#its like a cheaper version of Catholicism

[linen-shroud]

[kazlifeadventures]

Malta, and the hunt for the Maltese falcon..

Only kidding. There aren't very many birds of prey left here anymore. Although there is a falconry place where they are successfully breeding them in captivity. Or, am I seeking the jewel encrusted version made famous by Humphrey Bogart's character, Sam Spade in the 1941 classic???

The Republic of Malta is an Archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and as its such a strategic naval location it has been inhabited since about 5900 BC. There has been a succession of powers who have contested and ruled the islands. The usual suspects line up: Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John, French, and lastly the British. The British made Malta an independent state of the commonwealth in 1964, with the country achieving full autonomy as a republic in 1974. This explains the very Britishness that you experience here (if that’s not a real word it should be). They have retained a lot of the English parliamentary procesess, education, and driving on the left hand side of the road. That being said, Malta still retains its own identity and that identity can be found out and about anywhere on its islands.

Maltese food is its own uniqueness. Rabbit, seafood, potatoes and tomatoes feature prominently in a Maltese diet. Their 'street food' is Pastizzi, traditionally made with either cheese or mushy peas. Now they have such a variety of them it's hard to choose! I went with the exceedingly delicious cheese, crunchy crispy pastry filled with gooey cheesy goodness...yum. I will admit I was quite surprised at how much of an array of food is available here. A lot of Mediterranean influences mixed with classic British fare are all available at most outlets. This surprise could also be steeped in the fact I'd spent the past two weeks in Sicily which is very much only Italian food!

The historic buildings like the Citadel in Valletta, or in Victoria on Gozo are like little time capsules, beautifully restored and an intriguing way to spend some time in history. The town or fortress of Mdina is astounding to wander around. Fortunately for me it seemed that I picked a time that but wasn't teeming with people, making it that much more remote to be walking down a tiny roadway with no one else in sight. It was during a chat with a cab driver that I discovered the cost of progress here. Unfortunately only some of the old buildings in strategic locations are being preserved. The rest, it seems, are being pulled down with multi storey appartments going up in their place. Same as everywhere else unfortunately...

The Churches are something else here. Catholicism is the main religion, but they actually have freedom of religion and choice of worship written in their constitution. During Spring/Summer there is a religious festival involving feasts, parades and fireworks in a different village each week. There are deities positioned on street corners, in alcoves, in prominent places in courtyards, I’ve also noticed they name their houses after saints or important religious figures. I've seen about 50 houses named with either simple or intricately decorated name plates: ‘Madonnina’. Religion is very strong here, and they love to include you in their celebrations (with no pressure!) The church of Mosta was amazing. The design of the present church is based on the Pantheon in Rome. At one point in history it had the third largest unsupported dome in the world. (I have given up confirming any of these claims anymore..😂) The cool part of the story is the church narrowly avoided destruction during WWII. On 9 April 1942 a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell into the church during a packed Mass, but failed to explode. This was seen as a miracle by the Maltese. On Gozo amongst their churches was the incredible Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu. Yeah yeah, I know everytime I think I'm churched out, I come across some fantastic ones.

On Malta I stayed in Silema which was in an area with easy access to public transport. Not quite the party area like St Julians but close enough to it. I also stayed on Gozo for 3 nights in the beautiful Xendli bay area. It seemed more logical to stay over there than going on day trips to get there. Both have very good public transport systems. On gozo the buses are every hour as opposed to every half hour on the main island. But hey, you're on island time so what's the hurry?! I also used the hop on off bus on both islands and regretted it. Although it has a commentary, It's way cheaper to take local buses to see the sights. There are a variety of transport passes you can purchase that can make it even cheaper depending how long you are here. I loved taking a harbour and rivers cruise (very handy that they all leave from Silema...😁). Somehow I lucked out and picked the cruise that had us just below the saluting battery for 12 noon. The battery forms the lower tier of the fortress overlooking the Grand harbour. Every day at 1200 and 1600 a replica SBBL 32 pounder Canon is fired. We were under it when it fired...awesome!

View of where I stayed in Xlendi...

Heads up, when booking accomodation in Malta it's more often than not cheaper to go directly to the hotel's website. It's either cheaper or you get breakfast included, often both! (This does not always happen in other places!)

I've had a blast on Malta! It's been mega hot (summer and all that!!) I've still been trying to kick this bug that's been haunting me, so feel that I haven't quite given Malta what I could have. All the same it's a fabulous gem, packed with history, stories, traditions, fabulous food and great people. According to Google translate: nirringrazzjak u narak id-darba! (thank you and see you next time!) As usual there's more photos to come!!

I'm off to Italy today, heading to the lakes area, to catch up with an awesome couple I met on the RUM (Romania, Ukraine, Moldova) tour I did all the way back in May (oh so long ago now!!) Can't wait!!!