Malta (revisited)

It occurred to me that there are a few of my favourite views of Malta that I forgot to post after we got back from our trip. So here goes:

This is Filfla, a tiny little island (uninhabited, of course) that used to be used by the British for target practice - or so the story goes. Which means that there are a number of unexploded bombs dotted round and about and it is not advisable to try and reach it by boat. It's not that far from the mainland at all (cliffs along the western coast) and there's a legend that it was used as a refuge during the plague. There may even be the remains of a makeshift chapel there. Anyway, the place has always fascinated me and I would love to have a closer look at it one day...

There are a number of towers in strategic places around the island from the time of the Knights (1500s onwards) when they were used as a means of communication. Some of them have fallen into disrepair, but they are heritage-listed buildings and many have been restored to their former glory:

Here's another:

Here's a typical church rooftop, a couple of blocks from where we were staying, in fact. The bells tolled on the hour, on the half hour and I think they even rang on the quarter hour (except through the night). Pretty noisy, but we got used to them...

This last one is a small lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour of Gozo, Malta's 'sister-island'. That's Malta in the background, so it's not too far away - just a twenty-minute ferry crossing. Gozo is about a third of the size of Malta, a little bit greener and a lot less densely-populated. It's much more untouched and unspoilt by the ravages of tourism and we spent a few days there on a beautifully restored (but still very rustic-looking) farmhouse with family members and friends. One of my favourite places of all time...