When we moved to the Mediterranean island of Malta last autumn, we envisioned our leisure time swiftly being spent exploring the country’s plentiful heritage sites, soaking up the sunshine, and strolling by the beautiful blue water encircling the tiny island. Back then, we couldn’t imagine all the red tape that we’d have to ‘cut through’ in order to settle into another new country. At times, we were feeling a bit daunted by it all.

Once we’d overcome bureaucratic tasks like securing a visa and finding an apartment, it was time to begin getting acquainted with this island, which boasts 7,000 years of history and a fervor for festivals. Not long after we arrived, Malta ‘rolled out the red carpet’ for world leaders attending a high-profile summit and meeting of Commonwealth nations. And soon, Malta’s communities began ‘painting their towns red’ with traditional saint’s day festivals (festas), and lively celebrations of the Carnival, Christmas and New Year’s sort. In finally being able to soak up all these details, we went from feeling daunted to delighted by our new surroundings.

As I looked back on the past six months here, I noticed that of all the fantastic color that makes Malta’s street scenes come alive, red hues are especially plentiful. From the island’s flag, to its ubiquitous crimson-colored phone booths and enclosed balconies, red simply abounds here.

What follows is a photo essay of some of the splashes of red which I’ve spotted.

Vibrant red feast day flags line a hilly street in Malta’s capital city, Valletta, as marching band members and revelers mingle under a storm of confetti. This ticker tape-like parade was held as part of St. Paul’s Shipwreck festa celebrations. The city’s much-loved feast day is celebrated annually each February.

A brass door knocker bearing the Maltese cross is the focal point of a brilliant red door in the village of Luqa (left). This eight-pointed cross is a national symbol of Malta and is associated with the Knights of St. John who ruled Malta for more than two centuries. Today, it’s a ubiquitous feature of Maltese souvenirs; the cross also adorns some Euro coins from Malta. On the right, I’m inside a cherry-red phone booth in Valletta, a remnant from Malta’s time as a British colony (1813–1964.) Like other British-English words that are now sneaking into our vocabulary (‘to let’ vs. ‘to rent’ and ‘trolley’ vs. ‘shopping cart’), I wonder if it might soon sound more natural to call this a ‘telephone box’ instead of a phone booth? :)

Shawn in Valletta (left) and gorgeous Hibiscus flowers (right).

A telephone booth in Mosta. In the background is the city’s famed church dome, which is one of the largest unsupported domes in the world.

Last November, Malta ‘rolled out the red carpet’ for dignitaries in attendance at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). With Queen Elizabeth set to tour Valletta’s Grand Harbour by boat one day, Shawn and I left our apartment shortly after breakfast to see if we might catch a glimpse of the pomp and circumstance. Fans stood near the harbor’s edge, waving British and Maltese flags, while a helicopter rumbled overhead. The crew of a large British ship – the HMS Bulwark – stood guard, waiting to give the Queen a royal salute. Near Valletta’s Customs Wharf, we brushed shoulders with Chinese, Italian and German tourists, while a Maltese onlooker remarked quite dramatically, “This is the only chance that the Queen has to interact with the public!” A German onlooker lamented to her husband that everyone on the boat looked “so small” compared to what you would be able to see on TV. Soon, we saw the colorful luzzu, a traditional Maltese boat, leaving Kalkara, and heading to the Valletta Customs Wharf. The crew of the HMS Bulwark cheered, “Hooray, hooray, hooray” while waving their hats in the air. The petite queen then disembarked the luzzu, and headed over to the spot where she would unveil a commemorative disk for the new Commonwealth Walkway. With a bit of effort, she pulled the cord of a velvet piece of fabric, unveiling the decorative disc. The crowd clapped, and waved their flags enthusiastically. The Queen was just about to exit Customs Wharf, when she seemed to have realized that she almost forgot to acknowledge her fans. She turned to the group, and gave her trademark wave, which I captured more closely, here. We were surprised that we were able to get so close to the action. Here, she’s visible between a sea of Maltese red and white flags.

As we approached the spot where Queen Elizabeth (photo above) was set to disembark, a group of Maltese Girl Guides (similar to American Girl Scouts) handed us a pair of Maltese flags with which to greet the British monarch. Here is the Grand Harbour as well as Fort St. Angelo, which is believed to have been constructed around the 13th century.

A trio of poppy wreaths sits at the base of Malta’s War Memorial monument in Floriana (left). The poppy has become a common Remembrance Day symbol because of the war poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’. Poppies are said to have bloomed upon some of the worst battlefields in World War I, and so they became a symbol for those lost during the war. On the right, members of Malta’s military band march from Valletta to Floriana, ahead of Veterans / Remembrance Day commemorations. On the morning of this procession, Shawn and I heard the music of a band echoing on our Valletta street. I left our apartment to investigate, happening upon this band dressed in navy uniforms and white sashes. The musicians performed just as Malta’s President and Prime Minister arrived for a special church service in St. John’s Co-Cathedral. The band members also wore red poppies on their hats, to commemorate the day.

The Swiss Air Force PC-7 Team flies over the village of Safi during the 2015 Malta International Airshow.

Of all the elaborate and fun costumes we saw at Valletta’s Carnival parade in February, this boy’s head-in-a-jar ensemble had to be one of the most creative!

A man plays dress up in Valletta for Carnival (left), and evidence of Malta being a mecca for filmmakers (right). We had our first Maltese film set sighting last October. A flurry of activity on Valletta’s streets caught our eye because Turkish copper tea sets, colorful carpets, woven baskets, and storefront signs in Turkish and French had transformed two of the capital’s streets into miniature versions of an Istanbul bazaar. I chatted with a few of the set designers back then, who shared that filming would begin in a few days, and that the movie, ‘The Promise’, was set to star actors Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac. The London Times dubbed Malta the “Mediterranean’s mini Hollywood” because of all the movies shot here. It’s no wonder given Malta’s plentiful sunshine, dramatic landscapes, and handsome architecture.

Women wearing these elaborate Ganesh statues on their backs looked strained as they walked Valletta’s streets during February Carnival celebrations.

A toddler duo looks like they’ve had enough of Carnival partying! The celebrations in Valletta lasted for days.

Valletta’s Lvant Street (Triq-il-Lvant).

Confetti dances in the air at St. Paul’s Shipwreck celebrations in Valletta. On the left, massive banners decorate the street, and on the right, a sweaty reveler pumps a parasol up and down as he’s carried through a parade. A Maltese cross symbol was emblazoned on top of the umbrella.

A vintage Valletta storefront contrasts with the city’s ubiquitous limestone façades.

A phone booth in Mosta (left) and a British post box in Valletta (right).

A weathered gallarija in Msida (left) and an accordionist serenades passersby in Valletta (right).

A shiny Vespa soaks up Malta’s celebrated sunshine in Valletta (left) and a Valletta paint store from bygone days (right).

A pair of handsome doors flank a long-ago shuttered Valletta storefront.

Malta’s flag flits in the sky at the Saluting Battery in Valletta. The Grand Harbour and Senglea (one of the Three Cities) are in the background.

Ornamental pepper plants spill out of a flower bed in Valletta’s Upper Barrakka Gardens.

Slices of a baguette, dressed in tomato paste, olive oil, and fresh rosemary, sit on a limestone ledge overlooking the Maltese countryside during one of our ecotours. The tomato paste is known as kunserva in Maltese, and it’s often paired with tuna and capers too, creating a popular summer snack that’s called Ħobż biż-Żejt.

Strawberries (frawli) tempt shoppers at the Sunday market held in the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. These were grown in Mġarr, a village that hosts a strawberry festival every April.

Giant prawns for sale at Marsaxlokk’s weekly market (left) and a curious dog sitting on his master’s lap peeks through Old World limestone railings in Cospicua (right). The man’s companions saw that I was eager to take a picture and encouraged the dog to look my way.

An impeccably polished reproduction of a Roman helmet sits on a table above the St. Paul’s Catacombs in the city of Rabat, gleaming in the sunshine (left). On the right, a crimson uniform in the Manoel Theatre Museum.

An actor participates in a reenactment of a Roman funeral, with St. Paul’s Catacombs as a backdrop. The event was hosted by Heritage Malta, the country’s government body tasked with maintaining heritage sites.

Poinsettias mingle with Bougainvillea in the San Anton Gardens in Attard. The adjacent palace is the official residence of Malta’s President. The gardens are open to the public and are a wonderful place to see beautiful flora as well as peacocks, cats, goldfish, and ducks.

Valletta’s Strait Street by day (left) and by night (right). Known by locals as ‘Strada Stretta’ the street was once Malta’s nightlife mecca and red-light district, a place where sailors who were in port went for entertainment. There’s a popular Maltese television show of the same name, which the Maltese regularly praise. As Malta gained its independence and the sailors no longer came to the island en masse, the businesses on the street shuttered up, and like many of Valletta’s buildings, became dilapidated. Strada Stretta and Valletta are having a renaissance once again, meaning that long-forgotten bars (such as the one on the left) are being brought back to life, thanks to new hip establishments springing up and cultural events being held on this once-infamous street.

Fireworks paint the sky over Cospicua (Bormla) on the eve of annual celebrations for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (left). On the right, the ornate interior of St. Paul’s Cathedral, in Mdina, is dressed in red damask fabric.

Children perform during a Christmas program in Valletta, on Pjazza Jean De Valette. Malta’s Prime Minister, President, and Opposition Leader were in attendance, and we were surprised that everyday citizens could get so close to the leaders. The President was making the rounds with attendees and I inadvertently shook her hand three times that night.

Valletta is all aglow with twinkly lights draped over Republic Street, and a Christmas tree composed of more than 2,000 handmade glass ornaments. Malta’s capital city was recently dubbed one of the ’15 best places to spend Christmas’ and based upon the festive settings we glimpsed last year, we have to agree!

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• If you are Malta-bound, peruse Malta’s Official Tourism Site for details about this delightful island, which has a plethora of attractions, despite being quite small.
• Do you fancy collages? From windows of the world, to brilliantly-coiffed German horse tails, and fanciful Moldovan water wells, I have many more cultural offerings in my collage series. Please enjoy!
• If you need more trip-planning inspiration here is an index of all my posts from Malta.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

Sitting in a dentist’s chair half-way around the world from ‘home’, I was told the disappointing news: I had my first, albeit tiny, cavity. Shawn and I had come to Subotica, Serbia to devour its delightful Art Nouveau architecture, but I hadn’t imagined that one of my teeth would be wearing a porcelain souvenir upon our departure from the historic city. While we’d read about Subotica’s gorgeous architecture and promising wine in a New York Times article dubbing it one of 52 Places to Go in 2014, we had only learned about the northern Serbian city’s well-respected dental tourism by chance, once we’d arrived there. Long curious about the medical tourism phenomenon, we sandwiched routine dental check-ups in between a Subotica walking tour, market visit and leisurely strolls.

As the dentist and her assistant initiated the drilling on my hitherto pristine tooth, they spoke in their native tongue, alternating to English whenever walking me through the procedure. The television monitor before me was there to distract and comfort patients, but a Nirvana video featuring Kurt Cobain violently thrashing a guitar did nothing of the sort, especially as the buzzing began and nervousness set in.

A few minutes later, with a successful and painless filling under my belt and pearly whites to boot, Shawn and I left the modern clinic. My bill had only come to about 35 Euros (roughly $40 USD)! With those prices, it was no wonder that the waiting room of this clinic had been filled with patients from Scandinavia awaiting dental implants and advanced dental procedures.

A spontaneous stop into Subotica’s tourist office earlier in the week had introduced us to staff member, Homolya ‘Levy’ Levente. Levy’s background, it turned out, was about as diverse as Subotica’s and the Balkans: he speaks Serbian, Hungarian, English, and a smattering of German, and has a mother that comes from Bosnia-Herzegovina and a father from Subotica. Just kilometers from Hungary, and once part of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, Subotica’s population is today divided between ethnic Hungarians, Serbians, Croats, and Bunjevci people. It is one of Serbia’s largest cities.

With Levy having enthusiastically taken us under his wing, we embarked on a walking tour of the city, which was heavily focused upon its Art Nouveau architecture. On the way, we learned that the buildings’ designs had been largely influenced by folk art-motifs and that the area was once at the heart of a cultural crossroad.

At times, I imagined that the elaborate structures had spilled out from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, because of their colorful, whimsical nature. I loved the colorful ceramic tiles adorning select rooftops, the curved gables and symbolism galore – everything from beehives to hearts and gargoyles to flowers.

Indeed, we will return to Subotica someday. And, I won’t be surprised if we spend some planned time in the dentist’s chair the next time we return!

Details of Subotica’s City Hall building (Gradska kuća), which was built between 1908 – 1912. Levy, one of Subotica’s tourist office employees, was kind enough to give us a mini tour of the grand building. We climbed to the top of the town hall’s tower, and also explored the ornate chamber where Subotica’s City Assembly meets.

In 1906, a competition was held, inviting architects to submit proposals for Subotica’s future Town Hall building. Architects Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab were eventually selected to design the building, and construction began in 1908 (as seen in this coat of arms on the right). In the picture on the left is the observation tower to which we ascended. It offers splendid views of Subotica’s Old-Town core.

The intricate tiled rooftops of the city hall (left) and a grey gargoyle-like figure contrasts with the building’s colorful façade (right).

Views of Subotica’s Main Square (Trg Slobode) from the top of the City Hall.

Subotica’s Synagogue, which is currently undergoing restoration. It was designed by the same architectural duo that created the City Hall.

Wrought iron-work encases the city hall’s observation deck, lending lovely silhouettes.

A bird’s eye view of Subotica’s ‘Blue Fountain’, which was installed in 2001 (left), and the 18th-century Franciscan Church (right).

These stunning, jewel-toned stained glass windows were made by the same craftsmen who fashioned the stained glass in Budapest’s Parliament Building.

Mood lighting inside the building’s elegant Council Hall.

Street signs and tourist markers in Subotica’s center are written in a blend of languages: Serbian, Hungarian, and sometimes English. Here, they use both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.

Shawn, enjoying another aerial view of the city.

Subotica is replete with Art Nouveau beauties. These decorative-frosting like details are on the former Subotica Savings Bank.

A beehive adorns the top of this former bank; the symbol is said to represent thrift and good financial management.

Colorful panels dress up an otherwise drab construction site.

A suitcase finds new life as a planter (left) and a sea of green details (right).

Shawn poses next to an Old World-style advertising column (left) and a quirky brass statue rises from a manhole (right).

Though Shawn enjoyed his fair share of Burek in Croatia, he didn’t get to try it here in Subotica. We heard this place has tasty versions of the savory pastry, which can be stuffed with everything from cheese and spinach to minced meat.

This tiny grey chapel (left) was built after the Plague ravaged the city. On the right, the kind of fanciful architecture that abounds in Subotica’s Old Town-core.

Formerly a popular hotel and restaurant (the Golden Lamb Hotel), this building was actually built in the 20th century, in a similar style to its 19th-century predecessor. I liked its cheery heart and flower motifs.

Symmetric and colorful ceramic-work, making me feel as though I was looking through an Art Nouveau-style kaleidoscope.

A small market was taking place during our visit, with vendors selling everything from honey and handmade textiles to soap, wine and liqueur.

At the market, we were introduced to Sofi, a natural brand of soap and essential oils. The company’s founders, pictured here, spoke English very well, and were happy to answer our questions. Shawn and I purchased handmade soap, as well as lavender and clove essential oils. Later, when we’d moved on to Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade, we were excited to see Sofi products for sale in a design district there.

Serbian-American Nikola Tesla appears on the country’s 100-dinar bill. Tesla was a brilliant inventor and engineer. In Belgrade, where we traveled after visiting Subotica, there’s a wonderful museum dedicated to Tesla, where you can see some of his inventions at work.

These little motorized vehicles were popular in parks in Serbia. Here, a young boy motors past busts of the architects who designed Subotica’s City Hall and Synagogue.

The Blue Fountain.

The Baroque-style Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila was built in the 1770s, when Subotica was part of the Habsburg Empire.

Subotica’s old synagogue is the third largest in world in the world, in terms of its seating capacity. It opened in 1902. Its dome features Zsolnay-glazed roof tiles.

The synagogue’s vibrant stained glass windows were made in Budapest.

Since the synagogue has fallen into disrepair, organizations are trying to raise a few million euros to restore it. As Subotica no longer has a sizable Jewish population, the structure might be used as a concert venue or museum.

Folk-art themes evident on a wooden bench (right) and a stenciled hallway (left).

Posing with Shawn (right) and our host extraordinaire, Levy, from Subotica’s tourist office (left). Levy was previously a member of Parliament, and speaks Serbian, Hungarian, and English, plus a smattering of German.

Today, this elegant building hosts a modern art gallery, but it was previously a family home and office, built by architect Ferenc Raichle.

A bust of Ferenc Raichle (left) and detail of his former home and office (right).

A statue depicting Dezső Kosztolányi, a Hungarian writer and poet, who also wrote haiku (Japanese poetry).

The city’s Monument to the Victims of Fascism.

Detail of a copper relief on the monument.

Our Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Subotica (also known as Суботица and Szabadka) is located in northern Serbia, in the country’s Vojvodina region. The city is roughly 10 km (6 miles) from the Hungarian border. See Subotica‘s or Vojvodina‘s websites for details.
• We stayed in the family-owned Stara Breza Apartments in the nearby town of Palić. We enjoyed the establishment’s quiet atmosphere, made even more picturesque by its small fishpond and pleasing garden. It’s about a five-minute walk from the Stara Breza to a bus stop, and the bus there can take you to Subotica in about 15-20 minutes. As of May 2014, the bus-fare for one adult was 86 Serbian Dinar, about $1 USD each way. Palić has a lovely lake and was a popular resort town in the early 20th century.
• When we toured Subotica and learned about its dental tourism, we spontaneously decided to have routine check-ups and cleanings done at the NorDent Dental Center. We were pleased with the level of care there, as well as the very reasonable price of our bill!
• Need more trip-planning inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Serbia.

Thanks:

A big thank you to Levy for spontaneously taking the time to show us around this lovely corner of Serbia!

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video was created by my husband, Shawn.

Close to where Malta’s Victoria Lines fortifications taper off, there’s a little piece of Mediterranean paradise –  a plot of land where olive and pomegranate trees, along with chickens, goldfish, frogs, and bees mingle. The spot, called the Tan-Nixxiegħa Olive Grove, began its transformation from overgrown and forgotten, to tended and tranquil, just over a decade ago, thanks to two farmers named Charley and Raymond.

The duo, who are part of the Merill Ecotours Rural Network, converted the green-space, allowing the parcel’s flora and fauna to thrive. Today, thanks to Charley and Raymond’s hard work, you can hear the clucking of chickens, the whisper of the trees’ branches as they dance in the air and the babbling of a tiny fishpond.

Along with Jeanette and Christian Borg (the founding couple behind Merill Ecotours) Shawn, me and a dozen others explored this olive grove and herb garden one Sunday afternoon. Though the winter weather was a bit chilly for Maltese standards, we welcomed the day’s cool, fresh air and the landscape’s peaceful atmosphere.

Meeting at a 17th century-chapel with commanding views of Malta’s sister island, Gozo, Christian asked the group’s participants to tread kindly on the native medicinal plants underfoot. Then, he gave us an overview of his and his wife’s social enterprise, Merill.

“Up until six to seven years ago, the term ecotourism was barely used in Malta,” explained Christian, as he pointed towards the island’s few remaining undeveloped areas. From this vantage point, we could see that even these small pockets of green, rocky land were being engulfed by development.

“Today, because it’s a lot of work, not many people want to engage in agriculture. So we try to support those who do through our rural network,” he added.

Merill’s rural network is made up of a diverse group of farmers and artisans who engage in everything from growing produce to winemaking and weaving. Merill helps support them by branding and marketing their products, and by raising awareness of what they do by leading ecotours.

