On April 9, 2021, Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99. Elizabeth II, who was 95 years old at the time, secretly sent her deceased husband on her last journey in her own way.
The black handbag that the Queen carried that day contained the Prince's signature white scarf and a photograph of her husband in Malta in the early days of their marriage.
For the Queen, Malta is a very important place in her life. In 1947, when Princess Elizabeth II married Prince Philip, they chose Malta for their honeymoon.
After marriage, Philip, a naval officer, was stationed in Malta, and from 1949 to 1951 the Queen lived with her husband at Villa Guardamangia, a suburb of Valletta, Malta's capital.
With a floor area of 1,560 square metres, including 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a spacious hall, the villa is not ornate but very comfortable, and is called the only "home" by the Queen outside of England.
The villa's terrace overlooks the bay and there is a large 900-square-metre garden where the Queen and her husband often walk and chat along the elevated promenade promenade.
Although this time in Malta was not long, it was a memorable time for the Queen, because she was able to live like an ordinary person, shopping, shopping, picnicking, sunbathing...... Simple and hassle-free!
Later, the Queen often brought her family to Malta for holidays, and Prince Charles and Princess Anne also went to Malta on their first overseas trip.
In 2007, on the diamond wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip, they also returned to Malta together.
In 2015, the Queen and Prince Philip were on a state visit to Malta, and Joseph Muscat, then Prime Minister of Malta, presented them with a watercolour of Manguiacan Villa.
A painting that is ordinary in the eyes of others is the most ordinary and beautiful time in the queen's life.
Not only is it favored by the royal family, Malta has been one of the top vacation destinations for Europe's rich and famous for many years, and in 2023 it was named the "Best Leisure Destination" by Lonely Planet!
Malta is located in the middle of the Mediterranean, bordering the Italian island of Sicily to the north, Libya to the south, and Tunisia across the sea to the west.
Malta is a small island country, with a land area of 316 square kilometers, equivalent to 1/2 of Singapore, with a total population of about 520,000 and a high degree of affluence.
Malta has a typical Mediterranean climate, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, and an average temperature of 15 degrees in winter.
Open-air museum
Malta Island is the first port of call into Malta, whether it is Malta International Airport or the country's only international seaport, Grand Harbour is on the main island.
Valletta was the capital of the newly built capital set out by La Valette, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, after the "Great Siege of Malta". It is the political, economic and cultural centre of Malta and occupies a narrow peninsula in the Gulf of Malta, the main island.
Nestled on a hill and with 320 historical sites on 55 hectares, Valletta is an open-air museum that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and a European Capital of Culture in 2018.
The old town retains its exquisite medieval Baroque architecture, and the distinctive coloured wooden windows enliven the streets, which contrast with the long rolling streets.
Old Mint Street is the most distinctive old street in Valletta, once home to a coin mint factory during the Knights' period.
St John's Co-cathedral was built after the victory of the Great Siege of Malta as a monastic church for the knights of the Order of St. John, so it is half of the history of Maltese knighthood.
The interior of the church is resplendent and dazzling, with golden reliefs and three-dimensional marble carvings decorating the entire inner court and the dome, and the paintings of the famous Italian painter Madiabradi are also interlaced on the stone wall vault.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a super landmark in Valletta and a presence to be reckoned with in every stunning photo of Valletta's skyline.
Located in the heart of Valletta, the Grand Master's Palace is the official residence of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, which has been the center of power of the Order since its completion in the 16th century, and where it lived for several days after Napoleon ousted the Order in the 18th century, and is now the seat of the Parliament of Malta.
Baraka Park was built at the end of the 17th century and consists of two parts, the upper and lower parts.
The Upper Barrakka Garden is home to an 11-gun salute that was fired at sunrise and sunset from the 16th century until 1960 to mark commuting to and from work and opening and closing gates.
Upper Baraka Park is the best vantage point for the Grand Harbour and the Three Sisters, and it is also a popular photo spot for the coastline through the arches.
The Lower Barrakka Garden is a typical Roman-style garden with grassy gardens, a 17th-century breakwater, an observation deck, and a memorial sculpture and clock tower built after the end of World War II.
The Grand Harbour Valletta is almost one of the most impressive calling cards of Valletta and even Malta, having experienced fierce battles during the "Great Siege of Malta" and the battle for World War II.
Today, the Grand Harbour is one of the most spectacular ports in the world and is Malta's international passenger port, which also plays a heavy role in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Malta International Fireworks Festival.
