When I first mentioned going to this place John said to me - "we are not going there because you saw a pretty picture". Well, not only is the entire island a pretty picture, there is so much culture, ancient history, simplistic beauty, and kind people. I cannot talk highly enough of this country. We lucked out and rented an apartment just outside of the capital Valletta, in Pieta, and the owners, Vince and Laura, were fantastic hosts. Living next door, they treated us like family during our stay. Both Vince and Laura have lived in Malta their entire lives and have deep family roots here giving us a comprehensive insight of information and history of these magnificent islands.
This place is so hard to explain as it's history is so in-depth. It has temples that are older than the Egyptian pyramids, predating them by 500 years, making then the oldest freestanding structures in the world. The culture is influenced by a mix of North Africa Arabs and Europeans yet ruled by the Knights of St. John from the 11th century until being conquered by the French then handed back to the English and finally becoming a Republic in 1972. The language is Maltese, a mix of Arabic, French and Italian, yet everyone also speaks perfect English. Grand fortifications line the numerous harbors that were under attack for hundreds of years making this place amazing to tour. I'm still trying to convince John to conquer a castle for me.
From the capital city, Valletta, southeast of this peninsula you have a beautiful view of the 3 cities across the Grand Harbor and to the northwest is a stunning sight of Sliema and another of the many harbors. We also visited the Arab influenced Mdina fortress, the tourist destination of St. Julian's and took the convenient local buses from one side of the island to the other.
JG: I loved this place. We did very limited research on it and it wasn't given overwhelmingly favorable reviews, but we really liked the history, generally low-key pace, overall feel, and miles of coastline. We did a fair amount of touring the various cities and it was an eclectic mix of broad Mediterranean culture and architecture. Sandy got to see another catacomb at St. Agatha's (I don't understand her fascination with the remains of dead people), and I got to try some fenek (baked rabbit - a local delicacy).
Vince and Laura were the greatest. If you're reading this, you made it the perfect start and finish to our trip, especially dealing with the chaos related to getting my replacement cell phone. . . .
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