I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post. We've been here in Malta for several weeks and have found it to be very beautiful and relaxing; something we really needed when we arrived. It has been so nice to just stay in one place and spread out a little, rather than packing up our one suitcase each every few days and moving on. The weather has been similar to Fall in the Pacific Northwest, between 60 and 70 F and down to the 50s at night. There has been some rain, but it's mostly sunny with a few clouds every day, while farther north it is getting down to freezing temps.
We visited the ancient original capital of Malta, Mdina (pronounced Mm deena) recently. This was the most populated and protected place on the island until the Order of St John arrived and eventually moved the capital to their new city of Valletta because it had a port for the Knights' fleet. But, this is where the ancestral homes of the prominent families of Malta are still located. In fact, this city and it's ancient homes survived much better than the rest of the island during the many wars and invasions since the arrival of the Knights of St John.
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| The moat |
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| The entrance to the walled city of Mdina on the hill |
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| Older versions of the iconic Maltese balconies. The newer version is fully enclosed. |
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| This is the way farming appears to be done on the island. Small plots, often hedged by prickly pear, probably worked by families for generations. |
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Humans have been leaving their mark on this place for hundreds of years.
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| These walls appear to be about 7 feet thick and are hundreds of feet up in the air. That's the Mediterranean in the distance. |
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| One of many "secret and locked gardens" that I've stumbled upon in the area. Curiosity is killing me. |
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| St Paul's Cathedral |
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| The largest creche that I have ever seen was inside this church. |
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| I'm fascinated with doors, door knockers and the flowering plants in December. |
My next post will include photos of Fort St Elmo, which stands on the peninsula of the city of Valletta and houses an amazing museum of war. This site would bring tears to your eyes when you saw and heard what happened to Malta during World War II.
