2008

The next episode in our travel adventures led us to Malta--officially the Republic of Malta.  A series of small islands in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has been a significant refuge throughout the eras. It provided haven to traders of ancient cultures, was a military stronghold in Medieval times and is a strategic pivot in the modern world. The island where Calypso held Odysseus for seven years, St. Paul was shipwrecked for three and which the Knights of St. John defended for centuries was settled in the stone age by farmers. These people built some of the oldest existing structures in the world which are utterly staggering due to their beauty, architecture and preservation. In 1530, the Knights of St. John, a military religious order whose mission was to defeat the Ottoman Empire and help others with the Crusades, defended Malta against the surging Turks in the Great Siege of 1565.

The Knights ruled until Napoleon invaded in 1798, two years later it became a British colony which it remained  until  independence in 1964. During World War II, the Axis powers bombed the islands mercilessly.  More bombs were dropped on Malta, its harbours and capital city of Valletta in April 1942 (more than 6,700 tons of bombs) than on London during the entire Blitz (about 270 tons fell on Conventry). The stories of courage of people on the island along with those of the convoys that provided its vital lifeline are remarkable. For their bravery, King George VI awarded the Maltese People his highest award, the George Cross, which appears on the flag. 

It is an amazing place, where the arid Mediterranean landscape often disappears over dramatic cliffs before plunging into the crystal clear ocean that surrounds it. We toured Malta and Gozo, enjoying the perfect weather, glorious scenery and homogenised culture for ten glorious days.  We will enjoy the memories and the photos of these islands for years to come.