Little Malta’s history far outweighs its size
The danger of going to Malta for a relaxing vacation is that a history lesson might break out.
Frankly, the place even exceeds the limits of history, because we don't
really know a lot about those people who built temples here that predate
the pyramids by about 1,000 years. The people we do know about made the
two main islands of Malta a destination as soon as mankind learned how
to float boats in one direction. Its desirability for navigation makes
sense, because it sits nearly equidistant from each end of the
Mediterranean.
But Malta's history is not all ancient. It was here that Chris Stevens,
the recently slain U.S. ambassador to Libya, visited frequently to
prepare for his posting in that war-ravaged nation just to the south.
Before that, it was such a strategic aggravation to Hitler, because
of British guns and aircraft, that he did his best to reduce these
chalky limestone islands to gravel with bombings several times a day
during World War II.
Because war has so defined the place, the
warmth of the Maltese toward strangers is all the more amazing. If
you're lost, I know for a fact that they will gladly help you get found,
and they will do it in English, thanks to a British past dating back
two centuries, though now it's an independent and also Maltese-speaking
country.
The lay of the land
Sitting 60 miles south of
Sicily, the nation of Malta is about 122 square miles — the size of
Omaha, Neb. — most of that on Malta, the biggest of the stunningly
deforested handful of islands. Although its 408,000 people make it the
most densely populated nation in the European Union, the main island
actually has enough countryside to get lost in if you're driving, which I
was.
I rented a walled villa in one of the oldest cities, Zurrieq
(pronounced like Zurich), because I wanted a more genuine Maltese
experience and not one more urban European visit.
mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20130506ada98ca1b1b368297b03dc267f529c1b192.wma
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