Observation deck
T
enyearsago I travelled toa little island in thesouthof the
Mediterranean todoacourse insoundhealing. Iwent because
itwascheap, Iwasdrawn tohealingand Iwanted topractise
yogaso I neededsomewherequiet.“Malta isanold folks’ island,” I
thought,“So it shouldbe the ideal place.” Iwasoblivious to thisunknown
diamond in theMed.
From theminute I arrivedandsaw thebright bluesky, felt thesunon
my face,witnessed thehappydispositionof everyone Imet, experienced
thebuzzychaosof thestreets, I knew thiswasaplace I could live.Back
then I never really
appreciatedhow
mucheasier it is tobe
happywhen it’ssunny
everyday. I have
always loved thesun,
possiblybecause I
grewup inScotland.
Butmost of all, tobe
able toswimeachmorning inclear coldwater isawonderful natural
high.As isgoingbarefoot, feeling thesandbetweenyour toes,
connectingwith theearthbelowand thesunabove.Thissimpleoutdoor
life isblissful for someonewhocomes fromacold, dark,wet country
in theNorthernHemisphere.Most of all it is freeyet priceless.
InMalta they just don’t do rules likeotherEuropeancountries.The
laid-backattitude that drivesother foreignerscrazyentertainsmeno
end.There’snoneof that nanny-state-health-and-safety-gone-mad
nonsensehere, and it’sutterly refreshing.There isagenuine interest in
others, anatural curiositywithout agenda.Peopleover 30actuallygoout
andhave fun.Growingoldgracefullydoesn’t seem toexist on this island.
Malta isameltingpot forall nationalitiesandpeople types: superyachts
come inall winter, thegaming industrybrings theScandinaviansand the
goodweather andpartyatmospherebring inall theothers.Characters
abound.Andasapeopleperson I find I am in theperfect place.There is
alsoa largespiritual community that hasexpandedmyknowledgeand
inspiredme tochangemy life. It’swonderful tobeable to talkabout your
beliefs freelywithout everyone thinkingyou’remad,weirdor ahippy;
here theyunderstand
andencourageyou
toexplore further.
Malta issmall, a
little islandmeasuring
just 27kmby 14km.
It can feel likeabit of
a fishbowl sometimes,
but thesenseof
community that isoften lacking inbigcitiesmore thancompensates.
Thisgenuine friendlinessand interest inpulling togethermeans it is
an islandof possibility,wherenewwaysof living look toaddress the
problems facingourplanet,whether that’sglobalwarming, intolerance,
povertyor thesquanderingof resources. Inour fast-pacedmodern
world, thiskindof connectingwithothersoftengetsoverlooked,
but here, it’sall part ofMalta’smagic.Andeven if you’re just
passing through, it’s impossiblenot to feel itseffect.
Nextmonth: Seville
Islandretreat
The year-round sunshine and laid-back attitude onMaltamakes
this tiny country a very happy place to be, says
Lilia Sinclair
may2014
10
FLYTO
malta
twiceweeklyfrom 15june.
brusselsairlines.com
ILLUSTRATION: SEÑORSALME/SYNERGYART
