Malta


Malta (the little island south of Sicily and north of Tunisia).	The Maltese archipelago consists of 3 inhabited islands: Malta (246 sq km) Gozo (67 sq km) and Comino (2.7 sq km).

The strategic position in the Mediterranean made it irresistible to both navigators and invaders. The British were merely the last of a long series of colonizers to leave, but as a result most Maltese, and most of the tourist who visit the country, speak English. Due to the islands varied colonial history, the Maltese have developed and retained an unique language and culture in which it is possible to detect Italian, Arabic, English, Jewish, French and Spanish influences.

The islands’ oldest monuments are the beautifully preserved megalithic temples built between 3800 and 2500 BC, which are the oldest surviving freestanding structures in the world.

Valetta, the city of the Knights of the Order of St. John is virtually unchanged since the 16^th century.

Mdina and Rabat., Plazaao Falzon, Mdina Dungeons. Long ruled by the iron hand of the Catholic Church, the torture museum shows you why one would try to keep their nose clean.

Cave where someone of importance stayed after their shipwreck. We'll get back to you when we can remember.

Gozo – Victoria – the Citiadel.

Malta is noted for its fine crafts- particularly its handmade lace, hand woven fabrics and silver filigree. The best is on the island of Gozo.

Malta has a great tourist attraction, the city buses! These models are right out of the 1950s (it looks like from the "I Love Lucy" show.) There is a string on the ceiling you pull to ring a bicycle bell to stop and you place your fare in a candy dish on the counter. Great fun.

If the boats and scenery look familiar, that's because the film "Popeye" was filmed here.

This lovely photo of us was shot at the exact time of the NYC terrorism. We were told by a waiter while having a bite at this cafe. We later found heard and saw the acts when we returned home that night. The only English we could get (the tv news was in Italian) was at 2 am. We were very fortunate to have Janet as our host to let us watch her TV and use her computer for the internet, but most of all to know we were in a safe place. Having a friend and a home to stay, was very comforting for 2 Americans overseas.