Gutman's Cave ( Sigulda)

 Exploring Caves

Thanks to Lester who suggested this place

 Gutman's Cave is the widest and highest cave in the Baltic countries, located on the Gauja River in the National Park of Sigulda, Latvia. It is 18.8 meters deep, 12 meters wide and 10 meters high.

 The cave was formed from the yellow-brown sandstone rock of the Gauja river bank.

 

Although the cave is high, it is not very deep, hence we could explore it in a short period of time. There were  countless inscriptions on the cave walls, some of which date back to the 17th century.

Irina ( Sigulda)

Green Pea Soup - Warm and delicious

Here we are for lunch on 8 June 2018 on our Baltic trip, travelling to Sigulda. Irina was the place we had our 3 course meal. 

 Fish, Vegetables and Rice

Somehow presentation plays a part in meals. The sight of rice did not appeal to me. No guesses, I only took the fish and the vegetables, I only had a portion of the rice.

Apple crumble with cream

 Dessert is always the best meal.

It seemed like a business lunch indeed

St Paul Church Rabat (Malta)

The Church of St. Paul, built above the grotto, dates from the 17th century. The ground on which the church is built on holds very sacred connotations for the people of Rabat because it is believed that it was the same ground on which St. Paul the Apostle, St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Barnaba and St. Aristarcus the disciples dwelled and preached.

 Elaborate altar pieces

 Interior of the church

Wignacourt Museum Malta

 

The Wignacourt Collegiate Museum at Rabat Malta was formerly the baroque residence of the Chaplains of the Knights of St. John. 

 

The Wignacourt Museum forms part of a Pauline complex as it is materially linked to St Paul's Grotto, the cradle of Christianity in Malta.

 Exterior View

 

The building which was fully completed in 1749, is on three levels: the underground level consists of a labyrinth of Punic, Roman and Christian Hypogea with interesting architectural features as well as a complex of World War II shelters with two main corridors and about fifty rooms.

 

The first floor is the main exhibition space. It has an impressive picture gallery with works by Mattia Preti, Antoine Favray, Francesco Zahra and other Maltese as well as European Artists. It also comprises a collection of 17th- 19th century Spanish, Italian and Maltese silver; a unique wooden altar used for the celebration of Mass on the galleys of the Order of the Knights of Malta; a collection of old relics and reliquaries, sculptures in wood, alabaster and bronze.

St Paul's Grotto & Catacombs (Rabat Malta)

 St. Paul's Grotto is set beneath the beautiful St. Paul's Church in Rabat.

 

St. Paul spent 3 months in the grotto in Rabat that is now so famous that Pope Benedict visited St. Paul's Grotto to pray during his visit to Malta in 2010 and so did Pope John Paul II in 1990.

 Lighting a candle

 

St.Paul’s Catacombs are a typical complex of interconnected, underground Roman cemeteries that were in use up to the 7th, and possibly the 8th centuries AD. They are located on the outskirts of Mdina.

 

Inside the catacombs, one can get a very good idea of the different tombs used at the time. When venturing around this area you will see saddle-backed baldacchino tombs, window tombs, troughless baldacchino tombs and small loculi.