We awoke Tuesday morning to find the Royal Clipper still sailing toward the coast of Malta. It’s always nice to have a couple of quiet hours before the mad rush to breakfast. We were especially happy to find that the Clipper would be coming alongside the pier, and therefore, we didn’t have to take a tender boat to shore. It’s not easy to board a little boat that is bouncing in opposition to the ship while, at the same time, folding yourself up like a lawn chair to squeeze through the door. I have recurring nightmares about falling in while attempting to board, so my anxiety level is soaring while we wait in line to board. Walking the gangway is just a happy way to start a day ashore.
We entered the harbor around 8:30 am, and by 9 am we were alongside the dock in the capital city of Valleta and ready to disembark. The tiny island of Malta lies southwest of Sicily. The first inhabitants arrived from Sicily during the Stone Age. It was later settled by the Pheonicians in 800 BC and later became part of the Roman empire. Over the course of history, Malta has been conquered by the Arabs, , the Normans, the Turks, French, and most recently, the British in 1921. Malta was nearly devastated during heavy bombing raids in WWII, and King George VI conferred the cross of St. George on the Maltese people for the courage they demonstrated during the war. In 1964, Malta became a The Republic of Malta, and the British left Malta completely in 1979. On May 1, 2004, The Republic of Malta became part of the European Union.
The culture is an interesting mix of Arabic, French, and British. Maltese is the one of the oldest languages in the world, we’re told, with it’s roots in Aramaic. Most of the Maltese are bilingual as both Maltese and English are compulsory in the schools. More than 80% of the residents here speak English, and our US dollars are welcome–both making our day in Valletta more pleasant. Malta’s primary industry is tourism; however, we were fortunate to be one of only two ships in port. We were told that four ships are expected Wednesday. A single large cruise ship can pack the streets of such a small city within minutes, so we were fortunate to be able to enjoy the city in relative peace and quiet.
Our morning tour took us to “Six Must See Sights” of Malta including the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk, the ancient capital city of Midina, the Blue Grotto, and St. Paul’s Islands. St. Paul was shipwrecked here in 60 AD as described in Acts. I have included a few photos from our day here. We loved this small island
The view of Valletta as we entered the harbor.
The Blue Grotto
The Great Seige Bell, commemorating the 7000 servicement and civilians who died in defense of Malta in WWII.