Favorite Corners - Malta

Malta is a little island, so little in fact, that it takes 45 minutes to drive end to end (and that's the long side).  However, to do that drive would mean missing out on so many intriguing towns and natural wonders both above ground and below.  Malta, like the island life, is meant to be taken slow and to be savored.

Valletta  

The beautiful capital city of Malta. 

A typical Maltese street with shops on the main level and unique window boxes above.

Overlooking the port area from the Upper Barrakka Gardens.

The Blue Grotto

A collection of sea caves on the south side of the island. 

The water inside these caves is said to have a unique blue color, so we hopped on a boat and decided to see for ourselves. 

After experiencing owls in Tokyo, Jimmy decides to try his hand at falconry.

Mdina  

The original capital of Malta is an old walled city. 

Visitors can only enter via a few select bridges and gates.

Mdina is also known as "the silent city" because there are no cars allowed within the walls (not completely true as we did see a few cars parked here and there).

Rabat

A stone's throw away from old Mdina is the slightly more modern town of Rabat.  We saw them getting ready for a celebration and decorating the streets with these flowering street lamps. 

Underneath the Collegiate church of St. Paul lies St. Paul's grotto, a place where he was said to have lived while shipwrecked on Malta.

Next to the grotto lies the a windy maze of catacombs. 

Walking from Marsaxlokk to Marsaskala

We took a long walk along the coast between our town and the next.  Here's the pretty port area of Marsaxlokk. 

St. Peter's Pool is a rocky beach area where people go to swim and relax.  It was a windy day with rough waters, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves (except for the other Asian family that took this picture for us).

Ever wonder where hedgehogs come from?  At least, we think they're hedgehogs. 

The beautiful rocky coastline between the two towns. 

Salt pans in Marsaskala.  Sea water splashes up, collects in the pans, the water then evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals.

One more for the road... 

Remember Hagar Qim and Mnajdra?  This is the view as we walked the short 500 metres between the two sites.