Photo courtesy of Rachelle Lucas, The Travel Bite
For nearly 20 years, Malta has been near the top of my own personal travel bucket list. It’s a long story, but I have a certain personal affinity to the island nation and have spent a lot of time learning about its history and the island’s most famous former residents – the Knights of St. John Hospitalier. Finally, FINALLY, after years of pining, I leave next week to visit this beautiful island.
I’m traveling to Malta as part of the #MaltaIsMore campaign, led by iambassador with the goal of bringing more information about what it’s like to travel around this island in the Mediterranean to the rest of the world. I’ll see everything from beautiful beaches to stunning churches, twinkling with age and incredible history. Malta is an intriguing place and I know that as an American, not a lot is known about it here in the US. More than anything I want to take home with me stories about what island life is like along with (hopefully) some beautiful photos to bring those experiences to life.
Who Were The Knights?
The Knights of St. John, or the Hospitaliers, were a Christian military order during the Middle Ages that like many others began in Jerusalem and later came to play an important role during the Crusades. Fleeing the conquest of Jerusalem, the Knights settled on several islands until they finally formed a permanent base on Malta. The Knights still exist to this day, as always helping the poor and sick around the world.
I’ll explain my connection to the Knights in a later post, but I’ve spent a long time studying them and to finally – FINALLY – visit Malta and visit the places most important to this noble order excites me in a way that few other places have done in a long time.
What else is there on Malta?
Malta has a lot to offer history nuts like me, but that’s not all there is to do on this beautiful bit of land in the warm Mediterranean. A few of the activities I hope to do during my week on Malta include:
- Explore the UNESCO World Heritage city of Valletta
- Try some of the many delicious culinary specialties unique to Malta
- Fabulous outdoor pursuits from relaxing on the beach to sailing the azure blue waters
- Visit the smaller islands that make up the Maltese archipelago
- Just ease back and live the local life on Malta
So please be sure to follow me and the #MaltaIsMore hashtag for the next week as I share what Malta is really all about.
What do YOU think I should do in Malta?
This campaign was created and sponsored by Malta Tourism Authority in partnership with iambassador. LandLopers retains all editorial control of what is published and as you know, I never shy away from honest commentary.
