Well Hello and in today's adventure, we're in Valletta
Malta and instead of just doing a definitive guided tour, we've never
been here before it's our first day so we're just gonna
wander the streets, see what we come across, the sights and sounds. How could
I forget to mention I'm with my trusty wife Melissa, trusty, are you trusty?
I hope so!
We are now 15 minutes away from the firing of our
noonday cannon the tradition that goes back centuries that we're keeping alive to
this day, and of course there is still time for those of you up there on the
balcony to come down and join us down here for the firing. This place remained
inconstant military use until 1956 when it's saluting guns were silenced forever
Ladies and gentlemen, we hope that was loud enough for you, let's give a big round
up those gunners shall we.
So Mel, yes, where next Fort St. Elmo, I like to take you somewhere cheerful. This
was, as a big Midnight Express fan, this was the location used in the film
which doubled for the Turkish prison. Do you like that film? You made me
watch it before we came here, yeah not the most cheerful of films, anyway hopefully we'll be able
just to walk out and we won't have to kill our prison guard and steal his
uniform. So let's take a look around. It's interesting but it's been renovated
heavily since the film the main courtyard over there is really clean and
all the brickwork has been done. On a more serious note the fort is home for a
National War Museum of Malta.
This is the remains of a 2000 kilo bomb which fell on the fort in 1940.
Okay I was mistaken earlier I thought the courtyard used in the film was
renovated and it bears no resemblance to the film I was mistaken the actual court
of that courtyard they used as the prison a Turkish prison in Midnight
Express, it's still here. You're not allowed to access it but you can have a
look over the wall and see it here. Look.
At the end of the film, those are the gates he walks out of, then he walks down this
road, he pauses as the army jeep passes him and then he runs off to freedom and
that's exactly what we're gonna do now.
Around the sides of the fort in quite an insignificant spot is little sign with a
movie trail on. it's got Midnight Express Cutthroat Island, 13 hours Clash of the
Titans, World War Z and American Assassin all were we filmed in Fort st. Elmo so that
was our little day trip to Valletta, it was really interesting wasn't it, it
was yeah yeah, highly recommended, it's more interesting
than I thought, come and discover it for yourself.
Goodbye, are you tired I'm exhausted?