I wish we could have spent a month in Malta. Our time there flew by, as all really wonderful vacations do. You spend your days basking in the sun, reading, swimming, eating good food – time gets lazy and inches along at a deliciously slow pace, until all of a sudden it’s time to leave and you feel as though you just arrived. We did do some sightseeing on the island, but we also spent lots of time relaxing – I can still feel the sun on my face as I think about it… oh to be there again!
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| Mellieha Bay - our hotel is on the bottom left |
We flew into Malta on Saturday evening, before sunset. B and I were absolutely buzzing with excitement as our plane broke through the clouds and began its descent towards the islands. Malta is a single island, but there are two others beside it also known as the Maltese Islands: Gozo, about half the size of Malta, and Comino, even smaller (with a population of 3!). I spotted Gozo first from the sky – vibrant green dotted with white limestone buildings, surrounded by sparkling water – a little paradise!
We waited for a long time at the airport for our shuttle to the hotel. Finally, our driver got himself organized and invited as many passengers as possible to cram into his van so he could drop us all off at our respective destinations. I sat next to two Irish ladies who just couldn’t get enough of Liam. He charmed them to pieces and then fell asleep, which elicited further motherly cooing and praise of his perfect behavior (they weren’t there when he woke up a hundred times that night!).
After settling into our hotel room and putting Liam to bed, Brendan and I sat out on the patio to enjoy our first dinner together in Malta. It was a wonderful way to end the day.
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| Hotel Riu Seabank, where we stayed |
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| The view from our room |
The next day being Sunday, we walked to the nearby village of Mellieha for Mass. We planned to go to the English Mass but forgot about the spring time change so ended up attending our first Mass in Maltese. It’s still the same Mass, of course, but somehow seems much longer when you don’t understand the language! After Mass we walked around Mellieha a bit and then went back to the hotel to get ready for an afternoon on the beach. The weather was perfect – just right for sunning and swimming. I took my first dip in the Mediterranean that day – the water was chilly but so inviting, I just couldn’t resist! It was too cold for Liam, so we took him to the indoor pool later in the afternoon, which he loved. We had dinner on our patio again that evening and talked well into the night.
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| All set for our first beach day! |
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| How could you not want to swim in that water?! |
Monday morning we took another walk, this time towards the northern tip of the island. After a bit of exploring we repeated our Sunday afternoon and evening: beach, pool, happy hour on the bar patio and dinner in our room – another fantastic vacation day!
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| View of Gozo from Malta |
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| These prickly pear plants are all over the place |
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| Soaking in the sun! |
On Tuesday we took the bus from our hotel to visit the nearby cities of Mosta and Mdina (Im-dee-na). Mosta’s biggest attraction is a church with an enormous dome. While Malta was being attacked during the Second World War (it was bombed almost non-stop for 7 months), a bomb fell through the roof of the church but did not explode. The event occurred during Mass and is referred to as the Mosta Miracle - a replica of the bomb can be seen in the sacristy. (We cannot go anywhere without finding some link to WWII – as well as visiting the Mosta Dome, we found time to take in a war museum later in the week, and Brendan bought a book about Malta in from 1940-43. He also discovered that his paternal grandfather, who served in the navy, had been on a ship that landed in Malta during that time.)
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| Mosta Dome |
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| Brendan really likes cannons... |
From Mosta we made our way to Mdina, the former capital of Malta. Mdina is a walled city, home to the Maltese aristocracy. It is known as the Silent City – most residents spend their time in their private courtyards rather than in the streets. Going there felt like stepping into another world.
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| The streets of Mdina |
Bill and Susan arrived from Canada that afternoon. We had not seen them since Liam’s baptism in October – it was a happy reunion. They were tired from their travels, so the rest of the day was spent at a gentle pace: resting, walking on the beach, and visiting over dinner.
Wednesday was another quiet day. The weather was a bit cooler so we didn’t make it to the beach, instead opting to lounge by the outdoor pool, which was sheltered from the breeze. My goal for the day was to get Liam to nap as much as possible. He had been sleeping poorly for the past few nights and we were all exhausted. The day before we had discovered what we assumed were the culprits: two little white caps poking out of his lower gums. He did nap well on Wednesday but our nights continued to be disrupted. Such is life with a little one!
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| Hanging out with Dad |
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| Liam's new trick |
On Thursday we decided to do a bit more exploring. We took a ‘hop on hop off’ bus tour of the southern part of the island, where most of the cities are. The tour ended up being quite exhausting, but fortunately we got home in time to enjoy a more relaxed evening.
The next day Brendan, Liam and I went to Valletta, Malta’s capital. We visited St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace, both built by the Knights of St. John (also known as the Knights of Malta). The Order of St. John evolved from the Knights Hospitaller, a religious order whose original mandate was to run a hospital in Jerusalem. At the time of the crusades, the Hospitallers became a military order charged with defending the Holy Land. Following the crusades, the Knights operated from Rhodes, until the island was conquered by Ottoman forces. In 1530, Emperor Charles V gave the island of Malta to the Knights – for rent, he requested one Maltese falcon a year. The Knights governed the island until it was taken over by Napoleon. French rule ended in the early 19th century, at which time Malta became part of the British Empire. It finally gained independence in 1914. Though the Knights no longer govern Malta, their influence on its history can still be seen. St. John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace, along with the various forts and “auberges” (residences of the Knights) are evidence of this lasting impact, as is the country’s profoundly Catholic identity.
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| St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta |
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| Liam making friends with a knight at the Grand Master's Palace |
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| Typical Maltese balconies |
Saturday was our last day to enjoy this little corner of paradise. We packed up in the morning and spent as much of the afternoon as possible on the beach. Our flight left around 8pm, and after a night in Belfast, we were home in Stirling the following afternoon.
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| Practicing the new trick on the beach! |
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