Malta,Crossroad,the,Middle,Sea travel,insurance Malta: A Crossroad In the Middle of the Sea
Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chiles national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w
In order to get an ideaof how diverse Malta is we need to look at its 7000 years of history.So many cultures have blended on this island that you could easily sayit is a natural focal point where European, Mediterranean and Orientalworlds meet. I like to say: 'If Sicily is just around the corner,Tunisia is across the road'. That is why Malta is fascinating: so manydifferent people came here and not only took (Napoleon was a famoustaker) but also left something, namely their mark on the Malteseeclectic culture. For instance, you can see the British heritage notonly in the design of the old telephone booths and post boxes but alsoin the legal and political systems. Interested in the Italian influenceon the Maltese way of life? Walk on one of the narrow streets in anyMaltese village and listen to the sound coming out of the open windows.Yes, you've got it - most probably it is some Italian show on RAI orone of the Berlusconi's TV channels.The modern Maltese languageis another feature of the island that leaves you wondering. It is theonly Semitic language in the world written in Latin alphabet. TheTunisians and other Arabs would understand quite a bit of the localdialect. On the other hand you hear the heavy influence of Italian andEnglish in almost every sentence. Some sources affirm the roots of thelanguage are to be found in the Arabic rule during 9th-11th centuries.Stubbornly, I am prone to believe that it has something to do with thePhoenician heritage of the Maltese.Browsing the Maltese historypages we get a glimpse on the most significant periods. There was atime when the Mediterranean Sea was not connected to the Atlantic oceanby the strait of Gibraltar and was an inner lake. The Maltese islandswere a tip of a mountain dividing the western "Mediterranean" lake fromthe eastern one. The island boasts with well preserved heritage fromthese prehistoric times; the Neolithic temples and the UNESCO protectedHypogeum are good examples. After the colonisation by the omnipresentin the 1st Millennium BC Ancient Greeks, the commercially-savvyPhoenicians settled on the island and used it as an outpost for theircommercial activities between their great colony of Cartage andSouthern Italy. After the Punic wars the island became a thriving Romanprovince and later on fell under the control of the Greek-speakingByzantine Empire.At the end of 9th century the Arabs conqueredthe islands and ruled until 1090 AD with a capital Mdina. Themagnificent fortress of the so-called Silent City was further fortifiedby the knights of St. John. They ruled the island from 1530 to 1798 andshaped the European features of Malta leaving numerous artifacts,including many Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Thanks to thesegentlemen on the narrow streets of nowadays Mdina you feel like takinga stroll in a real medieval town. Following the brief invasion of theFrench on their way to Egypt in 1798, the island became part of theBritish Empire. Some of the most conspicuous traces left by the Britishare the left-hand driving and the English - the nations' secondofficial language.What used to come in my mind when I heard thename Malta? The Bush - Gorbachev summit in 1989 maybe? Well, seriously,I admit the knights and the capital Valletta were first to pop up. Infact, Valletta is so inextricably associated with the notion of Maltathat I've noticed people frequently referring to the internationalairport as 'Valletta airport' or to the national stadium as 'Vallettastadium'. I am afraid that neither is true. I can see the bewildermentof many: How come? It is just that the island of 316 sq km hides somuch to be discovered. Or let me rephrase: Malta has put on displayunder the open skies so much to be seen. And hey, this was just aglimpse on the Maltese history, did I mention diving?...
Malta,Crossroad,the,Middle,Sea