MALTA.

MALTA, A LIVING LEGEND

…”If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal…”

Paulo Coelho.

Malta – a picturesque, beautifully situated paradise for history, legends, conspiracy theories lovers, and for those who like the subtropical climate. The southernmost European country. This is how you can briefly describe this tiny archipelago of islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The main island, from one end to the other, you can literally travel this distance in less than an hour driving….

And yet … The number of legends, monuments, beaches would probably be enough for many large countries …

Writing the story of Malta, it’s really difficult to decide where to start from … Whether from buildings older than the pyramids, or from the Maltese cross, or from an incredibly diverse kitchen, or maybe from Maltese, famous longitudinal skulls or Azure Window, which had its few minutes even in the famous Game of Thrones ….Especially, that all these issues are constantly circulating, for years, various amazing versions …

For me, this island is the European version of the Mexican Teotihuacan. Literally. We know almost nothing about the community, that inhabited this area thousands of years ago. We can only still admire the works of their hands … Megalithic, huge buildings made of solid coral limestone, have attracted tourists from Malta for many generations. Everything about them is amazing: size, material, purpose … And all this wonders: who? For what? How? … And considering the location of the island, its flora and fauna, or just dimensions, finding meaningful answers really is a miracle …

That is why holidays in Malta look a bit like an old, good old series about Indiana Jones. At least, you can make them like that 😉 … Depending on your preference, of course. Because in Malta, you can have a luxury holidays too. In expensive, beautifully located resorts. You can, and you do not even have to spend a fortune, well … unless someone has a spare fortune 😉

However, while booking a small flat in the St Paul’s Bay area, we decided to look for treasures and legends. The accommodation was not a president apartment , but we were not looking for any indoor attractions . We had the place to sleep and eat, and that was the most important thing.

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Following the footsteps of legendary giants, we can admire at the same time the coastal views, cliffs, but also endless tiny streets, where you can see smaller or larger churches at almost every corner … Giordan Lighthouse, Ggantija Temples, or Tarxien, this simply cannot be missed !!!

Exploring the neighbourhood, as usual , mainly on foot, we made tens of kilometres. Sometimes, probably arousing interest among drivers … For example, on the highway, on the island of Gozo, where, after leaving the ferry, we assumed, that we could also explore the most important parts of the island in one day, on foot … The assumption, as you can guess, was wrong 😀 We realised that after about an hour of marching, fortunately not very busy, the lane of that road … As you probably assumed , we had to gave up, and turn back to the starting point. From where it was enough just to take the bus … 🙈😂

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Malta has been an ideal landscape for years for scenarios about almost any era. „Count Monte Christo”, „Gladiator”, Game of Thrones „, and many other movie plans were hosted on this land. The Stone Age, Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Italians, all left their signs of the times in Malta. Here you can easily make the series about Templars , while studying artefacts from World War II …

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And all this, while listening to the stories of mysterious unusual skulls, which remain a scientific mystery to this day, due to their non only rare shape , but also an age … about the still existing order of the Knights of Malta, or about the bases of the Allied ships … Although recent stories are not less interesting at all. Like the one about the disappearance of it-Tiega tad-Dwejra, the Azure Window on Gozo. It was a very characteristic rock arch, which suddenly collapsed during a storm … However, there are no recordings from the time of collapse. It just disappeared in the blink of an eye….

Maltese cuisines are just as diverse. Italian flavors composed with a hint of Greek taste, with a lot of spices from both Asia and Africa. On Maltese tables you will find a lot of fruits, wines and very good local beers.

In another word, Malta is one of those European Union countries where life is really good, where commercial and corporations have not yet completely taken over the areas for the construction of shopping centers or countless supermarkets. Small shops with their own products ,seem to be doing quite well … It’s a very nice scenery. I would even say : priceless …

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Getting around Malta is easy and it is really cheap. For the bus tickets, you have to pay no more than 2 euros ( if ant changes recently, let us know in comments section 😉 ). Of course, you can rent a car, which is a very good option as well, considering the size of the island. However, as most of the time, we relied on public transport. And Malta Public Transport website is extremely helpful and transparent, even if your English is not very advanced 😉

To get from one island to the other, you just need to buy a ferry ticket. And, although I am a person, who avoid long trips by the ship, I can recommend this trip sincerely. Crossing to Gozo takes only 30 minutes, and is not a great damage to the wallet, you have to pay about 4.65 euros return ticket. All details can be found at the Gozo Channel port, or on the website.

Most of the historic attractions can be reached by yourself. However, the stories of some of them, are so fascinating, that sometimes it is worth to book some organised trips. For history lovers, I recommend an expedition, that lets you learn about the history of Valetta and Mdina, or visit prehistoric temples, while those, who have less time or funds, will definitely be satisfied with the HopOnHopOff bus. And if you can handle ship sensations, you can go for a longer cruise 🙂

The Maltese archipelago , it has always been and still remains, an extremely strategically important point on the map of Europe. Tumbled with many battles and destruction, changing from one hands to another for centuries, today is a place where you can really learn a lot just by observing. The National War Museum, i.e. San Elmo Harbor, Museum of Archaeology, or San Angelo Harbor, are very interesting places, where you can trace the history of not only Malta, but all of the Europe. You can find a list of most of the Maltese museums on the Heritage Malta website, and I guarantee you will definitely find something for yourself: D

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One week stay in Malta additionally ended for us with a big surprise. Not knowing why, fate decided to reward me with a lucky voucher 😀 Well, quite by accident, on a rainy morning, when standing at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to Golden Bay, I drew a coupon, which authorized us to a free week-long stay at the hotel complex in … Tenerife. Until the very end, I could not believe, that this was true 😀

I believed, landing six months later on Tenerife South.

But this is a completely different story 😉

Some photos from the collection of : Grejs Szemborowska.