| Malta November 2007 |
| On short notice, we wound up spending two fascinating weeks on the island of Malta. Located about 50 miles south of Sicily in the Mediterranean, this country is a goldmine of history. It has temple ruins older than the pyramids, was converted to Catholicism by Saint Paul when he was shipwrecked here on his way to Rome to be tried, was the home base for the Knights of Saint John, (aka Knights of Malta) for over 200 years, starting in the 1500s, was invaded by Napolean on his way to Egypt, controlled by the British after they defeated Napolean, attacked by the Germans during WWII and finally gained its independence in the 1960's. |
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| The original capital of Malta was Mdina, a beautiful walled city that sits on top of a hill in the center of the island. Once you pass throught the main gate the narrow cobbled streets with their limestone buildings are a pleasure to stroll along. It seems that every doorway has a unique knocker. |
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| When the Knights of St. John came to Malta the capital was moved to the coast in order to defend the island more easily. This new city was named Valletta after the Grand Master of the Knights, Jean de la Valette can be seen below. |
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| Valletta sits on a peninsula with harbors on both sides and the Mediterranean at its tip. |
| City views facing the Grand Harbor. |
| One of the main industries in Malta is ship repairs. Here you can see several of the large cranes by the dry docks. |
| The balconies that Malta is famous for. |
| Across the Grand Harbor from Valletta are the cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. Known collectively as the Three Cities, this is where the Knights lived when they first came to Malta in the 1500's. |
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| The Advanced Gate of Vittoriosa |
| Ancient streets of Vittoriosa |
| The Church of St Lawrence facing Dockyard Creek |
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| The fishing village of Marsaxlokk with its colorful boats. |
| Fat Lady statues from the ancient temples |
| Notice the eyes and ears carved on this watch tower perched on the city walls. |
| Dingli Cliffs |
| St Paul's catacombs with a "body" - Oh wait, that's Jack |
| Malta actually consists of five island with most of the people living on the larger islands of Malta and Gozo. Only a handful of Maltese live on Comino and the last two islands are uninhabited. We took the ferry to Gozo one day for an overnight trip to this peaceful island. |
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| View of the island as the ferry approaches the harbor of Mgarr. |
| Ruins of Ggantija Temple, older than the pyramids |
| Cliffs, arches and caves along the coastline |
| Churches abound in this Catholic country |
| Here we are on an ancient bridge in the town of Xlendi |
| On this quaint island we also took a boat ride throught the caves along the shoreline, visited the town of Victoria (Rabat) with its citadel, Fungus Rock at Dwejra and celebrated my birthday with a delicious chocolate cake in the quaint fishing town of Xlendi. |