COVER N.114 - MALTA

Postmark:  Malta Post - Msida  06MAR22
Posted on the 6th March; received on the 17th May 2022
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A cover with two fine motives for stisfaction: it was sent by a fellow countrymen and it allows me to add another country to my philatelic atlas. Muito Obrigado Eduardo!

Malta, the tiny Mediterranean archipelago. I once visited the Maltese archipelago during the month of August (or was it late July? It was quite a long time ago and I can't precisely remember it now). The moment I walked out of Air Malta's 737, I felt like I was hitting a wall, so dense and humid was the air. This state of affairs would not change the full length of our stay and it made what should be a very enjoyable visit, a bit of a tribulation, but I did love it anyway (general availability of cold beer did help... I guess 😀)

There's so many things to enjoy in Malta, the sights, (Malta is an architectural  showroom, with relevant constructions, mainly of religious, defence and administrative character raging from pre-historic times to 20th century modernism),  the sea, the history, the fishing villages, the people, of course,  even the old historic buses... but take my word for it, if you're not used to warm and humid climates, avoid the summer months 😀😀

As a side note,  Malta does have a historical connection to my own country: the Maltese islands,  from 1530 up until the 19th century, were governed by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. It so happens that at least three of the Grand Masters of the order and inherently the rullers of the country were Portuguese nobleman:

Luis Mendes de Vasconcellos - 1623
António Manoel de Vilhena. - 1722 to 1736
Manuel Pinto de Fonseca - 1741 to 1773.

Stamps, left to right:

ON 16SEP2009, Malta post issued a 4 stamp set with 0.02, 0.07, 0.37 and 1.02€ denominations showcasing some landscapes of the Archipelago. 

Malta is a  Member of SEPAC - Small European Postal Administrations Cooperations - whose members (currently 13) yearly issue a stamp subordinated to a common theme. The theme for 2009 was "Scenery" and  the stamp on my cover was the Maltese entry for the year, as clearly indicated by the inclusion of the SEPAC logo on the bottom right of the stamp that feature a photo of the Xwejni saltpans, in the island of  Gozo.

The theme for the 2019 SEPAC emission was "Old residential houses" and on 30JUL2019, Malta Post issued a four stamp set (0.10, 0.59, 0.63 and 1.00€) subordinated to the theme, the honour of carrying the SEPAC logo falling on the 0,59€ stamp.

The stamp on my cover is the highest value of the set, which is illustrated with a photograph of the Bubaqra Tower, a fortified house, located in Żurrieq, island of Malta, erected in the late 16th century (didn't I tell you that Malta has a lot to offer to Architecture fans...?)