Later, within the grove’s sheltered confines, Jeanette enthusiastically guided us through the property, treating it like “our classroom”. We learned how to identify Malta’s national tree, plant and bird. Merill’s namesake, by the way, is the country’s national bird. In English, Merill translates to Blue Rock Thrush.

As we brushed past the branches of a carob tree, Jeanette shared the interesting fact that the tree’s bean was once used as a tool for weighing gold. Because the tree’s beans are relatively uniform in size, a piece of gold could be put on a balancing scale against the beans. Over time, this unit transitioned from a given number of ‘carob beans’ to the term carat.

Soon it was time for the excursion’s main event: learning about and tasting olive oil. We also had the opportunity to try a selection of other goodies, ranging from Maltese coffee and wine, to baguette slices flavored with quince jam or tomato paste. My favorite combination consisted of olive oil, honey and fresh rosemary. A ‘recipe’ for this simple snack follows (I hesitate to use the word recipe, because it’s so easy), as do a few pointers from Jeanette and Christian relative to how to approach an olive oil purchase, or tasting.

L-Ikla it-tajba – enjoy!

A Primer for Olive Oil Tasting

“Olive oil, unlike many wines, does not get better with age,” Christian explained. “The fresher, the better.” To extend the life of olive oil, Christian said it’s best to store it in a dark place, to keep it away from direct heat, and keep the bottle tightly sealed to avoid exposure to the air.

Jeanette added that the “slight burning sensation” that you feel in your throat when tasting extra-virgin olive oil, is due to polyphenols, which are beneficial antioxidants. Polyphenols are apparently so desirable that the pharmaceutical industry is trying to duplicate them in their labs.

I found it interesting to learn that the hotter the climate, generally more olive fruit is needed to produce a liter of olive oil.

“In Malta, roughly 8.9 kilograms of olives are needed to produce one liter of olive oil. In Northern Italy, that number might be about 6-7 kg, and in Morocco more are generally needed – about 9-10 kg.”

Though Shawn and I have tasted a bit of wine in Europe and in the United States, this was our maiden foray into olive tasting. Christian made the process straightforward, offering these tips:

1. Hold the vessel of olive oil in your hand to warm it up.
2. Make note of the oil’s color; this isn’t an indication of its quality or freshness, though. (In professional tastings, Christian pointed out that judges sample olive oil served in dark glasses. This makes the olive oil samples look uniform in color, so that the judges are not biased by color differences.)
3. Sniff.
4. Sip the olive oil and swirl in your mouth for a few seconds before drinking.

Recipe: Rosemary-Honey Baguette Slices

1. Slice a baguette into thin pieces.
2. Drizzle honey atop each slice. Follow with olive oil. Use the highest quality olive oil and honey you can find.
3. Snip leaves or sprigs of a fresh herb such as rosemary, then sprinkle on top of the baguette slices. The Merill team said you could also use fresh thyme, lemon balm, or mint.

Slightly resembling a ‘Great Wall of Malta’, the nearby Victoria Line fortifications were built by the British in the last quarter of the 19th century. I’d love to come back and walk along them someday. As we began our excursion, we spotted picnickers soaking up the sunshine here.

Our meeting point was the Lady of Itria Chapel in Binġemma (left). It was built in the late 1600s, and offers impressive views of the Victoria Lines defensive walls, as well as the sea and Malta’s sister island, Gozo.

View from Binġemma’s chapel (left) and a snippet of its detail (right). The coat of arms, just below the bell, is that of the chapel’s builder.

Views of the Mġarr Parish Church. “On a clear day, when humidity is low, you can actually see Sicily from this olive grove,” Merill co-founder Jeanette Borg said. “But viewings are very rare – perhaps only once or twice a year.”

Trees and other Mediterranean flora cradle a fishpond on the property.

Happy goldfish.

Walking this path (left), we brushed up against fresh rosemary, leaving an aromatic scent hanging in the air.

To combat the chill in the air, Merill whipped up steaming glasses of traditional Maltese coffee (left). The coffee grounds were blended with anise seed, chicory and cloves. Although the coffee’s flavor was distinctly different, its texture (a bit of grounds at the bottom of the glass) reminded us of Turkish coffee that we regularly enjoyed while traveling through the Balkans in 2013 and 2014. On the right, daffodils in January!

Smiles and curiosity all around. Merill co-founder Jeanette Borg is third from the left.

Malta’s national tree, the Għargħar (left) and the country’s national plant, the Widnet il-Baħar (right). Jeanette pointed out that the Għargħar tree (known as Sandarac Gum in English) is endangered in Malta, as there are only estimated to be about 500 on the island. There are five on this particular property. This slow-growing and hardy tree’s resin is used to make lacquer. Its thuya wood is also used for decorative woodworking, particularly in Morocco. As for the national plant, I like the poetic translation of its Maltese name, which literally means ‘ear of the sea’.

The grove’s olive trees (right) were harvested about three months before our visit, nevertheless we still saw a few olives hanging around (left). Seeing the trees’ muted-green foliage reminded me of our olive-harvesting experience a few months earlier on the University of Malta campus.

Meandering through the grove, past carob, pomegranate, and olive trees.

Shawn (left) and fennel (right). We’ve been delighted to see fennel growing in the wild throughout the island; it’s one of our favorite types of herbal teas.

A row of beehive boxes. Due to the cold, Jeanette explained that bees were probably hiding inside and conserving energy.

Gluten-free baguette slices, dressed in locally-made quince jam, tempted my hungry belly. They didn’t last long!

The colorful fabric squares dressing the lids of Merill’s line of tasty food products (left) and strings of onions gracing a cottage wall (right).

A tasty line-up of just some of Merill’s food products for sale – everything from olives and capers, to honey, jam and olive oil. Oranges picked during our excursion the day before fill the white paper bags.

An inviting crate of citrus, studded with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Merill’s staffer, Stephanie, holds a platter of bread, smothered in quince jam (left). On the right, a preview of our olive oil tasting to come.

Extra virgin olive oil made from olives harvested on the Tan-Nixxiegħa Olive Grove. Jeanette and Christian advised that you should be cautious when purchasing olive oil, because some bottles are fraudulently labeled as ‘extra virgin’ when they’re not. To be considered ‘extra virgin’ an olive oil should only contain just that: oil from the pressed olive’s fruit. It also has to be within certain acidity limits, and have been cold-pressed or mechanically pressed, not chemically-extracted. Generally, people don’t cook with the finer extra-virgin olive oils. It is safe to do so, but cooking with it changes the oil’s flavor. Since the cost for quality extra-virgin olive oil is higher too, it’s generally recommended to use it sparingly as a condiment or for salads.

Slices of a baguette, dressed in tomato paste, olive oil, and fresh rosemary, sit on a limestone ledge overlooking the Maltese countryside. The tomato paste is known as kunserva in Maltese, and it’s often paired with tuna and capers too, creating a popular summer snack that’s called Ħobż biż-Żejt.

A glass of Ghirgentina wine (left), a grape varietal that is indigenous to Malta.

Christian Borg, Merill’s co-founder, prepares to spruce up these slices of bread with Maltese honey and a few other trimmings.

Last, we savored a simple, but delicious baguette treat that I’d like to recreate myself, made using olive oil, honey and fresh herbs. Find the recipe in the block of text above.

One parting glimpse of the bucolic countryside. When you’ve seen Malta, and realize how much it’s already been developed, you greatly appreciate such open spaces, and people like Jeanette and Christian and their network of farmers who are working to preserve what’s left of the island’s green-space.

Our group.

Our Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Merill, an eco tour social enterprise, coordinated this excursion in the countryside. From citrus harvests and wine and cheese tastings, to salt harvests and weaving demonstrations, Merill organizes a variety of experiences throughout Malta. Contact co-founders Jeanette and Christian for more details.
• Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Disclosure & Thanks:

Merill hosted us for this olive-tasting afternoon out in the countryside.

Grazzi ħafna to Merill’s Jeanette and Christian for facilitating this fun, educational and relaxing excursion. From informative emails beforehand, to procuring gluten-free bread for me, and reminding visitors not to tread upon flora, we greatly appreciated your attention to detail and your respect for the environment.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

From the outside, Malta’s Manoel Theatre is handsome, but unassuming. Step through its main entrance and into the theater though, and the 285-year-old Valletta structure is dazzling – bringing to mind a gilded jewelry box or a terraced wedding cake.

Stopping by this Maltese landmark on an overcast morning uncharacteristic for sunny Malta, Shawn and I were greeted by Josette Portelli, a veteran employee who has been with the Manoel Theatre for more than 40 years.

Upon entering, Josette’s colleagues fumbled with the complicated switchboard at the back of the seating area, trying to illuminate the theater. Soon, the space went from pitch black and mysterious, to opulent and inviting. A delicate chandelier high overhead was the stunning focal point among a sea of smaller crystal sconces, bathing the 65 or so theater boxes with mood lighting.

When the chandelier on the robin’s egg blue ceiling nearly instantly went dark again, I asked if it was possible to please turn it back on.

An employee kindly mentioned that she’d accidentally turned it on, and that in order to conserve electricity, regulations dictated that it was supposed to remain off.

The mention of energy savings prompted me to wonder how the lighting technology had evolved through the centuries, but I couldn’t let my mind wander long, as Josette had already begun regaling us with theater tidbits.

“The Manoel Theatre is one of Europe’s oldest working theaters. It was built in 1731 by the Portuguese Grand Master of the Order of St. John, and inaugurated in 1732,” she said, adding that some of the order’s knights had even performed there.

Pointing to the VIP theater boxes overlooking center stage, Josette relayed the names of a series of personalities who’d populated them in the past 200 years. Ranging from the Knights of St. John Grandmasters, to Queens Adelaide and Elizabeth, British Governor Generals, and the current Maltese Prime Minister and President, the roster of names reflected Malta’s own past: rule by the Knights of St. John, then the British, then independence in 1964.

While the tales about the theater’s glory days were insightful, I found myself even more interested in hearing about its challenging times.

“When another theater – the Royal Opera House – was built in Valletta in the 1860s, this theater lost popularity,” Josette explained. “For a time, these theater boxes were even rented out to poor people for about a penny a night.”

During World War II, the Manoel Theatre also provided emergency lodging for Maltese residents who had to endure constant bombardments.

When fire and war eventually destroyed the competing theater, the Manoel again regained prominence. Today, it’s considered to be Malta’s national theater and it regularly plays host to an annual Baroque music festival, operas, recitals, university dance performances and educational programs for children. It’s also home to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Leaving the ornate theater, we headed off to explore the lesser-visited corners of the large theater. We would play dress up with two of the theater’s 14,000 costumes, explore the cellar and dressing rooms, then take a step back in time looking at vintage programs, blueprints, and theater accessories inside the theater’s museum.

Asking Josette what she’s most enjoyed about working at the theater during the past four decades, her answer was simple. And she wore a smile as she said it.

“I have a sense of satisfaction when I see people enjoying themselves here,” she said.

The theater’s exterior is attractive, but not any more ornate than its limestone neighbors. Just to the left of its main entrance are two staples of Maltese architecture: enclosed balconies (gallariji) and a religious statue tucked into a niche.

Detail of the theater’s main entrance.

In 1731, the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, António Manoel de Vilhena, commissioned and funded the theater’s construction. Manoel’s aim was to entertain the young knights and provide “honest entertainment” for citizens. This motto still greets theater-goers today, etched into this flourish over the main entrance: ad honestam populi oblectationem.

Viennese chandeliers and sconces illuminate the ceiling.

The theater boxes landscape scenes depict Palermo (on the nearby island of Sicily). They were painted by Angelo Ercolani.

The theater boasts about 67 semi-private theater boxes and has a capacity of about 600. There were once stone benches inside, but they were later changed to wood to improve acoustics.

The Manoel Theatre’s season runs from October to May, closing in the summer months not only for maintenance, but also because of Malta’s sweltering temperatures.

A close-up of a weathered vanity mirror adorning the wall of one of the Manoel Theater’s theater boxes. As our guide, Josette, explained, “Back in the day, it was more important (for theater-goers) to be seen than to see.” Reflecting in this mirror, you can see a trio of theater boxes across the way.

Going behind the scenes we got to peek at some of the theater’s 14,000-piece wardrobe (left) as well as a costume designer’s sketches (right).

Playing dress-up.

The theater’s museum includes architectural sketches, colorful set design sketches, well-worn costumes, and my favorite – the antique sound-effect machines (see below).

A sound machine dating back to the 19th century. (Turn the handle and the rolled fabric is pressed against the wood, creating a sound that mimics the windiest days on the island.)

Our guide, Josette, creates a rain-making effect (left) and a vintage costume (right).

Our Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• The Manoel Theatre is located about two blocks from Valletta’s main thoroughfare, Republic Street. (It’s on Old Theatre Street, between Old Bakery and Old Mint Streets.) Street signs are generally in Maltese and in English, and Valletta’s diminutive nature and grid-like layout make it relatively easy to navigate.
• Visit the Manoel Theatre website for tour information, and tickets for performances.
• I was interested to read that the theater also has apartments, which are sometimes available for short stays. We didn’t get to peek at the flats in person, but I thought they might offer a fun accommodation option for visitors wishing to stay in Valletta. (We live just a few minutes away, and love being in the center of it all.)
• Need more trip-planning inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Disclosure & Thanks:

The Teatru Manoel staff took us on complimentary tours.

A special thank you to the theater’s longtime employee Josette for taking the time to introduce us to this elegant Valletta landmark.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video is a creation of my husband, Shawn.

Our first encounter with Malta’s revered honey was destined to offer a bittersweet lesson.

At a Christmas market in the Mediterranean country’s capital city, Valletta, we first met third-generation beekeeper and retired science teacher, Michael Muscat. On that chilly evening, girls dressed in holiday hues sang familiar Christmas tunes, peppered with Maltese lyrics. Politicians delivered their Christmas speeches in the open air, and I shook the country’s president’s hand three times. (She was making the rounds throughout the crowd, Shawn and I were moving about as well, thus the comical trio of salutations.) Inside an adjacent tent, vendors sold everything from handmade jewelry, to carob-infused wine, to candles. And as we edged towards the booth operated by Michael and his wife Mary, they literally had their last jar of honey in hand.

Shawn and I had been wanting to purchase Maltese honey (għasel) for several weeks, but in light of cautions about fake Maltese honey, we didn’t know where to find the real stuff. Now that a kind and articulate producer was standing before us, instilling confidence about his honey’s authenticity, we purchased the jar without hesitation.

Exchanging pleasantries, we learned that Michael had been beekeeping for 46 years. Because Michael has the same surname as Malta’s prime minister, I asked him if they are related. (Muscat is a very common last name in Malta, and it turns out there is no connection.) Ever since seeing the eye-opening documentary, More Than Honey, Shawn and I had developed an interest in visiting an apiary. When Michael learned of this wish, he thoughtfully offered to show us around one of his six apiaries in the coming months.

Malta’s Sweet Namesake and its Honey, Revered for Millennia

Malta has been known for its remarkable honey since ancient times, and it’s believed that the Phoenicians first introduced the practice to the island. Speculation exists that the name Malta even evolved from names given to it thousands of years ago. The ancient Greeks referred to the island as Melite (Μελίτη), translating to ‘honey sweet’. During the Roman period, that morphed into Melita. Remarkably, apiaries dating to the Punic times, cut out of living rock, still exist near Xemxija. And a map dating to 1154 described Malta as an island full of “pastures, flocks, fruit and above all in honey.”

Visiting Michael’s Apiary During Malta’s ‘Driest Winter on Record’

Once an unusually-dry winter had turned to spring, we made plans to meet at Michael’s apiary. In the months since our December introduction, Shawn and I had quickly become Maltese honey fans, enjoying delicate dollops of Michael’s magnificent honey on plain yogurt and in bowls of oatmeal. By March, we had nearly finished our jar.

Ahead of our meeting, I emailed Michael to ask if we could purchase more honey. His reply demonstrated the current drought’s detrimental effect, something that hadn’t been as apparent to us since this was our first Maltese winter.

“I have none left. Considering the rainfall pattern this year, I doubt whether there will be any honey harvest coming this spring and summer,” he wrote.

Knowing that there would be no more of this outstanding and unique-tasting honey for the near future, Shawn and I cherished the last spoonfuls. Feeling rather bittersweet, we went to meet Michael’s bees the next morning, near a small city called Siġġiewi.

Historically, Michael said, his Siġġiewi apiary had been one of the most productive. However, Malta’s driest winter on record had led to a lack of wild flora, causing some of Michael’s bees to starve to death, despite him intervening and giving them a syrup supplement.

“It’s been disastrous,” he said, as we slipped beekeeping hats over our heads. “Normally, we get about about 24 inches of rain (600 mm) in a year. Up until now, it’s been about 8 or 9 inches.”

As we trudged through his property studded with Mediterranean flora like cactus plants, plus fig, olive, orange, and eucalyptus trees, Michael continued in delivering the dire news. “Now, the landscape is brown and dry, but usually there’s more green this time of year.”

Spotting several wooden beehive boxes, painted in neutral hues reminiscent of Malta’s ubiquitous limestone, I asked Michael approximately how many bees there were at this apiary.

“About 8,000 to 10,000 bees live in each hive, and here, I have about 25 colonies,” he said. As I calculated the figure in my head, Michael opened the cover on one of the hive boxes, causing more bees to buzz about.

With my gloved hands and the beekeeping contraption on my head, I felt a bit like an astronaut. Surprisingly, despite having an irrational fear of spiders and other insects, I wasn’t too nervous. Bees collided with my protective hat’s plastic eye shield as I awkwardly fumbled to find my camera’s shutter button with my gloved finger.

“One of the colonies here is critically ill – it is beyond rescuing,” Michael said, showing us a frame with dead bees inside.

Continuing to do his hive maintenance, Michael explained that bees usually fly within a 1.5 to km radius, in search of nectar and pollen.

This made me wonder if honey flavors varied greatly between one Maltese corner to another, but Michael said that this wasn’t the case.

“Since Malta is a small island there is little difference, if any, between honey from one apiary to another. The aroma and flavors of the honey depend primarily on the source of nectar. Since the flora in spring is the same throughout the island, the difference will be negligible. However, if clover is abundant close to one apiary, while citrus is predominant in another, the honey collected will show subtle differences.”

In a good year (that is when Malta has plenty of rain that’s evenly distributed, and there is no untreated disease) Michael may be able to harvest an average of ten kilos of honey per hive.

Michael and his wife have three daughters, all architects. Mary has never been to any of his apiaries, but Michael said she enjoys marketing the honey with him, as she was the night we first met Michael.

He believes that the knowledge gleaned from his 44 years as a science teacher “complemented his beekeeping” well. Today, he continues to sell honey – and related products – at fairs. He has acquired repeat customers over time.

When I asked him what he most likes about the hobby, his response came easily and quickly.

“I most enjoy actually handling the bees and exchanging ideas with my customers,” Michael said with a smile. “I also appreciate the rapport I’ve been able to develop with them. Often, people will say, ‘I like your product better than the one I bought in the store'”.

“Are there any drawbacks to beekeeping?” I asked.

“Honey’s limitations – one cannot ensure it’s produced,” he said.

Indeed, as we left Michael’s apiary, longing to have another jar of the special honey in hand, we too had learned the lesson of honey’s limitations.

How You Can Help Your Community’s Bees

1. Plant bee-friendly flora. According to this site, everything from lilacs to lavender, sage to wisteria, and rosemary to mint are desirable.
2. Do not use pesticides or chemicals in your garden.
3. Buy honey locally, if possible.

Further Resources:

• Maltese Beekeepers Association (website)
• Melite: Sweet and Sour Documentary, a video about Maltas bees and honey, by Ana Rita Garrido and Diogo Vargas
• Why Bees are Disappearing, a TED Talk by Maria Spivak
• Why do honeybees love hexagons?, a TED Ed video by Zack Patterson and Andy Peterson

We made it to beekeeper Michael Muscat’s Christmas market stand just in time. Here, he and his wife, Mary, sell their last jar of honey to us, in December 2015. It featured Malta’s autumn flora. With its faint carob taste and hue, it was unlike any honey we’ve ever had. Quite extraordinary.

