I have to admit that until recently, I didn't even know where Malta was located... for those of you in the same boat, it is found smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean, about 60 miles south of the Italian island of Sicily. The country is actually comprised of 3 islands, with Malta being the biggest and most densely populated with over 400,000 inhabitants. There is also Gozo, which is the medium-sized island with a much smaller population, and Comino, which is tiny and basically uninhabited. While Maltese is the primary language used, thankfully English is also an official language and widely spoken around the island. It's true that anytime we don't have to be translating signs or looking up how to say key phrases is always a welcome reprieve!
Although we did have a good time overall in Malta, our trip got off to a rocky start as Daniel suffered from the stomach flu the first day. As soon as we got to Malta and checked into our hotel in the early afternoon on Friday, Daniel was in bed and out for the count for the rest of the day. At least he had a nice view from our room...
I did my best to take care of my ill hubby, but before he eventually drifted off to sleep, he suggested I go explore the area around our hotel for a bit. I soon discovered that Malta's coastline is indented with countless harbors. I was just so happy to be by the water again after being hours from the shore in Frankfurt. I enjoyed walking around adorable Spinola Bay, which is just around the corner from our hotel. I even saw some traditional Maltese fishing boats in the cute little marina while soaking up the sunshine.
I also walked around Balluta Bay and then along the Mediterranean coast for a while, enjoying the sea air. Though it may look warm with the sun beaming down, it was very windy and therefore quite chilly so I didn't last outside for long... plus it was soon time to go back and check on Daniel.
Before our trip, Gemma, a family friend from my parents' church, suggested that we get in touch with her cousin, Marika, who lives in Malta, and so we did. Marika was kind enough to meet up with us on Friday evening to show us around some of the island. At Daniel's urging, I went and hung out with Marika alone since he still wasn't up for it. She took me to Mdina, a striking city found on the highest ridge of the island. It was once the capital of Malta and now is known as the "Silent City" as only residents are allowed to drive into the small fortified town. It was quite magical at night with only the sound of footsteps echoing in the narrow alleyways and off the beautifully lit stone buildings, including the city cathedral.
Since we were at Malta's highest point, it was even windier up there than it was along the shoreline! Soon we were freezing, so Marika took me to dinner at a cute little restaurant there in Mdina. Thankfully, by the time I made it back to the hotel, Daniel was feeling somewhat better, and by morning, he was back on his feet again. On Saturday, he had a chance to finally meet Marika as she took us into Valletta. She soon had to head out for Gozo, but we greatly appreciated all of her help as well as insight into her homeland.
Before she left, Marika recommended that we definitely go see St. John's Co-Cathedral, so off we went and found it in the heart of Malta's current capital. The reason it is called a co-cathedral is because over time it grew to equal prominence with the cathedral in Mdina, so it was eventually allowed to serve as the archbishop's alternate. Once we stepped through the doors, we found out that the plain exterior belies what is to be seen inside... the most opulent and ornate church we've ever seen. It is a good example of Baroque style with its excessive ornamentation. One of the most noteworthy features is the ceiling, which is covered with paintings depicting scenes from the life of John the Baptist.
Daniel declared it the coolest church ever, largely because there are skulls and crossbones all over the floor. This is due to the fact that the marble floor is covered with tombstones commemorating the Knights of St. John, who built the cathedral in 1577. I guess that's what happens when you let knights build a church... they put skulls everywhere! As for me, I really liked the many, many intricate carvings found everywhere... especially the Maltese crosses carved into each of the archways.
After being throughly impressed with St. John's Co-Cathedral, we decided to check out the rest of Valletta. We spent the afternoon wandering aimlessly around, admiring the architecture. The city is very hilly, so it was helpful that there were some staircases here and there to help with the climbing.
By walking along the outskirts of the city, we took in some great views of the harbors that surround the peninsula on which Valletta sits. We got a glimpse of the Med and the rest of Malta as well.
When we finished seeing the sights around Valletta, we decided to go to Mdina since Daniel didn't get to see it the night before. To enter Mdina you have to walk through the charming gate, and then we strolled through the narrow streets of the quiet town. They have an Arabic feeling to them... they reminded me a lot of Morocco, but they also seemed very medieval, like we were stepping back in time.
