Malta: Destination Profile — Tuljak! Travel Blog

In this edition of the Destination Profile, I would like to run through some of my favorite sites and experiences from our recent trip to Malta. For such a small country, we did not feel like ten days was enough for us to get a great grasp of this fascinating nation. For a wide array of reasons, Malta remains relatively unknown among American travelers. Multiple Maltese told us that we were the first Americans they met since the pandemic hit. Brian and I always enjoy visiting some lesser-visited destinations as far as Americans are concerned. So, I am super excited to share our passion for Malta.

Favorite Sight: The Great Siege Monument

The Great Siege Monument stands in the center of Valletta and in front of the Courts of Justice Building. Inaugurated in 1927, the monument comprises three bronze figures representing Faith, Fortitude, and Civilization. It commemorates the legendary Great Siege of Malta by the Ottoman Empire in 1565. Known as the most epic battle between the Catholic and Muslim worlds, the siege ended Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean. Even though the people of Malta may have been the pawns between competing empires throughout its history, the Great Siege undoubtedly helped formulate part of the modern Maltese identity.

The Great Siege Monument in central Valletta.

When Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was brutally murdered in 2017, her supporters began setting up a makeshift memorial at the base of the monument. The government, who was accused of orchestrating the assassination, had officials clear the memorial every evening. Without exception, the memorial reappeared in the morning due to the dedicated effort of Galizia’s supporters. The choice of the Great Siege Monument as a memorial carries two symbolic meanings: Malta is under siege by deep-rooted corruption, and justice is still yet to be achieved.

Our time in Valletta coincides with Malta’s Victory Day, a national public holiday in September that commemorates three historical sieges in Malta’s history: the Great Siege of 1565, the Napoleonic Blockade of 1800, and the Siege of Malta of World War Two. During normal years, Victory Day was celebrated with parades and an annual regatta in the Grand Harbour. But due to the ongoing pandemic, the festivity has been pared down to just one ceremony: laying wreaths at the Great Siege Monument. And just by serendipity, we came across the ceremony on our way back to our apartment.

The makeshift memorial for journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is at the monument's base.

The ceremony was straightforward, with honor guards and a brass band. But the real excitement was the presence of top politicians of Malta. Chief among them is George Vella, the president of the republic. Similar to our close encounter with the prime minister of Estonia at Laulupidu, we had to marvel at the lack of security apparatus around an EU head of state. Even more amazing was the idea that I may be the only foreign tourist in the crowd who could recognize the President of Malta. In case you are wondering, they moved the memorial to Galizia to the backside of the monument for this ceremony.

Favorite Activity: Agħti Widen

While researching my itinerary, I was fascinated by the Royal Opera House (It-Teatru Rjal). This neoclassical edifice was designed during the British colonial era but suffered major damage during WWII bombardment by the German Luftwaffe in 1942. For more than six decades, the ruin stood on the most prominent block in the capital while politicians debated what to do with this former landmark. In 1980, the government contracted Italian architect Renzo Piano to resurrect the theater and revitalize the main entrance of Valletta. Piano’s vision was not executed until 2006. Instead of building a new parliament building at this site, he suggested creating an open-air theater in the middle of the ruin.

Officially named Pjazza Teatru Rjal (Royal Theater Square in English). The new theater was controversial from the beginning. But as an architect, I am enthralled by Piano’s design. Of course, I immediately went on their website to see whether we could attend a performance. Lucky for us, there was a performance by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra on our last evening in Malta. Entitled Agħti Widen, the concert is a multimedia production of an original composition by Ruben Zahra. The program celebrated Maltese soundscape by incorporating recorded sounds of traditional crafts like lace bobbins, weaving, and alabaster carving. A video projection of the varied landscape of Maltese islands also accompanied the concert. I could hardly think of a better way to cap our 10-day trip to Malta.

It surprised me that tickets were still available a week before the concert. This is particularly true since the theater was only at a quarter capacity because of COVID-19. And as much as I enjoyed the concert, what stole the show was all the “outside” disturbance. The venue proved challenging for the orchestra because it was an open-air theater in the middle of a bustling city. After a 15-minute delay due to technical issues with the sound system, the program was interrupted five minutes in by anti-vaccine protestors marching through the streets of Valletta.

I did wonder whether Renzo Piano foresaw this when he proposed an open-air theater a block from the Parliament Building. Since Maltese people are known to be passionate about politics, I was sure this was not the first time protesters interrupted a performance, willingly or not. After nearly twenty minutes, the protesters finally moved on at the urging of the theater management and some audience members. Not long after the concert resumed, it was the turn of a singer at a nearby cafe to disrupt the concert. An article came out a few days later about this particular incident; I can’t believe such conflicts between local businesses and the concert organizer are not more of a common occurrence.