Siġġiewi’s main street and church.

Wildflowers fill a plot of land near Michael’s apiary outside the city of Siġġiewi. He also has apiaries elsewhere on the island. He explained that flavor differences occur between the spring, summer, and autumn honey because the flora is different. “Summer honey comes primarily from the thyme, thistles and the flora found in the garrigue. The autumn honey comes from the eucalyptus and the carob trees, and from the wild vegetation that normally appears after the first rains in September,” he said.

Several of Michael’s beehive boxes, which he crafted himself. A bee colony inhabits each box, and there is only one queen bee per colony. Michael raises his own queens, but some beekeepers buy them from dealers. Bees are incredibly intelligent creatures, apparently having a “kaleidoscopic memory of every flower for miles.” Michael mentioned that each hive has its own smell, “so when bees from a neighboring colony accidentally enter the wrong one, they realize it.”

A complex, fragile but strong honeycomb. “I marvel at the precision the bees demonstrate when making these honeycombs. It’s an instinctual process, but it’s like there is a supernatural power behind it,” Michael said. The hexagon-shaped wax cells of the honeycomb not only hold the larvae, but also the bees’ honey and pollen. The honey is extracted from the honeycomb. Incredibly, Michael estimated that this apparently delicate honeycomb sample could hold about 1.5 kg (3.3. pounds) of honey.

The morning of our visit, Michael was removing strips he’d applied several weeks before, which are designed to combat mites which can kill bees. “The hive is so rich in food – a beekeeper must protect against mice and viruses,” Michael explained.

Michael pulls out a frame brimming with bees.

During our visit, Shawn and I mentioned the German gingerbread-eating wasp that we nicknamed Bart, which we had mistakenly identified as a bee five years earlier. “He must have had a sweet tooth,” Michael said, smiling.

Bees that have succumbed to starvation, even despite Michael providing a syrup supplement to help them through the drought.

Some of the tools of the trade, including a bee smoker (left and right) and beekeeping hat (right). Beekeepers use the smoker when they need to work inside the colony’s box. As Michael explained, “When there is smoke in the air, the bees think there is a forest fire. They fill their stomachs with honey, and then leave the hive. In theory, they won’t attack the beekeeper.” Despite taking precautions, Michael said he’s typically stung every day.

The honey bee species that Michael tries to keep is Malta’s indigenous black honeybee, the Apis Mellifera Ruttneri. However, he noted that since the mating of the queen bee occurs in flight, a beekeeper only has control of half of the genetic pool of the offspring. He noted that his observations “show that our bee is dominant and within years, a hybrid colony will eventually become the indigenous black Ruttneri honeybee.”

Shawn and Michael prepare to get suited up.

When we bought a jar of reddish-caramel colored honey back in December, I wrongfully assumed that there would be more when we planned to later visit Michael’s apiary a few months later. As a result, I didn’t take a picture of the jar when it was full to the brim with honey. Here, the empty jar (right) serves as a bittersweet reminder that production cannot be forced.

Our Video of This Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Malta has been known for its honey since antiquity. If you are visiting the country and would like to purchase a jar of Michael’s raw honey, which is not pasteurized, you can reach him by telephone (+356 7927 9671) or by email:  muscatma {at} gmail {dot} com. In addition to honey, Michael has sold other bee-related products including mead (an alcoholic beverage made with fermented honey), propolis (the bees’ glue-like sealant, which people use in traditional medicine) and a beeswax cream blended with essential oils. Of course, his product line is subject to availability, something that’s heavily dependent upon recent weather.
• If you do not purchase honey directly from a beekeeper, ask questions about the honey’s origins to be sure it is Maltese. (It’s reputed that some jars of honey are being branded as though they are Maltese, but if you look more closely, their labels may indicate that they come from another geographic location.)
• Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Thanks:

Many thanks – Grazzi ħafna – to Michael for taking the time to introduce his bees, and for sharing a bit about the fascinating world of beekeeping.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video is a creation of my husband, Shawn.

As the sailing yacht, the Moon Song, gracefully cut through the glittering water of the Mediterranean, I tried to recall some of the peoples who had made the islands of Malta their stopping point the last few thousand years. Whether aspiring conquerers, merchants, or explorers, they had all traveled on this maritime superhighway on which Malta is strategically located. Some, like the Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs had successfully established themselves here for a time, while others, like the Ottomans, had famously failed.

Having lived in Malta’s diminutive capital, Valletta, for seven months by this time, I thought I had already uncovered most of the city’s varied vistas. However, from the waters below this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shawn and I were now seeing the city with new eyes. From our starting point in the Grand Harbour, Valletta landmarks like the Victoria Gate and Siege Bell Memorial looked dollhouse-sized, while the city’s fortifications, which we regularly stroll through at sunset, appeared formidable and unbreachable.

Now that the boat’s white sail had been raised, our hosts for the day charter, the members of the Gatt family (who own Sailing Charters Malta), took on an even more relaxed stance. At one of the two helms, father David navigated the boat with a confidence that comes from nearly four decades of sailing. On the second helm wheel, younger David, the nine-year-old son, mirrored him, his eyes wide with interest. Mother Glorianne and daughter Maria emitted a contagious blend of laughter while making jokes. This put me at ease as I tried to fend off a slight case of motion sickness, something I hadn’t experienced since my maiden sailing voyage in 2013 with a Croatian team training for a regatta.

Fortifications and Film Sets

Our trip along Malta’s rugged northern coast to the island of Comino would take us past centuries-old watchtowers and fortifications harking back to the time of the Knights of Malta. These structures have been given new life as film sets for moviemakers. As a newcomer to the country, the Maltese Archipelago’s geography can be a bit confusing; the locals often compare Malta’s shape to a fish. Using that analogy, we would travel from the fish’s ‘head’ toward its ‘tail’ during this day-trip. Along the way, we’d parallel a tuna fish farm whose fish are auctioned online and mostly sold to customers in Japan, and we’d also glimpse Malta’s ubiquitous honey-colored limestone villages, dramatic cliffs, and inviting lagoons swirling with intoxicating shades of blue. Sometimes a school of tiny fish would make an appearance too.

A Family Tradition of Sailing

“When I was a child, this is how I spent the summers of my youth,” said the elder David, as he steered the Moon Song past the modern development of Sliema, which was once a picturesque fishing town. “My father was a civil servant, and back in the day, employees only worked half days because of Malta’s heat and the lack of air conditioning in offices. We went on the sea every single day,” he added with a twinkle in his eye. “I got my passion for sailing from him.”

His family, David explained, once made boats. “There is old family video of Nina, our family’s boat, getting launched for the first time. I’m in the footage, being held in my mother’s arms, next to the boat named after my grandmother.”

Gesturing to his son, David, he continued, “I was already sailing by the time I was his age and I was racing by age 14. I used to enjoy capsizing the boat, then getting it back the right way.”

When Glorianne and David married in the 1990s, David said that he drifted away from sailing for a while. Realizing how much he missed it, he purchased his first sailing yacht, the Moon Song, to satisfy this passion, realizing shortly thereafter that he could start a business offering charters to help offset expenses.

Today, Sailing Charters Malta has grown from one to six yacht charter boats, and all four Gatt family members help out. They do everything from client correspondence and cooking Mediterranean cuisine for guests, to cleaning the yachts and filling the vessels’ water tanks.

And despite life’s hectic pace, David and Glorianne make it a priority to regularly take to the water as a family, echoing the anecdotes David shared earlier on during our adventure.

“We try to sail together once a week,” Glorianne said, explaining why all four family members exuded such a confidence and easy rhythm while at sea. How lucky they are to have an incredible ‘blue backyard’ in which to spend quality time together!

Scenes from Kalkara’s marina. On the left, a cheery blue luzzu, which is a traditional Maltese fishing boat, and the dome of a church (right).

The photogenic lookout in Senglea’s Gardjola Gardens overlooks the Grand Harbour and Valletta. This oft-photographed guard tower has ear, eye and bird symbols carved on it. Senglea is one of the so-called ‘Three Cities’.

Valletta, looking pretty splendid from the Grand Harbour. The Victoria Gate (left), and the Lower Barrakka Gardens and Siege Bell Memorial (right).

We sailed in a caravan of two vessels – the Moon Song was our yacht-home-for-the-day, and the Farfalla, pictured here, accompanied us. Farfalla means ‘butterfly’ in Italian – a fitting name to describe an elegant vessel which gracefully dances on the sea’s waves.

Our host and skipper, David, lifts Moon Song‘s sail in the Grand Harbour, while his son, David, carefully takes note. Shawn and I think this little guy is going to be a swell sailor someday!

David and Glorianne’s daughter, Maria, tightens the rope, just after the sail was lifted.

The Siege Bell Memorial, which was built to remember those who died in Malta during World War II. It was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth in 1992.

World War II-era watchtowers (far left), and a section of the breakwater. Look carefully underneath the bridge and you can see sailboats getting ready to participate in a short-distance race.

Seeing Malta from the sea, I now appreciate why it’s nicknamed ‘the Rock’. In this capture of Valletta, you can see the dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the steeple of St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral.

Men take a traditional colorful fishing boat – a luzzu – out to sea.

Saint Mark’s Tower (right) is a coastal watchtower built by the Knights of Malta. In all, there are approximately 25 Knights-era watchtowers on the islands of Malta, Comino, and Gozo. This one was built in 1658 and like its counterparts, would’ve allowed the guard on duty to sound the alarm to neighboring guard towers if any incoming threats were spotted.

During our sail, David regaled us with tales from his youth – days when he and his friends would pile onto a crammed boat and sail to St. Paul’s Island (left). On the right, David shares a vintage photograph from one of these excursions nearly four decades ago. He’s one of the little guys in the lower left of this image, which is displayed on his mobile. “I know the area around St. Paul’s Island by heart because I spent so much time there. Those were really great days,” David said. It’s believed that the island was the site of St. Paul’s shipwreck, hence the island’s name and the statue of St. Paul that stands there. St. Paul is a beloved figure in Malta, as it’s believed that he brought Christianity to the island.

Shawn and me “getting our sea legs” as we head to the island of Comino.

David and Glorianne, and their children, Maria and David. When asked the ‘formula’ for an ideal day at sea, David exclaimed, “great company, at least 12 knots of wind, a good plate of pasta and peaceful swimming spots.”

David navigates us through gemstone-like water halfway between Valletta and Comino. “Because sailing can be both relaxing and exciting, it offers you the best of both worlds,” David said. “While it’s peaceful, sailing keeps your mind going because you need to ensure that everything is working well, that you are getting the best winds and that the sails are best trimmed for the wind you are in.”

The Maltese flag catches the breeze on the back of the Moon Song (left) and Shawn and young David (right).

One of Malta’s sister islands, Comino, only has 4 permanent inhabitants and it’s named after the cumin spice that once thrived there. The island is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary, and its most iconic structure is St. Mary’s Tower. The 17th-century tower was featured in the 2002 film, The Count of Monte Cristo. There is also a hotel on Comino, and because of its gorgeous Blue Lagoon, it’s a popular spot for day-trippers.

St. Mary’s Watchtower served as the prison, the Château d’If, in The Count of Monte Cristo.

The clear water of the Crystal Lagoon was undeniably alluring during our late-May trip, but because it was a tad chilly early in the season, I made a promise to the lagoon that I would return to swim a few weeks later.

A Mediterranean-inspired snack of various types of cheese (including one of my favorites, Buffalo Mozzarella), plus prosciutto, enjoyed with gluten-free breadsticks, and crispy Maltese galletti crackers. Not pictured here but deserving of mention were two hearty and traditional Maltese dips: Bigilla (made with broad beans) and Arjoli (a blend of tuna, tomatoes, and herbs).

Lunch: Mediterranean pasta with clams, tomatoes, sautéed garlic and onions, and fresh basil.

Shawn and me (left), David our host family (right), and drone photographer, Constantin (far left). Though the views of the Crystal Lagoon were undeniably incredible, they had a bit of competition because everyone on board was wowed by Constantin’s drone and the incredible aerial images it was capturing.

Formations in the Crystal Lagoon.

Maria, David and Glorianne.

Cliffs of the island of Cominotto in the foreground, and the Madonna ta’ Lourdes Church in the city of Mġarr, on the island of Gozo.

Soaking up the splendor of the Crystal Lagoon.

Glorianne and young David navigate through the waves on the way back home to the Kalkara Marina.

Malta’s sister island, Gozo, shows itself off in silhouette form.

A clash of old and new architecture – Valletta and Sliema, from left to right.

The Valletta skyline.

Safe inside Valletta’s breakwater.

Back to where we started earlier in the day, the Kalkara Marina.

The silhouettes of Kalkara at sunset.

Video of This Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Malta has held a strategic position on the Mediterranean’s maritime crossroads for thousands of years, and to see the island nation from the sea is both relaxing and insightful! To explore chartering options, contact David and Glorianne via their website, Sailing Charters Malta. During our May trip, it was already starting to get a bit crowded out on the water (and August is said to be the busiest month), so be sure to plan accordingly.
• Having only been sailing twice, I haven’t yet conquered my mild battles with seasickness. :) On this excursion, Glorianne thoughtfully lent me some Dramamine and an acupressure wrist-band to help. Here are additional seasickness avoidance tips.
• The Mediterranean’s UV Index can get high and Malta is renowned for its 300+ days of sunshine, so pack sunscreen, sunglasses and perhaps a hat to stay sunburn free.
• Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Disclosure & Thanks:

Many thanks – Grazzi ħafna – to David, Glorianne, Maria, and David of Sailing Charters Malta for hosting me and Shawn!

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video is a creation of my husband, Shawn.

On the northern coast of the Maltese island of Gozo, mounds of snow-white salt sparkle under the summer sun in salt evaporation pans. About 300 of these pans cover a section of Gozo’s northern coast, called the Xwejni Salt Pans. It’s believed that such pans have existed here since Roman times.

When we visited the Xwejni Pans last month, three of the family members who manage them were carefully sweeping the moist salt. Like gardeners raking the pebbles of a Zen rock garden, the men and women methodically moved the salt crystals to ensure the water evenly evaporated. Not far away, a mammoth mound of prepped salt was cloaked with a black tarp. With the family’s salt shop just across the road, housed in a wind-swept cave, we were guessing they’d soon be carrying it away to be bagged and sold.

I’ve read that about 24 liters (just over 6 gallons) of sea water is needed to produce about 1 kg of salt (roughly 2 pounds). During the peak summer months, this family might be able to produce as much as 3 tons of salt each week!

On a Mediterranean island where snow is almost unheard of, it’s initially jarring to see these sparkling mounds of white glistening under the sun’s scorching rays!

Pumping water from the sea into the pans (left) and tiny mounds (right).

To protect the integrity of the salt, it’s important that visitors not walk inside the salt pans (left)! On the right, one of the brooms used by the family to ‘rake’ the salt crystals.

I haven’t yet been to Japan, but seeing these family members gently sweep the salt brought to mind imagery of gardeners methodically tending to rock gardens.

The islands of Gozo and Malta are known for their dramatic, wind-swept stone formations.

The family sells their hand-made sea salt – either beside the pans, or in their shop across the street.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Gozo is one of the islands making up the Maltese Archipelago; it’s about a 20-minute ferry ride from Malta’s ferry terminal in Ċirkewwa. See the Gozo Channel website for ticket prices and a timetable of Malta to Gozo ferry crossings.
• The Xwejni Salt Pans are located on Gozo’s northern coast, not far from the tiny resort town of Marsalforn. The family generally harvests salt here from May through September, with June and July being the peak harvest months. Some of the salt is packaged in burlap bags, lending it even more character; the bags sell for €2 to €5. I wanted to purchase some, but couldn’t given our limited luggage space! Visit the family-run business’ Xwejni Salt Pans Facebook page for more details. (I contacted Josephine via Facebook after our visit, and she was very responsive. She is a fifth-generation harvester, on her mother’s side of the family!)
• Given how small Gozo is, it’s rather easy to get around the island using its bus system. Just know that buses might not run as frequently on Gozo as they do on the island of Malta. Use Malta Public Transport’s Trip Planner or Route Map to plan your excursions.
• As for accommodation options, Gozo offers a mix of self-catering apartments and hotels (affiliate link), even the chance to rent a converted farmhouse.
• Visit Gozo’s official tourism website for more information about the island.
• Do you need more trip-planning inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video is a creation of my husband, Shawn.

Malta was ruled, occupied and colonized by a great number of different peoples throughout the last few thousand years. Not surprisingly, since the island is in the heart of the Mediterranean, the Romans were among them.

Situated just outside the popular and atmospheric walled city of Mdina is the small Domus Romana Museum. It was once a townhouse for a Roman aristocrat living in the ancient Roman town of Melite, in what is now Mdina and Rabat. (In Latin, domus means ‘home’ or ‘residence’.) It’s believed that it was built in the 1st century CE.

Since most of the original townhouse was destroyed before being discovered in 1881, a newer museum structure was built over the remains to shelter them. Inside the Domus Romana museum today, there are impressive mosaic floors, columns and marble statues. The museum also showcases an array of everyday items like pottery, coins, oil lamps and hair pins. Having moved my own fragile perfume bottles from Cairo to Germany, I was amazed that the museum’s delicate examples managed to survive so many tumultuous centuries!

Of all the items, it was the mosaic floors that fascinated me the most though. Perhaps this is because they were utilitarian, yet also design focused. In one of the museum’s mosaic pavements, you can see that it’s been altered several times. This made me wonder how many feet had walked over them through the millennia, who repaired them and why they were repaired in different styles. (The museum signs suggest this may show financial struggles as the Roman Empire declined.)

There is also evidence of the people that came after the Romans. Above the Roman-era mosaics, archaeologists found a few hundred Muslim graves. (Malta was under Arab rule during parts of the 9th to 11th centuries CE. You can still detect this Arabic influence in place names like Mdina or Rabat, even in the Maltese vocabulary. Malta is a predominantly-Catholic country, but their word for God is Alla.)

As the sun began to set during our visit, the last of the day’s rays illuminated the ruins outside the museum. Light shone on the mosaics which would’ve once graced the townhouse’s open courtyard. A cat soaked up the sunshine. And Shawn and I headed home to Valletta, mindful of what may be underfoot, and reflective about what traces our civilization will leave behind.

The entrance to the Domus Romana Museum.

A trio of terracotta theatrical masks.

Delicate Roman glass bottles.

There were more than 200 Muslim headstones found at the site, dating back to Malta’s period of Arab rule (after the Romans).

An intricately-decorated oil lamp (left) and overview of a mosaic floor (right).

The intricately-placed mosaic tiles depict a human figure, a bird, and perhaps a pomegranate. The mosaic might date as far back as far as 125 BCE.

The remains of the townhouse’s peristyle, or open courtyard (left and right). On the left, note the water well.

A pair of ‘drinking doves’ are the focal point of the mosaic covering the pavement of what was once the home’s peristyle.

This pavement features three mosaic styles: the original is the outside border, followed by the inner sections (which are believed to be less-skilled repair attempts).

The marble head of Emperor Claudius (right) and a figure of what’s believed to be his daughter, Claudia Antonia (left). The statues are believed to date back to the 1st century CE!

A cluster of ruins are scattered about in the museum’s backyard. There would’ve originally been other buildings behind the Domus Romana.

A fragment of the home’s wall paintings. It’s fascinating trying to imagine what the style was like back then!

Containers known as amphorae. Such vessels were used to transport and store food products, including wine, olive oil, and grain.

