You must be Nemo, because I have searched the entire ocean for you. We are going to get DEEP with you, with our scuba diving adventure and the rich history of Malta. Malta is among the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta, Valletta, has a total area of 0.8 square km. It is so tiny that it is the smallest national capital in all of the European countries. It is also Europe’s first planned city. Valetta is an ancient fortress and you can see that from your first step walking over the bridge and into the entrance of the city. In the square, a modern open-air theatre sits within the remains of the nation's 19th century opera house and Malta's first purpose-built parliament. Valetta is an open air museum, there are 320 monuments all within walking distance of each other. The Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens provide beautiful views of the Grand Harbor and are a great place to find silence in the busy city of Valetta.

Fun Fact: There are more than 365 churches on the Maltese islands.

Mdina, which served as Malta’s capital from antiquity to the medieval period, is a walled city. There are approximately 300 people residing inside the walls of the city. The city is also known as the “Silent City.” Mdina used to be far larger in size than it is now. It was scaled back in size in an attempt to make it more secure, sitting on the top of a hill with high battlements for protection. Mdina has withstood many sieges but it was defeated twice, first by the Aghlabids in 870 and then by Maltese rebels in 1798. For all of you Game of Thrones fans, Mdina Gate was the grand entrance to King’s Landing in the first season of the drama series.

Our favorite spot on the island is Fomm ir-Rih Bay. It was a secluded pebble beach with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea and stunning sunsets. The silence and the landscape are awesome and will reset your head and heart. It was nice to find another quiet spot on the island.

The Dingli Cliffs has a beautiful walking path along Malta's west coast with breathtaking views. The highest point in Malta is St. Mary Magdalene Chapel, 253 meters above sea level, and is one of the many chapels we saw on this trip. You can take impressive pictures and have a wonderful view of the Mediterranean Sea. From any point of the cliffs you will see a small uninhabited islet named Filfla, a home to rare varieties of flora and fauna.

Il-Veccja is a vegan cafe that we had dinner at the last night in Malta. All the food was lovely and reminded me how diverse vegan food can be when you are creative! The mushroom and walnut pate and the "cheese" spreads were delicious. The view overlooked the Xemxija Bay and it was peaceful to observe the different color fisherman's boats. The colorful Maltese boats, referred to as Luzzo, are painted a vibrant red, blue, green, and yellow. You will also find the eyes of the Osiris painted on the bow. The fisherman were not one to ignore the protector from the dangers of the sea.

The Coral Lagoon is a naturally formed cave near Armier Bay in Mellieha. We ventured here at sunrise and was treated to amazing views of Comino and Gozo. It is wild to think of how the sea water was forming these beautiful rocks into this gorgeous master piece. Next time we return, we want to kayak into the cove and explore more. Some people jump into the hole which would also be thrilling, the difficult part about that though is the surrounding landscape is really sharp rocks so getting out is a challenge.

Malta is believed to have been inhabited since the early Neolithic period of 5000 BC. Malta is also home to some of the oldest free-standing structures of the world – the seven Megalithic Temples, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. We visit the Hagar Qim Temples and the Mnajdra Temples. The largest megaliths used in the building of these structures, such as a 5.2m high stone and a huge megalith estimated to weigh close to 20 tons! The stones were so large up-close, it was unbelievable. It the 8th picture below, you can see an elliptical hole which was made in alignment with the Summer Solstice sunrise. At sunrise, on the first day of summer, the sun’s rays pass through this hole and illuminate a stone slab inside the chamber.

We went deep, about 30 meters deep. Our first dive spot was Cirkewwa, located at the northern tip of the island. There we explored the Rozi Tugboat wreck which lies a mere 150m away from the shore, making it easily accessible by swimming over a gorgeous reef. The ship is 40m long and is, in fact, still intact and in an upright position, making it possible for divers to safely enter the engine room and the wheelhouse. We also dove at Um El-Faroud, which is the southern tip of Malta. Michael explored the wreck and legendary helmet. The wreck is a 115m long, 100,000 ton Libyan tanker which suffered an explosion while for repair in the dock. If you look close enough, in some of the pictures you can see the tiny nudibranchs.