Recently I visited Malta together with my husband. It was my first time there. We stayed in its capital Valetta for five days and I enjoyed it very much. Yes, Malta isn’t a big country. It occupies an area just barely larger than the area of the Croatian island of Korčula – after all it is an island itself. And that was pretty much all I knew about the country before I went there.
Malta is an island county in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It has a rich history, rich culture, some very interesting myths of it’s own, and very beautiful bluest blue sea scenery (this speaks volumes since I was born and raised by the sea – Adriatic Sea).
Looking at this island from above, as we were landing, I managed to see cliffs and a rocky coastline. Buildings placed in a close proximity to each other, and than i noticed large areas covered with nothing else but rows of solar panels. My first impression was positive. This was in stark contrast to the impression of the woman sitting right behind me. She was disappointed because the island didn’t look anything like Cyprus. Without rivers and lush greenery, and since the island is surrounded by cliffs, she concluded that there certainly couldn’t be any beaches. As it turns out Malta has beaches, just on the other side of the island.
And yes you can take a hop-on, hop-off bus tour around an island of Malta and see all the sights in just around 4-5 hours (provided that you don’t get out of the bus at all). But that isn’t really a way to visit any place is it? Communicating with the locals and the tourists is fun, and it offer interesting (or not so interesting) experience.
We had the opportunity to be driven by a British taxi driver who lives there, and he proudly stated that he was born on this island some 60 years ago. I entered a shop with tropical decorations who’s owner moved there from Australia. He rather fondly remembers his visit to Croatia, but didn’t like Dubrovnik at all since he felt it was like a tourist trap. And there was a French painter who literally painted his business card on sheet of paper and give it to me on the street.
Local people are for better part hospitable. Talking proudly how they heroically earned their county’s freedom, talking about Knights of John, and that there is an underground city in Valletta. Recommending you to go see Tritons Fountain, visit Saluting Battery or just to take a gondola ride around the Grand Harbour (there are lifts to take you directly to the Harbour and bring you right back up). For me i enjoyed the Lower Barrakka Gardens the most, the view is spectacular on it’s own and there is a great piece of history situated right there.
It was interesting to find out that glassmaking is quite represented on Malta. They produce a lot of glass souvenirs, so producing glass vessels for hand poured candles is no surprise. What surprised me was the type of candles they create. So aromatherapy candles are a familiar thing. But a candles which are intended to be used as a body lotion? Now that is something new and sounds like a bold idea. Just like aromatherapy candles those candles also boasts with all natural ingredients. I thought that this candles use low melting point wax. What I realized that almost all candles (except for one brand that uses a rapeseed wax blend) were made using soy wax. Sure soy wax has a lower melting point than for example paraffin wax, but it’s melting point still reaches the temperature from 47°C to 55°C. Would you be confident to stick your fingers in it?
Local shopkeeper was assuring me that the use of body lotion candle is completely safe. If I want to use it as a lotion, after it has been burning for an hour or two, I can extinguish it and simply apply the melted wax with my fingers like a cream on to my hands or on any other part of the body I like. I was tempted to buy such a candle.
In the end, I bought a Stephen Cordina candle, which is an aromatherapy candle, but it can also be used as a hand balm. As much as I look forward to using it, I’m even more excited about trying to make such a candle myself.
