Love Malta

We were told to be on deck by 7:00 a.m. if we wanted to see one of the most beautiful harbors in Europe. We were not disappointed! The harbor of Valletta, Malta is the deepest natural harbor in the world.
This is a lighthouse at the end of the breakwater.

The harbor is amazing, lined with ancient buildings, cathederals, and bastians.

Love this shot. This was right across from our ship.

This is a view of the island of Malta. It is a very old country. There are no rivers and no lakes. The people are required to have both a well and a cistern to gather rain water. They have also learned to de-salinate the water from the sea. The people are very educated. They are required to know Maltese and English. By the time the are done with secondary school, they are required to know another two languages.

The dome in the cathederal

The podium

The entrance into St. Paul's catacombs

Inside the catacombs. They would hollow out spaces in the limestone. Some were small just for a baby or small child. Some were large enough

for two and some for a whole family.

The apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. This is a statue of him.

A view of the top of St. Paul's cathederal

A beautiful shot from across the street from the entrance to the ancient city.

The gate to the ancient city of Mdina. The name is pronounced em-deena. It dates back to 1000 years before Christ

Nat in the stocks

Window of the palace

This is St. Paul's Cathederal

The ceiling

I love this painting of the enunciation

Lots of cute kids in school. This little guy was mugging for the camera.

When I would read novels that described the bougainvillea hanging from the balconies, I always hoped that I would be able to see bougainvillea in person. I was definately not disappointed. It comes in colors from white to pink to purple. There are photos of bougainvillea throughout this blog.

Cool window coverings

I love this street with no cars, moped and people

These oleander shrubs lined all of the road ways on Malta. They are in shades of light light pink to dark pink.
The ancient city of Mdina from the craft mall.

A glass blower in the craft mall on Malta

Glass plate blown by the glass blowers