Algorithms Riven
Maltese Street Corner at Night
Valletta, Malta.
I was uncertain what to expect when I visited Malta. Travel circumstances made it impossible to do my usual amount of research before going--I probably research more than most visitors do--and I was puzzled by what I read. Its culture was very distinct from Italy, its nearest semblance of a neighbor. English was widely spoken and well understood. The language didn't look like anything else I had seen in Europe, at least initially. This tiny island nation was the smallest member of the European Union, and it traced its existence back to a medieval order of knights.
Of all the countries I visited in Europe, Malta is the one I'd most like to visit again. The towns were serene, and the streets were narrow but inviting. The stone buildings and stone streets seemed indeterminate in age; houses that were marked as over 500 years old stood next to nearly-identical ones without historic markers. In places, the buildings seemed to rise directly out of the rocks of the sea cliffs. The people I met were friendly and went out of their way to help when I appeared lost. The history was fascinating; as a child I was never particularly interested in knights and chivalry, but seeing artifacts of those things in person was more engaging than I had expected.
Maltese Street Corner at Night
Valletta, Malta.
I was uncertain what to expect when I visited Malta. Travel circumstances made it impossible to do my usual amount of research before going--I probably research more than most visitors do--and I was puzzled by what I read. Its culture was very distinct from Italy, its nearest semblance of a neighbor. English was widely spoken and well understood. The language didn't look like anything else I had seen in Europe, at least initially. This tiny island nation was the smallest member of the European Union, and it traced its existence back to a medieval order of knights.
Of all the countries I visited in Europe, Malta is the one I'd most like to visit again. The towns were serene, and the streets were narrow but inviting. The stone buildings and stone streets seemed indeterminate in age; houses that were marked as over 500 years old stood next to nearly-identical ones without historic markers. In places, the buildings seemed to rise directly out of the rocks of the sea cliffs. The people I met were friendly and went out of their way to help when I appeared lost. The history was fascinating; as a child I was never particularly interested in knights and chivalry, but seeing artifacts of those things in person was more engaging than I had expected.