Where In The World Is Malta?

Before our trip to Malta, this is how many of my conversations went with friends:

--"Yeah, we are going to Malta for five days".

--"Oh, how fun!"

But then a puzzling look ...

--"Wait, but where is Malta?"

Most Americans knew of Malta but didn't really know where its' located, and if it's even in Europe. Most British did know where Malta is since...well...Great Britain used to own it.

Frankly speaking, a couple of years ago, I probably wouldn't be able to find Malta on a map either. So here is a map for you with Malta right in the middle, close to the coast of Sicily (Italy's boot's toe) and Africa, in the middle of the Mediterranean (I can't believe I just had to use spell check for this last word, I used to know it brilliantly in high school).

Why Malta, you might ask? Well, Robert was told he has a very low level of vitamin D, so I thought it would be nice to go to somewhere sunny during winter months (and ancient and beautiful). Therefore, our next four trips were scheduled to warm(ish) places, and Malta was one of them. Moreover, my mom was able to join us on this trip as well since she had her EU visa valid till the end of February. Tickets were very affordable and the place I found for us was super cheap-less then 50 euros a night for six people. It was quite basic, but in a great location. 

Our early flight out of Luton airport meant waking up at before 4 am so we could be parking and checking in by 5 am. Kids love these sort of unusual mornings, they are excited about them for days...not me. But this time I was super organized and packed 95% of our stuff two days early, so I was able to go to bed on time to wake up that early.

Three hour flight on Ryanair and we were in Malta. We needed to wait for my mom for a little bit (an hour) so we had some lunch at the airport.

Really quickly, I'll recap a very-very old history of Malta, in fact its history dates back to the dawn of civilization and some artifacts found on the island prove that the island was inhibited even 3000 years BC. Apostle Paul brought Christianity to Malta in 60 AD (his ship crashed off the coast of Malta), then the Arabs conquered Malta in the 9th century which impacted Maltese culture and language. Until the 16th century, Malta was considered and extension of Sicily, so whoever ruled Sicily, also ruled Malta (the Normans and the Arogonese). The Knights of St. John are the ones who took over Malta until 1798 (they were quite popular here), but then Napoleon invaded Malta and ruled over it for a couple of years. Since the Maltese asked the British to help (and the Brits did kick the French out), Malta continued to be under the British rule till 1964 when it became independent, and consequently a Republic in 1974 and part of the EU in 2004. Since then, a lot of EU money has been poured into Malta to ensure the tourists come every year in thousands. 

One of the major improvements in Malta since 2004 has been the roads condition. That brings me to the next point. We DID NOT rent a car in Malta, which is quite unusual for us. The BUS is king in Malta:). Possibly having a car would have been more convenient, but not having to stress about driving here definitely overweighed other factors. Besides, it only cost 6 euros for adults for a whole week to ride buses however much you want! It's a bargain.

The roads were okay, and I can't imagine what they were like before 2004--narrow and steep, mixed with crazy drivers and British type roundabouts. We used the bus for everything although sometimes it took an hour to get somewhere. During summer months, I am sure the buses are way more crowded but also go more frequently. On this trip, we had to know the bus schedule especially since in some places the bus only went once an hour! 

All right.

Getting from the airport was super easy. A direct bus from the terminal took us to Bugibba (Boodzhiba)--that was over an hour as it was going from the south part of the island to the north. After wondering around with our suitcases and asking several people for directions, we found our Sunseeker Resort. We unpacked a bit and ran to the beach, which is not really a beach in this area, but more like rocky areas or manmade concrete platforms for sunbathing and diving. I am sure this places is hopping during warmer months. The weather was sunny and beautiful.  

My mom loves anything connected with water, so she was very happy to be here.

Our three generations picture in Malta.

And Katya hanging on Robert.

One sad thing was that the days were still quite short since it was middle of February after all. We watched the sun disappear and clouds come in. The weather on the island is constantly changing.

We walked along the boardwalk for a while, trying to get our bearings. By chance, we ran into a senior missionary couple who is serving on the island, the Hancocks. They were so fun to talk to (and they were happy to see kids and talk to Americans)! Sister Hancock even gave Katya her owl necklace...just because (and Katya was in heaven, of course). The fun part is that somehow they remembered where we were staying and left us a sweet surprise on Valentine's Day! So nice. 

Ah, I am jumping the gun. Okay, that was the end of Day 1. We had pizza (lots of Italian food here) that was delicious, except Alex will forever remember he hates gorgonzola cheese-haha.

To Be Continued...

Lyana.