Osborne Valletta

I've just popped over to Malta for a day &amp; 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).<br><br>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).<br><br>Anyway, I'll keep this blog short so ciao for now!<br><br>Anita x

... br>We really felt like we went back through the centuries to discover the exceptionally rich cultural heritage of the Tunisian capital Tunis. For years this place was the most important Mediterranean port until the Romans destroyed it in 146BC, we thought about a trip to archaeological excavations but didn&#8217;t fancy munity by the kids so gave it a miss. We employed a local guide to take us to all the good spots, but having paid the ...

... history of Malta, and head back on the bus to the ship before 2:30.<br><br> At dinner Jenny tells us that she and nine other people were abandoned by their tour guide in Malta, so they ended up taking a cab back to the boat. I doubt the parents would have thought to do that if they were lost; we probably would have ended up yelling at each other and in the process get robbed. I am so lucky to have survived another day on this trip.<br><br>

... way. I figured the easiest thing to do would be to head the five minutes back to Valletta and start over again. I made my way back to the bus terminus there which is a actually a giant traffic rotary where buses come and go three layers deep. I found my way back the second time and had some better success after wandering around only ten minutes. <br><br>I finally asked for directions as much as it pained me and got pointed up the steep hill ...

... br>das Aussteigen nicht per Knopfdruck anzeigt, sondern per ziehen an einer<br>Schnur, die dann wiederum eine Klingeln auslöst.<br><br>Obwohl oder gerade weil Valetta die kleineste EU-Hauptstadt ist, ist sie gleichzeitig auch die wohl bestgesichertste Stadt der Welt. Das liegt an den Bastionen, die die ganze Stadt umgeben. Der einzige Eingang scheint das City Gate zu sein. Das ist über eine Steinbrücke zu ...

... so traditional) Maltese food and went to watch the Grand Harbour at night from the peace of the Upper Barrakka (no they were not named in honour of the US President) Gardens.<br><br>The people and culture of Malta is very unigue. The people speak Maltese (which has apparently arabic or even phonecian roots) and English. Maltese is not spoken anywhere else in the world. Although the island only has 400,000 people there appears to be a flourishing Maltese literature. <br>

... transportation to all 3 sights and return to Valletta. A great value (&euro;22). Once I returned to Valletta, I decided to follow my initial plan and walk around the old town looking at the architecture. It is truly fascinating that many buildings seem to have been there forever and it is even more so now that I have seen how much destruction was inflicted on the ...

... of the other best-known of 'man's best friends'. The Mediterranean itself has NOT been settled since time immemorial either, a fact which probably prejudices many European historians against prehistorical sea-based migration, since it took us so long to get our sea legs, not surprising since we apparently mustered our forces originally on the Asian steppes. European history is about horses, not boats. The first explorers of the ...

... here is just wander the streets, and then take in the stunning views over Malta. After my days trek, I returned to the hotel, picked up the girls and sadly trundled off to the airport for a nasty shock. Apparantly a bird had flown into the engine of our plan and they were waiting for another plan to land in England which they would then send over to pick us up! After 9hrs waiting in a tiny airport, we were all sadly very eager to leave Malta....

... visit. The city, once lorded over by the Knights of Malta (nee St. John), is almost entirely surrounded by water at the northeast tip of Malta, and today we will walk its entirety-less than 2km in length. First, it's the Upper Barrakka Gardens, which unfortunately are closed due to Work In Progress, even though I don't see any work going on. We pass the formidable Auberge de Castille, a palace where the Knights lived that is now the Prime Minister's office. Next door, the St James ...