Mediterranea St. Paul's Bay

... 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

... a grey cold day with showers didn’t help its cause. Maybe in twenty something years tourism will have lifted their game a bit, but couldn’t help but think perhaps years of public money siphoned off to the mob has probably ground these people down.

We are looking forward to the next part of our journey, Rome for five nights. We will leave the ship a few kilo’s heavier, but looking forward to a little more flexibility in our time table.

... wake-up call, I carefully slouch as I sit up so I don’t bump my head against the ceiling. I climb down the ladder to go to the bathroom and this time I remember to lock the door before I start taking a shower. Still, Dad fidgets with the latch outside. "It’s urgent!!" he shouts.

By 8:00am the ship arrives in Malta while we are eating breakfast at the Garden Buffet. When I look through the window I see the sun ...

... Burger King will get you there fast. Of course the problem with parties is that they end, leaving the streets desolate. Then the rains came. Fortunately I've already booked a flight on to Athens via Romefor less than $150, so I'm okay. Next cheapest with daily flights is $7-800. Is Malta what modern Arab culture would be like if the Prophet hadn't turned such a profit with men who'd rather see their women in veils than bikinis ...

... spot on the map were the hotel was suppose to be, but no hotel, just houses. We were lucky enough that a really nice guy that lived in a house nearby knew where the hotel was and gave us a lift back into the hotel, which was no where near where it was suppose to be. We stayed on Malta for 4 nights. We hired a car and explored the island all over, visiting a pretty cool limestone heritage musuem set in an old limestone quarry, visited all the beaches and went exploring the ...

... need to remain at the 'listening point' but the pauses are lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and people start to move before they should. There are some very mobility limited people in our small group of ten and I am very glad we aren't in a bigger group. It would take forever. It is very interesting. The underground temple and burial chambers date back possibly 5000 years. They were carved ...

... someone of whom I am not proud, and that is sad. I love it when people say that I remind them of my father or my mother when they were younger. And some of the happiest times during my trip have been when I have met the older relatives of my parents and I have had the opportunity to simply talk to them face to face and observe. It is an inbuilt human desire to have a sense of belonging, a sense of history and most importantly a sense of family. A knowledge of where they came from and ...

... around in the middle of nowhere in the stinking heat. The countryside is truly strange. Cacti, rock, and sandstone being the dominant features. We trudged on back to Dingli, which is a bit of backwater town, with not much of interest, and infrequent buses. After Dingli, we hopped off in Rabat. Here we headed to the centre of town, St Paul's Church (St Paul is really popular in Malta!). We explored the streets and made our way to St Paul's Catcacombs ...

... h*nging to get out of the city by Frid*y though, it w*s cool to see *ll the sights but 2 d*ys w*s enough! Oh ye*h, the 25th M*y w*s 10 ye*rs of Andy *nd N*t togetherness so it w*s pretty cool to celebr*te th*t in Rome. Anyhoo, best be off... Hugest th*nks so my be*utiful sister Nicky *nd her delightful Forest! We *re so gl*d we m*de it here *nd you h*ve spoilt us rotten!! We look forw*rd to returning the f*vour when you get to Austr*li*. Yippeee!