Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. Valletta is its capital and is the smallest capital in the EU. Maltese is its primary language but English is an official language as well and is widely spoken.
Malta is known for the Knights Hospitalier, the medieval catholic military order that began in 1023 in Jerusalem with a group of individuals dedicated to St. John the Baptist providing medical care for the poor, sick and injured pilgrims coming to the Holy Land.
After conquests during both the first crusade and later by the Muslims, the Knights moved to Rhodes and then later to Malta.
I joined a private tour to visit both Valletta and a couple of the surrounding villages outside of the city center, including Mdina, a terrific ancient fortified city and ancient capital until the medieval period. We also visited Marsaxlokk, a seaside village where we had a nice lunch of seabream (a delicate white fish) and crispy potatoes.
It was another lovely day, although the day started off cold and very windy. But by the early afternoon the sun was out full force and the wind had calmed considerably.
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