Meanwhile back in Malta...

Sorry for the interruption there.

Where was I? We had just been to the Catacombs in Rabat and were now back on the coach to head back to the ship. On the way we learned we would have two short stops for shopping. I think one was a jewelry store and the other a ceramic store for those who have left space in their luggage for some pottery or colorful bowls. We don't fit that description nor could we ever be described as shoppers except on Amazon.com.

I took some stills (even though the bus was moving) as we drove along

The best stills of course are when the bus is parked and people are in the shops and there is a little bar nearby where one can cool down with a Maltese beer...

Then back into the bus to return to the ship. On the way back Anthony asked us if we would prefer to be let off at the Upper Barakka Gardens, a scenic spot high above the ship. All agreed that it was too early to go directly back and so we parked the bus (or at least the driver did) and joined the throng of people enjoying the view from up there.

We enter the gardens

The view over the harbor

And the ships wait down below

Luckily there is an elevator down to the ships. it is free if you go down.  4 Euros to come up.

It's a long way down

It was hot and it had been a long morning. Luckily there was a busy outdoor cafe at the top and we found an empty table and sat in the shade . I went to the counter to order and there were wonderful savory smells in the air. I wanted to try the local fast food- Pastizzi which are like the British Cornish Pasty- a flaky crust pastry filled with ricotta cheese and various other ingredients such as steak and chicken. I ordered a Pea Pastizzi-filled with mushed peas. A beer? sure! A Club Soda for Carol who had been joined at our table by Anthony our guide and we enjoyed talking to him immensely.

We had a very good morning in Mdina and Rabat and were enjoying our hour or so up high in the gardens. We would go back to the ship now though so we could prepare to sail away again.

Our original destination after Malta was Tunisia but because of some possible unrest there that port (La Goulette) was canceled and we were now bound for Palermo, Sicily. I regret missing Tunisia as we had planned to visit the ancient city of Carthage and a beautiful sea resort called Sidi Bou Said.

Next-back to the ship

INTERMISSION

I will have to stop here for a while- we are going on another cruise tomorrow( to the Caribbean) and fly to Fort Lauderdale a couple of hours from now. We'll be enjoying some new adventures in the sun. I'll tell you about the trip someday....

We'll come back to this story in a few weeks.

In the meantime here is a video from our visit to Valetta.....

M'dina Cathedral

While waiting for the Cathedral to open at 9.30 a.m I took some photos of the surrounding countryside from the city walls

Now it was time to walk back towards the Cathedral

Inside it is what you hope a cathedral to be- cool, quiet and beautiful to look at.

A place to sit and think about the world outside and yourself within.

Even the marble floor is interesting

A large tour group from an MSC Cruise ship came in just as we were preparing to leave. We were lucky to have got there so early and have some quiet time to admire.

Outside of the ancient walls of Mdina is the town of Rabat where the 2nd part of our excursion would take place. We would walk there after everyone had a chance to visit the bathrooms.

The horses were still waiting for customers

We stroll through the streets of Rabat on our way to the catacombs...

Nice little town!

Down a narrow little street we came to the small entrance to the catacombs and one by one made our way down the narrow flight of stairs into the cool and dark caverns where people used to be buried.
As it was dark and cramped down here I didn't take many photos.

The group follows the guide down cramped narrow passageways with little headroom. I chose not to follow as I expected more of the same up ahead-resting places for the dead carved out of stone.

I'm not in the least claustrophobic but I was looking forward to being back in the sun again.
There was absolutely no beer for sale down here....

The train looked like fun but we were returning to our coach. We learned that on the way back to Valetta we would stop for a couple of shopping opportunities which in my translation means "beer".

To be continued.........

Mdina excursion, Malta

Off the ship and onto another coach for the ride to Mdina, the former capital city of Malta. It's a walled town. The walls were built by the Phoenicians around 700 B.C. so we weren't the first people to visit it, which is a blow to my ego.

The coach made it's way from the port, uphill all the way through the early morning rush hour traffic of people going to work. Malta has some British rule in it's history so they drive on the left. Malta was awarded a medal (the George Cross) for withstanding the heavy bombardment by the Luftwaffe in World War II.

Once high above the port we could see Mdina in the distance as it's on the highest part of the island.

We had a great guide-Antonio- who knew his history and was a very clear speaker (in English which helped as our Maltese is garbage, trust me)

Our guide, Antonio

It's only 8.30 a.m and the many horse and carriage riders wait for tourists to show up so they can do some business.

As there was no longer any danger of Phoenicians pouring boiling oil from the ramparts as we entered it was safe to cross the now-dry moat and enter the city....

Detail from the archway

We are in the streets of Mdina. The main focus of our visit here will be to visit the Cathedral

Some of the streets are very narrow

Luckily, some of the streets were wide enough for cars to pass. There were delivery trucks at this time of the morning, bringing in supplies to bars and restaurants. We had to step to the side to let them pass.

We came to an open square and saw the front of the Cathedral

We walked slowly as Anthony had much to say and we would stop at times to focus on the history of what we were seeing.

I continued to take photos as we walked as there was so much beauty in the streets

A cafe in a sunny courtyard. It wasn't open yet but I would have loved to have come back and enjoy a cold beer.

The Cathedral was due to open at 9 a.m but when we went to the door it was still locked. Anthony knocked at the door and spoke to a man who opened it. It would open today at 9.30 instead.

So with some time to kill we sat in the square talking. After a while I wandered away to take some more photos until it was time to enter the Cathedral.

That's what's coming up next....