A one hour flight from Tunis, Tunisia on Tunisair Express returned TotalAdventure to the European Union . Malta, 3 islands between Europe and North Africa is truly a crossroads of geography and culture. The islands , only a couple hundred kilometers from the Sahara, have a near desert landscape and climate, though there are some moderate winter rains. The currency is the Euro, but prices are a bit lower than the Continent. The language is a mix of Arabic and Sicilian .Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet.

Back In Schengen.

Not long after TotalAdventure checked into the hotel in Sliema, I Ubered to St.Peter’s Pool, a beautiful rocky cove with crashing waves, clear blue water and cliffs for diving SEE THE VIDEO ABOVE.

Three are amazing beaches on all 3 islands The best are remote ,where a hike is also part of the deal. The snorkeling and diving can be experienced in THE VIDEO.

Many Roman style structures in Malta are not necessarily Roman. This is the Malta Stock Exchange, built in the 1870s.

Though close to the shores of the Islamic World, Malta is 99% Catholic. Above is the Church of the Madonna of Lourdes on a mountain above the Gozo Harbour.

Interior Of The Church.

The Gozo Fast Ferry takes 45 minutes from Valletta to Gozo. Unfortunately there is no outdoor space, but it is fast ! One can also board a ferry to Sicily – only 1 hour 45 minutes. By air it’s one hour to Tunis or Tripoli,Libya.

Flying In To Malta.

A Roadside Shrine in Valletta.

A Friday Wedding In Style !

At St.John’s Co-Cathedral.

Commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the conventual church of the Knights of St. John, replacing earlier churches used by the Order.Architect Girolamo (Ġlormu) Cassar, Malta’s leading military engineer, led its Mannerist-style design and oversaw construction between 1573 and 1577, with final touches in 1578 Replaced the Church of St. Lawrence in Vittoriosa as the main worship site for the Order.

Originally simple, the interior was richly redecorated in the 1660s by Grand Master Raphael Cotoner, executed by Mattia Preti and colleagues, aiming to rival Roman churches

Features include illusionistic frescoes, carved gilt walls, and intricate marble tombstone floors commemorating knights

• 1798: French occupation expelled the Knights; church’s status grew.
• 1816: Elevated to co‑cathedral by papal decree, sharing Malta’s episcopal seat with St. Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina .
• The British era brought attempts to convert it into a Protestant church, but opposition led to its co‑cathedral status being reaffirmed .

• 1798: French occupation expelled the Knights; church’s status grew.
• 1816: Elevated to co‑cathedral by papal decree, sharing Malta’s episcopal seat with St. Paul’s Cathedral in Mdina .
• The British era brought attempts to convert it into a Protestant church, but opposition led to its co‑cathedral status being reaffirme

• Internally, one of Europe’s finest examples of High Baroque architecture—a lavish contrast to its austere exterior .
• Its floors and walls commemorate centuries of Malta’s Knights, making it both a house of worship and a national memorial .

• Continues to function as a living church, welcoming both worshippers and art-lovers.

Fort St.Elmo , overlooking the entrance to the Port, houses a museum chronicling Malta’s many wars. Above, a bunker overlooking the Mediterranean ready to fire on German and Italian vessels crossing from Sicily.

A captured Nazi Helmet.

Malta has been fighting off invaders from. all sides for thousands of years. Since 1964 they have been a free and sovereign nation.

One cannot leave Malta without savoring the national dish – Rabbit Stew !

Malta, an EU Member, uses the Euro. Currently the Euro is worth US $ 1.18 putting prices on a par with the USA and lower than Northern Europe.

From Malta TotalAdventure returned to Miami via Frankfurt on Lufthansa ending an amazing journey from Miami to Paris to Algeria,Tunisia and Malta.

WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THE ARTICLE !

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE !

On April 16th, TotalAdventure boarded Turkish Airlines from Miami to Tbilisi Georgia on a one- way ticket. The reason for the one -way ticket will be discussed in the Armenia and Azerbaijan chapters to follow, but it had to do with visiting currently peaceful ,yet potentially volatile areas in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The highlight of my 6 hour layover in Istanbul Airport was Nusr-Et’s amazing $45 cheeseburger. It was quaffed with an icy cold Efes Beer.

