A ‘Game Of Thrones’ Landmark Disappears And Cersei Had Nothing To Do With It
This week, a significant landmark in Malta that appears in HBO’s Game of Thrones disappeared into the sea — and Cersei Lannister had nothing to do with it.
The Season 6 finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones saw Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) blow up everything in sight at King’s Landing. However, she did manage to miss an iconic landmark. Of course, the Azure Window is a real landmark that was previously used in Game of Thrones and was, at that time, safe from Cersei’s wrath.
As Digital Spy points out, the iconic Azure Window in Malta was featured as a part of the background landscape in the very first episode of Season 1 of Game of Thrones. It is seen when Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) get married.
The Twitter account for Malta’s tourism released the following statement about the loss of the Azure Window.
It is a very sad day for Malta. The iconic Azure Window collapsed this morning, succumbing to the forces of nature and the passage of time. pic.twitter.com/ovc8Yj9gWH
— VisitMalta (@VisitMalta) March 8, 2017
This devastating event occurred during a storm on March 8. Thankfully, no injuries were reported at the time. Now, all that is left of the arch is the part attached to land.
The limestone arch is a popular tourist attraction, and not just to Game of Thrones fans. For some time, experts have been warning the Azure Window could collapse according to the Independent. As a result, visitors had been advised not to walk across it. Fines of 1,500 euros were implemented to further deter tourists.
However, it isn’t the first time this year a Game of Thrones location has been damaged by Mother Nature. Earlier in the year, according to Digital Spy, Storm Doris wreaked havoc over Ireland and destroyed some trees that are part of a Game of Thrones on-site location in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
These trees made up the Dark Hedges that are seen in Game of Thrones when Arya (Maisie Williams), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), Yoren (Francis Magee), and Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) travel along the King’s Road as they attempted to reach the Night’s Watch in Season 2.
While these two locations are currently out of action — in the Azure Window’s case, permanently — the Mirror reassures fans currently organizing their Game of Thrones-themed holiday that there are still plenty of locations across the world for them to visit.
If you have already booked a holiday to Northern Ireland prior to Storm Doris, HBO has also used the Giant’s Causeway. A wonder of nature alone, locations around it have been used several times in Game of Thrones, so the Mirror recommends fans that have plenty on time on hand to visit this location.
Dubrovnik, Croatia, is another big ticket location for Game of Thrones. This is the location for King’s Landing, so, once again, fans are advised to spend some time here to search every nook and cranny for any left over Wildfire. Of course, thanks to Cersei, viewers might not get to see much of King’s Landing moving forward into Season 7.
Almeria, Spain, is the location to head to if you are fan of Meereen, Dorne, and the Dothraki Sea. The Mirror advises the best time of year to visit this location is July and August.
Other locations Game of Thrones fans will enjoy include Spain, Iceland (where everything North of the Wall is filmed), and Morocco.
Are you sad to find out about the Azure Window collapse? Would you ever consider a Game of Thrones-inspired holiday? Let us know by commenting below.
Season 7 of HBO’s Game of Thrones will premiere on Sunday, July 16, 2017, with a shortened season.
[Featured Image by HBO]
