Theo, Dan and I love our time in Malta. We travel to Birgu (Maltese name) or Vittoriosa (Italian name), an ancient fortified city on the southern side of the Grand Harbor that dates back to medieval times.
Birgu has a fascinating history. A diversity of people have lived there--the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Angevines, and the Aragonese, and remnants of their culture still exist, but the most influential people who arrived was the Order of St. John. This Catholic Military Order built Birgu.
Why was the Order of St. John in Birgu and why did it frankly exist at all?
The Order of St. John was a papal order founded in the 12th century, honoring John the Baptist, charged with defending the Holy Land. This fact floored me. The Order hired knights, and they fought in the Crusades until 1291. This is the background about the Crusades that I knew little about. I have read about the Crusades but wondered how were they formed? The Order has a complicated history, but essentially in 1526 the Order was driven out of Rhodes, a Greek island, and sent to Malta. When they arrived, they built three cities--Birgu was one of them, and it became important because of its prime location near the harbor where it could defend against invaders.
During the Great Siege of Malta the Order of St. John with 500 knights and 6,000 foot soldiers repelled a four month siege from the Ottomans. Birgu was on the front lines protecting the Maltese Islands from attack.
That is one of the reasons why Birgu is so fascinating. The buildings date back to the 1500's, with plaques that share their historic significance. The town itself is quaint and inviting, with narrow streets . . .
beautiful doors . . .
intriguing door handles . . .
and plaques that hint at the history. This plaque identifies the Church of St. George used by the Rhodians back in the 1500's. The Rhodians were the people who followed the Order of St. John to Malta when they were kicked out of Rhodes.
For me, it's all about the details.
Theo cares nothing for this. He is with us, but I wonder is he really with us. Mindfulness? What is going through his cat brain? He is pouty, has no interest in doorhandles or narrow quaint streets.
Plan B for us with a pouty cat is SNACKS. They become the bribe that Theo can't resist. We walk down the charming streets of Birgu. And Theo eats snacks. And more snacks.
And more snacks.
Enough.
In all honesty, we finally give up. Theo becomes interested only once when we lift him up to sniff a door knocker in the shape of--you guessed it--a fish. He sniffs and sniffs.
Finally it's time for lunch and Theo is all in. Unbelievable.
