Tiny Malta, a Giant in the Mediterranean

So, where do I begin?

                   Maybe with an apology.

                   We have now entered the stretch of Ports that are one right after another, leaving little time to put these posts together! But, have no fear! You will be inundated with useless tid-bits of random facts and trivia if I have to extend this voyage beyond its ending date!

                   Really, I have about six days at sea when we cross the Atlantic to have everything wrapped up by the time that we hit Fort Lauderdale. But I will be honest with you, having some “Sea Days” to wind down is now a luxury! I can hear it now…. “Oh, poor Donny, too many days exploring fascinating Ports-of-Call and sampling the exotic foods of these foreign ports! Gee, sure wish I was in his shoes!”

                   My friends, you are absolutely within your rights to think that way only if you think for a nanosecond that we really feel like that!

                   Much on the contrary, we pinch ourselves every day….. we still cannot believe that we are on this ship, sailing around the world, and experiencing everything that we have already seen, and those waiting to be discovered!

                   So, as I said, we are in the stretch of “close” ports. The Mediterranean is a perfect place to cruise if you want lots of interesting ports close together. There is a common thread that binds all of these ports together and it’s a long one….

                             The thread of history.

                             Sometimes it seems as though we could get to the point of, “Yea, yea, been there, done that”, and then we round a corner and come face to face with something that we’ve never seen before. You would think that “Seen one cathedral, seen ‘em all” would possibly be the mantra of this segment but I can assure you that each one has its own incredible mosaic, ceiling, or story to tell, and they are all fascinating.

                   So, let’s start there for today, because that is where we started when Olympia, from Tours by Locals brought us to The Sanctuary Basilica of The Assumption of Our Lady (which is a mouthful) so it is more commonly known as The Rotunda of Mosta, in Mosta, Malta. The Rotunda was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome and boasts the third largest unsupported dome in the world.

Olympia could be the most knowledgeable guide that we have had to date. This takes nothing away from the other guides that we’ve had, it’s just that she really stands out. I’m not sure, but she may have been a History Major because she spewed out facts, figures, and dates better than my old Junior year History teacher, Mr. Dooley, could have ever done! I’m afraid that all of her efforts may have been a bit lost, as there was no way that we could have remembered everything without taking notes and we are glad that there was not going to be a quiz at the end! In the meantime, she was able to convey to us the long tapestry of interwoven cultures that have shaped the tiny island nation of Malta.

                   When it comes to history in the Mediterranean, everything is just basically older than dirt! You can’t walk anywhere without stubbing your toe on some ancient ruins. This is no different on Malta and it may include structures from even a bit earlier. There are some Neo-Mega-lithic formations here that defy our understanding of how they were assembled. Much the same as Stonehenge, Easter Island, or any number of other building projects, we can only surmise and offer theories on how these giant rocks were placed where they are! I’ll show you a photo.

                   Let’s get back to The Rotunda. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on any particular scenario, our schedule brought us to Malta and Italy for the Easter weekend….. oops! While all of the churches and such were obviously open, it meant that we were traipsing around inside and gawking at everything while the townsfolk were in there worshipping. I think it was awkward, but I am sure that they are used to it by now as these places have been visited for centuries by travelers. The vaulted ceiling of The Rotunda was quite impressive and was only enhanced by the wonderful voices of a children’s choir singing during the Good Friday morning service. It made this experience just a little more special.

We then went into an antechamber that held the parish museum and gift shop. This is another way that you can tell that all of us camera-toting visigoths have become an essential part of helping to keep these churches alive. We felt better in the museum, a little less conspicuous than in the church!

                   If Malta sounds a little familiar to you it is probably from a history lesson that was tucked back in the cobwebs of your mind. Malta has been at the crossroads of every conquering invasion of just about anywhere in this region from the beginning of recorded time, beginning with the Phoenicians. This central role has continued right up to and included WWII. Evidence of this inclusion can be found right there in the museum of The Rotunda, for there in front of us was the (thankfully) replica of the 300-pound bomb that was dropped and crashed through the Dome and then just ‘thunked’ on the floor. The three hundred plus parishioners that were in there at the time were as thankful as we were that it did not explode.

                             The parishioners are quite sure that Our Lady had something to do with this miracle!

                   Our next destination was the medieval city of Mdina.

                   No, I did not forget a vowel, that is the correct spelling and is pronounced M-deena. Mdina is another example of a walled city from those times and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have yet to visit one of these Sites that has not deserved their designation as such, so given the chance, you should put as many of these historical places on your travels list.

                   Malta, and particularly Mdina, take their place in modern history, (let’s say from the Crusades onward) from the Knight’s of St. John, a holy order (or army if you wish) that wrestled control away from the Ottomans during the Crusades and held sway against any other invaders until even more recent times that saw it come under various kings of Italian provinces. Things were relatively calm for a few centuries when along came the British (not again!) in the early 1800’s who established their Mediterranean Fleet there. Malta is situated halfway between the Suez Canal and Gibraltar (another Brit base!), so its strategic location made it quite important for re-fueling and as a trading partner. Malta remained a British Protectorate until 1964 when it gained its independence. So that explains why we drove on the wrong side of the road while we were there!

                   After our walk through Mdina, we drove down the hills to the rocky coastline where we walked further down to the cliffs until we came to a dock where all of the boats meet. These boats belong to the “Captains” that pilot the boats that take people to the Blue Grotto Caves. We all piled into what was not much more than a large rowboat and away we went. (I did notice that Olympia declined to come with us and the fact that the provided life jackets were perfunctory at best may have contributed to her decision!)

Around a promontory we sailed, and we soon came upon one of about six different caves, varying in size and features. But the one uniting characteristic of these caves was the “color” of the water. It was a wonderfully azure bluish tinted color and was quite striking, especially when the sunlight was as direct as it was when we were there. Photos will do this better than I can!

When we left the caves, we headed for our much anticipated “we’re starving to death” luncheon at a nifty little place in local little fishing village harbor. They were waiting for us as only can be had when you have a “local” call and make arrangements for whenever you may arrive! Pizzas and refreshments later, we admired the colorful little boats lying at their moorings and then piled back in the van for our return.

                             After the harbor visit it was back to the port where we took the “Lift” up to the town’s main area, had a look around, took a few photos, and then booked it back to the ship for a light dinner!  

                   The next day is Sicily!