The Cougar Patrol

So We visited Malta on the next day of our trip after Naples. Malta is a tiny island sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It's got ruins dating back somethign like 5,000 years, and saw it's fair share of history relating to the Roman Empire, Punic Wars, Phoenecian trading, et al. It was also well known as the last fortress of the Knights Hospitalliers and being the lone British outpost in the Med in World War II, holding out against seige against both Islamic and Nazi forces sent to conquer it.

That being said, it's no wonder this place looks like one huge fortress. The whole of the town we stopped in, Valetta, is seemingly one giant sheer rock face carved into sloped sides to repel any seaborne invaders. So naturally, most of the shots I took were of things relating to the fort aspect.

These first few shots are pretty indicative of the general aesthtic of the island. These are all ancient Crusader forts built out of stone to protect the harbor. They are very impressive when seen up close, especially standing next to them. But then, I'm a history geek, so this sort of stuff fascinates me.





This next shot is of the main strip of Malta. It's probably 800 years old, and it sure is colorful. Malta is extremely Catholic, so it's no surprise they're rockign the Vatican colors just about everywhere.



These two shots were taken from our ship as we entered the harbor. the little tower looking thing is a memorial to the seige of the island in WWII, and it made for a pretty decent vantage point to see the panorama when we eventual disembarked from the ship. The water is pretty clear all the way through, and it was refreshing to take a dip in later that day when it got really hot. The second shot is a great view out to sea form where we docked, and it was a very clear day for picture taking.




Here's a shot of our ship against the skyline, you can tell our boat was pretty huge, but it's easy to see how high up these cliffs were that we were shooting from, as we're about level with the smokestack tips.



That's about it for Malta. We did a little bit of shopping, and had some local beers at a bar in the central plaza before heading back to the boat for another night of drinking. That was lots of fun. And yes, overall, there was not much to report w/r/t Malta. It makes for a great beach vacation spot though, if you're looking to get away from major civilization and all.