Malta

The buildings in Valletta, Malta, are made out of a distinct yellow limestone. The Knights of Malta, and then the British, heavily fortified the area around Valletta to make it impregnable.

There were many celebrations going on due to Armistice Day. In 1565, the Knights of Malta held out in Fort St. Angelo (the peninsula to the left of the yacht) against the Turks during the Great Siege of Malta.

Malta was heavily bombed in World War II, but never fell to Axis powers.

Not a bad port-of-call for the British Navy.

A typical example of the small churches dotting the Valletta area.

The Inquisition had a presence in Malta; the Grand Inquisitor had a nice map collection.

Scary in any culture.

Burlap Nativity.

The best part of the Inquisitor's Palace was the testimonies of those tried by the Inquisitors. This is the proof used by a famous mathematician to show he wasn't using witchcraft for construction.

Shhhhhhh.....

Some of the scariest torture devices are the simplest ones.

Graffiti in the Inquisitor's dungeon.

Malta has its own average beer, Cisk, and its own orange soda, Kinnie, which tastes alcoholic due to the bitters, but isn't.

Some yachts are more interesting than others.

Valletta has some beautiful parks tucked away.

Surprisingly not out of Lord of the Rings

Some of the temples in Malta are as old as 3600 B.C., making them 1600 years older than Stonehenge. And like all good ancient cultures, they worshipped the mother goddess.

The sleeping lady, the highlight of the Malta Archeology Museum.

Tiny hands

Where did that pig come from?

Spirals

Two for the price of one.

Parliament building

A typical farm with a stony fence

A large church in the center of a small town

Hagar Qim is Malta's most famous ancient temple.

The Mnajdra temple complex is a short walk away.

Mdina was Malta's fortified medieval capital.

It has great views of the entire island.

Did the gremlins come from Malta?

Prickly pear liqueur from Malta was a little sweet for my taste.

Nenu the Artisan Baker is a great restaurant in Valletta. Ftira, Maltese pizza, is excellent, as is the rabbit.

Resistance is futile.

Why?

St. John's Cathedral may be one of the most ornate churches in the world.

The highlight of the church was the many marble tombstones of the Knights of Malta that served as the floor.

The Knights Hospitaller controlled Rhodes until they were dislodged by Suleiman the Magnificent. Charles I of Spain gave the knights Malta afterwards, which they controlled until Napoleon quickly defeated them over 250 years later. The British moved in after defeating Napoleon. Malta became independent in 1964.

At least the statue accurately shows loot being hoisted on the backs of Turkish and black slaves.