the island of Comino and the main island of Malta.
In the afternoon we will drive to the Neolithic temple
site of Ggantija where we will tour and sketch the ruins.
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Ggantija:
Altars in the South Temple |
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| Day
11 |
Sunday,
April 18 |
Gozo |
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| On
Easter Sunday you will be awakened by the pealing of church
bells from every church on the island as wor-shippers
flock to their parishes for Easter Mass. This is followed
by a more solemn procession of the risen Christ. After
lunch we will drive to the north coast and spend the afternoon
sketching the fabled cave of Calypso. |
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| Day
12 |
Monday,
April 19 |
Valletta |
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| Today
we take the ferry back to the main island of Malta and
drive to Valletta where we will remain for the rest of
the trip. After checking into our hotels and having lunch
we will have a walking tour of the old town of Valletta,
visiting St. John’s Co-Cathedral, built by the Knights
of St. John in 1573 to honour their patron, and the Palace
of the Grand Master of the Order. This walking tour will
familiarize you with the old city and you can scope out
places where you will want to paint. |
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Valletta
from Sliema |
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The
Grand Master's Palace |
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| Day
13 |
Tuesday,
April 20 |
Valletta |
|
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| After
breakfast, we will start our Valletta painting sessions
in the Barracca Gardens, which commands a spectacular
view of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities. In the
afternoon we will choose a streetscape to paint. |
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The
Grand Harbour & Fort St. Angelo from the Upper Barracca
Gardens |
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| Day
14 |
Wednesday,
April 21 |
Valletta |
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| To
wind up the tour, we will drive the short distance to
Tarxien to visit the temple there and the nearby Hypogeum,
a huge underground repository for burials, at Hal Saflieni.
We will then return to Valletta for a tour of the Archaeological
Museum and finish up with a final critique of the two
weeks of painting followed by drinks and dinner. |
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Hal
Saflieni: Interior of Hypogeum |
Hal
Saflieni: Sleeping Goddess |
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| Day
15 |
Thursday,
April 22 |
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| Tour
ends. Departures. |
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| Note: |
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- Please
note that the order of the excursions and painting
locales may change according to the weather.
There will be opportunities to paint as a group
every day and each day will end with a critique
and recap before dinner.
|
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| The
price of the trip includes: |
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- hotel
taxes and gratuities
- accommodation
based on double occupancy in Hotels (single
supplement available)
- overland
transportation via mini bus
- all
visits and sightseeing as per itinerary
- the
services of your tour conductors, Meg &
Gill Morden
|
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| The
price of the trip does NOT include: |
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- gratuities
for individual services
- meals,
apart from those specifically indicated in the
itinerary
- all
items and expenses of a purely personal nature
- overseas
flights
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