A caramel-colored cat lounges in the sunshine, among ruins.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• The Domus Romana (sometimes spelled Domvs Romana) is located in Rabat, on the border with Mdina. The Roman Domus is just a few minutes’ walk to Mdina’s Main Gate. For opening hours and ticket prices, see the site’s official website.
• Another Roman-era site are St. Paul’s Catacombs, which are also located in Rabat.
• Given how small the island of Malta is, it’s rather easy to get around using its bus system. Just know that short distances can be deceiving, especially during peak traffic times! Use Malta Public Transport’s Trip Planner or Route Map to plan your excursions.
• Ever since we lived in the shell of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia, Shawn and I have been intrigued by this chapter of history. If you are too, you might also enjoy dispatches from our visits to the Roman ruins of Salona, Croatia, as well as Split’s Archaeological Museum.
• Do you need more Malta trip-planning inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video is a creation of my husband, Shawn.

It was a sweltering September afternoon on the sunny island of Malta when we headed to St. Peter’s Pool. With its dramatic limestone cliffs and access to the Mediterranean, St. Peter’s isn’t a pool in the conventional sense. And at this point, it should ceremoniously be renamed ‘Titti’s Pool’ in honor of its most famous diver: a Jack Russell Terrier dog who has captured the attention of animal lovers worldwide.

Upon reaching a point overlooking the picturesque swimming venue, I had already spotted Titti –  a stocky, black, white and brown ball of energy. St. Peter’s Pool is photogenic in its own right, but the swarm of swimmers sporting mobile phones and cameras instead tried to capture Titti’s every move. This proved to be tricky because of the dog’s sprinting maneuvers and high jumps alongside her master’s ankles.

Anticipating her owner’s hand signal, Titti waited at the jagged cliff’s edge, an impatient aura about her. With her master’s motion now executed, her stubby little legs launched her into the azure water below. Titti’s makeshift paparazzi documented the split-second maneuver, and applause and yelps of delight followed as Titti’s head emerged from the foamy water. In her mouth, she carried a prized plastic water bottle which she’d just fetched out of the sea.

Like countless others, I discovered Titti the diving wonder via social media. It’s not surprising that the seven-year-old canine has become a sensation in Malta – a tiny island nation of 400,000 people. But in the last year, Titti’s images have also gone global, reaching British television stations like ITV and BBC, and American video channel Insider. A Brazilian television crew even recently crossed the Atlantic to film Titti in action. (Note: Titti’s coverage starts at 1:58.) And on this day, we also met an enamored young Hungarian woman, herself a Jack Russell owner, who had flocked to this remote pool just to meet Titti.

Determined to shake Titti’s paw before we moved from Malta, I got in touch with her owner and diving partner, Carmelo Abela, via Titti’s Facebook page. Coordinating a meet-up date up wasn’t a problem, because Carmelo and Titti go to St. Peter’s Pool six days a week during the summer. They make the 4-km trip to the Delimara Peninsula from their home in the town of Żejtun.

“We ride here on a motorbike, with Titti in my backpack,” Carmelo said smiling, with a wet Titti cradled in his arms. The Summer Olympics in Brazil had just ended and Carmelo was wearing Rio-themed swimwear. He also sported the bronze tan of a regular Mediterranean sun seeker.

Apparently, it took a leap of faith – or two – before Titti felt comfortable cliff diving.

“We started off on less high cliffs and ledges,” he explained. “First, I would jump in, and soon Titti followed me. Eventually, we went on to try higher and higher ledges. Now Titti only likes St. Peter’s Pool – she refuses to dive elsewhere!”

Taking a break from our chat, Carmelo motioned to Titti that it was time for them to do a tandem dive. Excited beyond belief, Titti parted from Carmelo, and ran around the rim of the cliff to her designated launching point. She was so energized that she actually plunged into the water a split second faster than Carmelo. When the two recovered at the water’s surface, Titti instantly looked for Carmelo’s face. Reuniting, they swam together toward the cliff’s edge. Carmelo gave her a boost so that she was again at the top of the limestone rim, ready for another round or two of synchronized dives.

Although now a Maltese sensation, Titti actually originates from the nearby Italian island of Sicily.

“After seeing the Jim Carrey movie, ‘The Mask’, I was encouraged to get a Jack Russell Terrier. My son helped brainstorm names. He chose the name ‘Titti’ from the movie, ‘Hotel for Dogs,’” Carmelo said.

“When I bought her in Sicily seven years ago, Jack Russells weren’t common in Malta. Now, the breed is really popular here. People often ask me if she will have puppies.”

Titti once had a litter of six, but much to the disappointment of locals who’d hoped to adopt a descendant with Titti’s diving prowess, the pups didn’t show an interest in diving.

To say that Titti is extremely attached to Carmelo is an understatement. Carmelo told us that she’s jealous of other dogs – even of Carmelo’s wife.

“My wife jokes that she’s going to remove her picture from our wedding photo albums and replace Titti’s face there,” he said, laughing.

“Titti actually sleeps between us, and during the day, we spend so much time together. My wife jokes that I ‘only come home to eat’”.

Despite an apparent playful rivalry between the ladies, Carmelo said that his wife shares his profound love for animals.

“My wife wouldn’t hurt a fly.” 

With cooler weather just around the corner, I was curious how Titti stays in shape during the off season, when swimming in the Mediterranean is simply too cold.

“In winter, I take her into the countryside for walks. I throw sticks and she chases after them. Otherwise, Titti would run circles in the house! She has so much energy!”

St. Peter’s Pool on a September afternoon.

Agave flowers and prickly pear cactus plants dot the landscape of Delimara (left). On the right, Titti fetches her beloved water bottle.

Titti anxiously awaits Carmelo’s hand signal giving her the okay to jump into the water, as swimmers look on.

Titti and Carmelo do elegant synchronized dives, and she’ll even dive into the water solo to retrieve a water bottle. “When Titti doesn’t feel engaged enough,” Carmelo explained, “she drops the bottle into the water so that I have to dive in to get it. Then she dives in too.”

Carmelo’s and Titti’s splashes, left and right, respectively.

Titti has amassed a large following of fans from around the world.

Carmelo has put his and Titti’s newfound fame to good use, participating in charity walks to help raise money for needy animals in Malta.

Seeking a sunnier spot, Titti and Carmelo move to the other side of the pool (left). We found the celebrity Titti to be friendly, but not overly interested in her fan base. As we chatted, Titti chewed on a water bottle in a determined fashion (right), eager to expend more energy through another dive.

Shawn and me, posing with the celebrity duo.

Just a sampling of Titti’s fans!

Titti – always waiting for Carmelo to toss the water bottle!

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Follow Titti’s and Carmelo’s delightful dives on the duo’s Facebook page.
• When the weather is warm enough, Titti and Carmelo practice diving at St. Peter’s Pool, on the Delimara Peninsula near the popular fishing village of Marsaxlokk in southwestern Malta. To get there, we rode the bus to central Marsaxlokk, then walked about 20 minutes through the countryside.
• Need more trip-planning inspiration for Malta? From olive harvesting, to festas, and sailing, this index contains all my posts from Malta.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

Malta’s capital, Valletta, is a grande dame undergoing rapid change. With more than 300 monuments crammed into the city’s small peninsular borders, Valletta has one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. This means that there are lots of things to do in Valletta, whether you’re an architecture aficionado, military-history buff or passionate wanderer eager to see a city reawakening from a long slumber.

Shawn and I were delighted to have called Valletta home this past year, living on one of the city’s most infamous streets – a narrow lane which was once a red-light district that lured sailors. When we first learned we’d be moving to Malta for Shawn’s studies, we thought we might develop island fever living on a tiny island nation for twelve months. Surprisingly though, there was so much to experience in and out of Valletta that our weekend calendar was always replete with activities.

A decade before moving to Valletta, I also played tourist in the capital city, making it my home base during a long-weekend visit. Back in 2006, Valletta was eerily quiet. Half of the city’s buildings were boarded up and abandoned. Accommodation in Valletta was so scarce that I literally had to sleep in a spacious maid’s closet for one night, until a proper room became available. Coincidentally, ten years later, my future in-laws would choose to stay at a boutique hotel located just across the street from the same guesthouse in which I stayed as a solo female traveler in 2006. It’s funny how life comes full circle like that!

As a solo traveler on that long weekend, I loved exploring Valletta’s streets and their characteristic golden-limestone buildings, radiant wooden balconies, and vintage storefronts. Therefore in 2015, Shawn and I were elated to have that impressive architecture, history, and culture just outside our doorstep for an entire year.

Drawing upon my experience as a visitor and one-year resident, I’ve created this guide to exploring Valletta. It highlights some of the Maltese capital’s top sites, plus a smattering of lesser-visited ones. Along with overviews of Valletta’s gardens, museums, churches, and palaces, I’ve thrown in generic logistical details to help with issues about transportation, groceries, and accommodation. I’ve also included a few photo-taking spots and a personalized map to help you plan your visit. Hop to my Table of Contents below for a post outline, or my Malta index for everything I’ve written about Malta.

A Bit of History

The Knights of Malta (also known as the Knights of the Order of St. John, or the Knights Hospitaller) started building Valletta in 1566, following the Great Siege of 1565. After this legendary fight against the Ottoman Turks, the Knights wanted to construct a fortified stronghold to protect against future attacks.

A Pope sent Italian architect Francesco Laparelli to Malta to oversee Valletta’s construction. Laparelli, who had once been Michelangelo’s assistant, designed Valletta in a grid-pattern fashion. Massive bastions, moats, and narrow streets were created, all with the intent of making the new city of Valletta easier to defend. An added advantage of the city’s grid pattern was that Valletta’s high walls helped shade streets on sizzling summer days, while ushering in refreshing sea breezes. Having lived on one of the city’s streets for a year, I can attest that this is still a good form of natural air conditioning.

The Knights of Malta remained in power until Napoleon seized the island in 1798. The French occupation was short-lived, only lasting about two years. Shortly thereafter, Malta became part of the British Empire. The country ended its colonial relationship with the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Since 1980, Valletta has been a UNESCO World Heritage city. In 2018, the city will be a European Capital of Culture, a designation that’s been instrumental in fostering Valletta’s economic rebirth.

Baroque to British Flair

From stately baroque buildings and classic old storefronts to ornate brass door knockers, devotional statues, and enclosed wooden balconies, Valletta’s narrow streets are replete with character. Historians are unsure when the first of the distinctive balconies (gallariji) appeared on the island’s buildings. The suspicion is that this architectural feature made its debut on Valletta’s Grandmaster’s Palace, and then other homeowners simply followed suit.

Since Malta was a British colony from 1813-1964, you’ll see remnants of that chapter of history in the form of cherry-red phone booths, rounded mail boxes, and the grand Victoria Gate. The city’s Catholic influence is equally evident in the devotional saint’s statues which rest in corner niches throughout the city. Some even have a donation slot built into the wall below the figure.

Finally, though it’s not as common in Valletta as it is in Maltese villages, you’ll notice a few name plates adorning the front of buildings. These little signs bear the name of the home given to it by its residents. Common house names honor religious figures or meld a husband’s and wife’s first names. (Shawn and I resisted the urge to dub our apartment ‘Trishawn’!)

More –

• The Doors of Valletta (my blog post collage)
• The Door Knockers of Valletta (my blog post collage)

Table of Contents

• General

  • Festivals and Holidays | Hotels  | Groceries | Maltese Newspapers | Pharmacies | Post Offices | Restaurants | Safety | Souvenirs | Tourist Information Offices | Transportation | Valletta Map | Additional Links and Resources

• Churches

  • St. John’s Co-Cathedral | St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral | The Carmelite Church | Our Lady of Victories Church

• Gardens

  • Hastings Gardens | Lower Barrakka Gardens | Upper Barrakka Gardens

• Landmarks

  • Auberge de Castille | City Gate | De Valette Square | Former Victory Kitchen  | Nelson’s Hook | Parliament | Saluting Battery | Siege Bell War Memorial | Queen Victoria Statue and Victoria Gate

• Museums

  • Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum | Fortifications Interpretation Centre | Grandmaster’s Palace: State Rooms & Palace Armoury | Lascaris War Rooms | National Library of Malta | National Museum of Archaeology | National Museum of Fine Arts | Sacra Infermeria (The Knights’ Hospital)

• Entertainment & Theaters

  • Manoel Theatre | Pjazza Teatru Rjal | St. James Cavalier (Malta’s National Centre for Creativity) | Strada Stretta

• Misc

  • Walking Circuit Around the Exterior of Valletta’s Fortifications

Savor Valletta’s old storefronts while you can. Some still sport signs from days bygone, touting everything from jewelry, to paint – even gloves. You might even spot classic roadsters rolling past them, such as this one on the right.

Locals refer to Valletta as Il-Belt, and Valletta residents are known as Beltin. This block of buildings overlooks Marsamxett Harbour, on the peninsula’s northwestern side.

The often-photographed St. Ursula Street, as seen from a second-story balcony (left). A religious decoration and elephant brass door knocker on a building on Old Bakery Street (right).

A rainbow of balconies catch the eye on Republic Street.

A door knocker bearing the shape of the Maltese cross (left) and me popping out of a phone booth near the Bridge Bar (right). Illuminated by candlelight for its Friday Jazz Nights, this spot looks especially picturesque.

Shawn plays tourist in the British-era phone box (left) and hibiscus flowers in the Lower Barrakka Gardens (right).

Built in the 16th and 17th centuries on a hilly and barren peninsula, Valletta feels a bit like a baroque San Francisco because of its roller coaster-like roads. On the left, a horse-drawn carriage trots by a formidable bastion, and on the right, one of those ubiquitous hilly streets. While this one is paved, some of the streets are made up of only stairs. A seasoned local told me that the shallow stairs were fashioned in such a way so that knights wearing heavy armor could more easily maneuver.

De Valette Square

The year 2016 marked 450 years since Valletta’s foundation stone was laid by the city’s namesake, Jean Parisot de Valette. Having led the Knights of Malta to victory during the Great Siege of 1565 (as a 70-something warrior!), Grandmaster de Valette was seen as a heroic figure within the order.

Not long after their arrival on the island of Malta, the Knights had contemplated building a city on the then-barren Sciberras Peninsula. First came Fort St. Elmo, and later the fortified city of Valletta that we know today, both designed to help defend the island against attack.

Though the Knights officially took chastity vows, it’s interesting that de Valette himself is said to have covertly fathered at least two children: a son that would be ‘legitimized’ by the King of France, and a daughter that was tragically murdered by her husband.

Since he died in 1568, de Valette did not live to see Valletta’s completion. His ornate sarcophagus is located in St. John’s Co-Cathedral.

A statue of the city’s French namesake, Jean Parisot de Valette, holds court in Pjazza Jean de Valette. He was Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta during the 1565 Siege against the Ottoman Turks. A year after their victory, the Knights began construction of the city of Valletta.

St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral

&

  The Carmelite Church

Two buildings punctuate Valletta’s skyline: the enormous dome of the Carmelite Church, and the pointy steeple of St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral.

Malta is overwhelmingly Roman-Catholic but St. Paul’s stands as a remnant of Malta’s British colonial past. Groundbreaking for the neo-classical structure began in 1839, at the request of a visiting queen who lamented that there was no place of worship for Anglican parishioners. Originally, the Auberge d’Allemagne (quarters for the German branch of the Knights of Malta) stood here.

Surprisingly, the Carmelite Church was not constructed until the 20th century. The original structure was built in the 16th century, but because it was decimated during World War II bombings, it was reconstructed during the 1950s to 1980s.

Photo tip: Splendid places to photograph the Valletta skyline at sunset are either from the promenade in the city of Sliema (a short ferry ride across the Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta) or from this Valletta parking lot on St. Michael’s Bastion (map here). Both vantage points will allow you to capture these iconic buildings in your photograph. During our year in Valletta, we often strolled past this spot just before sunset, watching the neighborhood children play soccer in a nearby parking lot, as a scrappy Chihuhua ran about.

More –

• Carmelite Church (official website) & Carmelite Church (Facebook page)
• St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral (official website)

Valletta’s most recognizable architectural duo: the Carmelite Church (left) and St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral (right).

Shawn and me.

Our Lady of Victories Church

This dainty church is Valletta’s oldest building, and is best known for being the first resting place of Grandmaster de Valette. After the colossal St. John’s Co-Cathedral was built, his remains were transferred from Our Lady of Victories to St. John’s.

The Grandmaster himself is said to have financed Our Lady of Victories Church, which was designed to express gratitude for the Knights’ victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1565.

More –

• Admission free.
• Our Lady of Victories Church (Wikipedia)
• Our Lady of Victories Church (National Trust of Malta – Din l-Art Ħelwa)

Our Lady of Victories Church (right) is just a stone’s throw from the Auberge de Castille. Its interior ceiling (left) depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

Saluting Battery

Each day, without fail, visitors cram themselves onto the terrace of the Upper Barrakka Gardens, for the twelve o’clock cannon salute in the Saluting Battery below. To escape the garden’s crowds at midday, you can enter the Saluting Battery just below the gardens, which has the same commanding perspective over the Grand Harbour. (Note: the Upper Barrakka Gardens are free to enter, while the Saluting Battery has a small admission fee.)

The Knights built the Saluting Battery in the 1500s, near the site of a battery earlier established by the Ottomans during the Great Siege of 1565. This 16th-century map shows the Ottoman’s battery as it would’ve looked then.

Gun salutes have historically been fired here to commemorate anniversaries and religious feast days, to welcome dignitaries, and to help ships with their time-keeping.

Photo tip: If you stroll along the walls facing Valletta’s Grand Harbour, you will find a bounty of photo-snapping spots. St. Barbara’s Bastions (map here) offer some of the nicest panoramas of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities, and this area generally has less crowds than the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The Lower Barrakka Gardens also have commanding views across the Grand Harbour.

More –

• Saluting Battery  (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

The Saluting Battery has extraordinary views of the Grand Harbour, Fort St. Angelo, and the Three Cities. I captured this perspective of the Saluting Battery from the Upper Barrakka Gardens as the Rolex Middle Sea Race kicked off. It was exhilarating seeing the 100+ yachts set off on this multi-day contest. The annual race takes participants around Sicily and back.

City Gate

Adorning a wall in our Valletta apartment was a turn-of-the century photograph of one of Valletta’s former city gates. At the time, the entrance was dressed in bunting and a huge ‘welcome’ sign. Since the black and white image hung over our kitchen sink, I looked at it whenever I did dishes, and analyzed the faces of the people frozen in time. Most of the passersby were dressed in black, with some wearing formal, big hats. Others wore the attire of laborers. What the two groups shared was a curiosity of the camera, which would have been a novel contraption at the time.

In the past 450 years, there have been five different versions of gates installed on this spot, each doing its part to help secure Valletta’s primary entrance. This most recent rendition was designed by celebrated Italian architect Renzo Piano (of London Shard fame), and inaugurated in 2015. Because of its minimalist design, the City Gate, as well as Piano’s adjacent Parliament building, remain controversial additions to this largely baroque city.

If you’d like to see what’s thought to be the gate’s original wooden drawbridge, you can find it at the Fortifications Interpretation Center (listed below).

More –

• The evolution of Valletta’s City Gates, from 1566 to the present (Wikipedia)

Silhouetted pedestrians file through Valletta’s sleek City Gate, heading toward the bus terminal. This is a popular spot for accordionists and bubble-blowing street performers.

Parliament

Malta’s Parliament Building was controversially unveiled in 2015, receiving mixed reviews. Some lauded its contemporary design and how it incorporates the island’s traditional limestone, while others thought its abstract look was incompatible with Valletta’s baroque buildings. For a time, there was even concern that UNESCO might strip Valletta of its World Heritage Site status because of this addition. To this day, some displeased locals describe it as a ‘cheese grater’ on stilts. As you walk past the Parliament, note the fossilized remains in the limestone under your feet.

More –

• Parliament of Malta (official website)

Malta’s new Parliament House was inaugurated in the spring of 2015. When I first visited Valletta in 2006, an unsightly parking lot was here. The new building was controversial among many Maltese – due to its €90 million price tag and contemporary look.

