Week 4 Part 2: Malta

I picked Malta on a whim, not having done too much research about what it would be like to travel there. I had only ever met one person from Malta, and at the time I had never even heard of it, let alone know where in the world it is (it is just south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, by the way). After reading about it briefly, I became quite fascinated about its history. This tiny little island has been colonized or influenced by literally everyone of any importance in the neighboring regions throughout the centuries - the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Goths, Swabians, Aragonese, Sicilians, Italians, French, British, etc. to name a few. For such a tiny rock (well 3 rocks, actually), the Maltese islands have been highly coveted for their strategic position between the pagan, Christian and Arab worlds. This amalgam of cultures has left an indelible mark on the country's architecture, customs, language, cultural, political and economic outlook.

I found the Maltese language fascinating. It is a mix of Arabic, Sicilian Italian with some English and French words thrown in at random. I could not follow the native tongue to save my life as I've had no training in Arabic, my basic knowledge of Italian allowed me to interact with folks that didn't have a strong grasp of English.

The capital city of Valletta was built by the French during their colonial period and it has many narrow cobblestone streets with apartment buildings about 4-5 stories tall with traditional Maltese balconies. It is really nice having the balconies to let in some natural light, though they were too small to really sit comfortably on and enjoy a glass of wine. Also, the density of the buildings in these narrow alleyways meant that no ocean breeze could penetrate many areas. The humidity was so high that I was immediately dripping with sweat right after leaving my flat. By the time, I reached the central plaza about 10-12 min away, I was really wilted.

I noticed that the tourists in Malta were mostly single twenty-something North Africans so it had the feel of Spring Break in Miami but with a twist. On the other end of the spectrum there were affluent and graying older couples perhaps visiting from Britain or Sicily, but not too many families with their children and teens. I also noticed a decidedly North African influence, more than I have seen in other Mediterranean cities. This played out in a more reserved and sometimes assertive interaction on the part of shopkeepers, water taxi drivers, and local residents. I had a sense that the Maltese locals don't really like the tourists in their beautiful island, they merely tolerate them for the influx of tourism money. This was markedly different from how I experienced mainland Italy and Sicily where the locals seemed to embrace the tourists from all over the world and were proud to show off the cultural heritage.

famous Maltese balconies;

walled fortress city of Valletta, complete with British red phone booths :)

ancient theatre in Valletta, next to modern buildings

Would I go back to Malta again? I am not sure. I certainly have a few more places I'd like to visit, like Gozo and Mdina. Unfortunately, my 7 day trip was cut short to 3 days when my mother-in-law became ill with COVID and so I had to limit my time to the main island of Malta and focus on Valletta, the Three Cities, and Ghadira Bay. But I did have a chance to take the excellent bus system to take a quick look at the main island, and it was a stark contrast between rocky desert-like expanses, near-empty villages and then a few ultra modern cities like Sliema, the latter of which I wasn't interested in spending too much time in. I think my next trip to the Mediterranean will center on mainland Greece and its isles.