From Munich to the Mediterranean

Last week, Larry dragged himself out of the office long enough for us to go on a real vacation. Although the original intent was a mind-cleansing week on the beach, we did take advantage of some of the sight-seeing opportunities in our vacation destination: Malta.

So how to tie it back to Munich (or even Germany as a whole) for this blog in a way that is more meaningful than “just a short flight away?” 

Tough call, but here are a few tidbits:

• Although Malta is a seven-island archipelago comprising an entire country, it is roughly the same size (316 sq km) as the city of Munich (310 sq km).

• The movie Munich was not actually filmed in Munich, but one of the shoot locations was...Malta!

• The only passport that provides access to more countries around the world than a German passport? The very rare (only 500 people have it) Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport.

• Because of its strategic location and importance to British forces, Malta was heavily bombed by the Germans and the Italians in World War II.

• The members of the Maltese team for the European Youth Olympic Festival were on our flight to Munich. 😊

Now that we have the trivia out of the way, please enjoy some boring vacation photos... 

Like much of the Mediterranean, one of the first things you notice are the various stunning shades of blue of the water.

We wanted low-key, so opted to stay in this converted farmhouse on the island of Gozo
instead of staying on the main island of Malta. 

The name of our accommodation? Rustic Farmhouse With Views. Appropriate for a scene like this, where you can see the Blue Lagoon in the tiny neighboring island of Comino, and in the distance you can see the main island of Malta.
This shot also shows the traditional rock walls that line most streets in Malta. It's all dry-fit stone and the perfect habitat
for lizards and (per a street sign urging driver caution) hedgehogs!

We stayed in the town of Qala (pronounced without the Q), where evenings in the town square meant
pulling chairs out on the street to have a drink and chat with neighbors. 

Most Malta beaches are rocky, like Hondoq, which was down the hill from where we were staying.

We were lucky to visit Ramla's red sand beach on a day that wasn't too crowded, and took full advantage of
comfortable sandy sunbathing and warm Mediterranean water.

To balance beach time, we visited a local artisan crafts village, and Ggantija, a 5000-year-old temple complex.

We also went on a kayaking trip (my first!), on a guided tour from Gozo to Comino,
where we stopped to swim a bit in the Blue Lagoon.

While Larry looked into dive options close to home, I enjoyed a solo day of sightseeing on Malta.
First, to the capital city of Valletta.

View from Valletta's Upper Barrakka Gardens out over the fortress armory to another fort across the way

View over part of Valletta and its waterfront

...Then a visit to what turned out to be my favorite spot of the trip:
the ancient (4,000 years old!!) walled city and former capital, Mdina

Stretch of wall to the right of Mdina's main entry gate

Interesting architecture in Mdina

Views of two streets in Mdina. Although cars were present and people still live here, the only traffic was the horse-drawn carriages giving guided tours.

View out over the walls of Mdina

Malta is definitely a land of contrasts.

Yup, they're making sun-dried tomatoes!

Many private homes have niches
in the outer walls, like this one,
with statues of Christ or patron saints.

Trying to do a scenic selfie,
with Larry mocking my constant nagging
for him to smile like he's actually enjoying himself.

On one of our last nights we visited Xlendi Bay, and had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the cove and the beautiful sunset.
Taking a break in "paradise" was nice, but it's good to be home and ready for the next local adventure!