Malta

Malta is a small island nation off the southern tip of Sicily. They claim they are half way between the Rock of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal and halfway between Italy and Africa. It has the largest natural harbor in all of the Mediterranean Sea. The island has a population of 425,000 and 53 cities on a piece of land that is 17 miles long and 9 miles wide.

The port is in the city of Valletta, which is the capital of Malta. Malta has been owned by 8 different nations but is currently an independent nation and a member of European Union. Their official language is English and Maltese which is from an Arabic language.

Mdina

Our tour took us through Rabat, Dingli and Mdina (pronounced 'M- deena) but there is no distinctive line between any of the towns so we had to take our guides word that we were in different villages. Dingli is on the west side of the Island where tall cliffs run into the sea. It is an impressive site. We could also see the rock quarries where the limestone is harvested for use in building their homes.

Our next stop was in Rabat where the catacombs are located. The apostle Paul, after enduring 14 days in a storm at sea, landed in Malta where he and the 16 crew and slaves were rescued and treated well. It is rumored that Paul spent a night in the catacombs or burial grounds of Malta. We went down into the caves which were created between 800 BC and 800 AD. We also walked the narrow and ancient streets of Rabat.

The last stop was in Mdina, a walled village with its own cathedral. It is a totally self-contained village. The structure of the cathedral was built 1697-1702 but the interior decoration took 200 years to complete. It was filled with all colors of marble, chandeliers from Milan and stain glassed windows from Marseille.

View of Valletta from Mdina