Malta and Gozo...so much history splat in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Fond memories indeed for us the paying tourists of antiquities with our favourite Archaeological Tour, Andante from England.
Another antiquities tour in a country much ignored and almost forgotten on the tourist agenda. But we were much better off than the drowning migrants from Africa...yes close to 900 people drowned...a tragedy which forced the committee of the European people involved...to hold an overnight meeting at our Hotel. I was shocked to find the hotel surrounded by police on motor bikes and at least half a dozen black Mercedes cars waiting at our door. Surely this was not a bomb scare!!

When we were due to start our harbor cruise and our guide confidently pointed to our little cruise boat...I noticed the front of the wooden boat missing...how would the waves be stopped when we leave the calm waters of the huge harbor? And I was right! They weren't going to be stopped except by my body and camera. 'Oh no' I proclaimed 'and we thought we'd die in Jordan and now we're going to die in Malta harbor!' Luckily we Australians know how to swim!! But we didn't have to die even with a crew of only one man, the captain, and a number of unknown life jackets tucked safely in a cupboard somewhere.
  Instead we were able to visit most of the heritage sites offered. And on top of that we enjoyed a very comfortable ferry ride to GOZO a much smaller island. And on our return that same day we were shown some incredible restaurants and allowed to enjoy their food. Agnes will never be forgotten. She did all she could to find these outstanding sources of food. Thanks Agnes!!




The map shown below is an example of the Temple Culture...evidenced all over Gozo and Malta.
The prehistoric underground burial Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Paola, Malta, dating ca.3600-2500B.C. is not to be missed. Here 3D glasses help the visitor to understand the construction of the underground burial
sites. Not to mention the minute examples of
sculpture found.

Our intrepid Geologist in his usual style actually found something our Archaeologist hadn't expected an example of converging Kart Tracks still existing .... small round impressions marking perhaps round stones used to transport massive stone slabs down the hill or... anything is possible. All is open to conjecture.