I am just getting what it looks like to have 500,000 people in a country 3% the size of the Big Island of Hawaii (which only has about 187,000 people)? In their efforts to vitalize and stay afloat during covid, they’ve been building like crazy, and old/new buildings tend to be 7-10 stories tall, ( and up) cheek by jowl, no spaces between with cranes everywhere, trying to keep up with demand. The new buildings sit next to old buildings, and modern next to historic, street by street.
The guidebook says that Malta was just a big rock, and that is evidently true. No shortage of stone building materials. The raw building material they use is native stone, and colors range from a white-ish to a beige, leaving many heavily occupied spots a white-ish city on a hill. Nearly every vulnerable outcrop is surrounded by heavy fortifications of walls, moats, and guns.
Malta has this story, you see, not unlike David and Goliath. Since pre-civilization, time and again, raiders have come from the sea with intentions to conquer, and mostly they have been successful. Then came modern time, the British, and WW2, during which David once again — this story is so fantastical it shouldn’t have been true — was overmatched. The Nazi’s came, bombs dropping like fire ants, June 1940. Malta was a British protectorate, but Malta had three airplanes in their air force. Malta was essential to holding the Mediterranean for the Allies, so the other side bombed it continuously. People moved into tunnels and caves. 20% of the population became homeless. They shouldn’t have survived. The records show an incredible defense, with the help of the Allies, and the tiny ferocious Maltese earned Malta their freedom to be their own country. It’s inspiring to see such enormous pride in their land, even support for their government.
They have a record of David and Goliath battles.
Everyone still speaks of the Turkish invasion as though it was a year ago. Beginning in 1547. The Turks took round one. Then the Turks took round two, enslaving and carrying away the citizens. Quickly after, The Turks took round three. In 1565 roughly 50,000 Turks invaded. There were 540 Knights, 4000 Maltese, and a few mixed others. Apparently, they figured it would be easy, why not? In the 11th hour, the attack on the rest of the island, including where we are sleeping, was thwarted by some Sicilian troops, a few, and when the dust settled 35,000 Turks lay dead, and Malta survived. Nice story don’t you think? One has to love a victorious underdog.
Some fashion notes: Lots of dresses on women-looking very comfy indeed. The overwhelming colors for men and women alike are black, grey, and white. We visitors are all over the map, somewhat by nationality. Boats are essentially white, and blue is the color of anything at all that has color, including trim, sails, etc. No wonder they are hard to spot when on the open water. Plenty of man-buns worn high on the head. Smokers!!!! Even in stores that sell food, there are smoke plumes twisting around everywhere.
Lastly, we shared a new experience together. Lew and I shared a public toilet. It seems they’ve solved the gender question quite nicely by ignoring it, and letting us share the room that has several stalls and a common sink. No reason for it feeling so odd, but it did feel different for us to be washing our hands at the same sink.
Tomorrow we got tickets to the Hypogeum. I’ll tell you what it is for sure after we’ve been there, but it has something to do with old, really old temples of antiquity. They didn’t have gelato either, I presume. No wonder they died out.
Awesome! Love the recount of the history. Can’t wait to have you all home. Love the restroom solution.
thanks- interesting isn’t it? They even have door-to-door
compost pick up every morning. who knew?