Sant Paul Catcombs in Rabat Malta

Dear Friends
it is with pleasure that I publish the report of our Alexei about the Saint Paul Catacombs in Rabat (Malta). Salutations
Giancarlo

The hot weather of 29 June, although buffeted by the strong north westerly winds, provided a good opportunity to visit an underground heritage site, the catacombs of St.Paul in Rabat (Malta).

These catacombs, built during the Roman era in Malta, consist of interconnected cemeteries that were still being used up to 400AD.  They are now located within the city of Rabat, but in that era the same location was part of the old capital city Melite (today known as Mdina).  Roman law prohibited burials within the city so the hypogeal complex was dug in its outskirts.  They were discovered and investigated in 1894.

From the official website:

The Catacombs of St Paul are situated in the zone of Ħal Bajjada in Rabat, in an area which is at times also called Tad-Dlam. The site consists of two large areas called St Paul’s and Saints Paul/Agatha, and are littered with more than 30 hypogea, of which the main complex, situated within the St Paul’s cluster, comprises a complex system of interconnected passages and tombs covering an area of well over 2000 sqr metres.

The cluster gets its name from the myth that it was once connected with St Paul’s Grotto, which was once also partly re-cut into a Palaeochristian hypogeum. The origin of the main catacomb most probably started from a cluster of small tombs of the Punico-Roman type and hypogea which were eventually enlarged and joined haphazardly to create the complex system of passages and tombs used in the late Roman period.

Museum Ägiptischer Kunst - München

Dear friends
as announced, I visited the new Egyptian Art Museum in Munich:  http://www.aegyptisches-museum-muenchen.de/. In its architecture it fuses modern elements with elements wich remind the architectures of temples and tombs of ancient Egypt. In its organisation simple and rational it presented collections of artifacts from Egypt of different periods (pre-dynastic, dynastic, roman, coptic), from Nubia and from Assyria (collection of Ludwig II of Bavaria). Much could be said about the Museum, but I think that, as can be seen from the images, finally Munich as other cities in the world has a worthy Egyptian Museum.
Any comment from your side is welcomed.
Salutations
Giancarlo

Excursion to Mannheim - 09 June 2013

On Sunday 09 June 2013, I went to Mannheim with friend Pablo Jimenez Hernandez. Our main purpose was to visit the temporary exhibition "Die Medici" in the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen:

http://www.medici2013.de/, together with the photo exhibition "Die Shaolin Mönche". While the former is very complete and didactic, with special emphasis on the Medicis heath condition, the latter seemed disappointing to us: whereas you should take more than 1 hour to see the essentials of The Medici, 15 minutes is more than enough to see The Monks. Photography isn't allowed, thus I merely present an outside view.

On our way to the museums, we visited the castle, which houses an interesting museum, here with a refractor by Jesse Ramsden and the Reading Cabinet, and a small Catholic Church (here the organ).

Nearby is a magnificent Jesuit Church, flanked by the Old Observatory. The latter was undergoing an overhaul, so that we couldn't see it, even from the outside.

By Jean-Luc Dighaye

Deluge in Austria and Munich

Dear Frinds
all the days I was in Ljubljana were characterised by rain. But, I never imagined the catastrophic situation I had to encounter in crossing Austria, Bavaria and bach to Munich. All the rivers I seen were swollen by rain, several railway lineswere interrupted and replaced were possible, by bus services. Everywhere firemens and policemens, however, I never seen unluky voyagers loosing their fair play.I have to add that I consider me lucky to have come back home, although late in the evening, of last Sunday 02/06. However, the situation in Munich was also catastrophic. Many roads and underground garages, included that in my house, were invaded by the water and the level of the Isar was not too far from the upper level of the embankments. The following images provide you with an idea of said diluge. Any comment is welcomed.
Saluti
Giancarlo

Ljubljana Events - 7 - Railway Museum

Dear Friends
not discovered in my previous visits in Ljubljana,Raiilway Museum extends inside ancient buildings as well as an open air surface of the  railway depot of the town and is impressive for the well restored, imposant locomotives presented. Here the images themselves tell you about the magic railways world that populate the phantasy of the children up to today. Any comment from your ide is welcomed.
Salutations
Giancarlo