Malta

The American West is our home, and our photos have concentrated on our travels through its parks and wide open spaces, but once in a while we get off to a place that's a little farther afield.

Business took us to the island nation of Malta, located approximately 60 miles south of Sicily in the Mediterreanean Sea. Its history is ancient and colorful, partly because of its geographical importance in the old world. It has seen been ruled, sacked or fought over by the Byzantines, the Vandals, the Arabs, the Normans, Napolean and the British, among others, and its exotic allure was forever cemented in the imagination by Dashiell Hammett in The Maltese Falcon.

Here are some initial photos of this beautiful country.