A very long time ago, there was a small island situated in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. It was called Malta.

Not many people lived there, and the country was practically barren, with just a few small houses and a smattering of fields that enabled the inhabitants to earn a meagre living and survive.

Their daily life consisted of farming and looking after their small herds of goats, but, most importantly, they kept a sharp eye out for the raiders that came to the island frequently to rob, pillage and to take away the Maltese as slaves.

This wasn’t a bad life so long as you kept your wits about you.

But then came along a series of events that changed the island forever.

In the middle of the 16th century, Malta was under the King of Spain’s rule and he allowed the Military Order of St John to come and live in Malta for the grand sum of one Maltese Falcon each year.

A lot of foreigners came to live in Malta and they started to build many properties to defend the island against the Turks. The Turks were pretty annoyed with the Knights, who used to attack their merchant ships on a regular basis.

The Turkish army attacked Malta and the Maltese fought alongside the Knights and finally defeated the Turks after a great siege. The Turks never came back, despite threatening to do so.

When walking down the main street in Valletta it is difficult to see a Maltese face

The Knights built more properties. In fact, they built a great city called Valletta. They erected bastions and fortifications and buildings everywhere. There were so many Knights and other foreigners here in Malta that when walking down the main street in Valletta, you could hardly see a Maltese face.

After about 200 years, Europe started changing, and all the money that used to finance the Knights in Malta started to be lost as revolutions spread across the continent. The Knights couldn’t afford to stay in Malta and so, for a while, the French came.

They stayed only for a few years because they started stealing a lot of the finest treasures in the island, which the Maltese did not like very much.

The Maltese asked the British to come and evict the French.  Which they did.

Malta was turned into a very strong British military base, and thousands of British service officials and civilians came over to Malta to work and live.

During that time, hundreds of buildings were erected on the island to accommodate the foreigners. There were so many foreigners in Malta that when walking along the main street in Valletta, it was difficult to see a Maltese face.

The British used Malta to their great advantage during the Second World War, when the island was under siege, and the Maltese fought bravely alongside them until the ultimate victory was achieved. Many buildings were destroyed and many new ones were built.

After about 200 years, the British decided to leave Malta, and so the government at that time, and successive governments thereafter, decided that Malta should become a tourist destination. Many tourists came to visit and many foreigners came to work. So many buildings were built to accommodate them as well as the Maltese, who by that time rather liked owning properties themselves.

Around this time, many changes were occurring in Europe, and the European Common Market was being formed. This eventually became the European Union, which Malta joined in 2004.

Malta became very successful as a tourist destination and a place for Europeans to come and work, so more and more properties were built to accommodate them.

So many people came to visit and live in Malta that when walking down the main street in Valletta, it is difficult to see a Maltese face.

It seems a pattern has emerged over the years. What goes around comes around, as the saying goes.