Final Postcards From Malta

Strolling the narrow streets of Malta

gives you a little flavor of the local life.

Stone facades carefully preserved

and protruding balconies of many colors accent the narrow passageways.

Doors open to busy lives

and hide secrets of the Maltese world.

Little things like a British post box pillar dot the cityscape and remind you that Malta was under British rule for many years in the past century.

Baroque architecture is rampant throughout the island and amazes you with its ornamentation.

And yet, one of the most precious treasures of the island can be found behind this rather plain facade of the St. John's Co-Cathedral.

Once inside though, your jaw is likely to drop as you try to take in the elaborate decor of this church

which was built in the Baroque style by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John, also known as the Knights of Malta,

during the years 1573-1578 as a place for their worship. 

The Knights, of course, were noblemen, whose mission was to protect the Catholic faith from the attacks of the Ottoman Turks.

There are 8 beautiful side chapels representing the 8 langues, or regions of the Knights.

The Knights were anxious to rival the great churches of Rome, 

 

and that is why this is such a treasure house of rich Maltese baroque ornamentation.

Pervasive throughout the elaborate decoration is the symbol of the Maltese cross with 8 points, representing once again the 8 langues or regions from which the Knights of Malta originated.

Most of us came away with some form of the Maltese cross as a momento of our unique adventure,

as well as memories of an island and a slice of the world that we will always cherish.

Go to Goza

While visiting Malta, we took the ferry one day to the neighboring island of Gozo to experience a different slice of island life.

Even though there were severe wind warnings that day, we continued with our plans amidst drizzle, wind and grey skies (after taking a little motion sickness tablet for the ferry ride,  just to be on the safe side!)

No, this is not a photo of our ferry ride, but a picture of our group in fishing boats as we toured the area around Dwerja Bay.

We first boarded the boats in the Inland Sea, then headed out to the Bay through 200 foot tunnels through the cliffs.

Once in the bay, the views and water were amazing.

Geography created this natural phenomenon when 

two limestone caves collapsed thousands of years ago. The Azure Window, as it is called, is a popular spot for cliff diving, 

and the whole area is well known to divers for the underwater scenery,

coral and beautiful seascapes.

We were "gob-smacked" as the Brits say, to find that there are 365 churches in Malta. Our guide told us that 98% of the people in Malta are Roman Catholic and that they are very proud of the heritage of the Biblical story that Paul was shipwrecked there on his way to Rome, staying for sometime after and converting the island to Christianity.

We were able to visit just a few of the churches, but enjoyed seeing a couple in Gozo, such as The St. John the Baptist church perched high on a hill,

where they were preparing the statues for their annual procession during the days leading to Easter. With Malta being such a devout Christian country, every city, town and village

will have processions of the statues from their churches, representing the different stages of the Passion.

 Another quite amazing church indeed was the Ta Pinu church, most recently built in the 1920-30's.

Beautiful both inside and out, its heritage is quite a story. Devotees to the Virgin Mary have been coming to this place of pilgrimage for decades after a village woman reported to have heard a female's voice coming from the early chapel which stood at this location, and then was cured of her illness after prayer.

Believers have swarmed to this National Shrine of Malta for years to pray for their own miracles,

and when prayers have been answered, they have brought back mementoes of thankfulness, including this letter from a survivor of the Twin Towers,

as well as scores of testimonies of healings,

babies being born,

and wedding bouquets from the ceremonies performed there.

Our favorite slice of life that day was a visit to the Ta Mena Farm,

where Joe, along with his sidekick, Daisy, gave us a tour of his farm and shared his passion for the agricultural products and wines that he and his family grow right there.

We were treated to a feast of focaccia baked in outdoor ovens, olives, capers, ham, sun dried sweet tomato paste, olive oil and Gozo peppered cheese.

A welcome respite for the weary, windblown  travelers and a feast for the eyes and the soul.

More Malta to come....

Postcards from Malta

March brought with it an excursion to the island of Malta with the London gals. Situated in a highly strategic location between Libya and Sicily, Malta is actually made up of 7 islands, which have experienced a long and colorful history.

With a stunningly beautiful coastline,

and the impressive harbors of the city,

Malta has seen a succession of powers ruling from prehistoric times until their declaration of independence from the British in 1964.

The Maltese people are a reflection of this mix of cultures.

Some of the most fascinating sightseeing we did revolved around the mysterious remains of the temples of the Megalithic period.

Malta was evidently a sacred island and a center of worship and mystic practices.

One of our visits was to the Hypogeum, an outstanding underground feat of engineering from prehistoric times with the only underground temple and burial place of its kind in the world.

The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, or Knights of Malta, as they are often called,  occupied the island from 1530-1798, and after fighting off the Turks, they left their mark on the island

by building huge fortifications, harbors, 

and baroque palaces and churches.

One afternoon, we made out way to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk

where we selected our fish for lunch and had it prepared for us while we waited. Couldn't have been any fresher.

And what's a girls' trip without treats, and here we are enjoying  some pastizii, 

a local delicacy which is a pastry filled with ricotta cheese or peas.

Hmmm.....cheese for me please!

More slices of life from our Malta adventure coming up....