We sailed into the port city of Valletta, Malta, Saturday morning at sunrise. The entire city seems to be made of sandstone and they say the colors are amazing when the sun hits it. Well, today I know the sun rose somewhere, but it was cloudy here. It was still a beautiful sight.
We were a bit unsure of the transportation options so I checked with the port "expert" and he said it was a short walk to the terminal and the hop on-hop off bus was right there. Wrong...it had to have been over a quarter of a mile to the terminal and further than that to the bus. But we made it and headed off into the countryside.
We decided to get off the bus at the walled town of Mdina (em-DEE-na.). This town is often called the Silent City because only the residents can bring cars within the walls. It was truly spectacular! You enter via a stone bridge that seems to have once spanned a moat, and enter this entire city covered in this beige sandstone-looking material. I could be marble or something else, I didn't ask. The streetsa are maybe 12-20 feet wide and it probably covers about one square mile. All of the buildings have a flat facade and rise about three stories. We were told the people who actually lived there were either very rich or of novel lineage.
Normally, you can hire a horse drawn carriage to tour the area, but today happened to be the annual medical festival so they had people in costume and period games and decorations. Think Renaissance Faire.
We strolled through town and found a little cafe with a patio to relax with a beverage and a snack. Mother is trying different specialty coffees to see what she likes. She had a cappuccino the other day and today she tried a latte. I'm thinking she should try a mocha next.
Malta, for being a relatively small group of islands has a wide range of attractions. On the bus tour we saw fields, vineyards, and a modern coastal resort area with casinos and nightlife. Elsewhere on the islands are ruins that are over 5,000 years old. No, that is not a typo. I find that so incredible that there are things still around from approximately 3150 BC. I wonder if someone will find my iPhone in the year 7017 and be equally amazed.
The big news today is, as of 10:00pm today, WE ARE IN OUR REAL ROOM !!!!! It is really nice to unpack and have some room to relax. I guess we were spoiled on the last cruise and now we expect this size space. Please keep your fingers crossed that we have no other problems. There was rumor tonight of some cabins without water and I think that would put us over the edge. (Or further over the edge?)
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