Malta

Dan ended up having to go to Malta his SECOND day of work and has been working out there every week since we arrived in London; which has put a lot of responsibility on me in terms of getting things settled here and exploring London on my own but on the bright side, I figured I might as well get a vacation out of it! I went to Malta for 5 days and got a little Mediterranean sunshine. The first two days, while Dan was working, I spent sightseeing by myself. The first day I took a "hop-on hop-off" bus, a great way to see a big part of the island in a short amount of time. The whole tour is 3 hours if you don't get off but you can jump off anywhere you want and get back on the next bus; they come every 30 minutes. You are given headphones and there is a running commentary of what you are passing as you ride along. Plus the bus is open topped so you can get great views and take pictures without even getting off. I stayed on the bus the whole time except for jumping off at Mdina, the ancient capitol of Malta. Mdina was the capitol until the 16th century, when it was moved to Valletta. It is one of the best preserved ancient walled cities in Europe. The medieval name is "Citta Nobile" meaning "the noble city." It is simply adorable with narrow streets and little chapels and you can walk around the whole thing in 20 minutes. The tour continued up the north side of the island through vineyards and farmland in the center of the island, to the sandy beaches along the north coast.

Hilton Malta:

St. Julian's Harbour; right next to hotel:

Mdina; the main gate:

St. Paul Cathedral; supposedly on the spot where St. Paul converted the Roman governor, Publius, to Christianity:

Mdina:

The following day, I took a Harbour cruise of the two main harbours; Marsamxetto Harbour and Grand Harbour. We got great views of the capitol, Valletta, and the "three cities;" Senglea, Vittoriosa, and Kalkara.

Valletta, the capitol:

traditional Maltese boats:

The many steps of Valletta; sometimes cars drive up and down the steps and park on them:

Dan was able to get some time off Sunday and we went sailing with one of the Ernst & Young partners (Anthony) on his boat. It was amazing; sparkling turquoise water and bright sunshine. Anthony gave us his version of the Harbour cruise and then we sailed up to the north end of the island, anchored in the bay next to Bugibba, a tourist city on the north end of the island, and went for a swim in the Mediterranean sea:) The water was a little chilly but the clearest I have ever been in. Dan and I ended the day with a delicious anniversary dinner an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, Al Molo, on the St. Julian's Harbour (which is where the Hilton Malta is located that has been Dan's home these past few weeks.)

Swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean:

sunset over Valletta:

Monday, my last day in Malta, I spent lounging by the pools at the beautiful Hilton Malta. It's been sad to have Dan gone but it was great to get in a cheap Mediterranean vacation:) Sahha! (Maltese for Good-Bye)