THE ISLAND OF THE KNIGHTS. Review on Malta, General

After I sold my Travel Agency I went to work at another Agency. The Manager was a Lady from South Africa.

Her Family lived in Valletta, Malta and they invited my Husband and I to visit them for a week. I was very excited not only because I was going on a vacation because this Island has a lot of History.

The Island is in the Mediterranean south of Sicily.

ONCE UPON A TIME:

This island was settle by real Knights. The came from Countries across Europe to create a society that they wanted.

They were hunters and played their Games such as Jousting and Jesting. They lived in Palace that were made out of silver and gold.

They build a Church in a City called Valletta, (it was named after their Grand Master). All of them belong to the Catholic Church.

The were all Knights Hospitallers of St. John's of Jerusalem. They were united when they went to fight in the Crusades.

When they arrived in Jerusalem they all helped some Friars who were already living there. They gave medical help to the Knights and the Pilgrims.

In 1187 Jerusalem was captured by the Muslims, (Turks). They moved to Acre and then Cyprus. They were not happy living there.

The Pope excommunicated the Knights Templar the Knights Hospitallers were finally able to manage their money and keep the treasure they had taken from Jerusalem.

They became very rich but still took care of the sick. They changed their name to the Knights of Rhodes.

In the early 1500's Charles V, (the Pope), gave them Malta. It was a dusty and dry Island in the Mediterranean when they arrived.

The Knights weren't too happy about this even though the Pope charged them ''rent'' of providing him with one Maltese Falcon every year.

They decided if they had to live on this Island they would make it beautiful. They decided their official language would be English. They built beautiful buildings, Churches and even Tombs to bury their dead.

Today when you visit Malta you can see how lush and beautiful this Island is.

The Knights still live there but their Headquarters are in Rome. This Order had Permanent Observer Status at the U. N.

MALTA:

This is an Island Nation with a population of about 400,000 people. The currency is the Maltese Lire and there are two official Languages, (Maltese and English).

Malta is a very religious place so you will find a lot of Churches here. During WW II the Villages all used their Church as bomb shelters.

The Movie ''Popeye'' filmed here and you can see the Village that was made for the film.

VALLETTA:

This is the Capital City of Malta. About 10,000 People live in the City. At least 98% of the are Roman Catholics.

We visited both the upper and lower Barrakka Gardens. The upper ones make you feel like you are in Italy. We enjoyed the magnificent views of the Grand Harbor from the lower Garden.

We were very lucky to be here during the time of the History & Elegance Festival. As part of the Festival there is a Slide Show that tells you about the history for the Stone Age Temples to the present time.

We went to the WAR MUSEUM that is in FORT SAINT ELMO. It is a small Museum that shows the arms from the time when Great Britain ruled Malta.

At the ST. PAUL'S SHIPWRECK CHURCH there is a wooden Statue the commemorated the time when he was on a Ship that crashed into the Port.

The NATIONAL LIBRARY had a wonderful collection of ancient documents and books.

At the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS we saw paintings from the 13th Century to the present time.

I love the display of the Prehistoric Art Objects at the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY.

Every Sunday there is a large open air Market. What great bargains they have for sale here.

M'DINA:

This is also called the ''Silent City'' because you are not allowed to make any noise here.

Cars can only drive at certain times here. There are narrow cobbled Streets and we stood in the middle of one and I could touch the walls on both sides of the Street.

We took a tour through the 16th Century Place called CASA ROCCA PICCOLA. The display of Costumes, Furniture and Paints was exquisite.

The MANOEL THEATRE was built in the 18th Century. It is the 3rd oldest Theatre in Europe.

The ST. JOHN'S CO-CATHEDRAL is full of artifacts from the 16th Century. We saw the famous Caranggio Painting, (1608), called ''Beheading Of John The Baptist''.

GOZO:

Malta is an archipelago and we drove here to see the Calyso's Cave. During Ulysses Odyssey he was kept captive here. We then went to see the Gbanta Temple. It is the oldest man-made Building in the World. Our last stop was at the 'Ta Pinu Church.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS:

After I visited Malta, (and learned about the History of the Island), when I see a St. Johns Ambulance pass me I think of the Knights and the wonderful time I had in Malta.

Comments are always welcome and I hope you leave one.

©LL2003