Since we were visiting Mdina during daylight hours, we got a chance to go into the cathedral there also. Though it wasn't quite as dramatic as St. John's, it was still very pretty, especially the interior of its cupola.
Like I mentioned earlier, Mdina sits on the highest point of Malta, so walking along the city's northern wall provides a panoramic view of the island.
Once again, it was incredibly windy up there, so to warm up we decided to stop for dessert and then it was time to head back to the hotel. As we were leaving, we got a couple more shots of the view from just outside Mdina as well.
To end the day, we had dinner at a cute little Chinese restaurant near our hotel. All in all, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day.
We took it easy Sunday morning because Daniel still wasn't feeling 100% yet. Although I felt so bad that he had gotten sick, the positive effect it had was that it made us slow down a bit... when we travel, we usually go 100 miles a minute, trying to see as much as we can. However, this time we realized it is actually quite nice to relax while you are on vacation :)
Now by this point we had realized that one of the best decisions we made about our trip to Malta was not renting a car. For one, they drive on the left side of the road, which is always a little unnerving. And two, they are pretty crazy drivers there... it seemed that traffic regulations are only followed loosely. So since we didn't have a car, we used public transportation to get around the island. It turned out to not only be very cheap but also pretty entertaining as our mode of transport was often "old school" buses like the one below. Plus waiting for the bus helped to reinforce our unhurried frame of mind!
Sunday afternoon we had an appointment to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. It is the world's only known prehistoric underground temple, which is estimated to be 5000 to 6000 years old. Because it is such an ancient and fragile setting, the number of visitors allowed in is restricted to 80 per day, so we were very glad we were able to book it before our trip. When we got off at the bus stop for the Hypogeum, we were quite shocked to find ourselves still in a residential neighborhood. It took us a few laps to find the door to the sight. Apparently, in the past the temple was eventually covered over with homes until it was accidentally discovered in 1902 when stone masons were creating a cistern for the houses. Little did they know, there was an archaeological wonder beneath them! Now the neighborhood still exists around the Hypogeum, except for the four homes that used to be directly above it.
Since it is a controlled environment, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. I did find a few online though to give you a sense of what it was like. The first level is open to the air above and seemed of more rudimentary construction. As you descend into the lower chambers, the workmanship becomes more and more refined... notice the extremely smooth surfaces and surprising symmetry. It is believed that the builders only used antlers to weakened the rock and then stone tools to chip away at the surface... it is likely that it took many generations to complete the temple.
It was amazing to think about how old the underground temple is and how skilled the builders seemed to be. Besides knowing that the Hypogeum was primarily used for burial, much is still unknown about the people who built it, the symbols seen on its walls, or other rituals that may have been performed there. Another of its perplexing features is a small niche found in one of its side chambers... the sound of a man's voice echoes out of it but a woman's doesn't. Pretty strange! Overall, it was very interesting to see such a unique historical landmark.
After our time underground, we decided to absorb some sunshine in the area called the "Three Cities," which is made up of three towns that each sit on their own peninsula south of Valletta. We ended up just taking in two of the three, Senglea and Vittoriosa, where we enjoyed views of Valletta as well as the peaceful waterfront. The fortifications that surround the capital city are imposing, but I am sure they helped protect it through the reign of the many civilizations that ruled there, including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and the Knights of St. John. Also, seeing the multitude of boats in the marinas around the island, it is clear that the sea is a cherished part of the Maltese lifestyle.
On Monday morning, we had just enough time between breakfast and going to the airport to walk along the Sliema waterfront for a little while. It was nice to catch a few more rays while seeing Valletta glinting in the sun... good thing we did since it was cold and gray when we got back to Frankfurt!
As you can see, our visit to Malta was an enjoyable one. And now we have our other upcoming trips to look forward to! Before that though, there is one more event we are getting pumped up about... on March 1st, Daniel and I are running our first half-marathon here in Frankfurt! At least all the training is keeping us warmer during these seemingly endless winter months. Hopefully the race will go well... and maybe just maybe it will feel more like spring here by then! Well, I hope you have enjoyed our anecdotes and pics from Malta... don't worry, more from our adventures across Europe to come soon! Until then, God bless!
