Day 1 – Now this is a place you never see advertised as a vacation destination; in fact, we didn’t even know where it was located. Well, it’s awesome and now second on our list of places to return to behind Singapore. We were told the sail-in to Valetta would be nothing short of stunning so we were on deck at 5am, camera ready and it did not disappoint.
Valetta is the tiny capital of the Mediterranean island of Malta. Malta itself is only 16.8 miles long by 9 miles wide. Total area is 122 square miles and has a population of 432,089. This European city is a baroque wonder, planned and constructed from scratch and cut from the island’s honey-colored limestone. It’s an ancient walled city that maintains its buildings, cobblestone streets, lampposts, cathedrals, and everything else. 89% of the population speaks English as a second language and you can read all the signs.
Today our excursion took us to Mosta to see the specular Mosta Church and the hilltop fortified city of Mdina. The Mosta Church was constructed by the town’s residents in the 19th century and boasts one of the world’s largest unsupported domes. During WWII a bomb pierced the dome but miraculously did not explode. Then a second bomb was dropped and again it did not explode. Mass was being celebrated at the time so these bombs would have killed hundreds. Who doesn’t believe in miracles?
Next, our bus drops us at the old walled city of Mdina, sitting atop a hill. We enjoyed a walking tour through timeless, CAR-FREE streets, stopping to enjoy views from the bastions and to step inside the magnificent Mdina Cathedral with its pair of majestic bell towers. I know Rome is famous for its cathedrals, but Malta has to be a close second. The cobblestone streets wound us up and down and around small cafes, shops, homes and gardens.
Our tour ended and we spent the rest of the day back in Valetta, eating, walking, picture taking, people watching and talking about how soon we could come back. Didn’t return to the ship until 9:30pm.
Day 2 – We were treated to an extra half day in Malta as a replacement for the stop in Tunisia we were unable to make. We were up early to take the Barrack (elevator) back up to Valetta which has a main street that is free of cars. We had breakfast at a small café and by small I mean 6 tables. It’s where the locals have their morning coffee and read the paper. Then we headed to St. John’s Co-Cathedral which houses the most famous work of Caravaggio “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist”. Never have we seen so much gold, so many alters (had to be at least 25) so many chapels and so many paintings. Again, our commentary doesn’t even come close to describing this magnificent cathedral so if interested go to www.stjohnscocathedral.com
We also took a side trip to the National Museum which housed books dating back to “forever”. Some, so old they were tied together with ribbon. It was us and the researchers in this ancient building. What really hit us was how the City is preserving all of its history.
Sadly, it’s time to head back to our ship but we see a chocolate shop that can’t be ignored, so in we go. One of the sales gals was melting chocolate in a fountain that she uses to make the specialty coffee. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t have the time to wait for her to make us one so we had to settle for a chocolate bar. Just another reason to return!!