Moscow is not at its best in November, so our Moscow guide Vera packed a bag and escaped to Malta.
To say that Malta has sophisticated cuisine, charming atmosphere and golden beaches means to say nothing. Here’s Vera’s story about Fun Facts about Malta!
Traveling to Malta in Autumn
I didn’t know much about this mysterious place before I finally decided to visit the Maltese islands a few weeks ago. I couldn`t even imagine how picturesque and marvelous this little sovereignty is, how many secrets it keeps.
Despite the fact that the weather was not that pleasant during first two days, I still kept myself very busy visiting the archaeological museums and numerous fortresses, tasting the most delicious ice -cream in my life, seeing fantastic cathedrals and listening to their divine services and, finally, enjoying local melodious language.
Later on the sun came out and the storm abated, so I decided to explore the Maltese shore with its caves and amazing beaches. How surprised was I when I found out that after the storm the water was still so warm to swim in! I rented a boat and went to great lagoons where I could see millions of colorful corals under blue and clear water. The very next day I could not stop looking around and noticing how many people were jogging along quay even at 6 am!
Malta has special romantic atmosphere where you can feel relaxed and live every moment of your life!
Fun facts about Malta:
- 1. The word Malta came from ancient Greek with the meaning of «honey»;
- 2. Malta consists of three inhabited (Malta- Gozo -Comino) and three not inhabited islands. Comino is a small island which houses just one hotel.
- 3. Gozo is 14km long, keeps many attractions such as ancient Citadel and Stone Age Temples, connected to Malta by ferry.
- 4. The population of Malta is under 450 000 and covers 316 sq.km., making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries;
- 5. Valletta was officially recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, being the smallest national capital in the European Union;
- 6. Malta achieved its independence on 21st September 1964, and joined European Union in 2004;
- 7. The Maltese cuisine is delicious, the main dish is a steamed octopus with vegetables and spices;
- 8. Malta drives on the left;
- 9. Busses are the primary method of public transport, they became a popular tourist attraction. They are comfortable and easily connected to each other, you don’t even need to take a taxi. That made me thinking: why tour bus Moscow is not that popular among tourists? It’s a fun way to city the city!
- 10. Malta is a popular tourist destination with 1.6 million tourist per year, its three times more people than local residents;
- 11. It will take you 8 hours to get from Italy to Malta by ferry. Every morning I saw a gigantic motor vessel which was slowly approaching to Maltese bay;
- 12. The official languages of Malta are English and Maltese. There are a lot of recommendable international schools on the island for students with different levels where they have a chance to learn English;
- 13. There are 300 sunshine days a year on Malta and in November the sea is pretty warm (up to 24 C or 75 F);
- 14. There are over 350 churches on the Maltese islands;
- 15. There are no natural lakes or rivers in Malta;
- 16. Modern mythologists consider Malta to be a part of Atlantis;
- 17. The University of Malta is one of the oldest in Europe, it was founded in 1592;
- 18. Tarxien is a temple on Malta, this well-preserved beauty is the oldest free-standing structure in the world, dating to approximately 3150 BC. Older than the Egyptian Pyramids (2630 BC–2611 BC).