Mdina

In addition to regular university classes each selects, the two Luther courses our students are taking are an overview of Maltese history, and a course on contemporary issues in Malta and the Mediterranean region. As I am less than an expert on either topic, these courses are arranged for us as a series of guest lectures from faculty of the University of Malta. Mary and I get to sit in.

So far, the lectures have been excellent. The downside is that each lecture lasts two hours, often in tight, warm classrooms. This sometimes makes full attention a challenge. Nevertheless, it's been a delight to be on the learning side once again (although I do grade papers for the contemporary issues course, which counts at Luther as something called "Paideia 450").

The moat and walls of Mdina

Our students are quite adventuresome, and they've been out and about across the island more than we have. We realized in a lecture this week that the lecturer was mentioning places we hadn't been, but the students were all saying, "Oh, yeah, we've seen that." We decided it's time for the old folks to catch up.

Mdina main gate.

Today we hopped on a bus for Mdina (just hum a little bit before you open your mouth and say, "DEE-nah" and you'll have it). This is the old capital city (up until 1571), which sits inland a good 10-15 kilometers from the sea, just a little bit west of the dead center of the island of Malta. The old walled city is fairly small, with a population of only about 300. But just outside the wall is Rabat (from the Arabic word for "suburb") with a population of around 11,000. Some suburb.

The Co-Cathedral shares its status with one in Valletta

The guidebooks tell us that the settlement of Maleth was founded by the Phoenicians in about the 8th century BCE.  When the Romans conquered Malta in the Second Punic War in 218 BCE, they renamed the city Melite. The Byzantines kept the same name in Greek, Μελίττη, but when the Arabs came in the year 870 CE, they thought it sounded like their word for simply, "the city," which in Arabic is "medina." Maltese, which is a language derived from Arabic, turned it into L-Imdina (any vowel you thought should follow the L needs to stick in your throat for a fraction of a second before you move on). This was mangled by the Normans when they invaded here in 1091. And when the Knights of Malta took over in 1530 they Latin-ized what they thought they heard to the present name. Here endeth the linguistics lesson.

Madonnas are everywhere in Malta -- though most are not this grand.

The city as seen today dates from the time of the Knights, with most buildings dated to the 17th and 18th centuries. The walls, which withstood the Ottomans and earthquakes, are still completely intact. The architecture is baroque. The place is about nothing other than tourists today, with at least one restaurant in every block, and a souvenir shop across the street from it. Blown glass is a big seller here, and not cheap.

Flora and fauna (Mary)

When one looks at a map of Malta, it's difficult to understand why the Phoenicians -- who were sailors and traders -- settled so far inland, away from the seaports. When one actually sees Mdina, the mystery is revealed: From this hilltop one can see clearly all the way to Valletta and the Grand Harbor, to the sea beyond. Most of the southern land mass of Malta is spread out before the lookout on the ramparts. Invaders could be seen landing with plenty of time to prepare defenses.

Our view while drinking hot chocolate -- all the way to the sea!

A cold wind was blowing off the sea this morning, so we got some really excellent hot chocolate and cake at a cafe on the ramparts, taking in the view. Before getting back on the bus, in Rabat, we found a neighborhood pastizzeria.

A pastizzi is a traditional Maltese pastry stuffed with a filling -- usually ricotta cheese or (I've got to believe, thanks to the British influence) mushy peas. We got in line with the locals, because we were the only tourists in the place. Hot from the oven at 30 cents each, two or three of these will fill a stomach right up.