Favorite Town: Valletta

With less than six thousand residents, Valletta is the smallest and one of the most photogenic capitals in the European Union. Before I ever researched about traveling to Malta, my imagination of the country comprised images of this magnificent city. Chief among them is the Fortress of Saint Elmo and the massive dome of Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Constructed out of the Mediterranean limestone, the city’s fortification seemingly morphed with the sheer cliff face. The whole city appeared above the water like an immanent object.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the City of Valletta was built under Grandmaster Jean Parisot de Valette's direction after the Great Siege of 1565. Designed as the new capital for the Knights Hospitalier, this city was in a grid plan with military precision. The imposition of a grid plan reminds us much of San Francisco or Lisbon’s Baixa neighborhood. Because this was the headquarters of a Catholic military order, there were nearly two dozen churches within an area of less than a quarter of a square mile. The Knights also issued a mandate requiring owners of corner properties to provide decoration of the corners. Unsurprisingly, there are statues of saints at just about every other corner in Valletta.

Sadly, Valletta was neglected for much of the 20th century as the rest of Malta modernized. It gained quite a seedy reputation as a favored stop for British sailors. But the city had gone through somewhat of a rebirth in the last two decades. Valletta received direct foreign investment after being selected as the 2018 European Capital of Culture. Much of the money was used to restore the city’s decrepit infrastructure and historic monuments. In addition, the fund also jumpstarted many cultural initiatives and supported major museums such as the National Museum of Fine Arts (MUŻA).

A classic view of Valletta, with the view of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

During my initial research, I found it confounding that most travel bloggers suggest the neighboring modern town of Sliema as the ideal home base. Many people cite Sliema’s lower accommodation cost as the reason, but I could hardly think of any other advantage over Valletta. Not only do all public bus lines originate from and terminate in Valletta, but the capital city is now home to some of Malta’s most prestigious hotels and restaurants. Luckily, burgeoning tourism here has not resulted in widespread gentrification and displacement. Tourists are certainly welcomed but not necessarily catered to.

Favorite Accommodation: View Point Boutique Living Xlendi Gozo

The most memorable accommodation is typically not about the fancy rooms or over-the-top amenities. Instead, hospitality is embodied by the people. I could think of no better example than our stay at View Point Boutique Living on the island of Gozo. When we arrived at this little boutique eight-room hotel, we were immediately struck by the genuine hospitality of owner Doreen. This woman must be the most hard-working person I know. When we met her, she was only concerned about our comfort and whether we had everything we needed to enjoy a relaxing holiday in Gozo. Even though this was not a five-star establishment, Doreen and her tight-knit team addressed all their guests on a first-name basis. We have never been so pampered during years of travel.

Beautiful view from our room balcony. We could see the village of Xlendi and the Mediterranean in the distance.

Of all the accommodations we stayed at during the pandemic so far, View Point was the only place that took COVID-19-related precautions seriously. Every single seat and surface was sanitized and wiped down after each guest. When I commented to Doreen about her working too hard, she smiled and told me that Gozitans are always treated as second-class citizens in Malta. Honesty and hard work are the only way to succeed in life. Her words still stick in my mind. While the rooms, views, and amenities of this place are all flawless, the staff's warmth and passion made this place a home away from home.

The Most Unexpected Finds: Birżebbuġa

Being such a small nation and a popular destination among northern Europeans, Malta is well-explored nowadays. Anybody would be hard-pressed to discover a so-called undiscovered “back door” to Malta. Many of the secret spots travel bloggers write about nowadays are crawling with tourists. One such place is the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, which is known for many colorful traditional fishing boats. Many fishermen offer boat rides to nearby Saint Peter’s Pool for tourists, and the whole harborfront is lined with rows of seafood restaurants catering to tourists. As lovely as Marsaxlokk is, it is certainly well-trodden territory.

Just immediately south of Marsaxlokk is the village of Birżebbuġa. With a crescent-shaped sand beach and mid-rise buildings, it has a real workaday atmosphere that is both authentic and energizing. Our visit to Birżebbuġa was quite serendipitous. We had only just picked up our rental car from the airport, and Brian was struggling with driving stick with his left hand. We stopped here because Brian was too nervous to drive any further. I was taken aback by how little was written about this beautiful seaside town. Despite the presence of the busy seaport, this is an excellent swimming spot popular with the locals. The juxtaposition between the ancient salt pans and the towering cranes in the distance makes this such a compelling location.

