Malta

Malta definitely stands out in my memory for its ancient yet remarkably beautiful and unique architecture. There is no shortage of cliffs and fortresses. Additionally, we were lucky that our hotel was right by the sea, nestled among palm trees and numerous historic buildings.

I was there in 2018 for about a week, and even though it was quite some time ago, I thankfully rediscovered all my pictures and can recall quite a bit. I have to admit that the cover photo this time came from the internet, as I unfortunately no longer had a nice picture of the Karmeliter-Kirche, which is essentially Malta's landmark, and I didn't want to keep it from anyone.

Even when flying over the island nation, this church is the first thing you see from the air. We arrived in Malta relatively late, so it was already dark, and the most striking feature from above was the illuminated Karmeliter-Kirche. It is located in Valletta, the capital of Malta, and in my opinion, it's a beautiful destination, a must-see when you’re there. One thing to keep in mind if you wish to enter the churches is to avoid wearing 'revealing' or too short clothing; otherwise, you’ll be given small sheets to cover yourself or won’t be allowed in. Malta is quite strict about this, which I found completely acceptable and understandable.

The church Rotunde von Mosta, or the Church of the Assumption, is also a sight to behold. Here, the 'Miracle of Mosta' occurred in 1942, as I learned there.

Apart from the many churches and buildings, there are plenty of cliffs and stunning views of the sea all around the coasts. Since Malta is only about 28km long and around 13km wide, it doesn't take long to see a lot of the coastlines. We drove along it with a tour bus and had a constant view of the sea, which was truly lovely.

On one day, we visited the Upper Barraka Gardens, located in a park in Valletta. This park also overlooks the coast and is a beautiful spot for photos. Furthermore, the park is located by the Auberge de Castille, a historic landmark in the capital that we explored afterward.

Additionally, we took a boat tour, which allowed us to see some parts of Valletta and the island nation again from the sea, truly taking in the history. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly where the tour went. At the Port of Valletta, several large yachts docked, which looked really sleek ;).

We also didn’t have any real language issues in Malta. Since Italian and English are the customary languages here, communication with the people, who were also very friendly, was generally easy. My conclusion: A trip to Malta is worthwhile!