After flying day and night and another half of a night, TotalAdventure arrivrd in Tbiisi at 3 AM. Immigration took seconds. Waiting for me was a driver from the excellent small inn British House. I dozed from about 5 AM till 11 and then hit the ground in my hiking boots.

The first graffiti I read on the street. The populace is pro-Europe ,and the nation was grated Candidate Status to join the EU this past December. However, the government, perhaps out of fear – leans pro Russia. Georgians are naturally wary of their large northern neighbor that has already captured nearly half their territory in earlier wars. As of this writing , Parlaimentt just passed a pro-Russian foreign agent law, threatening further integration with the EU.

Holy Trinity Cathedral is on top a high hill overlooking the city. For a view of city sights be sure to view VIDEO AT TOP OF PAGE !

Putin is not so popular in Tbilisi.

Lots of cool grafitti in the streets.

Many quiet squares thoughout the vibrant and fashionable city. The young crowds seem more Parisian than Muscovite.

Noisy Protests Almost Nightly. Some fear that another Trump Presidency would result in a carte blanche handover of Georgia to Putin.

Delicious Kinkhali as an appetizer.

Followed by a lamb stew.

A sparky stove !

Do not know the name but amazingly tasty !

Riverboat style architecture.

A modern bridge over the Kura River which flows from Eastern Turkey to the Caspian Sea.

Holy Trinity in the distance.

TotalAdventure’s Room At British House. 2 Rooms , actually, plus a small balcony. About 75 US.

Georgia Lari. 2.78 to 1 USD as of this writing.

The next stop was Gorki ,birthplace of Comrade Josef Stalin, Dictator of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. Dictators love to pose with children. Thanks to Stalin, millions of children were orphaned when both their parents were sent off to slave labor in the Siberian Gulags. The children themselves grew up in orphanages where they could be brainwashed to be obedient little Party cadres.

HIs death was secretly celebrated by many. Shortly afterwards some liberalization from an ablsolute police state began.

1930s Exection Squads.

See Stalin’s Train Car IN THE VIDEO AT TOP OF PAGE.

From the plans of central Georgia, we drove to 3000meters elevation into the Caucasus Mountains, highest in Europe,

The view of Mt.Xazhgebi by night. At over 5000 meters , it is half in Russia.

On the side of bi-national Mt.Xazhgebi,is Holy Trinity, dating from the 1300s.Winter snows are subsiding in late April.

Light From The. Heavens.

Gudauri Ski Resort is very high, over 3000m in most areas and goes on for many kilometers. In late April the season was ending, the higher peaks were off limits due to avalanche danger from the strong spring sunshine. Georgians, Russians ,Germans and Americans all ski together peacefully.

As Timkat approaches, the entire country gets into celebration mode. We leave Lalibela on. Saturday – 2 days before. Roadside markets are busting, as people stock up on food for the large family feasts after a 24 hour fast.

A music man in the Highlands playing his masinko. Watch him play on the video above.

Coffee beans growing on the side of the road. Ethiopian Coffee is amongst the best in the world !

A boy brings coffee to market. Rural children work for their families, but not for others as far as we could tell. It’s a necessity that armchair moralists of the West may not understand.

All food is very fresh.

Two sisters off to market.

Restaurant Mountain Vista.

A colorful Injera lunch.Various meats and vegetables, mostly cold.

Injera “flour”

United States help is much appreciated. With 109 million people in a mostly desert country , extra supplies are needed.

A cold Saturday morning, everyone on the way to buy and sell.

Drying grain.

Spices are abundant.

Spices Are Abundant.

Inside a market bar. TotalAdventure was obliged to try some of the local firewater – made from fermented fruit that still had seeds floating in it. Powerful ! Though it was only 9 AM, music was blasting.

Bamboo for sale.

Approaching Gondar.

TotalAdventure finally had some time to relax after a whirlwind journey. We stayed int eh luxurious resort town of Bodrum, on the Aegean Sea Our gracious host was Nezih Çavuşoğlu,the well known Turkish artist we met in Istanbul in 2012. Read the November,2012 article here.    You can review , and perhaps  buy his paintings here on Artsy.

Balcony at the house of the Artist.

Crystal clear Aegean waters. The atmosphere was peaceful in the days after the attack at Ataturk, hundreds of kilometers to the north.

A newly constructed Mosque.

The peaceful Mosque interior.

Bodrum by night.

Delicious fresh seafood every night.