Marcia Abramson
He told us that he was on the transport carrier the USS Austin from Camp LeJeune, South Carolina and was standing guard with a Maltese Marine. His tour of duty was ending in this locale in a few days and then he would be headed for another port in the region. Later, when
I reviewed a map, I saw that we were not far from Libya, one of the countries declared unsafe for Americans because of terrorist activities.
Because of its strategic military location in the Mediterranean, Malta has a history influenced by its capture and occupation by Phoenicians in the 10th century B.C., the Greeks during the 8th century B.C. and the Carthaginians in the 4th century B.C. It was annexed by the Romans in 218 B.C., conquered by the Byzantines in 533 A.D. and by the Arabs in 869 A.D. The Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem took over the island after their expulsion from the Island of Rhodes by the Turks. They then became the Knights of Malta and began the fortifications to protect themselves from future Turkish invasions. Finally, the Knights defeated the Turks in 1566 after the Great Siege. They then founded the city of Valletta which became the capital of Malta. This brave little island again came under vicious attacks during World War II by the Italian armies who were allied with Nazi Germany. Those memories still haunt the Maltese people who resent being identified as Italian in spite of their close proximity to Italy geographically. They keep a reminder of the shelling by the Axis powers alive with the ruins of the bombed out ruin of the Opera House at the entrance to Valletta. In order to enter the city you must leave all vehicles at the entrance gate to this still well-fortified city. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes when walking through the cobble stone hilly streets. The British influence is felt everywhere dating back to the days when Malta was part of the British Empire before becoming independent of the monarchy in 1964 and becoming a republic in 1974.
Autos and buses are still driven on the left and the presence of the ubiquitous Marks and Spencer Department Store is just across the street from the magnificent St. John's Co-Cathedral built in 1558. St. John's is a Co-Cathedral because Malta can only have one cathedral since it is a sole diocese. The interior of the Cathedral is spectacular with a painted ceiling which has Caravaggio's painting "The Beheading of St. John." Adjacent to the cathedral is the Co-Cathedral Museum. Other museums to visit in Valletta are the National Museum of Archaeology and the National Museum of Fine Arts. A War Museum is also at the old Fort St. Elmo which watches over the entrance to the Grand Harbour. The exhibits deal mainly with World War II relics including one of the E-Boats used in the attack on Malta.
Along this main street are numerous souvenir shops featuring filigreed Maltese silver jewelry and the famous Maltese Brass Door Knockers. The door knockers come in various styles and sizes costing about 20 U.S. dollars. Of course, you can't leave Malta without one and Jill and I are still waiting to have ours screwed onto our front doors.
I also became interested in learning more about Maltese cuisine which is quite distinct in that it is a blend of Arab, Italian and French cooking with a concentration on pasta, vegetables and fish. I found a great cook book by Claudia Caruana, one of the foremost authorities on Maltese cooking and a member of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, entitled "Taste of Malta." This book was published last year by Hippocrene Books and contains a wealth of knowledge on the food delicacies of this little island with some very good recipes. There is pastizzi, a flaky pastry filled with either cheese, peas or meat and resembles the Neapolitan sfogliatelle, and then there is qassatat, another cheese pastry but with a non-flaky dough. Another specialty is umpana, made from macaroni, meat, eggplant or other vegetables and eggs baked inside the flaky pastry. Kinne is a bittersweet soft drink made from herbs and is a favorite of the Maltese. They also have a diet version which could be the equivalent of Diet Coke or Pepsi.
Malta turned out to be the favorite destination of the Renaissance Cruises by a good number of the passengers thus far. The other itineraries on this cruise include the Greek island of Corfu, Messina, Naples, Corsica, Rome, Florence, Aix en Province, Marseille, Nice, Monaco, Palma De Mallorca and Barcelona. However, it might be that the best is yet to come.
