Caravaggio and Granita

Viewing a painting by Caravaggio and enjoying a granita is what Albert E. Wehan, now a workers' compensation judge in the US, recalls from a visit to Malta 35 years ago as a child, Natalino Fenech writes:

..Judge Wehan, the son of Irene née Grima, is in Malta again to visit his grandmother Dame Frances Grima, 91, who still lives in Zejtun. Dame Frances went to the US at least seven times to visit her daughter, the first time for Judge Wehan's baptism in 1960.

Apart from Mrs Grima, there was only one other Maltese person in Pennsylvania at the time and Judge Wehan did not have any contact with Maltese language. "I did, however, have a lot of contact with Maltese cuisine as my mother prepared a lot of Maltese recipes," he said. Mr Wehan's father, also called Albert, was in the US forces and was stationed in Malta after the Korean War.

His mother Irene worked as a translator at the Central Office of Information and had set eyes on Mr Wehan. Their romance sounds like a love story from a fairytale as the 19 year-old from Zejtun decided to leave her home town for America, where she got marred. Nine months and a day after the marriage, Albert E. Wehan was born. Judge Wehan obviously noted "tremendous changes in Malta" since his last visit. "Not all are for the better.

The biggest problem is with buildings. Far too many beautiful buildings have been knocked down to be replaced by ugly buildings. "There are also a real lot of cars. I miss the old colourful buses, decorated with shrines, reflecting the personality of the drivers," he said...