Fortifications Interpretation Centre

Housed in a 16th-century era building that was once a warehouse for the Knights, the Fortifications Interpretation Center describes itself as part museum, and part resource center. If you’re remotely interested in military architecture, or simply want to better understand Valletta’s prominent fortifications, then the Centre is a worthwhile stop. It’s just a two minute’s walk from the Valletta – Sliema Ferry.

One of the star attractions in the museum is a segment of a drawbridge that’s believed to date back to around 1645. Much of the weathered wood has been chipped off or devoured by woodworms. However, it still helps to paint a picture of what life in Valletta was like during times of insecurity.

Another exhibit displays a sampling of tools that would’ve been used by laborers to quarry and shape Malta’s rugged limestone into uniform blocks. In another wing, informational boards highlight how fortifications around the world have evolved over the millennia.

Other exhibits that help illustrate the island’s extensive fortifications include: models of Valletta, Malta’s coastal watchtowers, the medieval city of Mdina, and the Gozo Citadel. Shawn and I easily whiled away about two hours here.

More –

• Admission free.
• Fortifications Interpretation Centre (official website) lists opening hours.

Models of Malta’s coastal watchtowers.

Walking Circuit Around the Exterior of Valletta’s Fortifications

While it is common for visitors to traipse along the top of Valletta’s fortifications, not as many tourists realize that it’s possible to explore them around the outside too. Shawn discovered this walking circuit while scouting out jogging spots. This route soon became one of our favorite early-evening walks.

Starting from the Valletta – Sliema Ferry and ending at the Sacra Infermeria, or vice versa, the walk takes you past the Breakwater, a cluster of boat houses, fishing spots, and WWII-era sites.

The war-related structures are the most notable sites and include a Boom Defence, lookout towers, and bomb shelters. The cave-like bomb shelters were carved by Valletta residents to offer refuge during the air raids of 1940 to 1942. The shelters have since been transformed for more peaceful purposes, and are now utilized as spaces to house boats, tools, and picnic furniture. Owing to the number of men that we saw flocking to them on a routine basis, Shawn and I joked that they are Malta’s version of a ‘man cave.’

Please wear sensible footwear and tread carefully as parts of this walk take you over uneven rock and metal bridges. In other words, this area is blissfully devoid of hordes of tourists, and there’s not a paved sidewalk. This is a prime spot to enjoy a picnic too! I’ve created a walking route map here.

A handful of WWII-era sites are built into Valletta’s fortifications, including this Boom Defence (left). To the right, you can see Valletta’s Breakwater Footbridge. The original bridge was destroyed by an Italian torpedo boat attack during World War II. A replacement bridge was inaugurated in 2012, but a rusty skeletons of its predecessor remains, hinting at Malta’s more turbulent history.

On the northeastern side of Valletta, you’ll catch gorgeous glimpses of the Siege Bell, Lower Barrakka Gardens, and Fort St. Angelo (all pictured here). Be mindful whenever you walk near the edge, as Malta’s cliffs are known to sometimes break off.

Once a World War II-era bomb shelter, today a place to house boats, tools, or picnic furniture. We often saw men hanging out inside these Maltese ‘man caves’, tinkering or chatting with chums. Families and friends enjoy nightly picnics in front of these caves too.

A crisp-white sailboat slips out of Valletta’s Grand Harbour on a slightly hazy day. On our almost-nightly strolls, Shawn and I passed by here, watching everything from small fishing boats to superyachts and gargantuan cruise ships ply the water.

Auberge de Castille

Now the office of Malta’s Prime Minister, this stately building housed one branch of the Knights of St. John during the 16th to 18th centuries. Back then, clusters of knights were tasked with defending specific parts of the island of Malta. The knights were grouped together into eight different langues, administrative groups based upon the knights’ respective languages and cultures. Langue is a French word meaning ‘language’ or ‘tongue’.

Knights from the langue of Castile, León and Portugal were housed here, and when Malta was part of the British Empire, the Auberge de Castille housed British armed forces. The structure survived World War II bombings.

More –

• Not open to visitors.

The Maltese flag dances in the breeze atop the Auberge de Castille. The white marble ‘knot’ sculpture in the foreground was created by artist Vince Briffa, with its marble being quarried in Carrara, Italy. It is said to symbolize Malta’s interconnectedness with both Europe and Africa. The sculpture remains controversial, with some Maltese saying it looks too modern, and others comparing it to ‘a turd.’

Upper Barrakka Gardens

A lovely place to get your bearings upon arriving in Valletta, the Upper Barrakka Gardens offer commanding views of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities of Birgu, Senglea, and Cospicua. Birgu actually pre-dates Valletta, and is well worth a visit!

The park’s arches date back to the 17th century, and the gardens were once a recreation spot for the Italian branch of the Knights.

Bench real estate is often coveted, but there is a café inside as well. Because the garden was so often inundated with people, Shawn and I often flocked to quieter Valletta gardens (see below).

More –

• Admission free.
• Upper Barrakka Gardens listing (Malta Tourism official website)
• Upper Barrakka Gardens (Wikipedia)

Though they are often crowded, the Upper Barrakka Gardens are certainly worth a stroll. The panoramic views of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities are magnificent.

Lower Barrakka Gardens

When I visited Malta for the first time in 2006, I distinctly remember strolling through the Lower Barrakka Gardens, taking in the extraordinary views of Valletta’s Grand Harbour. I found it rather romantic, and wished that I could’ve been sharing the spot with my special someone, whom I hadn’t yet met. Fast forward to the autumn of 2015 and beyond, and that ‘special someone’ and I had moved to Malta!

Not long after relocating to Valletta, Shawn and I went to the Lower Barrakka Gardens to partake in a picnic. As we feasted and watched vessels of all sizes go by, I recounted tales to Shawn from my solo travel days in Malta. Not much had changed in the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the past ten years. The so-called ‘temple folly’ in the neo-classical style was still there, as were olive trees with twisted trunks. They were just a bit more mature.

The Lower Barrakka’s well-manicured lanes are great to explore any time of day, but there’s something especially nice about them at night. I’ll never forget the late-summer evening when Shawn and I watched an Old World vessel lift its elegant white sails and glide past the gardens’ rampart walls. It felt like a scene from another age.

Note that during the summer months, you might find the Lower Barrakka Gardens closed to the public, as they are a popular spot for wedding receptions and private parties.

More –

• Admission free.

The Lower Barrakka Gardens are replete with olive trees, oleander blooms of pink and white, and hibiscus flowers.

Looking toward Fort St. Angelo and the Three Cities.

Hastings Gardens

The Hastings Gardens were one of our favorite spots for jogging, walking, or just taking in a splendid sunset. Shawn and I would occasionally bring a coffee or homemade banana bread to Hastings, climb onto a wide section of the mighty fortifications, and watch the world go by on land and on sea.

The gardens take their name from Lord Hastings, who was a Governor of Malta during the 1820s. Built atop Valletta’s formidable bastions, Hastings Gardens are shaded by olive and oleander trees. The park provides a bit of reprieve from the cacophony of honking horns in Valletta, and it offers a silhouetted view of the town of Mdina.

Like the Lower Barrakka Gardens, during the height of summer you might occasionally find Hastings closed to the public, as it’s a popular site for wedding receptions, private parties and community events. Teenagers also flock there with their significant others, so don’t be surprised if you turn a corner and see them locking lips. On such a densely-populated island, there just aren’t many places to go to find privacy!

More –

• Admission free.

Like the Lower Barrakka Gardens, Hastings Gardens are a splendid sanctuary. The oleander blooms are fantastic.

Hastings has stunning views of Valletta’s fortifications, plus neighboring municipal areas. Seen here is a yacht marina, and a bit of the Marsamxett Harbor and Manoel Island (right).

Strada Stretta

When elderly Maltese residents heard that Shawn and I lived on Strada Stretta (also known as Strait Street or Triq-id-Dejqa) they usually responded with a hushed “Oh!” Sometimes they smirked, other times they were embarrassed to relay the infamous street’s history to us.

Decades ago, Strada Stretta was the playground of visiting sailors who referred to the narrow alley as ‘The Gut‘. Because Strada Stretta was packed with bars, brothels and lively music halls – offering wine, women and song – many Maltese told me that they were once mortified at the thought of even walking anywhere near it. One woman remarked how embarrassed she was that her father’s law practice was situated there. Another Valletta resident took a more sentimental approach, relaying that her sister met her American husband-to-be on the narrow street.

After the British military’s departure from Malta, and several decades of neglect, Strada Stretta is having a more G-rated renaissance today. A popular television show of the same name has hit Maltese television airwaves. And on the once notorious street itself, restaurants offering everything from tapas to Maltese fare have cropped up. They are nestled alongside wine bars, offices, and abandoned buildings waiting to be restored. The street’s dining and drinking establishments regularly play host to fun (mostly free) musical performances, which are organized by the Strada Stretta Concept.

More –

• Strada Stretta Concept (Facebook page features events taking place on Strait Street / Strada Stretta. During our time in Valletta, we enjoyed classical performances, an evening celebrating French vocalist Edith Piaf, gypsy jazz music, even a saxophonist accompanied by an opera singer.)

Grafitti inspired by Strada Stretta’s ‘Gut’ days (left) and a popular section of the street near the Loop Bar (right).

St. James Cavalier

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Malta’s National Centre for Creativity

St. James Cavalier epitomizes the concept of adaptive reuse. The structure was built in the 16th century as a cavalier, but in the hundreds of years since then, it’s been a gun platform, a social spot for British officers, and even a printing press. Today, the austere building – its sole embellishment is a coat of arms – is Malta’s National Centre for Creativity. Inside there is a cinema, theater and multi-purpose halls. Visit the website below to learn about the facility’s upcoming events.

If you’re really into military history, Valletta’s other cavalier (St. John’s Cavalier) is practically identical and situated parallel to this one. It’s now the Embassy of the Order of St. John, the descendants of the Knights who originally built it.

More –

• Malta’s National Centre for Creativity – Spazju Kreattiv (official website)

Grandmaster’s Palace

State Rooms & Palace Armoury

Ever since its construction in the 1560s, this Valletta landmark has served as Malta’s seat of government. Originally built as a lavish palace for the Knight’s grandmasters, the building later served as the official residence for British colonial governors. Until 2015, it was the meeting place for Malta’s Parliament, and today, it’s the Office of the President of Malta.

Inside, there are two sections of interest: the lavish State Rooms and the Palace Armoury. The State Rooms are renowned for the Parisian tapestries dressing the walls of the Tapestry Room. This area was under construction during our visit, so I didn’t get to see the exotic flora and fauna depicted on the tapestries. Still, I enjoyed overlooking the verdant courtyard, and exploring the building’s sun-drenched corridors, with their ornate ceilings and marble floors. We’d lived in Malta for a few months by the time we visited the palace, so it was fun trying to pick out the island’s various landmarks depicted in the paintings.

The Palace Armoury is located in another wing of the building in what was formerly the palace stables. The Knights’ extensive arsenal of arms and armor was moved to the palace in 1604, and while some of the collection has since been ‘depleted’ (between 1798-1800, Malta was occupied by Napoleon’s troops and some looting took place), the armory is still said to have one of the world’s largest collections of arms and armor. As I walked past the large glass cases holding instruments of war, I couldn’t help but notice how everything from breastplates to canons were intricately decorated. The objects were simultaneously beautiful and evil.

Just in front of the Grandmaster’s Palace, on St. George’s Square, concerts, annual holiday parades, and commemorative events are held, such as the 1942 awarding of the George Cross to the people of Malta. If you like pomp and circumstance, the Changing of the Guard Ceremony takes place here the last Friday of each month.

More –

• Palace State Rooms (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.
• Palace Armory (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.
• Changing of the Guards (Malta Tourism official website)

Colorful light shows are sometimes projected onto the palace’s rather unassuming limestone façade, marrying old and new, and creating a festive atmosphere.

The corridor ceilings of the Grandmaster’s Palace have vibrant paintings dating back to the 18th century.

A knight is depicted in this marble mosaic adorning a corridor floor.

Shawn and me in the flower-filled palace courtyard (left) and a corridor near the State Rooms (right).

The Palace Armoury has a large collection of swords, armor, artillery, firearms, and crossbows. The collection mainly consists of items dating back to the 15th to 18th centuries.

Fort St. Elmo and the National War Museum

I often associate Fort St. Elmo with the sweet, but feral felines that call the granaries on the landward side of the structure home. Today, benevolent locals leave mounds of food for the cats on the lids of these 17th-century contraptions. This seems fitting – especially considering that these subterranean pits would have once sheltered a precious supply of grain for the island’s residents. Since Malta was so dependent on food imports centuries ago (it still is!) and because sieges were an ongoing threat, long-term storage options were absolutely essential.

Fort St. Elmo itself was built in 1552 by the Knights of Malta, designed to protect both the Grand Harbour and the Marsamxett Harbour, which together flank the Valletta Peninsula. While impressive in its own right, the star-shaped Fort St. Elmo was and still is dwarfed by the more formidable Fort St. Angelo, located across the Grand Harbour from Valletta in the Three Cities.

During the Great Siege of 1565, when the Knights and the Ottoman army engaged in heavy battle, Fort St. Elmo held out for 28 days – much longer than expected. Though the Ottomans eventually took the smaller St. Elmo at great costs, leader Mustafa Pasha, turned in the direction of Fort St. Angelo and reportedly said, “If so small a son has cost so dear, what price shall we have to pay for so large a father?” A few weeks later, the deflated Ottoman army left Malta.

After the Great Siege, St. Elmo continued to serve various purposes, including serving as a prison during the French occupation (1798-1800) and as a strategic defensive point for the British during bombardments by the Italian Air Force in World War II.

Today, it’s possible to explore select sections of St. Elmo. The compound also houses Malta’s National Military Museum, which focuses on World War I and World War II-era collections, and includes the George Cross. This coveted award was given to the people of Malta for their bravery during World War II. The next time you see the red and white Maltese flag, make note of the George Cross in the upper-left corner.

More –

• Fort St. Elmo | National War Museum (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

Fort St. Elmo in the late-afternoon sunlight. The space in front of the landward side of the fort is still peppered with old granaries. These receptacles would have once stored grain underground. Today, this is a popular spot for stray cats to soak up the sunshine, and eat dry kibble delivered to them by Valletta locals.

Weathered coats of arms, and an eye symbol decorate one of the fort’s entrances.

Armor for the Ottoman Turks (left) and a World War II-era military jeep (right), both on display in the National War Museum.

Siege Bell War Memorial

The Siege Bell Memorial overlooks Valletta’s breakwater, the Grand Harbour, and the open sea toward Sicily. It is also the perfect place to catch a magnificent Valletta sunrise. It honors the 7,000 people who lost their lives during the 1940-1943 Siege of Malta. During those three years, tiny Malta was bombed relentlessly by Axis powers Italy and Germany. In just two months of 1942, more bombs were dropped on Malta than on London and Dresden during the course of the war. Those statistics are especially dramatic given the country’s small size — about 27 km long by 15 km wide. Thankfully, the area around the Siege Bell is a more peaceful place today, with hobbyist drones replacing combat aircraft, and cruise ships, ferries and private yachts plying the water.

Photo tip: A brilliant spot to capture the sun rising over the Mediterranean (map here).

More –

• Admission free.

The arches of the Lower Barrakka Gardens cast shadows on the wall of the Siege Bell Memorial. To its right is a bronze human figure, symbolizing a sailor buried at sea. The plaque on it reads: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” These words rang especially true as we watched the memorial slowly be touched with the rising sun’s rays one early morning.

Lascaris War Rooms

Situated about 40 meters (120 ft) under Valletta’s Saluting Battery (see above), these underground rooms and tunnels once served as the War Headquarters for the British during World War II. They were opened in 1940.

Top secret during its time, the Lascaris War Rooms housed radar equipment, encryption machines, and rooms for coordinating artillery fire. This allowed the military staff working within to transmit and receive clandestine communications. General Eisenhower used the subterranean complex to oversee the Invasion of Sicily.

During our visit, a dedicated volunteer guide enthusiastically shared the details of his recent meeting with a Maltese woman, now in her nineties and living abroad, who worked in the complex during the 1940s. The woman returned to Malta to see the rooms where she once covertly worked. She shared tales of not even being able to tell her family members about her true place of employment. She also relayed more lighthearted tidbits about trying to look attractive, so that she might be able to catch the eye of one of the foreign officers working there.

Even after World War II drew to a close, the Lascaris War Rooms continued to be used, most notably during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.

More –

• Lascaris War Rooms (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.
• Panoramic tour of the Lascaris War Rooms
• Lascaris War Rooms (Wikipedia)

Still outfitted with vintage equipment, 1940s-era furniture, and colorful maps, you feel like you’ve entered a movie set when you explore the Lascaris War Rooms. Just above the strategy map (right) black and white video footage is beamed on the wall, featuring ladies moving markers with the wooden pointers as officers look on and strategize.

National Museum of Archaeology

&

 Auberge de Provence

If you’ve explored some of Malta’s temples and wish to complement your visit, or if you didn’t have enough time for the temples but still wish to absorb a little archaeological heritage, then The National Museum of Archaeology is a fantastic stop.

Located on Republic Street, the museum is housed in what was once the Auberge de Provence (residence for the Knights from Provence). There are sections devoted to Malta’s Temple Builders, Bronze Age people, and Phoenician period.

I found the Sleeping Lady figurine, which was sculpted by the so-called Temple Builders, to be fascinating. Though miniature in size, it’s incredible that the statue survived for thousands of years inside the depths of the Hypogeum. So many mysteries exist about this chapter of Malta’s history, and I couldn’t help but wonder who the Sleeping Lady was modeled after, and what she represented? Peaceful sleep? Death?

Aside from this enigmatic figure and the architectural fragments taken from Malta’s temples, my other favorite display was the one devoted to the seafaring Phoenicians. The sarcophagus and description of how the Phoenicians made their noble purple dye by painstakingly extracting it from a seashell, were especially intriguing.

More –

National Museum of Archaeology (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

The museum’s showpiece, the Sleeping Lady, is tiny, but her impact is powerful and mysterious. The statuette is believed to date back several thousand years.

A section of the museum’s Phoenician wing.

National Museum of Fine Arts

&

Auberge d’Italie

As I was researching this guide, the country’s Museum of Fine Arts was being moved to the Auberge d’Italie building, which once housed the Italian branch of the Knights. The new location for the National Museum of Fine Arts is said to be three times as large as the former museum. It’s projected to be open to the public by 2018.

If the museum is still undergoing development during your visit, the ornate exterior of the Auberge d’Italie, (particularly the crest and bust toward the top of the building), is worth a quick peek.

More –

• National Museum of Fine Art (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

A juxtaposition of artwork at the Fine Arts Museum.

Pjazza-Teatru-Rjal

From 1866 to 1942, Valletta’s elegant Royal Opera House graced the corner of Republic and South Streets. Sadly, the grand building was mostly leveled during a World War II bombing raid, as this vintage photograph shows. For decades, the site lay in ruins, with only the terrace and parts of the ornate columns remaining. After the war, government leaders couldn’t decide what to do with the site. Indeed, when I first visited Valletta in 2006, the plot of land appeared completely neglected, a bit like long-forgotten Roman ruins.

By 2013, the remnants of the opera house had been transformed into the open-air theater called Pjazza Teatru Rjal that you can see today. Like the sleek City Gate and Parliament, the site is another project designed by architect Renzo Piano. The Teatru Rjal now holds concerts, dance performances and film screenings.

More –

Teatru Rjal (official website)

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of World War II, the theater site has recently been reborn, but in a new way. The shell of the building now serves as an open-air theater called the Pjazza Teatru Rjal. With its ruined columns and terrace, you can still see details of what the once-grand neoclassical theater would have looked like. Now, modern elements like green plastic seats and a tiled writing board (left) adorn the site.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Built by the Knights in the 1570s, the interior of St. John’s Co-Cathedral dazzles with its baroque opulence. St. John’s inlaid marble floor, comprised of the tombstones of prominent knights, is especially stunning. When we attended a Christmas concert there, the invitation asked that ladies refrain from wearing high heels, so that the precious floor could be protected. When you see the intricately-crafted tombs, you’ll understand why.

