I am typing up my diary about our trip to Britain in 2011. While there we took a week's holiday in Malta. I wrote this in part.
"Last was the Malta Experience, a 50-min film of the history of Malta – had wondered about my concentration span, but managed pretty well. Its history has been one of battering from all sorts of people – Sicily, Phoenicians, Arabs, Romans, Goths, Knights, French, English. Turks/Ottomans were repulsed in a siege led by John Vallett; one of the Knight leaders and founder of Valletta. Our guide said it brought the end of the Ottoman Empire & Sulieman’s power, but it seems unlikely to me that the resistance of one small island could do this. Called the Great Siege of 1565. WWII history brought tears to my eyes – constant German & Italian bombardment, 1st resisted by 3 small fighter planes. Many killed, starving conditions for civilians & soldiers, beautiful buildings destroyed before final relief came from the Allies. Had been British since 1800, gained indep. in 1964, republic 1974, E.U. member 2004. (We are upset that EU safety directives mean that their iconic buses are to be forced off the road & replaced by those of a British company who will run them.)"
Do any of you have anything to add to this? I don't think the British buses were a real success, but am not sure what the situation is now.