A Journey of Fire and Ice

The tiny island nation of Malta is an adventurer’s dream. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe collide into a culture seen nowhere else. Historians are drawn by the cross of St. John into the crusades of the Knights Templar, and Malta served the host of the Apostle Paul after a shipwreck prevented his trial in Rome. He is memorialized all across the island. World War II buffs will also find numerous historical sites and memorabilia, as Malta has the dubious honor of being the most-bombed place on earth.

I was barreling down the dusty road in an ancient Volkswagen bus, crushed between the bodies of British tourists on our way to the Sunday bazaar in Valetta, when I realized that while the history of this nation is diverse and captivating, it is the natural beauty that took my breath away.

It is hard to think of war when yellow broom scents the air and the crystalline water merges perfectly with brilliant blue sky, but the picturesque hillsides are pockmarked with the remnants of ancient walls and monoliths contrasting the newer constructions, long, low trenches hidden beneath wooden flats which hid scouts from the eyes of incoming bombers. I made my way up the coast from Mellieha, past Ta' l-Imgharqa, a WWII Beach Post, when I came across a small cove. It was sheltered on all sides by limestone cliffs, but I could see a decline that would just be manageable.

Scaling down the rock face, the colors beneath the surface are breathtaking. Anemones undulated beneath the waves, iridescent and in innumerable colors. Careful not to crush any of their delicate fronds, I slid into the water, warm as a bath in the shallows. I floated for a while, dove, resurfaced, shook out my hair, and blinking rapidly against the salty seawater, stiffened with a sense of impending dread as I realized I was almost completely surrounded by jellyfish!

Pelagia noctiluca, known as the Mauve Stinger, is common in warm waters and has been increasing in the Mediterranean in recent years. Their stings are rarely deadly, but undeniably painful, and it was very cautiously that I eased my way back to shore, grateful not to have been touched by its invisibly fine tentacles.

The peace you will find in this little slice of paradise is rare on an often-busy holiday, so do take some time to venture away from the treaded path for these unexpected gifts. Swim at your own risk!