The colours of Malta in spring are what first strike the Easter visitor. Blue! On a fine day the sky is the brightest deepest blue. And then there is the sea which looks like a Dulux paint swatch strip ranging in hue from deep dark azure to bright glimmering turquoise. The landscape is dotted with sunshine yellow flowers in fields, hedges and in cracks in the walls and pavements.
Quite a few of those
bright yellow blossoms are wattle! Yes Aussie acacias bloom profusely all over
Malta and Eucalypt trees too. Then there is the manmade component of this
landscape hewn from what is essentially a 300 square kilometre lump of
limestone, quarried since Roman times and built into temples, churches, houses
and drystone walls. The towns perch on hills and hug the bays and inlets like
cubist sketches, flat roofed and relatively unadorned but for the painted bay
windows on so many of the buildings. And everywhere domed and spired churches
and cathedrals, some barely large enough to swing a cat in and others that
accommodate a congregation of hundreds. It makes for a unique panorama.
Our accommodation was a rustic limestone-block studio off a pretty courtyard in an area called Mqabba. With narrow, twisting, cobbled streets and lanes meandering through the district, it was very picturesque. The tiny shops nearby provided abundant fresh, local produce with barely a plastic bag or any unnecessary packaging in sight. The strawberries were incredible and we gorged our way through two huge punnets during the week. The tomatoes were delicious and as I had to comment “so tomato-ey” The bread was another favourite. Crisp and aromatic on the outside, light and tasty on the inside. We ate the local Maltese staples too; rich rabbit stew, delicious pasta, broad bean dip, sea bass and sea bream eaten the same day it was caught, so fresh I think I saw mine wink at me from the plate. And of course the famous pastizzi – crisp, golden fillo pastry filled with ricotta or peas. Melt in your mouth flaky goodness! We indulged in the fried anchovy filled balls called Sfineg which were very fine and Imqaret, fried pastries containing dates, citrus and spices. We also walked between 10 and 18 kilometres each day too so we did fit into the plane seats on our way home!
The history of Malta is long and colourful. There are Neolithic ruins to scramble over at Ħaġar Qim, although it’s hard to fully imagine the ancient civilisations as the major sites are covered with steel supported tarpaulin structures. In 60 A.D. St Paul was shipwrecked on the island and brought Christianity to Malta and the evidence is writ large all over the island in the spirit and the practice. The Arabs conquered the island in 870 A.D. and left their mark on the Maltese language and to an extent, the architecture. Charles V bequeathed Malta to the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the red and white flag of St John flies as commonly as the National flag of Malta.
The 17th and 18th centuries were a golden age for the arts and culture in Malta. Caravaggio and other artists embellished the churches and palaces. The churches especially have incredibly ornate interiors (photo St. John’s, Valletta).
Malta was part of the British Empire for over 150 years. The legacy lives on in language (English is the joint official language with Maltese) which means English speakers are universally understood throughout Malta. We witnessed staff in tiny shops flit effortlessly between Italian, Maltese, English, French and German. Again we poor monoglots were left feeling completely inadequate.
The towns are dotted with red British letter pillar boxes and telephone boxes, they drive on the left side of the road (very handy! No pesky dilemmas about which way to enter the many, many roundabouts) and serve beer in pints and halves. Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964 and became a republic in 1974. They are in the Commonwealth and have adapted the British system of administration, education and legislation. Nearly every Maltese person we encountered was helpful and friendly.
We visited an almost deserted
Craft Village, Ta’ Qali which is undergoing a lot of refurbishment and
resembled a cross between a building site and thanks to its old Airforce
origins, a bomb site. Several of the workshops were open however including a
large glass factory with stunning hand crafted pieces on display and for sale and
a wonderful ceramic workshop with amazing and beautifully artistic ceramic
works. The owner told us he had
been in Australia the
week before selling his wares at trade and home shows. We also happened on
another store selling local wine and products. Amongst his eclectic mix of
items were tiny handmade and painted ceramic houses and other structures which
could be bought as single pieces or several so that you could construct your
own village or town. I was torn and wanted one of all of the twenty or so
designs but finally settled on three. As the owner wrapped them up for me he
commented that they were three of his favourites. Two of them were miniatures
of restaurants that belonged to friends of his. With the help of my glasses I
could make out the name “Ta Victor” on the front of one. We looked it up and
sure enough, there it was in the seaside fishing town of Marsaxlokk.
