We love the Maltese Islands

A postscript to our 'sejour' on the Maltese Islands.

Our time in France is coming to a close for this year - we are going home to Pretty Beach in early May. Before our return, we wanted to go 'somewhere' for a few weeks. With our usual 'go to’ holiday of long distance walking out of the question for now, we went searching for a destination. Somewhere new to us, relatively easy to get to, near the sea, maybe a little warmer weather, with interesting history and culture, natural beauty - and good food.

The Maltese archipelago seemed to have it all ... and it did not disappoint. In fact, I think it exceeded all our expectations. Malta has an extraordinary history that has led to today's rich and varied culture and architecture. At times it reminded me of Morocco, at other times of Andalusia and of Italy. All this, overlaid with the many French and British influences.

While the Maltese language sounded like a combination of Arabic and Italian, having two official languages - Maltese and English - makes for easy travelling for English speakers. We were warmly welcomed by all our hosts. Our lasting feeling, at least as visitors, is that everyone is welcome in Malta.

On a personal note, there were many moments during this holiday where I thought of my darling mum Helen - soon to turn 95. She was the first person I ever knew who had visited Malta - in fact she visited twice, some decades ago. A friend from Brisbane had moved there with her Maltese husband and they had invited Helen to visit as a side trip to her UK holidays. Not long before we left to travel to Valletta, I was speaking to Helen about her visits and she sang the praises of Malta as she did all those decades ago. And now we know why. It was a bonus to feel that we were following in her 'trail blazing' footsteps.

Helen also reminded me that her great uncle, James Connolly (later Sir James) was Agent General for NSW in Malta from 1929 to 1932, during which time he promoted migration from Malta to Australia. These days, Australia is home to the largest Maltese diaspora in the world, so maybe he played a small part in that. Certainly, many of our hosts in Malta and Gozo, were excited to tell us they had family members living in Australia.

There is plenty of information 'out there' about the unique history, culture and natural beauty of the Maltese Islands. No need for me to write more. but, in short, we loved our time there and hope to return one day. ❤️🇲🇹❤️

https://www.visitmalta.com/en/En savoir plus