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Contents

Day 1

Why Malta?

The Last Leg to Malta

Arriving in Malta

Day 2

The Plan to Valletta

Valletta - How to Get One

Valletta - What to Do With It

Valletta - The Manoel Theater

Valleta - The State Rooms

Valletta - The End of the Peninsula

Valletta - St. Paul's Shipwreck Church

Valletta - The Fading Hours

A Few Notes On Busses

Back to the Hotel

Day 3

To Mdina!

Into Mdina

Mdina - St. Paul's Cathedral and Museum

Rabat

Rabat - St. Paul's Catacombs

A Few More Notes on Busses

Day 4

Altering the Plan

Valletta - St. John's Co-Cathedral

Finishing Valletta

Relaxation Spoiled Only by a Map

Day 5

A Few Notes on Pants

To Gozo

Introduction to Gozo

Gozo - Ggantija Temples

What Not to Do in Gozo

Gozo Done Wrong

Gozo - Il Kastell

The Parting Hours

Day 6

Of London and Buckeyes

Day 7

The Worst Breakfast Ever

The Long Flight Home

Malta - Day Four

Altering the Plan

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Promptly at 7:00 AM, our phone did its understood duty and rang until I picked it up and listened to the wake up call message.  Promptly at 7:00 AM, I also did my understood duty and picked up the phone, listened to the message, hung up and fell asleep for another two hours.

Somewhere around 9:00 or 9:30, Chris did her understood duty of waking up and telling me that we again didn't get up on time.

I Miss These Breakfasts

After showering, we headed up for a breakfast we were finding that we really enjoyed having every morning.  All these new things to try!  Except that milk-like stuff.  Didn't even want to touch it.  But while we are on the topic of breakfast, it occurs to me that we never had mimosas while we were there, despite the fact they always had champagne chilling for just that purpose.  Clearly, this is a reason to return to the Intercontinental.

It was over our breakfast that we determined that we were not going to be making it to Gozo that day.  Instead, we decided to make an alternate plan of switching our days and heading to Valletta for a visit to St. John's Co-Cathedral, some souvenir shopping and a return to the hotel for a nice afternoon of sitting by the pool and doing nothing for a while.  This plan sounded good to all involved and we headed out into it with gusto.

Getting Back to It

By now, the trip to Valletta was old hat.  Don't tell us about busses to Valletta, we know all about busses to Valletta!  From Paceville, it's bus 62, 64, 66 or 67.  The route changes a little, but they all end up at the same place.  We get the seat over the wheel well and I set next to the aisle because my knees don’t fit in the tiny little space between the seats.  Once we're on the road, I memorize a few landmarks, then enjoy the scenery.  Oh, look, a giant bingo parlor!

So we get to the bus terminus, we get through the gate, we get to St. John's Co-Cathedral.  We read the sign telling everyone that shorts are not allowed in the church.  We follow a family with two shorts-wearing teenagers through the door into the interior.  We step into a church that dazzles the senses.