They didn’t open until 7.30 but when I spied a young lady setting the tables I poked my head in the door and asked if they had a table for two that night. ‘So sorry, we are fully booked,’ came the shattering reply. I had my miniature in my pocket and showed it to her. She called Victor over to look. “Ah, yes. That is my friend’s work.’ They found some spare chairs to pull up to a small table by the door and we were in! All on the strength of a serendipitous purchase that afternoon. We had a marvellous set 4 course menu of awesome local Maltese food with wine and coffee for just €60 for two. That’s where we had the delicious fish.
We took the car-ferry to Gozo, an island a 25 minute ferry trip from the north of Malta. We visited the fortified medieval citadel in the capital Victoria (also known as Rabat) sitting atop the islands highest point and walked a track so steep it bordered on being called a cliff (Ian says I’m exaggerating but it was verrrry steep!) down to an all-but-deserted crystal-blue-water beach nestled in a little rocky cove with red/orange sand.
The water was robustly chilly and invigorating or artic depending on your tolerance level. I loved it and after a chilly northern winter I was more than happy to frolic in the clear clean water under sunny blue skies while Ian watched on like a lizard basking on a nearby rock.
We also took what is called a ferry but is more like a tinny on steroids across to the island of Comino. It was a windy day and sea was choppy as the boat belted its way across the channel to the tiny 3.5 sq km island that sits in the channel between the main islands Malta and Gozo. The spume flew and our bottoms jarred but it was fun. Once at Comino we walked over the island to the famous Blue Lagoon (photo left), not actually a lagoon but a channel between Comino and an even smaller island called Cominotto. The aforementioned choppy sea meant I was not prepared to risk the inevitable rip between the islands when Ian stated categorically that he would not save me should I be sent in rapid fashion out into the shipping lanes. Blue Lagoon was stunning to witness however.
The white sand and clear water means that the channel shimmers a brilliant aquamarine in the sunlight. I contented myself with a wade in the waves.
We attended one of the many Good Friday processions that take place all over Malta to commemorate the Passion of the Christ. It is a very solemn procession of statues that each represent a particular episode in the Passion. We went to Mosta where the statues are some of the oldest on the island. The entire town, from children to the elderly, are involved and there are some very elaborate biblical costumes. The Mosta procession also includes groups of penitents dressed in head-covering white robes and dragging heavy metal chains attached to their bare feet. It was fascinating and to our surprise, long. It took two hours for the entire procession to pass before our vantage point. The statues are mounted on large wooden pallets that are carried balanced on the shoulders of between eight and ten men who regularly pause to rest the structure on the ground. There is a solemn air of reverence and piety about the whole affair and even the young children are for the most part serious and patient as they hold their props and wait to move on.
The capital of Malta is Valetta and it sits on a peninsula between two harbours and is the administrative and commercial hub of the country. Across one of the harbours is an area known as the Three Cities. Both Valetta and the Three Cities have picturesque old town areas with winding cobbled streets and old typically Maltese architecture built from limestone blocks. This year 2018 Valletta is the UNESCO European Capital of Culture. Easter Sunday is celebrated in one of the Three Cities Birgu with the ceremonial Running with the Jesus. The area was packed with families dressed in their finest outfits with plenty of alcohol being consumed, no doubt to celebrate the Christ’s resurrection. We enjoyed the busy company of the crowds but alas we missed any running with Jesus antics.
There are many places of outstanding natural beauty on Malta and Gozo including one that sadly is no longer there. The Azure Window was, of all things, a huge square “arch” that collapsed into the sea during a storm just twelve months previous to our visit. I feel sorry for the people who have built their livelihood around a natural wonder that is now lost to the sea. They soldier on with boat trips from a lagoon called The Inland Sea (photo right), through a cave to the open sea, to see a thing that is not there. I sure wish I’d seen it before it sank without trace.
Follow this link to see before and after video and photos of this remarkable landmark: https://petapixel.com/2017/03/09/may-captured-last-shots-azure-window-standing/
With a limestone foundation much of the Maltese coastline is riddled with caves and arches. They produce spectacular formations that look gorgeous against the different colour blues of the sea. They include the caves and the three way arch of the Blue Grotto (photo below left) on Malta’s south-east coast and the stunning St Peter’s pool (photo below right).
Malta was beautiful. It has a wonderful blend of stimulating culture and stunning natural beauty, together with a friendly happy population and lovely Mediterranean clime. We had a glorious week soaking up some welcome sunshine, delicious food and wonderful sights.
