I came across an email from 2014, about an impromptu trip.
2 weeks ago, while talking to a friend, a last-minute trip to Malta was mentioned. Malta was not a country in my list nor radar, in fact, before the trip, I had little to no idea about this island nation, let alone the capital (of this I am ashamed).
This tiny island country has an incredible history, the bluest waters and the perfect streets to get those steps in. As you start observing the flora, you'll realize olive trees grow happily, just as the cactii grow wildly.
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| I was impressed that this cathedral, 500 years old, had the time, date and day of the work correct. This was the St John's Co-Cathedral built in the 16th Century with zero slave help. |
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| Weed is now legal in Malta, a point of much debate among residents. |
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| Narrow streets, limestone buildings and windows that reminded me of jharokas in Jaipur. |
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| A sunset view of the city of Valletta. |
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| Religious Fiests or Festas leading up to the main day of the feast. These are an integral part of Maltese culture, a ceremony and a celebration bringing in more people each summer. |
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| Valletta was filled with stunning medieval architecture. |
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| I'm so glad I got to see this baroque styled cathedral. Truly magnificent. Seeing Caravagio's paintings in real, the story behind it, praying, admiring and learning about the history, all very nice. This was one photo that did zero justice to how beautiful the painting and design actually was. |
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| Really liked sitting in the narrow streets overlooking the water and downward sloping city of Valletta. Had a very nice sandwich in Grano. |
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| One of the local craft beers called golden bay ale, 100% recommend. Went to Mdina, the old capital of this country. Built inside a fort, it felt like I was walking inside an old movie set, perfect essence of preservation. A cake and a beer in Fontanella Tea Garden is a great ending to a day. |
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Dragonara, one of few casinos on the island. Was my 1st time experiencing a live roulette table, it was not too bad!
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| Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village in Malta. Very cute seaside town lined with eateries. The day was so hot. |
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| That is me, jumping off the top deck of a cruise boat in the crystal lagoon, off the coast of Malta. I was nervous, I jumped 3 or 4 times, the anxiety did not stop, neither did it stop me from jumping again. Definitely did not know I needed to that, but having done it, incredible! |
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| Blue lagoon, Comino Island. Will I go back to Malta? I don't know. Do I want to? This last photo is the answer. |
There's so much I learnt about the history of the island, from the interesting organization (that has an observer seat at the UN) called Order of St John of Jerusalem (a group of noble knights), how Napolean had an alleged affair that ended with him taking away the base of the Order (which was Malta at the time), the grand masters, the evolution of medieval helmets (at one point in history, helmets looked like daft punk helmets - well, almost), the unique influences that shaped the Maltese language, and also about the present of the island - the traffic, subtle despise toward tourists, the gaming industry, narrow winding roads, gentrification.
Something I had for the first time: Pastizzi filled with Ricotto, a fresh one is delicious.
I have to include a memory from a night at the Farsons Beer Festival. The beer and music festival was located inside a national park, the night boasted an almost full moon, and one of the venues was surrounded by tall trees, red lights and because the national park is close to the airport, we could see planes quite low. The singer played Brazilian samba music - it was honestly a good night.
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| For me, this night was magical. |
This was an impromptu trip, as of July mid, I had no idea what the capital of Malta was. And now, my heart is full, with so many memories.
