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“Travelon . By Jonathan van Bilsen asl A Gem In The Travelling to any part of the world is always an excit- ing adventure, but when | had the opportunity to visit the Mediterranean island of Matta | was thrilled and excited. September is a great time to go, as many of the tourists have returned to their homelands. To do Malta right you need to spend at least four days. The island is small, but has much to offer. It is made up of two islands: Malta and the smaller Gozo. Travel be- tween the islands is a thirty-five minute ferry ride and the cost is very reasonable. Keep in mind that Malta was under British rule and driving on the left side is the norm. Most of us can handle the change, but I found the traffic circles a defi- nite challenge. | did a little digging and found Avis to be the best bang for your buck when it comes to rental cars and remember, book in advance. A bit of history on this gem in the Mediterra- nean; Malta has archeological sites, which date back 6,000 years, one of the oldest in the world. The standing stones at Hagar Qim were placed there a thousand years before Stonehenge. The people of that era mysteriously disappeared, and although there is no definitive proof, edu- cated minds believe a lengthy drought caused them to either leave, or perish. In the sixteenth century, the knights of St. John, en route to the crusades to administer medical care for the sick and wounded, ended up on Malta and realized its importance as a trade route (the island is located halfway between Istanbul and Gibraltar, and halfway Mediterranean between Italy and Tunisia). They stayed for several hundred years and bi jospitals, and schools, etc. and were largely responsible for the infrastructure which ex- ists today. The location of this tiny spec of land, between North Africa and Italy, made it a strategic and sought after locale during WWII. The Nazi movement began to bomb Malta, a country which had three, biplanes left over from previous decades. They were aptly named Faith, Hope and Charity and did their best against the mighty Weh- macht of the German military machine. The island was bombarded heavily and casualties were in the thousands. Not even Great Britain itself came Please turn to page 48 Ascene from along the rugged coast of Malta’s island of Gozo. cao 9X coer Visit the lar, sand castle in the world while on an Adriatic cruise. virginia.frewclarke@ marlintravel.ca FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2013 47