I have been traveling through Greece to Istanbul with a friend from Australia. As I settle back into my home base in Malta I have started to reflect on the difference between living here and living in Australia.
Apart from the obvious contrasts that I have spoken about in previous posts, the location of Malta at the heart of the Middle Sea means that the discoveries I make about the countries that border the Mediterranean have implications for Malta as well. I feel the same awe as the Australian when I find myself standing in a place I learnt about in school, but now, as a Maltese resident, I feel an insider connection with a shared history that has shaped and been shaped by this powerful sea.
The people whose names are whispered or shouted in Thessaloniki, Alexandropoulis, Istanbul are people whose stories have shaped Maltese culture as well. The travels of St Paul, the glory of Byzantium, the campaigns of the Ottomans, all resonate through the cultural landscape of Malta.
I'll try to capture a little of that in my next posts. In the meantime, the photos are of the Greek flag above a monastery in Meteora and the Turkish flag on a fishing boat on the Marmara sea.
