Living in Malta

Valletta with traditional Maltese boat

Malta
August 2014

A marvelous month has gone by since we got to Malta, and I do not know where to begin telling you what we have been doing.  Not because we have done so many things but because we have been so comfortable living in this perfect little country.

Arrival to Malta,  Valletta

Tug in the Grand Harbour

Roofs of Valletta

The country consists of three islands, two of which are inhabited, with a population less than four hundred thousand people.   The islands sit in an area 25 miles by 10 miles in the middle of the Sicilian straight about 50 miles from Sicily.  Prehistoric ruins are scattered over the islands but the primary settlers of the islands were Phoenecians, and their language forms the basis for the Maltese language.  All the major Mediterranean civilisations lived and died here, but it is owing to the Order of St. John's Hospitallers that Malta has its defining character. Those crusading monks were driven from their stronghold in Rhodes by Suleiman the Great and were granted the islands by the pope in 1530.  They became the Knights of Malta and harried Ottoman shipping so effectively that the Sultan again vowed to drive the knights from their stronghold.  The year was 1565 and Suleiman sent a force of 40,000 men to rub out the 8,500 men, 6,000 of whom were miltia, who were defending Malta.  Against great odds and thanks to
a relieving Spanish army of 8,000 from Sicily, the Great Siege was broken and a grateful Europe was awakened to the strategic importance of Malta.  Funds were raised to build a massive, fortified city under the guidance of the Knights of Malta, which now stands as Valletta.

Typical balconies

Festa decorations

Armour, all the rage here

Dual purpose; farming and a kill'n

Grand Palace corridor

Neolithic fertility totem

Kalkara Creek, Three Cities area

Valletta is fantastic and my words could never convey what your eyes would see.  The Knights of Malta's ranks were filled from European nobility that could prove their noble lineage back six generations.  These men were from the richest families in the world at the time and that wealth was lavished on palaces, churches and public buildings, which still stand today for us to enjoy, no thanks to the relentless bombing by Axis forces during WWII.  Today, only the opera house has been left in ruins as a reminder of the devastation of the period, everything else has been restored.

The people are friendly, everybody speaks English, the streets are lined with all manner of restaurants and stores, and the shops are stocked with everything you could want.  Day passes on transit that get you anywhere on the island costs 1.50 euros and the water is clean enough to swim in the harbors.  We simply have not found anything that we do not love about Malta.

BBQ on the patio/wreck

Selfie, with Cygnus III

Tapestry, Grand Palace

Valletta streets

Malta, has everything ..

Dinghy excursion, Grand Harbour

The first few *ahem* weeks we spent tied to a "wreck" in Sliema Creek with a view of Valletta from the stern, hanging out with friends from Marina di Ragusa.  We used that as a base camp from which to explore the island and to visit the dozens of nearby chandleries. I found everything that I needed and much that I did not know that I needed for the boat.  We were becoming so entrenched and comfortable alongside that wreck that when we finally left it was because we were literally blasted from it.

The wreck is located about 50 metres from Manoel Island and on that island preparations were underway for a fireworks and mortar display.  We were in the fall-out zone and had to clear out.  The Maltese are crazy for fireworks, explosions and flags.  Every night you can hear mortars going off or see fireworks somewhere on the horizon.  Every year on average one fireworks factory blows up somewhere in the country - there are that many.  My conjecture is that the Maltese history is so rich in sieges that it just would not seem like home unless something was exploding at all times.  The day we were leaving men were test firing some mortars and a dud failed to reach altitude and instead exploded near a couple of fisherman in a dinghy.  I did not even see them flinch; they calmly rowed away when advised to clear out by the artillery men.  When the mortars go off you can feel your heart racing and your ears trying to snap shut.  Although I did not witness it, I am certain that our spot on the wreck was taken by some locals who will relish the percussions.

Maltese fishing boats

More fishing stuff, but alas no fish!

Hardware store

Haberdashery. I'm taken back to 1720

Local supermarket

Since leaving we have slowly been visiting some of the bays in the company of our friends on Cygnus III.  The waters are teeming with boats of all description.  It seems that everybody in the country has one sitting on the randomly scattered mooring balls filling the anchorages, and they enjoy anchoring off some nearby shore where they can swim and chat with the friends and family who are crowded onto the boats.

We plan to be back in Sicily for early September and for the remaining time here we will visit Gozo, the northernmost island.  We are in no hurry to leave because Malta is a difficult place to want to leave.

Branko