Waving The White Flag

The results of the Maltese Experiment are in. The test was to see if we could share a trip together AFTER it had been completed in conventional time. Would there be interest for you or I? Where would our usual excitement come from if the mystery of "what might happen next" was removed? Well, to use a metaphor we can all relate to: Sharing this trip felt like a high school term paper. And even more daunting is that our subject was history. Malta was a great vacation, I LOVED IT, and now the time has come for me to allow it to be just that.

For those of you that are intrigued by history, Malta has it all, and it is absolutely fascinating. The oldest surviving structures on the planet are there (3600 BC, that's nearly 6,000 years ago), and they represent the remnants of ancient temples which are scattered all over these small islands. It would appear that those ancient societies were focused on the usual... making offerings and worship... but with a uniqueness that stressed the Goddess in all Her Glory. Small statuettes of the Divine Female have been unearthed in many of these locations. You can see them in the museums, and stroll through many of the temple ruins, on both Malta and Gozo. The Sleeping Lady

The Knights of St. JohnDuring the reign of the Knights of St. John (AD 1530 - 1798), we have an era of religious leadership and protection that brought wealth to the island, and yielded an amazing victory after 5 months of warfare in the mid-1500's. The sheer abundance of art-work, marble clad cathedrals, and fortified cities all remain on display. Then, as a British Territory for 150 years (1814 - 1964), Malta became a significant player in all of the major European wars, including 154 days of continuous bombing during WWII. The British left Malta to its Independence in the 1960's, along with the English language, red phone booths, fish and chips, pots of tea, and pints of beer.

I have uploaded the remainder of our photos, along with titles. The Slideshow option is a nice way of summing up this entire journey from current to prehistoric. On some rainy day there may even materialize a Malta Movie.  And not to be missed, if you enjoy setting your sights ahead, as I do, then join me in excitement as we anticipate our next joint venture to exotic Peru and Bolivia. Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Salar de Uyuni... they are just a few of the exciting places we will visit together... starting in just 7 weeks!