Travel Tuesdays: Wied ta' l-Isperanza, "The Valley of Hope," Malta

Hey everyone, happy Tuesday! Today I want to share a really beautiful place with you: Wied ta' l-Isperanza, or "The Valley of Hope," in Malta.

As I've mentioned before, I spent three years living on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean. Malta is basically a rock of sandstone jutting out of the sea. It's very hot and dry in the summer--all the grass and most other greenery disappears into the dust by about May every year.

But in the winter, the islands are covered in green! The rain wakes up all the grass and flowers whose seeds lay waiting since last year, and farms produce crops of potatoes, cauliflower, and wheat sprinkled with poppies. Indeed, winter is one of the most beautiful times to visit the islands, although it rains a lot and can be a bit uncomfortably cold.

In February is the Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck, commemorating the biblical story of the apostle's arrival on the island. The Maltese are very proud of this part of their history, and hold a national holiday to celebrate it. For working folks like me, that meant a day off!

Four years ago on St. Paul's Shipwreck, it was a fantastically beautiful day, and I took a long hike from the coast to the center of the island, where there is a valley called Wied ta' l-Isperanza below the city of Mosta. Here are some of my pictures from that day. I hope you enjoy them!

Heading into the valley

A break in the sandstone wall

Some kind of old bridge at the deepest part of the valley

These yellow flowers grow everywhere in the spring

This is one of my favorite pictures from my time in Malta. I find that almond tree so magical.

The cave under the magical almond tree

Here is a chapel built into the rock

Here's the view looking back once I had climbed up the other side.

And a snail shell I found :)

I hope you enjoyed this hike! Feel free to comment, follow, upvote, and resteem! Thank you for sharing my adventures with me. :)