The Wandering Genealogist: Musings about Malta

Various tours have provided information about the scenes and buildings we passed or visited. It seemed like it would all stick in my mind. Turns out, I had a great deal more confidence in my memory than I should have. The important information sailed in one ear and out the other.

But I've noted a few things as the days have gone by - in no particular order of importance or priority

The countryside is greener than I'd expected. Winter is the rainy season and that seems to have finished. There's only been one day of rain since we arrived. For the most part, it has been sunny and very breezy. The lack of a strong breeze is notable by its infrequency. We can tell by the direction of the waves we can see from our terrace which way the wind is blowing.

The air feels warmer than it does at home at the same temperature, probably because the sun is so strong. And it's fairly humid. I've given up on my hair and just let it do its own thing. Wearing a hat makes it worse.

Pastizzi are far too tasty. So far I've only had the ricotta-filled type and the chicken-filled. I'm leaving the mushy peas to those who find them appealing. There's a pistachio version on my shortlist.

By no means are Pastizzi the only bakery items that tempt you from every direction. I'm hoping NOT to encounter the same extensive selection offered at the market in Marsaxlokk last Sunday.

Cisk beer is excellent. I've tried the regular, the Excel (low-carb) and 0% and I like them all.

So far, the native Maltese people seem fewer and farther between than foreigners. The tourist trade seems mainly populated by those from abroad, but I've had the same tour guide twice (Mario) and he's Maltese. Like the Irish, the Maltese diaspora exceeds the local population.

This is the most densely populated country in the EU.

Tourists outnumber Maltese 6 to 1. Summer is the busiest tourist season but I love the weather in March. It would be too hot in summer - around 40C and humid. Ugh.

The architecture bears a striking similarity from building to building, always beige limestone. Some buildings seem to have a skim coat of cement or stucco, but it's limestone underneath. There are some mansions but most homes are apartments.

As you look down a street, if there are lots of apartment buildings they all seem to be connected, but you distinguish one from another by the different balconies.

The old "balconies" seen everywhere, I consider to be eye-candy. They are enclosed wooden structures, are not very deep and often have their windows covered with lace curtains.

Typical street in Vittoriosa

Many doors have the knobs in the centre. Today I learned that "fancy" door knobs can indicate one's profession or social class.

The buses seem to be pretty much on time, but traffic can be terrible, causing delays. There are wide highways and brutally narrow streets. How buses get around the corners from one tight place to another is hard to believe. I would never make it as a bus driver here. Well, I'd never make a good bus driver anywhere, to be honest.

In the farmland that we've seen, the land is mostly hilly and as a result, is mostly terraced to provide flat land for farming. There are vineyards, taking up 10% of the agricultural land, and they can be found on flat land or hills. Different soil types determine the kind of grapes grown. No surprise there.

The one golf course on the island seems to be pretty flat. Go figure. It's a private course.

Prickly pear cacti are everywhere and from, them the Maltese produce a liqueur. Zeppi's Bajtra Liqueur is the one I've tried, and really liked. I might just have to bring some home. I don't know if there is another brand.

The wine produced here is only for local consumption and is not exported. Gozo makes and consumes its own and doesn't even sell it in Malta. There was a wine-tasting at the end of our tour today but they weren't selling the wines we tasted. Why not???

The local strawberries are delicious. But Malta imports 70% of its food.

Cattle, sheep, pigs and horses are kept in sheds/barns during the winter months so that the manure won't leach into the soil and consequently, into the groundwater when it rains. EU regulation. I haven't seen any animals other than cats and dogs.

Today's tour was of the Three cities. Actually, we explored parts of Vittoriosa and saw Cospicua and Sengla from a distance. A lot of the historical buildings are located in Vittoriosa.

There is a city wall encircling the city. It's high and wide. At the bottom of the wall at the city gate we were shown two doors which led to air raid shelters during WWII. There are a lot more tunnels to explore and I hope to get to some of them next week.

Entrances to air raid shelters in WWII

Much of the city was decimated by bombings in the war. A lot of the stones were used to rebuild the cities, and the rubble was used to reclaim land from the sea.

Following the city walk, we went by coach to Qormi (Q is silent) for a lunch and wine-tasting. The food was delicious and the wines we tried were very nice. Unfortunately, they weren't selling those particular wines, or at least not the red one that I preferred.