Malta has got a long and interesting history; it has some megalithic temple complexes – some of the oldest surviving buildings in the world – and has been variously colonised by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Aghlabids, the Normans, the Spanish, the Ottomans, the French and the British (possibly, but not necessarily, in that order), before becoming an independent republic in the 1970s. Malta was so heavily bombed during the second world war that the entire country was awarded the George Cross by King George VI for their bravery in withstanding it.
It’s half way between Africa and Europe, and its unique language as well as the art and architecture shows it. Mostly everyone speaks English (in a cockney accent in the case of one taxi driver!), and there are red post and telephone boxes across the islands.
It’s actually three islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino, but I didn’t go to Comino. Gozo is only about 8 x 4 miles, but has more than 45 churches. It also has some of those old megalithic structures I mentioned earlier, some great cheese and a passable rose wine to while away a hot but peaceful afternoon. It’s not just a lot smaller, but a lot quieter than Malta.
Malta has been the set for numerous films and TV series over the year. It’s not only famous for being the place where Ollie Reed died while filming Gladiator, but also as the set for the first couple of series of Game of Thrones. I spent one fabulous afternoon in Malta sightseeing a lot of the film sets with a Maltese actor/AD who had some brilliant stories to tell about various filmings as well as the history of Malta itself.
Malta is also a tiny bit shit, but in an unbelievably endearing way. Anyone who’s had a holiday in Benidorm in the 1970s will have a comforting sense of nostalgia for the pedalos, fish & chip shops, Irish bars, chronically sunburnt Brits and poor service. But with its incredible history, breathtaking landscapes, hospitable Maltese people and the general uniqueness of the place, you have to love it – despite the weak gin & tonics.
The feature image and the first image below are not my own.
cheeky gin travels 