A short, very belated post on a surprise trip that Genghis Bond went on to the beautiful island country of Malta during the last week of March!
We can’t consider it to be Rally prep-worthy (can’t exactly count on 5-star hotels in the middle of nowhere!), but does it matter when the weather is sunny, 16˚C, breezy and gorgeous? NOPE. We spent our time predominantly touring the north of the island, including the ancient city of Mdina. Malta is an amazing melting pot of civilization, having been conquered and re-conquered by countless empires over the past millennia alone. We got to see original, centuries-old Roman mosaic art, Templar weaponry, gold-leafed cathedrals, as well as sample some great rabbit dishes – a Maltese specialty!
We even took advantage of the proximity to Italy to make a short ferry ride to Sicily and take in the views atop Mount Etna. While sadly lacking in lava that particular day, we did get a stunning panorama of the Sicilian countryside and some basalt souvenirs! Of course, we didn’t forget to sample some classic pizza and buy some bars of cioccolata modicana. We’ll gloss over the unfortunate seasickness that occurred that day…
For myself, one week was too short a time to spend basking in Malta. Even though we won’t have a chance to go back during the Rally, one can dream!