Favorite Tourist Trap: Popeye Village

If you look up the definition of a tourist trap, you must also put Popeye Village into the dictionary. Located in the northwestern corner of Malta, this pretended village was the filming location of the 1980 live-action film Popeye. Starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall, the movie did not enjoy success at the box office but somehow lives on in Malta. The construction took about 165 workers over seven months to complete. The fictional village, named Sweethaven, resembles a coastal village in the Americas. Everything from timber to nails was shipped from abroad; there was nothing Maltese about this place besides the stunning coastline.

Popeye Village is the most unusual site in all of Malta.

At €15 per person, the admission fee to Popeye Village is exceedingly steep for what it is. While I still marveled at the state of preservation of these supposedly temporary structures four decades on, the village is now a bizarre synthesis of an open-air museum, amusement park, and a living memorial to Robin Williams. In addition to live-action character performances, the village doubles as a resort with sunbeds and inflatable toys. Honestly, this place can not get more bizarre. Needless to say, I was too cheap to pay for the admission. If it was a fifth of the price, visiting the village would have been fun!

Why is Popeye Village my favorite tourist trap? Luckily, most of us have a publically accessible viewpoint across the bay from the village. Instead of paying €15, you could get a classic selfie from this spot for free and admire the absurdity of this place. Instead of spending an hour or two like some visitors, we were perfectly content with spending five minutes to get the picture everyone came for.

Favorite Megalithic Temple: Ġgantija

Malta is particularly known for its high density of megalithic temples. It is always a mystery how this tiny semi-arid island became such a magnet of prehistoric culture. Of the two dozen megalithic temples in the country, visitors like ourselves tend to focus on the six temples listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. During our 10-day trip, we visited four of them: Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien. Prehistoric sites could generally be a hit or miss. Without an adequate system of interpretation, it would be difficult to appreciate the true splendor of the ruin fully. Heritage Malta, the custodian agency of these sites, did a decent job with signage and displaying artifacts.

So why is Ġgantija my personal favorite? Ġgantija was the last temple we visited on the trip. Despite being the oldest temple, it is the largest and the most impressive. Meaning “Temple of the Giants," Ġgantija was commonly believed to be the work of a female giant. Back in the day, locals could not imagine this could be the work of the human race. Of the major megalithic temples in Malta, Ġgantija is the only one that has yet to have a protective shelter over it. As much as I appreciate the necessity of those protective measures, seeing the ruin under direct sunlight was magnificent. The best part of the visit was the large landscaped park and the beautiful vista toward the idyllic Gozo countryside.

Favorite Snacks: Twistees & Kinnie

Food and drink are always critical components of any trip. Probably because of its proximity to Italy and the British influences, Malta’s culinary scheme does not always enjoy the best reputation among travelers. I personally found its notoriety to be unfounded. After all, we should not judge Malta too harshly since it is a desert archipelago with no permanent river or lake. We did not have a bad meal in the country, and their seafood and rabbit dishes were particularly delicious. Arguably, the most popular Maltese snack is pastizzi, a savory filo pastry with either ricotta or mushed pea filling. I got to try out pastizzi from Crystal Palace (Is Serkin) Bar in Rabat, which is commonly believed to serve the best pastizzi in Malta. I loved it, but I do have to concede that it is exceedingly greasy. I doubt anyone could eat more than two in one sitting. Brian had a hard time even finishing half a piece.

As much as I enjoyed my pastizzi, I could not say it was our favorite snack during our trip. That title for me would go to Twistees, a rice-based snack with a cheesy flavor. The snack became incredibly popular because it is baked, not fried. Twistees has been the best-selling packaged snack in Malta ever since its introduction. The snack has a mild cheese flavor and is similar in size and shape to Cheetos. Unlike Cheetos, Twistees is not caked in thick orange cheese powder and has a much more natural taste. I first heard of this venerable snack from this video on the popular YouTube channel Geography Now. I still blame myself for not getting bags of Twistees earlier during our trip. I did not try it until we were at the airport departure hall. I contemplated buying a giant family pack from the airport duty-free shops.

Six pack of Kinnie at a local supermarket.

Without a doubt, the very best companion to Twistees is Kinnie, a sour-orange soda with a strong hint of aromatic herb. It is the most popular drink among Maltese, even beating out Coca-Cola for decades. During our ten-day trip, I was committed to having a bottle daily, which was my go-to drink at restaurants. I later found that Twistees and Kinnie are exported worldwide from Japan to Australia. Unfortunately, there is currently no distribution channel in the United States. I hope perhaps the rise of Pete Buttigieg might change that eventually.

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Destination Profile - Malta