A plethora of rich sculptures and paintings cover practically every square inch of the cathedral, making your eye unsure where to rest. The most famous of the paintings is The Beheading of Saint John, painted by Caravaggio. The Italian artist is said to have committed a murder and then escaped to Malta with the intent of producing a painting in exchange for a pardon. He even became a Knight of Malta for a brief spell.

St. John’s Cathedral has eight chapels, one for each of the langues (linguistic groups) that existed during the time of the Knights. See the Auberge de Castille listing above for more information about the various langues. And, if you’re eager to scout out the Knights’ auberge buildings in Valletta and in Birgu (their first base) this list should be helpful.

More –

• St. John’s Co-Cathedral (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is one of the most ornate cathedrals I’ve ever seen. Even if you think you have ‘cathedral fatigue’, it’s really a must-see.

Manoel Theatre

From the outside, the Manoel Theatre looks stately, but not much different from Valletta’s other baroque-style limestone buildings. Step through its main entrance and into the theater though, and this 285-year-old structure is dazzling – bringing to mind a terraced wedding cake.

One of Europe’s oldest working theaters, ‘the Manoel’ was built in 1731 by the Portuguese Grand Master of the Order of St. John, and inaugurated in 1732. In the past, some of the Knights of Malta even performed there. While the venue does not hold performances year-round due to sweltering summer temperatures, it regularly offers behind-the-scenes tours. We enjoyed peeking at the theater’s colossal collection of costumes, while simulating the sounds of rain, wind and thunder using the museum’s 19th century ‘sound machines.‘

More –

• Putting Malta in the Limelight: Valletta’s Manoel Theatre (my blog post)
• Manoel Theatre (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.

The theater boasts about 67 semi-private theater boxes and has a capacity of roughly 600. There were once stone benches inside, but they were later changed to wood to improve acoustics.

The theater’s exterior.

Sacra Infermeria

The Knights’ Hospital

The Knights of Malta are famous for driving away the Ottoman Turks during the Great Siege of 1565. However, what’s less known about the order is its legacy of medical care. When the Knights built La Sacra Infermeria in 1574, it was one of the most advanced medical facilities of its time. The hospital remained open through World War I and into the 1920s, helping Malta earn its title, ‘The Nurse of the Mediterranean.’

The Knights Hospitallers exhibit features models of what the hospital’s wards would have once looked like, and outlines the Knights’ revolutionary medical practices, including the antibacterial use of silver for food service. The farther below ground you venture here, you’ll find shelters used during bombing raids in World War II, and see gloomy subterranean cells where patients with mental conditions were housed. Visually, the most impressive part of the facility is the former ward, which is 155 meters long (roughly 500 feet), and once the largest in Europe. Since the building now functions as a conference center and concert hall, this section unfortunately may not always be open to visitors.

More –

• Sacra Infermeria / Mediterranean Conference Center (official website) lists opening hours & entrance fees.
• Malta Experience website  You can purchase combination tickets to this audio-visual show and the Sacra Infermeria, or go into the Sacra Infermeria building itself to buy a ticket only for that site. I’ve never seen the Malta Experience show, as Shawn and I only purchased Sacra Infermeria tickets.

The Sacra Infermeria highlights the Knights’ legacy of medical care. With its 16th century hospital wards and World War-II era bomb shelters, it also exemplifies Malta’s multi-layered history. It wasn’t our favorite Valletta museum (the displays weren’t as interactive and dynamic as they could be), but its historical significance can’t be downplayed.

National Library of Malta

&

Republic Square

Certainly worth a peek if you are a bibliophile, the National Library of Malta exudes old world charm. In its atmospheric Reading Room, shelves of centuries-old books line the walls from hip to ceiling level. Many of these books and valuables were left to the library by Knights upon their death.

The elegant 18th century-structure, popularly known as the Bibliotheca, is situated on Republic Square, near the outdoor dining area of the opulent Caffe Cordina. It’s the last of the official structures built by the Knights, and for those interested in conducting research on either the Knights of Malta, or Maltese culture and history, there’s a good chance you’ll find the collections fascinating.

If you visit, be sure to bring a passport or other form of identification, as an ID is needed to obtain an entry badge. Photography is not allowed inside the Reading Room.

More –

• Admission free.
• National Library of Malta (official website)
• National Library of Malta (Wikipedia)

A research library, Malta’s elegant Bibliotheca was established in 1776.

Queen Victoria Statue and Victoria Gate

Having been part of the British Empire for 151 years, Malta still flashes relics from its colonial past. One of the most prominent is the stately Victoria Gate, which faces Valletta’s Grand Harbour side. Constructed in the 1880s, the Victoria Gate replaced its 16th-century predecessor, the Del Monte Gate. We saw crackling oil paintings of the old Del Monte Gate at Valletta’s Museum of Fine Arts and thought it was neat that a marina had sprung up around it, creating a bustling area. It looks like there was once a fountain and fish market nearby there too. Nowadays, the Victoria Gate is a popular place for placid stray cats that lounge under the limestone structure.

The Queen Victoria statue is in front of the National Library on Republic Square. She usually has a flock of pigeons vying for the limited seating space around her crown. Her likeness was inaugurated in 1891.

A favorite of cats and pigeons, respectively: The Victoria Gate and Shawn (left), and a statue of the monarch on Republic Square (right).

Nelson’s Hook

Believed to have been installed into a building’s exterior wall by the Knights, this iron hook on St. John’s Street is often overlooked by passersby. Though it has no signs alerting visitors of its significance, the unassuming hook is believed to have first been used to help hoist St. John’s Co-Cathedral’s gargantuan bells in the 1740s. A few decades later, it might have helped facilitate public punishment – propping up a pillory.

Lord Nelson, the curious hook’s namesake, was said to have squeezed his body through the hook after being dared. This supposedly happened in 1803, and thereafter the tale of Nelson’s flexible feat spread. A legend developed in the British Navy that a promotion could be achieved if a service-member succeeded in wiggling his body through the hook, as demonstrated in this vintage picture. Find the hook on this map.

Shawn and I try to wiggle through Nelson’s Hook. Mission not accomplished. :)

Former Victory Kitchen

During World War II, Malta had more than 40 Victory Kitchens – places from which war-weary families could get food. Back then, families were issued meal vouchers, entitling them to food items like goat’s meat, tomato sauce and beans.

In the early 2000s, a Victory Kitchen sign was unearthed during restoration on this Valletta building. You can find the sign on the Melita Street side of the Clark’s shoe store building. This is right near the intersection with Merchants Street (map here).

During 1940-1942, the Maltese people endured more than 3,300 air raids. As a result, food was often scarce. Victory Kitchens, like this former one on Valletta’s Melita Street, helped keep people fed.

General Resources:

Valletta Waterfront | Cruise Port

Technically in the neighboring town of Floriana, the Valletta Waterfront is the port of entry for visitors arriving by cruise ship. From here, you can access the city by taxi, via the Upper Barrakka Lift (elevator), or on foot.

While the restaurants, bars and shops here mostly cater to visitors, this spot still is historical. In the 1700s, the Knights – along with visiting merchants – used to unload their goods here.

More –

Valletta Waterfront (official website)

Tourist Information Offices

There are two tourist offices in Valletta – one on Melita Street (in central Valletta) and another on the Valletta Waterfront. See the Malta Tourism Authority website for opening hours and contact information.

Transportation

Valletta is known for its steep, San Francisco-esque streets and abundance of steps. While this makes for a picturesque atmosphere, it can also make getting around on foot challenging for someone with limited mobility. In this section, I’ve included information about alternatives to walking:  horse-drawn cabs, electric taxis, and a trackless tourist train.

And, if you’re using Valletta as a hub for exploring spots elsewhere on the island, I’ve included links to Valletta’s bus schedule and bus card options, plus ferries to Sliema and the Three Cities.

• Taxis – From the airport to Valletta & surrounding areas | General taxi standards. We regularly used the bus to get around, but when we needed an early-morning taxi to the airport from Valletta, we used eCABS. We were impressed with the customer service we received, and the pre-arranged fare was the best I found too.
• Bus Travel – Valletta does have a circular bus, which might be useful for getting around Valletta if you have limited mobility or cargo to carry. If you’ll be exploring Malta for a few days or more, you’ll probably want to pick up a multi-use bus card. Depending upon how many days you’re staying, this will likely save you money, and it’ll make bus drivers happy too, since you won’t need to make a cash transaction. Journeys completed within two hours should count as one fare, so save your receipt if you choose to pay with cash. If you’re living in Malta for a longer amount of time, you’re eligible to apply for a residential Tallinja card, which offers even lower fares. Whatever card you choose, use this Journey Planner to map out your excursions. Keep in mind that short distances can be deceiving when it comes to travel times throughout the island! The island is densely populated, and it can take an hour just to go a few kilometers. This is especially true during rush hour, or if there’s just been a heavy storm. (When we first got to Malta in 2015, flooded roads meant that it took us about 2.5 hours to travel just 10 kilometers by bus!)
• Sliema Ferry – It takes about 5 minutes to travel from Valletta’s Marsamxett Harbour to the city of Sliema by ferry. This is considerably faster and more scenic than taking a bus! See the Sliema Ferry website for a timetable and fares.
• Three Cities Ferry | Dgħajsa– The journey time from Valletta to Vittoriosa (known locally as Birgu) is roughly 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can travel by dgħajsa, Malta’s version of a gondola. Dgħajsa drivers congregate near Valletta’s Three Cities ferry point. Like its Sliema Ferry counterpart, a ferry or a dgħajsa is a quicker and more enjoyable way to travel from city to city than by bus. Visit the Three Cities ferry website for a timetable and fares. As for dgħajsas, on one of our crossings by dgħajsa, Shawn and I met ‘Captain Bruce’ who pilots the Pici. He can be reached by mobile at 99 93 33 77. Alternatively, you can schedule a dgħajsa through this website. (I have no experience with this website.)
• Electric Taxi (Smart Cabs) – A fleet of electric taxis exists in Valletta. I’ve never ridden them, but here are pricing and booking details.
• Horse-Drawn Cabs – If you’d like to explore Valletta’s perimeter by horse-drawn carriage (karozzin), you can find horse drivers offering their services near Valletta’s City Gate (near the Bus Terminal), as well as near the entrance to Fort St. Elmo. I’ve never done this before, but as you would anywhere in the world, be sure to confirm the price in advance. There are actually signs posted at the pick-up spots, noting the established prices. As of 2016, it was €35 for the first 30 minutes. This is the price per trip, not per passenger. Also, use your own judgment about whether you think the horse is well-cared for.
• Tourist Train –  Like the horse-drawn cabs, I haven’t had the occasion to ride the tourist train, but I often saw it snake through central Valletta. It might be fun for kids, or practical for those with limited mobility.

A dgħajsa – Malta’s version of a gondola – glides across the Grand Harbour. This is a superb way to get from Valletta to the Three Cities.

Hotels

& Longer-Term Accommodation

When I first visited Valletta in 2006, short-term lodging options were few and far between. Back then, I stayed at the Asti Guesthouse, run by sweet Annie and her family, and situated on atmospheric St. Ursula Street. In recent years, more and more charming boutique hotels and self-catering apartments have appeared on the scene in Valletta (affiliate links), some occupying pretty old palazzi. Since we lived in Valletta, we never had the need to stay elsewhere in the city. Still, Valletta boutique hotels like the Casa Ellul, Trabuxu Boutique Living and 10 Strait Street piqued my curiosity, as they look like they offer a stylish blend of old and new. Airbnb is also an option for finding accommodation. If you’re new to Airbnb and sign up using this link, we both get $25 in travel credit. Some readers have mentioned that Airbnb modifies the promotion from time to time, so the figure might be a bit more or less.

Since Valletta is compact, chances are that you’ll find yourself in a convenient spot wherever you choose to stay on the peninsula. Valletta hosts the island’s main bus terminal, so staying there makes day-trips to sites elsewhere on the island convenient. Even if you’re visiting for a long-weekend or city break, you can see from this guide that there are lots of things to keep you busy in Valletta itself.

While I would wholeheartedly recommend staying in Valletta, it might not be a good fit for you if you’re planning to spend most of your time at the beach, or if you’re not accustomed to lively surroundings. We found it rather noisy living in Valletta: honking horns, a rambunctious family next door, construction noise at many hours of the day and night (even at midnight and at 4 AM). Living on Strada Stretta where there are wine bars, we expected bar-related noise, but not the other types that I mentioned. The live acoustic guitar and chatter of guests emanating from the wine bars & cafés was pleasant and not bothersome; the other noise – pretty intrusive! So, in short, check to see that your Valletta accommodations have sound-proof windows. Or, be prepared to embrace life in a ‘spirited’ capital city.

As for longer-term accommodation, it can be challenging finding a Valletta apartment to rent on a long-term basis. This is because owners prefer short lets (higher profit margins for them), plus only a fraction of the city’s buildings have been restored. The rest of the buildings are derelict, with many undergoing refurbishment. When we moved to Malta in September 2015, I found these practices to be helpful for finding an apartment for a long let:

• Work with several real estate agents at a time, and be persistent! At the height of our apartment search, I was calling or emailing about 7 agents on a daily basis to see if any new properties had appeared in their database since our last conversation. Though we had hoped to avoid paying a realtor’s commission, in the end working with an agent was the only way we could find an apartment. As commission, we paid half of one month’s rent; our landlord paid the other half of that commission.
• If you can, partner with an agent who specializes in properties in Valletta or the Three Cities. If you are set on living in Valletta, clearly communicate this to your agent. Persistence pays off.
• Join accommodation-themed groups on Facebook and publicize that you’re looking to rent in Valletta.
• Distribute your phone number to locals within Valletta. At one point, I even went into shops and restaurants to strike up conversations with employees, inquiring if they knew of anyone with a vacant apartment. I got a few leads this way.
• If you’re looking for a long-let during the winter months, you might have better luck than someone searching during the summer. Otherwise, keep in mind that many apartment owners are eager to rent their properties on a shorter-term basis, especially during the prime tourist season.
• The Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture designation has created a flurry of interest in the city, sparking a ‘seller’s market’. When we were offered a handful of Valletta apartment viewings, we encountered high-pressure sales. Often, a realtor scheduled several clients at once, injecting a feeling of competition.
• We paid €675 monthly rent for an 11-month contract. We had a 1-bedroom apartment, with a combined kitchen/living room. Electricity was approximately €65 a month, and water was about €20 a month. Internet was €30 a month for a 30 Mbps speed.

Groceries & Bakeries

Valletta has a fair number of ‘mom & pop’ grocery markets, making shopping for bottled water and essential nibbles rather convenient if you’re staying in the capital. Some cater to locals, while others target tourists.

Though I like supporting smaller establishments, Shawn and I did most of our grocery shopping outside of Valletta, at Lidl or Pavi supermarkets in the town of Qormi. We did this for several reasons. For one, we tended to do a week’s worth of shopping at a time. Also, larger grocery stores outside of the capital have a greater selection, including gluten-free products. I still occasionally popped into Valletta’s small shops when I needed a last-minute ingredient, or to restock our fruit and veggie basket.

In Valletta, I took a liking to a tiny grocery store named Fresh Direct run by Valletta resident, Tanja, who was happy to share details about Maltese life with me. You can find Tanja’s shop at 143, Old Bakery Street, or via the shop’s website.

If you can, go there on a Saturday (before the afternoon closure), and mingle with some of the Valletta locals. I met 83-year-old Richie, a former cabaret performer, who might even have been a drag queen in the 1950s. The ladies at the grocery store told me that Richie can still dance, and that he was quite handsome during his performing days. I also had a chance meeting with a cosmopolitan Maltese diplomat at the grocery store. He was sporting a straw hat – perhaps from his years spent in South America. He seemed thrilled to share historical tidbits about the island. Other down-to-earth locals there were always eager to tell me what Valletta life was like back in the day too. They lamented that it was much better years ago, because there were less people and things felt more private.

However crowded it is, the shopping experience at Tanja’s felt authentic, with people yelling over the counter in a boisterous fashion. They were quick to tell me that they were passionately discussing issues – not fighting!

When I was writing this guide, Valletta was in the midst of restoring its atmospheric old covered market on Merchant’s Street, called is-Suq tal-Belt in Maltese. Reports say that the ‘new’ covered market will feature food shops and stalls, and catering establishments. We peeked inside this 1860s-era market before the restoration began, and loved the look of the wrought ironwork. It’s lovely to hear that the structure is experiencing a renaissance after many years of neglect. Some locals I chatted with expressed regret that it will “not be the same” experience that they once had buying fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. Nevertheless, I hope it might be able to incorporate some degree of authenticity.

Late during our time in Valletta (lucky for Shawn who is addicted to bread!), we discovered Borg Bakery, an authentic bakery frequented by Valletta locals. You can get ftira and Ħobż Malti there, ranging from 25 to 75 Euro cents for a bread bun or sliced loaf of sourdough, respectively. Find the Borg Bakery at 76, Triq San Nikola. It’s at the tip of the peninsula, heading toward Fort St. Elmo.

For sweet treats I found some lovely cannoli (kannoli) at the kiosk near the City Gate entrance. It’s the first stand on the left if you’re facing the City Gate. It’s a dangerous neighborhood for those with a sweet tooth, because it’s situated next to the celebrated imqaret (date treat) stand. Being gluten-free, I didn’t get to try the kannoli or the imqarets, but Shawn and our Maltese friends gave the cannoli great reviews.

Restaurants

As for restaurants, our Valletta picks follow. If you’re a gluten-free eater, as I am, rest assured that several restaurants offer gluten-free pasta options. If you ask, some might even bring out gluten-free bread to accompany your meal.

Wherever you choose, do consider making reservations – especially on weekends and holidays. Also note that many establishments are closed on Mondays.

• La Mère – Hands-down, this was our Valletta favorite! Perhaps one reason I liked this restaurant so much is because eating there reminded me of our time exploring India. Couple that nostalgia with a delightful menu of Indian, Arabian and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, kind staff, and a cozy interior, and you have a winning combination. All of the waiters I encountered understood what gluten is, and were able to recommend dishes accordingly. I loved the spicy curries!
• D’Office Bistro – Friendly staff, pleasant Mediterranean-style food, complimentary gluten-free bread, and an awareness of what is and is not gluten-free, made this centrally-located restaurant a nice pick. It’s just around the corner from the Grandmaster’s Palace.
• Rampila Restaurant – Tucked into Valletta’s fortifications overlooking the City Gate entrance, the setting is what makes this restaurant special! Stepping inside, you might be tempted to dine under the attractive limestone-arched ceiling, but if you can, reserve a table outside on the terrace for lovely views. After dinner, it’s fun to pop into Rampila’s wine bar for a drink. Its walls are studded with wine from around the world, and through the floor’s glass panel, you can spy the old wine cellar below.

Valletta has a good number of take-away counters for nibbles on-the-go. Pastizzi, a savory pastry most often filled with ricotta cheese or mushy peas, are beloved in Malta. You can find them in establishments throughout Valletta, and they’re often about 50 cents a piece. In Valletta, locals recommended Shawn eat pastizzi from the Sphinx Pastizzeria or Caffe Cordina, but I’m sure most of the stalls in town can give you the requisite experience. ‘Malta’s national snack’ is traditionally mega-caloric, and according to Shawn, not bursting with flavor, except for its rich lard characteristics. We met a lot of Maltese men who lamented that their doctors had put them on a restricted pastizzi diet. Others bragged they could easily down five of these 500-calorie-a-piece treats for breakfast! In the pastizzi recipe I linked to above, Marlene has incorporated parmesan, cheddar and curry. That sounds tasty and innovative!

The terrace at Rampila Restaurant overlooks Valletta’s main gate.

