The nerd will jokingly list the French, Byzantines, Carthaginians, Normans, Goths, Vandals, Anjouans, Aragonese, Aglabids, Fatimids, Hohenstaufens, Mussolinians (this is not a dynasty but a caricature of a dictatorship), and some more!

Well, they were all in Malta! They won and then ruled it. Some for only a few decades and some for several centuries. However, history is often written by the victors, and each new government has attempted to erase any remnants of their predecessors from existence.

Despite these efforts, Malta still bears the marks of its rich and diverse history at every turn.

Take a look at the colorful buses in Malta. Unlike the standardized city buses found in other cities, each bus is unique and privately owned.

Bus owners compete with each other to create the most ornate and striking designs for their buses, both inside and out. This means that each passenger on a Maltese bus can feel like they are on a one-of-a-kind journey.

Take a ride on one of the yellow buses and enjoy the scenic views of the two bays surrounding the peninsula of the old town core. Remember, the journey itself is the destination, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

This kind of ghettoization is not necessarily a lousy solution for several practical reasons. It is easier for the police to keep the situation under control, unbearable noise does not spread throughout the island up to the early morning hours, and public transport is so perfectly organized throughout the night that both locals and tourists can destroy themselves with alcohol without fear. The bus or possibly taxi will bring them to their home door or a hotel without any incidental damage. Is it a civilization? Right? 

We survived Paceville night (which irony, the wildest part of the city in the name contains the Italian word Pace – eng. peace), and after improvised anti-hangover therapy and intense rehydration, we move back into the past, which is impossible to avoid in Malta anyway.

We chose Mdina, the former capital. In the Middle Ages, we entered through the stone bridge and the monumental stone gate (cars, except for emergencies and weddings, do not have access). Does not the name of the current Mayor of Mdina sound like some time ago? The gentleman is called Peter Dei Conti Sant Manduca!

At the time of the Roman Empire, while Malta was the Roman municipium, the Roman governor gave this strategically important point of the island to build its thumb. However, most buildings within the wall originate from the rein period of Fatimids and Normans, from the 8th and 9th centuries. The Baroque Cathedral of St. Paul in the main town square looks so impressive that the data on the number of inhabitants of Mdina sounds almost unbelievable. Today, there are about 230 people in Mdina. 

Speaking of St. Paul, legend says that he brought Christianity here when his ship was stranded on the coast of the Maltese archipelago for 70 years. It lasted and continues to this day despite the Muslim conquest and reign. 

We are leaving the Silent City, as they call this jewel of medieval architecture, our only continental destination in Malta. We head to the south of the island. We are back on the shore, this time southern. Bizarre (at least for our ears) names of some towns in Malta – Mtarfa, Mgarr, Mqabba, or Ghaxaq, for example – are proof of how many different cultures have intertwined. Thus, the picturesque fishing port full of vessels with incredibly vibrant colors is called Marsaxlokk.

The scene that greeted us was an Eldorado for any novice photographer and a great challenge for those who knew little about photography beforehand.

The statistical likelihood that you will meet the blue sky is high. The number of hours of sunshine in Malta is 2,961 per year. By the way, the lowest ever officially registered temperature in Malta is, imagine, +1.2 degrees Celsius. If you are not, like the author of these lines, locally patriotic so attached to the taste of Adriatic fish (without competition, the sweetest in the world!) that all other fish of this world seem tasteless, then in this port of complicated name, in one of the picturesque tavern on the coast, you can eat a variety of seafood for little money. 

The Knights of the Maltese Cross originated in Jerusalem in 1080 as knights’ paramedics who protect and heal pilgrims. During their migrations throughout history, they also became the first firefighters when the Saracens were using a terrible new weapon – fire. 

They arrived in Malta by the grace of the Spanish King Charles V, who ceded the island to them in the 16th century, after being expelled from the Holy Land and operating for some time on Rhodes. They enrich it with culture and art. Even today, the Maltese cross is a symbol of firefighters around the world.