Malta

We arrived in Malta, which advertises 300 days of sunshine per year, to a torrential downpour. Malta has two official languages, Maltese and English. Yeah! Oh the luxuries of being able to speak to any one of our choosing 😂. Little things. We set out for the funky, cold, Mdina, okay maybe the locals don’t say that, which is the old capital, and also known as the silent city.

They call it the silent city because cars aren’t allowed and more importantly, it is the first European pre-planned city, before even a stone was laid. It was designed, like much of Malta, to be an impenetrable fort/city. It is hard to walk more than a football field without seeing a fort.

Almost all the forts have been converted to modern needs, so where once these forts prided themselves on their courage, bravery and fighting skills, now they pride themselves on being voted best margarita pizza. There is a great history of both conquests and defenses throughout Malta’s history, and though I am a history dork, will not bore you with it (thank god, am I right:).

But, due to all the conquests, the architecture is a blend of everything from the the Romans, to the Moors, the Ottoman Empire, the French and British. It’s quite beautiful. Mdina is currently on the list to be added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and (unlike that plaza in Valparaiso:), it should definitely make the list.

We also visited the Dingli Cliffs, which rise 253 meters and very much remind me of the Cliffs of Dover. It is quite beautiful with trails that parallel the coast. Upnext, the island of Gozo.Baca selengkapnya