A popular sweet treat are imqaret, which are a deep-fried pastry filled with dates and flavored with anise seed. Like pastizzi, imqaret are off-limits to me because of the gluten. One popular place to find them is just near Valletta’s City Gate. Before you approach the City Gate walkway, you’ll find the freestanding Dates Kiosk just off to the left.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are located throughout Valletta’s main thoroughfare, Republic Street, and on some side streets. Our go-to place for drugstore needs was the Empire Pharmacy, which has a shop on Melita Street and Old Theatre Street. Karen, who works there, was always very helpful and kind.

Post Offices

Valletta’s most convenient post office is situated just across the street from the Auberge de Castille. For other locations and opening hours, visit MaltaPost’s website.

Safety

Crime-wise, Shawn and I never felt unsafe in Valletta. There are occasionally reports about pickpockets in Valletta’s (and Malta’s) most touristic areas. Open grates with drop-offs, low fortification walls, gargantuan piles of dog droppings and wreckless drivers disregarding signs and speed limits probably pose the biggest hazards. I can’t emphasize the poor driving enough, as drivers often do not stop at stop signs or designated pedestrian crosswalks. Unfortunately, news articles about pedestrians and bicyclists being hit in Malta are all too common.

Consult your country’s foreign affairs site for specifics. Here are Malta-specific travel pages for Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders.

Souvenirs

• If you’re looking to take home an ink drawing, mug, or set of notecards capturing the essence of Malta’s colorful doors, floor tiles and street scenes, check out the work of local artist Stephanie Borg, whom we met while on a Maltese olive-oil tasting ecotour. Note that her shop is in Rabat (near popular Mdina), not Valletta.
• A good gift for ladies who appreciate handmade jewelry is a piece of sterling silver filigree. When my beloved Croatian handcrafted filigree earrings needed a polishing, I sought out The Silversmith’s Shop (on Republic Street). They had stunning bracelets, necklaces and pendants there, and I enjoyed talking to the son whose father started the business. A traditional Maltese symbol would be the Maltese Cross, but there are loads of options. I also popped into other filigree jewelry stores to peek at their work, and one shop-owner confessed that many of their pieces are no longer produced in Malta. Be sure to inquire about where the jewelry is made, if that’s important to you.
• The National Museum of Archaeology Gift Shop features items inspired by Malta’s Temple Builders. I thought the shop’s limestone candle holder, featuring the prehistoric people’s trademark swirl design, was neat, but I couldn’t add more weight to our luggage.
• If your country allows you to import honey, it could be fitting to bring home a jar as a souvenir because Malta has been known for its remarkable honey since ancient times. Speculation exists that the name Malta even evolved from names given to it thousands of years ago. Numerous stores in Valletta sell honey, but scrutinize your purchase carefully, as fakes are reputed to exist. The best way to determine authenticity is to purchase directly from the beekeeper. Two Maltese beekeepers we met live outside of Valletta, but perhaps you can meet up with them elsewhere on the island. We visited the apiary of beekeeper Michael Muscat (find his contact details and the story of our visit here) and we also crossed paths with beekeeper Ray Sciberras at several community events.

Handmade filigree bracelets seemingly glow atop a piece of black velvet in a Valletta jeweler’s storefront.

Festivals and Holidays

The Maltese excel at celebrations and fanfare! From a film festival to a baroque music festival, a plethora of special events take place in Valletta year-round. I suggest that you consult the Malta Tourism Authority’s What’s On calendar to see what’s happening during your visit.

What follows, however, are just a handful of Valletta’s most popular festivities. These dates change, so check them before your visit.

• Feast Days:
  • St Paul’s Shipwreck – 10 February
  • St Augustine – 11 May
  • Our Lady of Mount Carmel – 16 July
  • St Dominic – 3 August
• Carnival
• Easter
• Christmas & New Year’s
• Notte Bianca
• Valletta 2018 Events
• Wine Festivals (Delicata and Marsovin)

Vibrant feast day flags line a hilly street in Valletta, as marching band members and revelers mingle under a storm of confetti. This ticker tape-like parade was held as part of St. Paul’s Shipwreck festa celebrations. This much-loved feast day is one of several festas celebrated annually in Valletta.

A float rolls along Valletta’s Republic Street during the city’s annual Carnival parade. From floats depicting Malta’s politicians, to Popeye, to the city’s founding father, Shawn and I were wowed by their creativity.

Valletta’s Republic Street, all aglow with twinkly lights and a Christmas tree composed of more than 2,000 handmade glass ornaments.

Maltese Newspapers

If you want to keep abreast of happenings in Malta before or during your visit, peruse the country’s online newspapers:

• The Times of Malta
• The Malta Independent
• Malta Today

Additional Links and Resources

From Maltese apps to a weather forecast website, here are more links to help you plan your stay in Malta:

• Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture
• Visit Malta (official tourism website)
• City of Valletta website and City of Valletta Facebook page
• Malta Yellow Pages
• Malta 7-Day Forecast
• Malta Apps (recommendations from the Malta Tourism Authority)
• Do you need more trip-planning ideas? From an island hopping sailing excursion, to ecotours in Malta’s greener corners, this index highlights all my posts from Malta.

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Where in the World?

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

Have you visited Valletta, or do you now call Malta’s capital city home? If so, which of your favorite spots have I missed? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Believed to be one of the oldest prehistoric underground temples in the world, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a mysterious and impressive engineering marvel crafted by Malta’s ‘Temple Builders’. Little is known about the sophisticated Temple Builders and why they eventually vanished from the island, leaving only their temples behind. Incredibly, some of their structures predate Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Archaeologists think Malta’s Hypogeum was carved out of living rock as far back as 3600 BCE, and originally used as a sanctuary, then as a necropolis. The remains of approximately 7,000 people were found there.

By the time the Hypogeum was officially rediscovered in 1902, four homes had already been built on top of it. It’s said that real estate developers kept an even earlier discovery quiet so that they could continue constructing homes. The four modern structures have since been demolished, but the site is now engulfed by twentieth-century townhouses. With its present nondescript exterior, you would never guess that a prehistoric treasure like the Hypogeum dwells below ground.

The Hypogeum is built on three levels, with the oldest at ground level. What’s especially incredible about the structure is that it has survived earthquakes. Aesthetically, it’s also impressive that the individuals who sculpted it employed techniques that made it look like architecture, using simple tools to carve the rock.

In addition to finding human remains within the Hypogeum, archaeologists discovered pottery, amulets, beads, and the plump ‘Sleeping Lady’ statue. Made of clay, it depicts a reclined woman, perhaps symbolizing eternal rest. Today, that statue is in the country’s National Archaeology Museum in Valletta.

As we descended into the musty site, water droplets fell from the rock ceiling, which shimmered with moisture. Jammed next to the other visitors, I stepped carefully so I didn’t slip on the path. The air was damp and cool. I shuddered to think how foul the smell must have been millennia earlier when the chambers were filled with decaying corpses.

Occasionally, our female guide pointed out the Hypogeum’s highlights. At other moments, the audioguide prompted us, with a primordial beat in the background. I thought it was fitting that the musician who had created the audioguide’s haunting soundtrack had actually composed and recorded it inside the temple using stones, pottery, and a frame drum as instruments. Apparently wanting to be inspired by the Hypogeum’s surroundings, he spent a great amount of time underground there.

On some of the walls, you could still make out ornamental swirls of red ocher, a natural pigment likely originating from nearby Sicily. Since red ocher has been found elsewhere on Temple People artifacts, it’s thought to be a spiritual flourish, perhaps symbolizing blood or life.

No one actually crooned inside the Hypogeum’s ‘oracle chamber‘ during our tour, but our guide explained that specialists had actually discovered that if a man were to call into the abyss, his booming voice would resonate eerily through the temple. Apparently, this doesn’t work for female voices. It’s unknown if the resonating effect was deliberate, and if it might have had a spiritual purpose. Perhaps someday we will know why, but for now, it’s fascinating to ponder such mysteries of the Hypogeum.

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• The Hypogeum is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and because of its fragile nature, only 80 visitors are allowed inside each day. Since visitor numbers are severely restricted, it’s a good idea to purchase tickets well in advance from the site’s caretaker, Heritage Malta. This Heritage Malta page details Hypogeum ticket prices and opening hours, and links to where you can purchase tickets online. When we visited in April 2016, tickets were €30.00 for adults and €15.00 for students. We purchased our tickets online, and printed out the tickets.
• As we prepared to descend into the Hypogeum, a Heritage Malta employee collected all the purses, cameras, and backpacks of the people on the tour, and stowed them into a locked cabinet near the check-in desk. We were able to reclaim items left behind once we came back upstairs.
• In order to protect the site, photography is not allowed inside, so some of the images I’ve shared here are in the public domain. Note that it’s dark and damp inside the Hypogeum, and rather cramped (not surprising for a nearly 5,000+-year-old site!), so wearing appropriate footwear makes it easier to avoid slips.
• To get to the town of Paola, where the Hypogeum is located, we traveled from Valletta by bus. We used this Journey Planner and Google Maps to plot our route. Keep in mind that short distances can be deceiving when it comes to travel times on Malta. The island is densely populated, and during rush hour it can take an hour just to travel a few kilometers.
• Would you like more ideas as you plan your trip to Malta? This link contains an index of all my posts from Malta.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell (with public domain exceptions noted). All Rights Reserved.

Sitting on the wooden benches of a rustic shelter, our group waited patiently. We shivered quietly and watched for signs of life in the frosted forest before us. It was twilight, and we had come to watch a feeding of wild deer in the Graswang Valley in the German state of Bavaria. These feeding sessions, called Wildtierfütterung in German, are a popular local tradition, and just one example of Germany’s penchant for respecting the environment

During the harshest winter months, Bavarian authorities help care for the deer inhabiting these forested mountains by offering them food. They do so not only to help the deer survive the winter, but also to ensure the animals don’t devour too much of the forest’s foliage. Previously, the deer would have come into the valley to forage independently, but because some of their habitat has been developed by humans, the Wildtierfütterung is a necessary intervention.

As we huddled to stay warm, the professional hunter hosting the event peered through binoculars directed toward the evergreen forest. All was quiet.

“Oh dear,” we joked. “I don’t think any will come today.” I could feel my fingers and toes turning to popsicles. I was happy I’d taken my mother’s advice to wear long underwear and multiple layers of wool clothes.

Suddenly, my mom let out a squeal of delight. “I see one,” she exclaimed.

Moments passed, and soon more silhouettes of deer became visible in the distance. One-by-one, they slowly made their way down the snowy mountain slope to tiny wooden huts overflowing with mounds of hay. Calorie-packed beets had also been scattered over the frozen earth. The animals’ feeding stations looked similar to those at German Christmas markets. The only things missing were cheery people, hearty fest food, and steaming mugs of Glühwein.

About 50 deer eventually emerged from the forest to eat. Males with colossal antlers came the closest to the viewing stand, while more skittish females and younger deer devoured feed in the background. As the sun continued to set, the light transitioned from all-white to a bleached powder blue.

After 20 or 30 minutes, the herd of deer suddenly began dramatically scurrying off, as if they had been summoned by a voice in the forest. And then, all was again quiet in the valley.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• This event was held in the Graswang Valley (Graswangtal), in Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern). The feeding site is just a few kilometers from the village of Oberammergau, which is known for its Passion Play and gingerbread-like homes featuring traditional painting. Feedings take place from December until March. See this Ammergauer Alps Tourism blog post for more details. The site is in German, but translates easily with Google Translate.
• We parked at the Parkplatz Schattenwald (see Google Map above), and then walked about 15 minutes through the forest to the feeding location. Follow signs that say Wildtierfütterung, which translates to ‘wild animal feeding’. Note that there was a rustic wooden outhouse nearby, which looked quite charming with its heart adornment, but it was frozen shut. Hot coffee and other diuretics are not recommended prior to. :)
• When we attended in January 2017, the entrance fee was €3 for adults, and €1 for children.
• Would you like more inspiration as you plan your stay in Bavaria? My Germany guide indexes all my posts from Germany, including glimpses of Heidelberg (where I lived for 10 years), a Bavarian horse-blessing ceremony, and an autumn visit to Neuschwanstein Castle.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All rights reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video.

Venturing into Pučišća’s Stonemason School feels like entering another era. The soundtrack is the hammering, sanding, and chiseling of stone. A snow-white dust dances in the air, hugging every surface, and carpeting the ground. Classic urns, intricate fountains, and a regal lion fill the school’s sun-drenched workshop. Indeed, the only details that may transport you back to the present are the sweatpants, t-shirts, and earbuds worn by the aspiring stonemasons.

The Pučišća Stonemason School (Croatian: Klesarska škola) has trained students in the art of stonemasonry for more than one hundred years. Located on the rugged Croatian island of Brač (pronounced Bra-ch), in the sleepy town of Pučišća, the school currently has 79 students, two of whom are young women. While most of the students come from all over Croatia, there are also a handful from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and even the Czech Republic.

The students choose between three and four-year tracks, with one path leading them to become stonemason technicians, and another preparing them to be stonemasons. There’s even a dormitory and traditional classrooms inside the complex – spaces that Shawn and I accidentally discovered as we navigated the building in search of the main entrance.

Not wanting to interrupt the students for too long, I asked some young men in the workshop why they’d decided to become stonemasons. One of the teenagers confidently took on the role of translator.

“It’s beautiful, that’s why,” the young man said, gesturing to a partially finished window.

The frame he drew my attention to was delicate, white, and similar to windows I’ve seen on historic churches throughout Croatia and Europe. This similarity wasn’t surprising given the traditional techniques employed at this school, and that Brač’s stone has been cherished internationally for centuries.

Incredibly, Brač limestone has been used to adorn parts of the White House in Washington, D.C., as well as parliament buildings in Budapest and Vienna. In Croatia, you can find Brač limestone showcased in UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the Saint James Cathedral in Šibenik, and the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence in Trogir.

There are numerous quarries on Brač. Some are still in use. While others, like the quarry used to source stone for Diocletian’s Palace, were abandoned centuries ago.

As Shawn and I wove between the barrel-like workbenches, I was struck by the patience, passion, and attention to detail the teenagers devote to this art. With a plethora of electronic gadgets to distract them these days, coupled with their own coming-of-age challenges, I was impressed by their emerging talent and dedication.

As we left the school, a trio of boys began teasing a classmate with a compressed-air gun intended to remove stonemasonry dust from clothes. In many ways, the students seemed less like future masters and more like typical teenagers – a forgivable condition considering that Michelangelo was probably the same way in his younger years.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• The town of Pučišća is located on the Croatian island of Brač. For more details about the community, see the Official Tourist Board of Pučišća website.
• The Stonemason School (Klesarska škola in Croatian) is less than a 5-minute walk from Pučišća’s main bus stop. The address is: Novo Riva 4, 21412, Pučišća, and telephone is: +385 (0)21-633-114. Visitors are welcome, but it’s advisable to check the school’s website (link above, note that the site is in Croatian) to verify ticket prices and ensure the school will be open when you intend to visit.
• The island of Brač is accessible by ferry or catamaran, and the journey from the city of Split to Brač takes about one hour. The catamaran goes to the town of Bol, whereas the ferry travels to Supetar. Both vessel types are operated by Jadrolinija, which lists the fares and timetables on its website. When we made the trip in the autumn of 2016, the catamaran fare was 40 kuna one way, per person.
• Distances on Brač appear deceptively short when you look at a map. However, since Brač’s terrain is rugged and many of the roads are curvy, it takes longer to get around than you might think. If you’re traveling by bus, as we did, use the Autotrans Bus website to plan your journey. We stayed in the town of Bol, about 22 km (13.5 miles) from Pučišća. Our journey from Bol to Pučišća took roughly 35 minutes and cost 30 kuna one way, per person. You can buy the tickets on the bus, or online. We got a better overall price by buying round-trip tickets.
• While on Brač, we stayed at the Apartments Milena (affiliate link), in the lovely town of Bol. While it was a bit of a walk from our apartment to Zlatni Rat (Croatia’s most famous beach), grocery stores, cafés, and restaurants, were an even shorter distance. Bol’s main bus stop, as well as the catamaran point, were about 15 minutes away by foot. Milena, the apartment owner, was friendly, brought us homemade cookies, and allowed us to have a late check-out. We didn’t speak a common language, but used Google Translate to converse. Milena and her family also kindly offered for us to use their outdoor oven, which would be great for cooking a traditional peka there.
• Would you like more ideas as you plan your Croatian adventures? Here’s an index of all my posts from Croatia.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. My husband, Shawn, crafted the video.

As golden-hour rays of sunshine cast shadows upon South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park, we remained cautiously optimistic that we’d spot wildlife. Our open-air safari vehicle rolled through the stunning landscape, characterized by sage-colored foliage and terracotta-hued soil. Water droplets sparkled on the vegetation, the result of an earlier rainfall that had quenched Addo’s parched terrain.

Embarking on the late-afternoon game drive moments earlier, the guide cautioned our group that no ‘Big Five’ animal sightings could be guaranteed. The Big Five, a term originally coined by hunters, describes creatures considered the most challenging to hunt: elephants, lions, buffalo, rhinoceroses and leopards.

Despite the ranger’s disclaimer, the animals did emerge. First, we spotted a quartet of kudu. The animals’ antlers resembled curling ribbon twisted around a gift.

A few moments later, the most observant in the group called out, “Look on the right – elephants!”

Like spectators at a tennis match, we craned our necks at breakneck speed. Sure enough, a pair of young bulls were play-fighting, just a few meters from us. Spotting our vehicle, the elephant youth rapidly darted into the bushes, seemingly worried they might be scolded for being mischievous.

Moments later, we encountered a sweet baby elephant cautiously shadowing its mother. While the mama elephant nibbled on foliage, the little one watched as a paparazzi of tourists feverishly snapped away.

Standing only as tall as its mother’s breast, the baby elephant was tiny. The end of its trunk looked like a piece of homemade pasta. Given the Italian penchant for giving regional pastas descriptive names, I wouldn’t be surprised if a tube-shaped pasta had already been dubbed ‘little elephant trunk’.

Other sightings included warthogs, elands, a zebra, a spotted hyena, as well as a pride of lions lounging confidently in the distance. There were signs of smaller life too – everything from the protected flightless dung beetle, to massive termite mounds.

Not surprisingly, as life’s best moments often do, the safari passed quickly, and we found ourselves back at the park’s welcome center. Wandering down a flight of stairs leading to a wooden observation deck, I spotted several adult elephants drinking at a watering hole. The lighting was warm, and the elephants appeared relaxed, despite a handful of visitors watching them from afar.

With that special scene forever etched in my memory, my Addo safari was complete. It’s no wonder why the word ‘safari’ originally meant ‘journey’.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Addo Elephant National Park is one of South Africa’s largest national parks, and it’s also a sanctuary success story. In the 1930s it was established to protect just 11 elephants, and today it’s home to more than 600! It’s located in the Eastern Cape province, roughly a 40-minute drive from the city of Port Elizabeth. This Addo map gives an overview of the site, and even includes an animal-sighting game.
• It’s possible to do a self drive through Addo, but we joined an official guide for this sunset tour. Here are Addo entry fees and game drive costs.
• In the past decade, it’s estimated that the global elephant population has decreased by about 60%. From avoiding organizations that exploit elephants, to refraining from buying ivory, here are things you can do to help elephants.
• Visit the Great Elephant Census, or this list of elephant advocates for more information.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All rights reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video.

Sitting in a barber shop in the coastal city of Split, Croatia, I struggled to answer the stylist’s simple question: How long would we be visiting Croatia? I had learned a smattering of Croatian words, but the names of the months had so far escaped me.

Remembering the calendar hanging above my head – albeit adorned with nude calendar girls – I flipped through the weeks and pointed to a date. As I exposed each month’s voluptuous model, the 70-something barber’s moustache-framed mouth curled into a mischievous grin. However awkward the method, I had satisfied his curiosity. Clearly I was in male territory, though.

