Malta

This was our first visit to Malta and despite having heard about it many times from various Maltese friends, neither of us really knew what to expect.

The sail-in to Valletta was timed perfectly with the sunrise, which cast a magnificent golden hue across the ancient limestone buildings that surrounded the port. 

We were amongst the first to leave the ship as, again, we had an all day private excursion planned.  Again we found our guide waiting for us ~ always a good start.

After a short bus ride we did a walking tour of Valetta visiting all the main buildings and hearing about the history of Valletta.  We of course visited the Cathedral of St. John The Baptist which is home to many original paintings, one very large one by Caravaggio depicting the beheading of John The Baptist.

We then did a tour of the Island visiting historic sites and fishing villages and our final stop was at Mdina.   Mdina is an ancient fortified village, which is still inhabited today.  Again we saw the narrow lanes and roadways not suitable for any regular means of transport, so the horse and buggy drivers do a great trade with the tourists.  Both Joan and I have previously been impressed with the small cliff top villages of Italy, but they were nothing compared to Mdina.

We also had a lunch stop at Mdina and bought four pasticies, a soft drink and a beer for €3.50.  Great value when you consider a single coffee in other ports has cost more than that alone.

Sailing out of Valletta we were given an eight-gun salute from the cannons on the fort, followed immediately by a personal salute from the soldiers manning the cannons.  What a great way to end the day’s activities.

All in all we were very impressed with Malta and it would be on our list as a future holiday destination.