my next stop was malta! this fascinating little island country has an amazing and storied history, due to its strategic geographic position in the middle of the mediterranean. it was fascinating while flying in to be able to see the entire country at once from the air. i stayed in the st. julian’s area in the urban agglomeration that makes up about a quarter of the main island around the capital valletta. st. julain’s is a hip area with lots of young people and restaurants. a corniche runs along the mediterranean which makes for some great running. malta was a british colony until its independence in the 1960s, and there are still many british tourists and expatriates there.
the next day i went to st. angelo’s fort, a large stone ediface built by the british military to protect the valletta harbor. in fact, the british military didn’t leave st. angelo’s until 1979. the fort is now a museum with great views of valletta. michealangelo was imprisoned here after a drunken brawl with a knight; eventually after a few months he was able to escape across the bay to valletta and then go on to do all his art.
a fascinating thing about the upper part of st. angelo’s fort is that it belongs to one of the most unique nations in existence – the sovereign military order of malta, not to be confused with the republic of malta which surrounds it. this group began as the knights of st. john, which has members all around the world, though it has also had a significant presence in malta for centuries. despite having no sovereign territory of their own, this fraternal order is actually recognized as a member nation of the united nations. crazy, right?!? it has a lease of the upper area of st. angelo’s fort for 99 years, and an office in rome as well.
i then took a ferry to valletta, which is europe’s smallest capital by area and sits on a peninsula surrounded by bays. there are many dense streets and tourists, especially since there were multiple cruise ships docked. the upper barrakka gardens provide a free vantage over the harbor. i went to a fascinating underground museum called the lascaris war rooms deep in the rock under valletta. these rooms were the mediterranean nerve center for the allies during world war two, and were built to be self-sufficient (and secret) even if valletta were to fall to the axis powers. very cool.
i the found out that it was european worker’s/may day that day, and that there was a huge rally in valletta. i had some beers with the union people and a europop dj before the prime minister of malta took the stage. cool!
