The reaction I got when I first spread the word about my upcoming trip to Malta were pretty unanimous. Comments like “Really?” and “That's so cool!” were almost immediately followed up by a slightly sheepish “Um, where is exactly is that again?”
Right first, the quick geography lesson – Malta is a tiny, tiny country of about 400,000 people, smack dab in the middle of the Meditteranean between Tunisia and Sicily. Um, if you need more details – you'll have to check an atlas. It's an archipelago, which is a fancy name for a bunch of islands (in this case 3), that is blessed with about 300+ days of sunshine every year. The other bonus is that it's tiny – about 25 miles by 10 miles, so any trip is nothing more than an hour at most in one of Malta's immaculately maintained gaggle of British made buses.
Now, while I don't think that Malta will ever jump to the top of anyone's places to visit before you die, it's a pretty cool place to go, especially if you're a sun-accustomed American who wanted a break from the impending several months of uninterrupted greyness that best describes a London winter. Add in cheap flights for about $100 round trip and I was hooked.
My plan basically was to have no plan, besides checking out the capital Valetta, and it worked out admirably well. I had two nights at Granny's Inn, a near-perfect hostel in Sliema, just a short water taxi from the city, then headed to Mdina, a charming near-ghost walled city on a rugged hilltop, before checking out Gozo, Malta's even more chilled out little brother island.
And rather than go into major detail about all the where's and what's, I figured that it'd be better to just dive in with some random impressions to help give a flavor of the place.
First, Malta's a hodge-podge. It's been conquered so many times by so many cultures, that what's left is a charming and unique culture all its own. Take the language – at times, it sounds awfully like Italian, but then you see the Arabic/African influence in street signs all starting with “Tir” or exotic places like Xlendi and Ta'Chen. Add in a bunch of British vocab and for I know French, and it's a pleasant muddle to the ear.
This mixture doesn't stop with the language. From food to street signs, I was constantly scratching my head as to what country had the biggest impact on Malta's development. The food is heavily Italian, with yummy pasta (including rabbit and sea anemone variants), but most Brits wouldn't feel out of place with English fry-ups, tea, and biscuits. Yup, if I had to pick, I have to come down that England has had the biggest impact; it's evidence is everywhere, from the streets named Tir Strand (The Strand) to even red English post boxes and phone booths.
Other bits... Malta is all about stone, and walls. Valetta has got to be the most fortified city I've seen, with multiple layers of super thick, and REALLY high walls that stood it in good stead in the Great Siege by the Turks.
But, even outside the city, you'll come across so many random towers and other structures that are memories to forgotten rulers. Heck, even separating fields in the country requires a wall that wouldn't be out of place protecting the smartest of the 3 pigs. Forget wood, baby - in Malta, they go for permanent, and that means rock.
Oh sure, I probably shouldn't forget the actual feel of the countryside... with whitish stone and brilliant sunshine, Malta's somewhere you really need sunglasses even in November. I got in several good walks – one to the striking coastal cliffs near Mdina, and another linking Xlendi with Djerma on Gozo.
Finally, Malta simply does NOT forget their history. The memories of being the most-bombed terrain in World War 2 while they were essentially an island aircraft carrier for the British are everywhere, mixed in with constant proud mentions of the Knights of Malta, and their own proud contributions to everything from culture to defence.
Let's see – this is already getting longer than I'd planned for such a short trip, so I'll just sum it all up... I traipsed around Valetta, checking out most of the fort and a rather mediocre war museum before a sunny lunch overlooking the harbor. Day two took me to Mdina, with a cool hotel right outside the city walls. There's not a lot to 'do' but three wanders around, in the day, dusk, and dawn, were a real treat. Oh yes, and the many, many friendly cats were a bonus.
Days three and four saw me over in Gozo – which is super relaxed and mellow. Checking out the cool castle and getting lost in the winding streets of il Borgo district took up most of the day...
...with a bit of watching England lose to Brazil in a smoke filled community center/theater. The next day saw me getting my hike on (and trying to work off some of the pasta I've been eating!) with a 10 mile hike up cliff trails and along the coast to Djerma's Blue Cove and Azure Portal.
A long hike back to town including a really pretty cemetery...
...and it was a ferry/bus ride back to Sliema, where I check out Vittoriosa and more of Malta's less-famous sights before catching a flight home.
Fortune almost smiled on me here as well – as I was asked if I wouldn't mind being bumped to the first flight tomorrow. Hm... I was thinking... thinking... and then they mentioned 400 Euros ($600) cash. Sold!
Alas, I just missed out – but did end up getting a free upgrade to business class, with a whisky or two to help me get warmed up before landing at midnight in cold and misty London.
