Malta has been ruled by many foreign peoples, with evidence of civilization for nearly 7,000 years. He Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, French, Spaniards and British all conquered these Maltese islands. Malta achieved its independence back in 1964 after reaching an agreement with the British Government to transition into a self-governed nation. In 1972 Malta emerged as a new independent nation, but remains a member of the British Commonwealth today.
I had been looking forward to seeing Malta for many years. A million years ago when I worked for Macy’s in New York, a colleague of mine called Nancy was particularly proud of here Maltese heritage. She spoke glowingly of her parent’s “homeland”, showing me fabulous photos of her sumptuous vacations to this beautiful Mediterranean jewel. I was reminded of her when we set foot on land-I saw a building with the name “Galea Insurance”, which was Nancy’s surname. I smiled to myself as her face was conjured up in my mind’s eye. Yes, this was Malta I thought.
We started our day visiting a glass-blowing shop, where an old man was working with globs of glass and fire to make all sorts of shapes and treasures. It was interesting, but I decided that since we are going to Venice next week, I would save my interest in glass works until then. We made our way to a place called Mdina (which can be pronounced Medina, but most say it phonetically, without the “e’). The ancient city of Mdina was stunningly beautiful, with origins back to the peak of the Roman Empire. This walled city proved to be a very sturdy fortress over the centuries and has remained largely in tact. Within the walls of the ancient city, just 300 people live today, it is carefully preserved and kept extremely clean. It had the sense of being on a movie set because it was so immaculate.
After enjoying a typical Maltese lunch at a local restaurant, we went to the capital, Valetta by way of City Gate. This part of Malta is a combination of old and new, with a great deal of historic architecture throughout. We were fortunate to visit the Presidential Palace, where we had special access to several rooms not usually open. It was truly an impressive site. We spent just one brief, but long day in Malta, and I found it to be quite captivating. I had the sense that there was a great deal more here, waiting in Malta- for another journey yet to come.
above: Horse drawn carriages gave a certain charm to the city
6 comments:
Those pretty round Plaques were proabaly made by Della Robbia (Sp?). The friut and signature blue and white colors are my cue...
That martini looked delish!
I worked for Macy's too! Back in the mid-1980s, when they had a midwest division. But that a long time ago!
It's been fascinating reading your posts and wonderful seeing the photos! Such beautiful architecture and land...thanks, as always, for sharing with us.
It looks like a fascinating place, and the views are terrific!~!
Everything's so so beautiful!!! :) I was intrigued by the glass blowing in Venice-it's amazing what they can do.
malta is not a place i have ever thought much about but it really looks interesting. how cool that you have something of a personal connection through your friend.
I agree with Lois re the Della Robbia family trademark roundels.
I'd love to go to Malta one day. One of my friends, whose father is an ambassador, was sent to Catholic school in Malta. She had many stories to tell about the rigorous discipline there.
One day, a few years ago in London, I went for a walk in the park while wrangling in my mind over two possible relationships, neither of which I wanted to pursue. An old man sitting on a bench called to me and practically read my mind to me. He was full of amazing advice and perceptions. Turns out he was from Malta. We had a nice chat.
And finally, in high school I was in class with a nice boy called Oliver whose family was from Malta. Interestingly, the surname Camargo also reminds me of the Camargue region of France.
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