This is in Cirkewwa.

First, I was wondering why all those cars and trucks were lined up there without moving. Then I realized – all of them were also waiting for the boat like me. About 100-150 vehicles got on to our ferry. And there are about 40 ferry crossings every day between Malta and Gozo. That is a lot of traffic between the two islands once you realize that Malta is only 17 miles by 9 miles and Gozo is even smaller at 9 miles by 4.5 miles.

I did not realize this but Malta is the fourth most densely populated sovereign country in the world!

If anybody remembers the island called Ogygia in Homer’s Odyssey, well, this is that island. I am guessing a few things have changed since then.

Found this in Valetta. Never seen this or heard of this in any other country. After all the climbing up and down the streets I just did, I need access to this minister, just about now!!! I did not find any suggestion box around the ministry, but I was going to suggest that it might be more to the point to have the minister’s parking spot a few hundred yards away from his /her office so that he/she can stay active!!

Jokes apart, have you seen anything like this?

Every single street is packed with folks eating dinner or drinking. There is just some small space left to walk along either side. And these streets go up and down about 5-6 stories. The tables are set up on the inclined streets! Every other server is from Nepal or India. The whole area is seeping in energy. We tried out the local buses today. Very efficient, I must say!

If the view was clear, we might have been able to see Sicily. It is about 80kms away

I have no idea why it says INDIA 1 on the ground. Anybody has any clue?

One thing about this island I had learnt from Tim and Christine was how it has been ruled by so many different folks. Given the location in the Mediterranean Sea, a very short distance away from Europe and Africa, this island has had very strategic implications from a military as well as a trade point of view.

Over the centuries, they have been ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Greeks (Byzantines), the Arabs (Adhlabids), the Italians (Normans), the Germans (Swabians), the Aragonese, the Spanish, the Order of St. John, the French and then the British. Somehow the Ottomans could not ever conquer them.

When I was talking to the hotel gentleman about airport transport, I found out that we are actually going to land up amidst their Independence Day festivities. Malta finally became free on Sep 21, 1964!