Is it a hat, or a boa digesting an elephant? The mysterious Maltese island of Filfla in pictures
You've never seen Filfla like this before.
Filfla makes me dream. There she's been sitting, the seed of legends and mystery, for as long as history has been unravelling.
Legend has it that Filfla was created when giants picked up the evil village at il-Maqluba in a handful, and flung it into the sea. From a reject to a comforting retreat and refuge, Filfla continues to stand alone and unknown; she is left to her own devices due to uncertainty after the British Air Force shaped her to her present form with bombs for target practice.
Yet, it is Filfla's very form combined with her particular character that makes me dream. Because while lovers look upon the island wishing upon their future lives together, when I look at Filfla, I see the individual dreaming of an innocent child, as depicted in The Little Prince, the illustrious book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The uncanny shape of Filfla seems to be - although it certainly isn't - the inspiration behind the very first drawing in the illustrated book, and this extraordinary children's book for adults highlights the loss of innocence, imagination and playfulness of adults, as well as the vastly diverse personal planets they each live on. The story offers a simple understanding of the human psyche and inspires a reawakening of the inner child. Needless to say, I like that.
So it came to be that I became enamoured with Filfla from the first moment I made this association between her form and the little boy's drawing. And with this hint of background to my inspiration, here are some of the best photos of the islet I've come across.
Speaking of different perspectives...
It still looks like a snake that swallowed an elephant, doesn't it?
Actually, those are two little islands - our particular perspective makes two seem as one.
In any case, here are some views of Filfla that few get an opportunity to behold.
It could also be a hat... depending on how you look at it!
