Passage to the Far East, Report # 3 – Valletta, Malta

Passage to the Far East, Report # 3 - Valletta, Malta Upon our arrival, clear blue skies and sunshine warmth greet us. In our view Valletta, Malta with its gorgeous Baroque buildings of soft, warm honey- coloured sandstone, must surely be one of the most scenic ports of the Mediterranean. Valletta was built in honour of the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John, Jean Vallette, who defended Malta from a massive attack of Ottomans in 1556. The Knights ruled for over 250 years. The British ruled from 1814 until 1964, when Malta became independent. The British influence is still clear. The island in bilingual; Maltese and English – terrific for us! Bob and Kerrell having recently been here visiting most of the must-see tourist sites, instead, we hatch a plan with 2 cruise buddies to tour a broader swath of the island. Malta is one of the smallest but most densely populated countries in the world and there is much to see. Our day here is short. We are first-off-the-ship rushing to the central bus terminal. We purchase all-day bus passes, and literally seconds later we depart on Bus #12 , a miracle of good timing – first of a series of great timings throughout the day. Heading up the north-east coast we see an orgy of super- uber expensive yachts moored in Msida and Ta’biex harbours, past Gzira and on to Seliema, Malta’s main coastal resort. No shortage of wealth on display here. Half-hour scenic coastal drive and we arrive in beautiful Bugibba (see far left). Our next visit to Malta we must go to the Nat. Aquarium here, but today, just time for a restroom break before Bus #31 arrives taking us to Cirkewwa – the island’s north point ferry terminal. Time enough to enjoy the view, promising ourselves next visit to take this ferry, there is just enough time on the ferry terminal WiFi to send IMessages home before boarding tiny Bus #101 to Golden Bay. His only passengers, learning we are Canadian, our driver (above), having an uncle living near Vancouver, becomes our personal tour guide through the rich farmlands and magnificent views of pastoral interior enroute to the west coast. Lots of laughs and fun with him. We would have alighted a while in Golden Bay, but, our next ride, Bus #44 is just now arriving! We are off to Mosta. The Rotunda of Mosta (left), an 18th century church with the world's third largest unsupported dome, was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It was almost destroyed when a German bomb fell through the dome, piercing it but the bomb failed to explode. Moments later Bus #205 arrives, taking us to Mdina (the old Malta capital before the Knights arrived) a walled city through this gate (far left) a spectacular mix of Medieval and Baroque architecture. We have some time to savor before Bus #52 arrives, returning us to Valletta… with more than an hour to spare , once again enjoying this fabulous port-of-call: its gorgeous architecture, churches (below, left) and friendly residents to chat with. This has been a 7-hour day of amazing bus timing! We are ever- more convinced we could happily spend a couple week’s vacation exploring this beautiful island. Total cost for this day: €1.5 Euro pp! One more Malta surprise GPS Track Screen Shot awaits. As our ship departs we are all on deck to receive a 7 cannon salute from the saluting battery on this high wall of the city (see the puff of smoke?). We capture it on video. It is a fabulous send-off for us. Having a fantastic cruise, ‘till next we have the pleasure of seeing you, love to all, Bob and Kerrell, http://lincolnshome.wordpress.com/ .

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