The funny encounter got me reminiscing about all the haircuts Shawn and I have had around the world. With my naturally-curly hair, I’ve been more reluctant to get my hair coiffed, perhaps only summoning the courage in 8 countries. In contrast, Shawn has had his locks lovingly trimmed – even aggressively buzzed – in about 18 countries!

Along the way, we’ve learned how to perfect our miming skills such as the “Please only cut this much off” gesture. We’ve also picked up hair vocabulary like šišanje (Croatia), une coupe (France), and подстригване (Bulgaria).

Countries where Shawn has gotten a trim:

• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• India
• Indonesia
• Malta
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Philippines
• Serbia
• Thailand
• Ukraine
• USA
• Vietnam

Shawn’s least-expensive haircut: Serbia at 270 Serbian Dinar ($2.50 USD), nearly tied with the Thai barber shop’s 100 Baht ($3 USD) fee. (These rates are even less than the lowest one mentioned in this round-up of haircut prices around the world.)

The priciest: Germany at 23 Euro (about $26 USD).

His shortest shearing (unexpectedly) occurred in: Bosnia-Herzegovina.

What the cuts had in common: People around the world taking pride in their work, despite there not always being a common language in which to communicate.

And as always, smiles went a long way when words failed to bridge the communication gaps.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All rights reserved.

I’d read about Provence’s unforgiving mistral wind, and now I was battling it in the Ancient Roman theater in Orange, France.

The sky was a clear, brilliant blue on this autumn day, but frigid gusts grew stronger the higher I climbed. Struggling to maintain my footing, I tried to channel lessons learned from years of doing balancing poses on a yoga mat. I could taste a grit in my mouth, the dust of limestone ground down over the millennia.

When the wind got to be too much, I sat upon the chilly concrete seats and admired the splendor of my surroundings. The 2,000-year-old theater’s spectacular backdrop wall soaked up the day’s last hours of sunlight. Weathered columns and niches were still bathed in a golden light, but a statue of Roman Emperor Augustus had already fallen into shadows.

I’ve read that the mistral wind might make its appearance in Provence about 100 days a year! Realizing how much my hair had been tousled by the mistral in a few minutes’ time, I imagined how this fierce wind had impacted performers the last few thousand years. What props have succumbed to the strong gusts? And what did Roman performance-goers wear to protect themselves from the mistral’s inevitable chilling effect?

Realizing that we didn’t have enough outerwear to stay warm, Shawn, his parents, and I headed to a café just across from the theater. We wrapped our hands around hot cups of coffee, and looked at the theater’s exterior from our sheltered spot.

Once we’d gotten our second wind, we again braved the elements to visit the city’s triumphal arch, which was built around the same time as the theater.

As the branches of the nearby trees tossed in the wind, I marveled at how the arch’s carvings could look so intact despite being exposed to centuries of the mistral’s abuse.

A Bit About Roman Orange (Arausio)

Originally known as Arausio, Orange’s Roman chapter began in about 35 BCE, when a military colony was established there.

Like Rome, Orange had temples, baths, an arena, a theater, and an arch. Today, only Orange’s theater and arch survive. The theater is said to be one of Europe’s best preserved. (If you want to dive deeper into the theater’s history, the Orange Tourism Board’s website has a comprehensive timeline.)

Both the theater and Orange’s triumphal arch are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Recognized for its fine architecture long before the 1981 UNESCO inscription, Louis XIV supposedly declared the theater’s backdrop wall as “the most beautiful wall” in his kingdom.

Shawn’s Video:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Orange is located in France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, about 115 km (70 miles) northwest of Marseille.
• The Roman Theater (French: Théâtre antique d’Orange) is open for visits and the venue hosts performances, too. We did independent tours, and were given information-packed audioguides. See the Roman Theater’s official website for opening hours, prices, and upcoming events. When we visited in 2017, there was also a ‘Roman Pass Combined Ticket Offer’, with slightly reduced rates for some of Orange’s, and nearby Nîmes’, Roman sites.
• There is no cost to access Orange’s Triumphal Arch.
• Do you need more inspiration as you plan your trip to France? My France guide contains an index of all my posts from France.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video.

The thermometer flirted with 40°C (104°F) as we wandered from one marvelous temple to another in Thailand’s Sukhothai Historical Park. The scent of frangipani blooms danced in the air, and powdery dirt coated my skin from my knees to my toes.

All was quiet. It was a refreshing change from the bustling markets and hectic streetscapes of the city.

I tried to imagine what these grounds would have looked like 700 years earlier, when the Sukothai Kingdom was at its apex and this was the capital of the Thai Empire. Back then, Sukhothai had around 80,000 residents.

Despite being partially in ruin, the temples still looked magnificent. Shawn and I passed scenic moats, Buddha statues with golden fingers as tall as a human, and twisted tree roots resembling a braiding project gone beautifully awry.

We encountered a couple posing for wedding photos. The bride wore an elegant, buttercup-yellow outfit made from silk.

We marveled at the temples’ architectural details, including ornate prangs, weathered columns, and three-dimensional elephants. Though each temple had its own character, the reddish-orange bricks used to build them were a unifying feature.

Trying to combat the sweltering temperatures, we downed chilled water with a fury. When we spotted a man selling popsicles and ice cream from a tiny cooler, we couldn’t resist the sweet indulgence.

Just as we were savoring our chocolatey ice cream bars, a pick-up truck appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. It pulled over on the roadside near us and a police man – or perhaps a park security guard – hopped out, speaking only Thai, but wearing a uniform and a wide grin on his face.

Embarrassed by the ice cream smears on my face, and my hopelessly sticky hands, I tried to make the rapidly-melting dessert in my hand less obvious.

The man didn’t seem to notice, and he enthusiastically gestured to his phone. Through mimed motions, he ‘asked’ if we could take a picture together. We obliged, and after he’d snapped the smiley selfie, he opened his Google Translate app, trying to express more complex greetings. However, the app’s English translation was incomprehensible.

Before he hopped in his car and drove away, he playfully grabbed Shawn’s thigh, as he made a ‘strong’ gesture with his arms. And then he was gone.

We were both amused and perplexed by the encounter. It was only later in the day, when we met a pair of English-speaking locals, that we understood what the gregarious man had been trying to convey.

This pair expressed how surprised they were to see us exploring the historic park on foot, and not using bikes on such a sizzling day.

“You have much energy,” they said.

Indeed, as evening approached, the locals’ comments about feeling fatigued on such a hot day created a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. By this time, all we could think about was a refreshing shower, and our air-conditioned hotel room.

But one last highlight awaited us in Sukhothai — seeing the sun set behind atmospheric Wat Mahathat.

As the mandarin-rimmed orb dipped behind the now-silhouetted temple, the entire sky turned a sherbet hue. Birds soared overhead. Calmness reigned.

Summoning a burst of energy, while wanting only to savor the tranquil scene, we scurried off to catch the day’s last songthaew (shuttle).

Shawn’s Video:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Sukhothai is located about 430 km (265 miles) north of Bangkok. Chiang Mai is 310 km (190 miles) north of Sukhothai. We spent one full day exploring Sukhothai’s historical park, visiting temples in the Central Zone and the Northern Zone. An adult ticket for each zone cost 100 baht.
• Since we knew we were only going to be staying two nights, we wanted accommodation near Sukhothai’s bus station for easy access. We spent two nights at the Rueangsrisiri Guesthouse 2 (affiliate link). The owners were nice, and our room’s interior was brand new – complete with a showy rhinestone headboard. Small restaurants nearby offered tasty breakfast and dinner options (we opted for Thai fare). One night, we walked to Sukhothai’s night market for dinner. Though not as cosmopolitan as night markets in other Thai cities, it still had many stalls to choose from. After dinner, we chose to take a tuktuk back to the guesthouse because of some feral dogs near the outskirts of the night market.
• If you’re staying in a guesthouse near Sukhothai’s bus station, there is a shuttle (songthaew) at the bus station that’ll take you to the historical park. When we were there this shuttle was a vintage Isuzu with an ‘Old City’ sign on top. A one-way ticket cost 30 baht. We rode this songthaew back and forth.
• Unlike Ayutthaya, Sukhothai’s historic area is rather compact. We were able to see the following in one day, on foot:
  • Wat Mahathat
  • Wat Si Sawai
  • Wat Traphang Ngoen
  • Wat Sa Si
  • Wat Si Chum
  • Wat Phrapai Luang
  • Wat Sorasak
  • King Ramkhamhaeng Monument
  • Peace Bell
  • Sunset at Wat Mahathat
• We took a bus from Ayutthaya to Sukhothai, and the journey took about 5.5 hours. Our first-class seats were a nice splurge, and we were given a boxed snack, including coffee and a brownie. One ticket cost about 500 baht, but this amount also included the tuktuk fare to get to the bus station. For simplicity’s sake (we were not staying near the bus station), we had our wonderful hotel owner in Ayutthaya arrange our onward travel to Sukhothai. She added a fee, which was built into the total ticket price. The tickets would have cost less had we bought them directly from the bus station.
• After Sukhothai, we headed to Chiang Mai. The bus trip from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai took about 6 hours. Since we were staying at a hotel close to the Sukhothai Bus Station we were able to purchase our bus tickets directly. One bus ticket was 207 baht.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All rights reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video.

In a pine-shaded park overlooking the sea in Split, Croatia, a fuzzy donkey emerges among a cluster of joggers, dog-walkers, and families.

The passersby stop and smile, delighted to encounter such a creature in Croatia’s second-largest city. Some people snap photos of the grey donkey with their phones. A father and his young son ask the animal’s handler if they can stroke the animal’s muzzle. Eventually, the donkey wanders off, searching for the ideal patch of greenery to nibble upon. She seems content when she finds a grazing place. It has commanding views of the sparkling Adriatic Sea and neighboring islands.

With a short attention span, the donkey trots off again, stopping next to an abandoned phone booth. Seemingly unrelated at first, the juxtaposition of the two is symbolic in that both animal and booth were once considered essential in daily life. Today, in most parts of the world, they’ve both been rendered obsolete by technology.

Not long ago, donkeys were commonplace in the Mediterranean — beasts of burden that sometimes carried weight greater than their own. They toted water and food and helped to mill grain. But today, because of new forms of transport, the animals’ numbers have shrunk dramatically. By some accounts they are approaching extinction in their native environments.

Marjan Park’s donkeys are descendants of animals that once called the Split Zoo home. The zoo closed a few years ago, and many of the animals were resettled. Today, 8 donkeys, 15 sheep, one goat, and two Shetland ponies still live there. Five employees help care for the animals.

Split resident and artist Hrvoje Cokarić is trying to find an innovative way to help the remaining animals still calling Split’s former zoo home. He has spearheaded a project called Toward Europe Split. The project’s aim is to ensure that Dalmatian donkeys are recognized as an important symbol of cultural heritage even though their role has changed in the 21st century.

“Why are [the donkeys] disappearing?” Hrvoje said. “Because they lost their purpose. We must find a new purpose for them.”

Toward Europe has created a week-long artist’s residency program. Participants from Croatia and abroad have taken part, creating projects that incorporate the donkeys in some way. A local art gallery even offers free lodging to artists participating in the venture. The city of Split helps with vet expenses and basic food costs, with some funding from Croatia’s Ministry of Culture.

Hrvoje envisions the participating artists making short videos, classical paintings, even performances with the donkeys. Currently, Hrvoje and several others are making a documentary about the donkeys. More than ten artists have participated in the residential program so far, with each program generally lasting seven to ten days.

The Toward Europe team is also in the process of retrofitting saddles to hold solar panels that will harness renewable energy. Artists can then take the animals out into the park, and have a means to charge their telephones, cameras, and other electronic devices used to fulfill their artistic vision.

As for the former zoo space itself, Hrvoje and other community partners envision transforming it into a less-institutional landscape where the animals can wander more freely and visitors can learn about what life was once like in Croatia. They’d like to create an educational center.

“We could have workshops for residents and tourists and show them how to milk the sheep, how to make cheese, and what do with the wool,” Hrvoje said. “This could also serve as a gene bank [for this type of donkey].”

The fledgling educational program is already a hit with community members. So far it’s involved high schoolers, young people from a youth correctional facility, and people with special needs.

In an age when some children don’t know what a donkey is (unless, Hrvoje joked, they’ve seen the movie Shrek), the initiative is an important one. Hrvoje elaborates on this theme in the Toward Europe brochure, writing:

“Young people don’t have a chance to meet donkeys anymore. They don’t feel their tenderness and warmth, they don’t gaze into their eye and they don’t laugh at the lurch of their ear. They don’t live with him and they don’t feel gratitude towards him for carrying their burden.”

Hrvoje descends from a long line of ‘donkey whispers.’

“My family was connected with donkeys,” he said. “My great-great grandfather was well known for his abilities to tame wild donkeys.”

Since Hrvoje’s donkey expert forefathers died before he could glean information from them, he has had to learn about donkey behavior and care independently.

“There are no books in Croatian to train with,” Hrvoje said. “However, I have been finding information in an American mini donkey association handbook.”

One of Toward Europe’s projects is to document how to raise donkeys.

“Perhaps only 30 people in Croatia have knowledge of donkey [rearing],” he said. “We’d like to profile older people and their donkeys and share the profiles on YouTube,” he added.

Marina and her donkey mates are a North African species of donkeys, hardy animals that would’ve once carried more than their own weight — perhaps upwards of 200 kg (440 pounds).

But if Hrvoje has his way, Marjan’s donkeys won’t carry more than 40 kg (88 pounds).

“They carried enough in history — let’s make a better future for them,” he said.

Shawn’s Video:

Where in the World?

Further Information:

• Visit the Toward Europe Facebook page to see more photographs of this project.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video.

Having emerged from the long mountain tunnel that separates Lake Skadar National Park from Montenegro’s coastline, the landscape was decidedly different. Gone were glimpses of the expansive Adriatic. In its place was Lake Skadar, Southern Europe’s largest lake.

For months, we’d been staying in Kotor and along Montenegro’s coast. In both places, our apartments were cradled by imposing mountain ranges. Sometimes, these rugged boundaries had made us feel claustrophobic — like they were hemming us in. However, now that we had penetrated this intimidating mountain range, we were rewarded with entirely new scenes. The Skadar landscape was characterized by less grey stone, and more emerald hues.

Lake Skadar is shared by both Montenegro and Albania. Montenegro’s portion has been a national park since the 1980s. It’s an important nature reserve with an incredible amount of biodiversity. More than 250 bird species live there, and there’s also a sizable fish and snail population. Unfortunately, the area is currently threatened, due to the construction of a tourist resort.

We’d only spend one day at Lake Skadar, but it was just the sort of relaxing day we were seeking. Using the village of Virpazar as our base, we spied flirtatious birds and frogs, skittish green lizards, and a poisonous viper snake (poskok). A choir of male frogs overpowered our lunchtime conversation. Fortunately the viper gave us a wide berth during our picnic.

For a few hours we went on a boat cruise with a Montenegrin family. As we glided on the water, we chatted with our guides, Jelena and Andrija, as well as a pair of videographers from Paris.

As we scanned the waterscape for birds, Jelena handed out shots of rakija, a type of brandy that’s ubiquitous in the Balkans. Having spent a fair amount of time in this rakija-filled region, I’ve concluded that this firewater is too potent for me. For a first-timer to Montenegro, though, it’s a must-try!

We arrived on the island of Vranjina. After climbing a hill to a monastery named after St. Nicholas, we conversed with a talkative beekeeper and the island’s resident monk. The views from the monastery were extraordinary, as was the aroma of wild thyme dancing on the breeze. With such pristine surroundings, we were certain that the monastery’s honey must be equally delightful, however, we couldn’t add any more cargo to the already bursting bags awaiting us back at our apartment.

Back on the mainland, Shawn and I perused the stands of Virpazar’s tiny, but pleasant, Friday market. We procured some cheese (sir) for our picnic. The slightly-tangy cheese was a great accompaniment to the bread, peppers, hard-boiled eggs, and nuts we had packed.

Jelena told us that a great place to get coffee was Silistria, a restaurant housed in a boat near Virpazar’s town square. Sipping coffee on Silistria’s open deck for an hour, we watched as a bird gracefully dove in and out of the water, herself inspired to catch a bite to eat. Afterwards, we made a short uphill walk to the Besac Fortress, a white stone fort built by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. Peaceful white daisies filled the grounds, a stark contrast to the battles that were fought there in centuries past.

Our Lake Skadar day trip was bookended by tunnel travel to and from the coast. During the train trip back to our seaside apartment, I nearly fell asleep in that seemingly-endless tunnel. l was no doubt lulled by the rocking of the train, and relaxed by the calming scenes we’d soaked up earlier.

Further Resources:

• Dalmatian Pelican Under Threat (Deutsche Welle)
• Lake Skadar: Why Southern Europe’s Largest Lake Is Worth a Visit (CNN Travel)
• Montenegro’s Pristine Lake Skadar Threatened by New Resort (The Guardian)

Shawn’s Video & 360° Photos:

The St. Nicholas Monastery, on the island of Vranjina

The Besac Fortress, which overlooks Virpazar and Lake Skadar

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• The village of Virpazar is one of the main launching points for exploring Lake Skadar. It is about 30 km (19 miles) from Podgorica, and 25 km (16 miles) from the city of Bar. We made a day trip to Virpazar.
• Montenegro’s train service links both Bar and Podgorica with Virpazar. We actually traveled from the city of Sutomore. Here is Montenegro’s train schedule, which includes costs. Our train fare was €1.20 per person, each way.
• Before arriving at Lake Skadar, we made arrangements with the family-owned Boat Milica to go on a two-hour boat cruise. There was only one other couple on our tour, and we split the fee (€17 per couple, per hour.)
• Tickets to enter Lake Skadar National Park are €4 per adult.
• The Besac Fortress entrance is €1 per person.
• Sunlight reflecting on the lake can be intense — even during springtime. You’ll be happy that you brought sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat!
• One day was not enough time to fully explore this special national park. With the Pavlova Strana horseshoe-bend lookout, island monasteries, family wineries, and more villages left to explore, I hope we’ll soon be back to Lake Skadar.
• See my Montenegro guide for more ideas and travel tips.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. My husband, Shawn, created the video and 360° photos.

The German city of Heidelberg is perhaps best known for its romantic castle ruins, its highly esteemed university, and its Old Town, which is studded with mostly baroque architecture.

Having lived in Heidelberg for 10 years, the city means additional things to me though.

It’s where I held some of my first real world jobs, where I came to know myself, and where my husband and I were married. The city also served as the backdrop for introductions to new friends, as well as meet-ups with loved ones from back home who made the journey overseas to see me. It was my launching pad for exploring new lands, my window on the world for an entire decade.

I left Heidelberg in 2011, and for six years, I didn’t return “home.” However earlier this month, Shawn and I made a return visit to this special city on the Neckar River.

The autumn leaves were at their peak. My fifth-floor apartment’s exterior walls still wore a raspberry shade of paint. And the castle hadn’t lost its allure.

The sound of car tires rolling on the Old Town’s cobbled lanes was both comforting and familiar. So too was the aroma of beer being made in one of the Heidelberg’s most beloved breweries. There was also the sight of recognizable turrets — even quirky faces — adorning the Old Town’s buildings. It’s funny how all these details came back.

I used to spend hours walking Heidelberg’s historic streets, soaking up the architecture, wondering who had lived inside the classic old buildings over the centuries.

In this collage, I’ve “collected” all types of windows: a ruined Gothic window in the Heidelberg Castle, a red and pink flower-framed one belonging to the city’s town hall (Rathaus), and the gorgeous window that adorns the Renaissance-style Hotel zum Ritter.

Also featured is one of my old windows. It’s no longer the frame through which I view the world. However, I’m glad I had the chance to write a chapter of my own story there.

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

• Heidelberg is located about 95 km (60 miles) from the city of Frankfurt.
• For more information about Heidelberg, peruse Heidelberg’s Tourist Information Center.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.