The Mercury Residence Sliema

... self rule now, but it means nothing, as the European Union calls the shots.
We made many stops to enjoy the view and learn about the various forts. At one point we boarded little boats that looked rather like gondolas, six to a boat, and toured the harbor. Our guide was great. We discussed politics, health care and taxes. He is not happy with the EU. Qaddafi offered Malta oil at $10/barrel, forever ...

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

... his home there. Every day at 12.00pm the military perform a cannon fire salute, Robyn reckons she had prepared herself for it, but nearly jumped out of her skin when it actually happened. When we visited another church with the largest dome in the city we meet a lovely 86 year old Maltese man sitting as a guardian at the door. He found we were from NZ and proceeded to tell us how he had fought with the British against the Germans and Italians in ...

... bread at whatever price they want to charge you - it changes it every time, the supermarket every two weeks for the basics, Tuesday night salsa, Wednesday night football at Zmerch (the local pub that as long as you order one pint they bring you endless food for free), and plenty of other routines. I got the chance to explore a little bit more one day because I just took off walking from university to see where I could get... the architecture is what gets me... you really feel like you ...

... some of the stories! I had a great time reading Nick's poetry on the rocky bank of the Mediterranean, especially the one that made reference to Repton back home. I also purchased 2 books whilst in Valletta this morning, one for learning the Maltese language and the second a Maltese - English (and vice verse) dictionary. I was hoping to increase my knowledge of the language as much as I could whilst I was still here and was looking forward to continuing that process when I got home ...

... Not wanting to wallow in the mire, I decided to jump on one of Malta's rickety old buses and head back to the coast. My first destination was the small fishing village of Marsaxlokk, on the south east coast. There wasn't really much to do in the town itself, but it made for some great photos, with old, low-rise houses ringing the town's waterfront as brightly coloured 'luzzu' fishing boats bobbed up and down in the harbour. It was turning into a hot day, and after ...

... of Africa. That is normally enough for people outside of the USA to get a good idea of where it is. The thing most people struggle to comprehend is how small Malta is, especially those that have lived all their lives in great southern land. For the record Malta is a mere 316 sq. km and has a population of around 400,000 people with the capital Valetta being just 1km long and 600 metres wide. That is a bout the size of 10 football fields and yes that is the capital. Everyone has a ...

... nice hotel room, and besides we used points for this place, so there is no way we would have a real suite. We followed the bellhop through the property, and passed many signs pointing to guestrooms, all of which we walked right by. Finally, we came to a sign that said "Guest Suites," and turned there. Todd and I kept looking at each other over the bellhop's head with puzzled looks. Anyway, we got to our room, opened the door, and it was this AMAZING suite ...

... down 10 min later and set up camp right beside us. so much for peace and quiet! haha...We were sad to leave Lipari (we were practically locals by the end..the island is pretty small) but on Monday we caught a ferry back to Sicily, then a train all the way down south, then another ferry..(it was a long day!)..but we managed to arrive safe and sound in Malta! I haven't quite wrapped my head around Malta yet. It is very ...

The boat is fast, we're almost flying. We don't get to spend much time on land, just a few hours, and the rest of the time, we're covering distance. It's a big cruise ship with its own mall and movie theater and a running track on the upper level. Mom had spent a few weeks in Malta before, so she ...