Pinto Guest House Saint Julian's

... about the knights of Malta. We learned a lot. The knights are of the Order of St. John. They still exist. The Grand Inquisitor lived here. Most buildings here are because of their efforts. This place has been under siege so many times the people are almost apathetic. They are beautiful people, swarthy but refined. They speak Maltese, and Italian, and French and English. A bit of everything. They ...

I've just popped over to Malta for a day & a bit (as you do!) to say a quick hello / goodbye to my parents (and bring them lots of goodies over for the last time in a while).

The weather is a little warmer than the UK, but not as warm as it's going to be in a week's time (ha ha ha).

Anyway, I'll keep this blog short so ciao for now!

Anita x

... war, as a spit fire pilot. He was given money, a new set of clothes and the offer to immigrate when the war finished. He turned Australia down as he was scared of snakes and NZ down as he was scared of the 14000 sheep that existed at that time. He wanted to just stay in Malta and has remained there ever since. He really liked us because NZer's were allies in the war and just before we left told he did not like the Italians who fought beside the ...

... to do with America." Suggestions anyone? I'm at a loss. The class was supposed to be about culture, but all we've talked about so far is American history up to the revolution. There are such an overwhelming number of possibilities that I don't even know where to begin to even think about choosing one. Oh well, perhaps there will be more info this week in lecture, but I'm not holding my breath. They like to be mysterious. Anyway, back to work.

... guide, Tony, was showing us around and explaining the history of Malta in WWII. Plus, Rigel, Devon and I got to sit in one of the museum's planes, a Fiat G.91R/1B. It was really cool, we climbed up using the kind of ladder that pilots used, and we could use the controls to move the ailerons.  The second building was built more recently (Sept. 2005); the Air Battle of Malta Memorial Hanger was built with funds from the EU.  The museum is hoping for some more funding to build a ...

... hill. Just a few blocks up the main street was St. John's Co-Cathedral-the church built by the Knights of Malta, when they came here from Jerusalem. The outside of the church is very plain-and is built of the limestone from the island. Inside, however, is another story, as the nobles throughout Europe contributed furnishings, paintings, monuments, and marble tombstones to show their support (and buy a little piece of ...

... deep here. "It will be ok..." he says. "Hmmm maybe this is going to be tricky..." he adds. By this stage we realised that the water was in fact above the tyres of the car and sure enough a few seconds later the car's engine stops and we are stranded. Man it was funny, we just did not know what to do. Josette's initial reaction was to start crying! And that was also her second and third reaction. :) Being the elder statesmen I assured them that we would be ...

... s family were extremely accommodating and friendly. I felt like part of the family. Meeting my actual relatives (mum and dad's side) was something I was doing over the next few days so this was a trial run. I made a few observations throughout the day as follows. Everyone smokes cigarettes. And I mean everyone. I don't recall seeing one adult all day that did not smoke at some stage and most would smoke 5-10 cigarettes an hour. That was adults from 18 to 60, and it took some ...

... founded by the Knights of the Order of St. John during the 16th century. Today the cathedral is the final resting place for many of the knights - their headstones line the cathedral floor. Other Fun Things to Do Visit the National Museum of Archaeology. It houses collections of pottery, sculpture, statuettes, stone implements and personal ornaments recovered from the Maltese megalithic temples and other ...

The trip has begun. It's 7pm. Brian is showering in the impossibly small bathroom. I'm ready for bed with a space heater turned on high and the brown hotel coverlet snug at my throat. Our backpacks are stacked in the wardrobe with the travel guide on top. Although the four-hour layover was tediously grueling, especially starting the trip on the red-eye and now with the time change, I am thankful we chose to travel the slightly more expensive route via Heathrow and not Gatwick ...