The Maltese Falcon! ... and other Mysteries - On the Island of Malta

The Movie, "The Maltese Falcon", based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett, is one of the Greatest Movies of all Time

    The movie was made in 1941, starring Humphrey Bogart, based on the 1929 Novel.  It's a mystery/detective movie with the main character Sam Spade, trying to solve an ancient enigma.

    It is the long ago tale of intrigue and pirates, originating here in Malta, about a missing diamond & jewel incrusted figurine sent from the Knights of Malta to the King of Spain in 1539.

    Only - it never made it there, and has been an enduring mystery for almost five hundred years ... 

The Maltese Cross, from the Knights of Malta

    

       
    Sounds like a plot from an Indiana Jones movie, but the story is real.  And the mystery, and history, of this island nation live on into this current day. 

Malta is at the crossroads of civilization 

    Since dang near the beginning of recorded time, Malta has been in the mix.  How's that for an academic statement?  But it's true.  You find out stuff when you spend time in a place, and this is one of those places. Some of the oldest structures in the world are in Malta, google it ... when you finish reading this article!

    Pretty much every empire centered around the Mediterranean had a stake in Malta at one point, the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, Napoleon, etc. on and on. 

    There is so much to see in Malta.  The unfortunate thing is that we came here after visiting Rome and Istanbul, and we've talked about adjusting ... this place is a totally different vibe.  But upon further review, it's really wonderful.

Our Day in Pictures ... Sunshine and Sea Breezes

    After a lot of time in big cities, we were ready to spend some time in the countryside.  We planned a long hike in the rural area of Malta, anticipating new views and good scenery.

    We weren't disappointed.  We took a bus to the village of Mdina (pronounced Em-dina) and began our hike.  The day was especially clear and sunny after the heavy rains of yesterday.  Check out the flowers ...

     So we hiked down obscure but historic roads and trails, with viewpoints of special interest.  It was very enjoyable, and the fresh air and exercise were welcome, although we have done A LOT of walking on this journey.  We found a historic tiny church ;

And the scenery and the hills were compelling to look at ...

    We went over hill and dale and eventually found our way to the coast, at some considerable distance.

    The coastline is composed of spectacular cliffs, and we were rewarded for our hiking efforts with some awesome views.  
    Wow, this takes your breath away, with the sun and the view and the sea breeze and the history and just trying to absorb all this ...

    And there were churches along the way.  This is the Mary Magdalene church on the south coast of Malta, simple, but very aesthetic, right on the cliffs ...

Back in the City, time for a ferry ride!

    We eventually found our way back to town, and being the intrepid travelers - and time is short - we went on a ferry ride, can you tell we're happy?

     We crossed the bay to another part of the city, famous for boating and restaurants.

This side of the city had some beautiful pretty sailboats and things, along with historic churches and forts ...

On the way home, we passed by the cafe where we had the birthday party and spoke to the owner and he explained that his building was over 400 hundred years old.  

We had late lunch at a sidewalk bistro, famous for it's handmade pizza.  

It's hard to imagine a better day than this while traveling.  Finished off with a beautiful sunset.  You set out with optimistic expectations, and you exceed them.  Wow!