No, it's no Stonehenge. No, it's not the pyramids. It's the Neolithic temple of Hagar Qim, on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. Malta is where those ornamental falcons came from, thus "The Maltese Falcon."

Malta is an interesting place. A tiny, interesting place. Malta is so small the largest native animal is the weasel; even the fossils found on the island are of pigmy species of hippos and elephants. Located not far from the Italian island of Sicily, Malta is composed of three main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Because of its strategic location, Malta's history of occupation is perhaps unparalleled: Phoenicians, Roman, Arabs, Normans, Angevins (French), Aragonese (Spanish), The Knight of St. Johns, the Napoleonic French, and finally the British. Malta was bombed day and night during World War II by the Nazis because of it's locale. Despite the rough history, the Maltese are among the friendliest people on Earth. The Knights of St. John were given the islands in 1530, and they proceed to built incredible walled cities, even more impressive than they did on Rhodes, from which they were forced from by the Turks. Valletta (Malta's capital) remains basically unchanged from those days. Around Lent, the city erupts in Carnival. Malta's shorelines are primarily rocky, although some sandy beaches exist. For a strange detour with no redeeming cultural value unless you are a Robin Williams/Robert Altman fan, visit the village that gave spinach its good reputation. The required attraction on Malta is the oldest free-standing building on the planet. Temples abound; some are being stabilized.

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