Across the sea from Valletta, the three sister cities are three closely connected port cities, with a blend of Baroque and Arabic architecture that glimpses the prosperity of the past.
Formerly known as Birgu, Vittoriosa is the most famous of the three sister towns, and was the main battlefield of the "Great Siege of Malta" and the earliest habitat of the Knights of St. John in Malta.
Stepping into the ancient city gate, there are mottled stone walls standing beside the road, and the doors and windows full of artistic colors are inlaid on the honey-colored walls, as if you have stepped into a time tunnel.
Mdina is one of the few well-preserved medieval walled cities in the world that is still inhabited. With its old buildings, winding alleys, characteristic doors and windows, and street lamps, it's as if you've stepped back centuries.
The Baroque Mdina Gate, a quaint and sophisticated city, was also the setting for the King's Landing scene in the first season of Game of Thrones.
Color dopamine
Popeye Village, located in Anco Bay in Meriha, in the north of Malta's main island, was originally set for the filming of a 1980 feature film about Popeye and was preserved in its entirety after filming.
The colourful wooden houses are designed to be crumbling, and they are perched high and low in the arms of the cliffs, and the long boardwalk leads to the sea.
Walking through it, you can see Popeye animated figures, statues, and live-action characters, and you can experience a variety of games that make you feel like you're in a fairy tale.
In the harbour of Marsaxlokk, a traditional fishing village in the south of the main island of Malta, is anchored in the Luzzu, a traditional fishing boat that can only be found in Malta.
The hull of the ship is clad in a variety of colors, and the most special feature is that the bow of the ship has a pair of "divine eyes". The Maltese believe that when they reach the vast sea, these eyes can help small fishing boats find their way and bless those who go out to sea to return safely.
There are seafood restaurants all over the fishing village, and most of the ingredients come from the fishermen's catch on the day.
There are no rivers in the whole of Malta to dilute the seawater, so the Maltese sea is also the most salty area in the Mediterranean, and there is now a unique Maltese blue, so unique that Hermès named a shade "Malta Blue".
The "Three Blues" that are widely known among travelers: "Blue Grotto", "Azure Window" and "Blue Lagoon", are the proudest business cards of Maltese.
The Blue Grotto is a complex of caves located on the southern coast of the main island of Malta, consisting of 7 caves with a beautiful turquoise water.
You can get up close and personal with the Blue Grotto by dinghy or paddleboard, and even in the glittering caverns, the water is still a proud and mysterious blue, and even the rocks on both sides seem to be dyed with color, which is dazzling.
Located in the westernmost corner of Gozo, Malta's second largest island, the Blue Window has been carved out of a natural karst natural rock arch by violent waves over the limestone rocks of the shore for 700 years.
The "window frame" of the blue window is a stone pier with a diameter of about 100 meters, which supports a stone cover, forming a "window" about 100 meters high and 20 meters wide, from which you can see the blue waves of the sea opposite, hence the name "blue window".
In the first season of "Game of Thrones", the shocking wedding of King Ma and Dragon Mother was filmed here.
Unfortunately, on March 8, 2017, the blue window suddenly collapsed into the sea, and now only half of the "window frame" remains, but there are still many travelers who go to see the ruins, and even dive to the bottom of the sea to find broken rocks.
In the Gulf of Kuibajia, north of Gozo, there is a 350-year-old rocky salt pan that stretches for 3 kilometers.
The salt pans are scattered, and the earthy yellow rocks form snow-white crystalline grains, forming a vivid color impact with Maltese blue.
The region has had salt pans since Phoenician and Roman times, and the tradition of handmade salt continues to this day, with the peak season from June to September every year, when the tide recedes in the morning.
Comino is the least densely populated region in Malta, with an area of just 3.494 square kilometres and a permanent population of less than 10 people, but it attracts many tourists who come to admire the beauty of the "Blue Lagoon".
The Blue Lagoon is not a lake, it is just a large expanse of water surrounded by islands. Because there is no impact of the waves, it is as calm as a lake.
Because the white sand on the bottom of the blue lagoon gives the sea a bright blue color, which is significantly different from the blue of the deep sea, and it is amazing to see such a strange change during the boat ride on the lake.
And when you take a dip in the crystal clear waters, or dive to the bottom of the lake with a snorkel, you'll be even more amazed by the beauty of this natural landscape, even if you soak here for a whole day!
Also, in Comino, a pineapple drink is a must, and don't forget to take a photo of it!
#Headline Creation Challenge##Winter Life Check-in Season#