Pre-Trip: You are going where?

Why Malta?

Malta has been on my bucket list as a location to visit since I was in Miss Slattery's sixth grade geography class. (I am the good looking kid on the front row.) There was just something about being in the middle of the Mediterranean that caught my attention. If you ask my mom she would tell you geography was one of the few courses  I did well in (translated...passed with something higher than a C-) during my school years.



This island nation, often referred to “as the gem in the heart of the Mediterranean”, has played a major role in civilization since prehistoric times. Temples built in the fourth millennium BC, which predate the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge, can still be explored today. In fact a short ferry ride to this neighboring island of Gozo, one can see the temples in Ġgantija, which are considered the oldest, surviving, freestanding monuments in the world. But it was the allure of the Knights of Hospitaller (aka the Knights of St. John), who battled the Turks, the Moors, the Barbary pirates and ruled this island nation for 250 years that was just to great of a draw for this school boy. A pilgrimage was in order, and indeed now 47 years later the time has come.

Where is it?

Malta is part of Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino are the three inhabited islands of this southern European chain, which lies 50 miles south of Sicily, 170 miles east of Tunisia, and 200 miles north of Libya.

Thank You Google Maps

Malta, the largest island in the archipelago, is only 16 miles by 20 miles in size. Yet with 450,000 inhabitants it is one of the most densely populated nations in the world. The three islands, connected by short ferry rides, will definitely be explored and photographed…Promise! Malta is a very popular vacation destination of Europeans in the summer months, so it is our hope by traveling in April we will be able to avoid the masses at the cost of warm water. This time of year, the 65 degrees water temperature may be great for those who live in Cape Cod, but for these Caribbean spoiled swimmers, we may only do a plunge.

Isn’t it the place where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at the end of WWII?

Well close… Two out of three were there. Roosevelt and Churchill met in Malta in early February, 1945 before the big three met in Yalta, which is in the Ukraine. The primary purpose was to insure that England and the U.S. remained under one command structure for the ongoing invasion of Germany, and plan on how to deal with Russians as they moved westward. This is just one moment in history on this island that plays gateway between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. From the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, the Normans, the Crusades, the Turks, the French and the British and their role in World Wars I and II, Malta has been in the thick of world history. Because of their past, Malta has an interesting blend of culture and language. Maltese and English are both the official languages of the island. The Maltese language is unique in that the words are primarily Semitic, but it is written in the Latin alphabet.  

For example, while preparing for our trip, we researched Maltese cuisine and found a recipe called “Stuffat tal-Majjal”. The dish sure looks like a North African word, but when translated to English it means Pork Stew. There is not much chance the origins of this amazing dish were in the Arab world. 

Quick Off Ramp: We did make Stuffat tal-Majjal and found it to be wonderful stew. I did adapt the recipe, but if you click on the Fun Things tab on the side of blog it will take you to the original recipe and my adapted version. I had no Maltese Wine on hand so we went with a Sicilian Nero d'Avola that paired very well. Give it a shot - Igwadu! (Maltese for - Enjoy!)

Really?

ABSOLUTELY! This adventure starts on the last day of March, and has the potential to be a very special couple of weeks. We depart from Philadelphia and fly direct to Rome. Transferring in Rome for the final leg to Malta, we will arrive late afternoon on Friday 1 April. Believe me the irony of the date has not escaped my attention. This whole trip has occurred spontaneously in the last two weeks, and amazingly all the pieces have come together. Seven days in Malta will be followed by a day in Rome as we do our version of a Cruise Ship visit. How does one see a world capital in a day? Well stay tune and we will find out together.

Upon our return to Philadelphia, we will leave directly by train to New York for three days. Last summer I was lucky enough to get two tickets to the David Gilmour (Pink Floyd Guitarist) concert in Madison Square Garden. Believe me; I have been counting the days since last July when I scored the tickets at face price online.



The concert sold out in 6 minutes! 

So now feeling very cosmopolitan with a whirlwind trip to the continent and back for a major entertainment event in the Big Apple the next 7 days cannot come fast enough.

Although recent terrorist activities will not stop our plans; they are serious enough to put us on full alert. Our situational awareness in the coming weeks will be at a heighten state, whether we are in Europe or New York. It is unfortunate the actions of a few have injured, maimed, or murdered innocent people, however to succumb to them and become an isolationist means they have won.

Je Suis New York, Paris, Brussels, the World!

Oh yeah... And as always - comments are welcomed! If you are having problems posting a comment to the blog, please check out Comment Help on the right side under Fun Things.  (OK it is not very fun, but I did not know where else to put it)