Fifth Journey Day 173: Quietness of Unmeasured Sound

Date: October 28, 2025
Location: Mdina, Malta

High on its hill, the walled city of Mdina in Malta is often called the Silent City—an enclave of honeyed limestone, medieval lanes, and long views that fall to the Mediterranean. Today the air was dry and clear, the kind of light that polishes stone and pares sound down to its essentials.

Light and Restraint in Limestone

The day started quietly. I could hear my own footsteps in the narrow corridors. The city of Mdina is made of light and restraint. The way the limestone holds sunlight feels almost deliberate. It's as if the city has learned to filter brightness into calm.

Along the Fortifications

I walked along the fortifications for most of the morning, looking out over the open plain. The view was so expansive that it made it impossible to think. Beyond the low hills, I could see a piece of blue sea that seemed disconnected from everything — silent, weightless.

Birdshadow and Stillness

There was a moment when a group of birds flew through the air below me. Their shadows brushed the wall before they disappeared into the square below. I was surprised by the sudden movement against all the stillness. I stayed there for a while, following the path that the shadows had taken, trying to remember the rhythm.

Under the Cypress

Later, I found a bench under a cypress tree. The wind carried a smell like dry fig wood. I ate a piece of bread and listened to the soft sound of a car driving somewhere outside the walls. The city feels like it's in a pause, not asleep but still, as if waiting for its own echo.

Listening to the Shape of Silence

I liked how sound moved slowly and quietly today. It moved into stone and then back out again. It made me remember that silence isn't empty. It's shaped by the material it's made of, the air around it, and how far away it is.

Choosing Stillness Over Sketching

Tonight, I remember the color of the wall just before dusk — when the stone turned from cream to a faint violet-grey, like breath cooling. I didn't paint today. It felt enough to look and let the place hold its form within me.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Clear sky with faint clouds drifting west, 22°C. Warm light over pale Globigerina limestone; air dry and clean, visibility wide to the sea.
• Scents: Dry fig wood on the wind, a whisper of cypress resin, sun-warmed stone.
• Sounds: Footsteps in narrow lanes, a distant car outside the walls, the brief rush of wings and their passing shadows.
• Reflection: Silence here feels shaped—held by stone, released by breeze, returning in slower measure.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy reading about yesterday’s quiet reflections, or linger with another moment from Malta’s walled cities where light and stillness meet.