If stones could talk

Sun, beach, Mediterranean life: All this is part and parcel of Malta. But the small archipelago in the Mediterranean has seen much more and shows its thousands of years of history.

From above you can see Italy, and then water. The plane nimbly approaches the surface of the sea, and we are reminded of the approach to the Faroe Islands. The difference is that we are not speeding through the fog, but through a bright blue Mediterranean sky. Is this supposed to be an airport? Ouff, the landing is of the rustic variety, there is runway dust in the air, but we will get used to dust on the bone-dry islands of Malta over the next few days.

First stop: Valletta. Although part of a larger conurbation, the Maltese capital itself is quite manageable. With a population of just over 5,000, it is in the same league as Appenzell or Oberammergau and less so than Paris or Prague. But Appenzell is not by the sea, and the beautiful old town has plenty of southern charm. Situated within ancient walls, narrow alleyways alternate with spacious squares, and the presence of official buildings such as ministries, courts or even the parliament quickly make visitors understand that not only a historical but also a political heart beats here - after all, Valletta is the capital of an EU state.

 

We take our time, walk up the stairs and down the hills towards the sea, and the espresso culture gives us a taste of nearby Italy. A small snack for in between is called Pastizzi, puff pastry with ricotta. And we discover the more or less official drink of Malta - it's called Kinnie, and it also reminds us of Italy, as its sweet-bitter note has something of Sanbitter. Kinnie, however, is a little fresher, more orangey and goes very well with our ongoing changeover to summer. That's why we spend large parts of the afternoon by and in the hotel pool before making another discovery in the evening that would also be conceivable in Catania, Rome or Bari: the Grain Street restaurant in the middle of Valletta - a chance find - produces pasta cacio e pepe in a way we wouldn't have thought possible. Perhaps the trip was already worth it.

The next sunset is never far away: charming Valletta.

 

The next morning, we travel further back in history. But first we plunge into left-hand traffic. We quickly adapt to the driving style of the locals, which is somewhat unpredictable for continental Europeans, and leave the suburbs of Valletta and cruise along smaller and larger main roads to the old capital Mdina, also known as the "silent city". Why is it called that? We ask ourselves the same question, because this metropolis of just under 250 inhabitants is not only very small, but also has a stone-age city gate that serves as a backdrop for Game of Thrones and therefore attracts a lot of tourist interest. So we don't experience Mdina in silence, but the historical grandeur of the place calmly endures the hustle and bustle of the tour groups present, which according to the soundtrack come from Korea, Italy and northern Germany.

A brief moment of silence in Mdina.

A little peace and quiet would now be appropriate, so we start our rented Opel and explore the coastline of Malta along tiny island roads. Malta is not a classic beach destination; the coast is often rocky, rugged and spectacular. But the sea is deep blue and the wind on the cliffs is refreshing. We reach Valletta again at a leisurely pace and round off the afternoon with an ice-cold glass of Kinnie.

Deep blue sea, rugged coast.

What interests us most during our days in Malta is another journey through time. But this is a little more complicated and takes the Opel and us by ferry to the smaller island of Gozo, the sibling of the main island of Malta, so to speak, but with a very independent identity. Our destination on Gozo is the archaeological site of Ggantija. There we visit a Unesco World Heritage Site: Ggantija is one of the oldest surviving structures of mankind. A temple complex was built here around 5600 years ago - with walls up to eight meters high. These walls are older than Stonehenge and older than the Egyptian pyramids.

Spiritual ceremonies took place in the temples of Gozo even back then, and the museum on site also shows traces of art and rituals that we would call "lifestyle" today. And thousands of years ago, people somehow managed to build stone blocks weighing up to 50 tons several meters high. We leave this magical place somewhat perplexed and ask ourselves whether our highly developed, fast-moving civilization is really as advanced as it should be 5000 years after Ggantija.

 

In any case, what suits us very well at this moment is a car with air conditioning. Our next stop is another capital city (there are many in these latitudes), namely that of Gozo, called Victoria. We have become accustomed to the freestyle traffic in the meantime, and the smaller the vehicle, the easier it is to park semi-officially. As usual, we don't skimp on coffee breaks and take in the quiet hustle and bustle of the small town before heading back to Malta on the ferry.

 

No idea how our ancestors built this structure, but if these stones could speak...

Am letzten Abend in Valletta machen wir eine Entdeckung. Enge Seitengassen mit Treppen sind in der kleinen Hauptstadt nicht unbedingt ein Hindernis. Denn einige dieser Bars und Restaurants in den Gassen nutzen die Stufen als Architektur für ihre Tische – oder um direkt auf den Stufen zu sitzen, um mit einem Glas Kinnie in der Hand auf das Meer zu schauen. Ok, diese Möglichkeit hatten die Bewohnenden von Ggantija in der Jungsteinzeit wahrscheinlich nicht.

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Good to know

There are several flights a day from Zurich, both with Swiss and KM Malta Airlines. The airport is manageable with short distances. This applies to the whole of Malta. There is a dense network of buses, but those who like to travel outside the cities will find it much easier with a rental car or scooter. Avis in Malta looked after us well and gave us good advice. Please note for travelers from the continent: In Malta you drive on the left.

There is plenty of accommodation in Malta and Gozo, especially in the tourist centers around St. Julian's. However, we felt very comfortable in Valletta, where the walking distances to nice cafés and restaurants are very short. The hotel "The Phoenicia" is perfectly located close to the old town walls, but is particularly recommended when there is a good price offer.

Fresh pastizzi are available at Caffe Cordina, the price of €1.50 per piece is hard to beat. For dinner, we particularly remember the Grain Street restaurant (very surprising Cacio e Pepe), and Koccio - located on steps - also surprises with small dishes and incredibly friendly service.

If you want to go to Gozo, you can either get there from Valletta or St. Julian's by speedboat - or by ferry from Cirkewwa, which also takes cars, motorhomes, motorcycles and bicycles. The ticket is purchased before the return journey from Gozo. The Unesco World Heritage Site of Ggantija is easily accessible by all means of transport.