This was the start of our early mornings.  I still cannot believe that we were awake before 8am every day for the rest of our trip.  The first port was Valletta, the capital city on the island of Malta.  The boat was docked in port for approximately 6.5 hours.  We chose to do this port on our own and it turned out to be a great decision.

The great thing about having our own balcony was we were able to take pictures as the boat was docking in our pajamas.  We could take in the sights and sounds before even brushing our teeth.  I promise, we did brush our teeth before leaving the room.

ship heading towards dock

building next to the port

After we disembarked from the ship and with a map in hand, we walked along the pathway by the white tents in the picture above.  The building had several restaurants and souvenir shops.  At the end of the building, there was a man (he reminded me of an after-school crossing guard), who was directing people to take the city bus.  For 1 euro roundtrip per person, the bus would take you from the terminal to the city gates and back.  Cheap and convenient.

At the city gates, there was a large fountain called Triton Fountain. (not pictured)

As we entered the city gates, we walked and explored along Triq ir Republika (Republic Street).

Further along the path, we saw St. John’s Cathedral.  This was the first of many churches, large clock towers, and bell towers we saw on our trip.

At the end of Triq ir Republika (Republic Street) and the other side of the island was Fort St. Elmo.  Unfortunately, the fort was not open on Tuesday.  It would have been fun to explore the inside, but the model from the war museum was the closest we got.  The war museum was next door to the fort and cost us 6 euros per person.

Inside the war museum, we saw a 3.7cm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun.  The crazy thing is that it is a weapon I have seen Hubby use in the game, Company of Heroes, that he plays ALL the time.  It was kind of funny because I imagined the little computer soldiers pushing it around in a circle trying to follow the moving tanks.

As we ventured along the coast back towards the city entrance, we saw a bell tower that looked out over the water.  We continued walking along to the Upper Barracca Gardens.  From there, the bell tower and the water were the perfect backdrop for our picture.

We then headed back to the city entrance and hopped aboard bus 198 that took us back to the ship terminal.  We just had to show our receipt from earlier and did not have to pay any money.  Back on the boat, we watched the ship leave the port and head towards our next stop from our balcony again.

As the ship traveled the open seas, Hubby and I headed to the Stardust Theater for the evening’s entertainment…The Magic and Comedy of Basilio Tabacchi.  He was extremely skilled with a deck of cards and performed several interesting tricks.  It was an enjoyable show.

The show ended and it was time for some grub.  Magenta was our restaurant of choice that night.

Lobster Extravaganza

Crispy Vegetable Spring Roll

Honey Creme Brulee

Fruit Tart

Valletta was a quaint little place and a good first stop along our journey.  It helped prepare our feet for all the walking in Naples, Italy on Day 5.