July 14 - Day 5

The boat docked uneventfully and we enjoyed watching it navigate into the very tight quarters it has at the Malta port. Malta is a very interesting island. A little over half a million people live here and this island has had a very strategic military role throughout history due to it’s positioning in the sea. 

Matt and I got up early and showered and got breakfast. We were ready to get off the boat as soon as they let us - about 7:45 am. I wanted to get an Uber right away and head to Mdina but Matt thought it would be better to hike up to the upper city. Unfortunately, we did that and the Uber was almost twice as expensive as if we just hailed it from the boat. I think it was because the demand was increasing by the minutes. In any case, we eventually were able to figure out the Uber thing and rode to Mdina where we will start our day.

Mdina is a the original city of Malta and is very old. We walked through the labyrinth of very narrow alleys. It was interesting. Not much is open in the morning. There are a few restaurants in the old city. We didn’t stay too long but headed out to hike to the Dingli Cliffs. The hike was about 4 miles and it was getting hot. We did it rather quickly. Matt wanted to bail out when the sidewalks ended and we had to walk on the road but I encouraged him to keep going. We saw literally nobody. Eventually arrived at the Cliffs. Very beautiful. We wandered around a bit and enjoyed the views. Hailed another Uber and headed back to Valletta. 

Wow. Valletta is literally crawling with people. We walked up and down several of the very busy streets. Grabbed some pastizzi which is the local fare - we got two - one was chicken and one was pistachio, a sweet one. We found some shade and sat on a step and shared them. Very very good. We walked around a bit more, taking in the views and all the amazing architecture. But it is so hot and there are so many people. We stopped again and Matt got a gelato and I got a espresso frappe. TOO sweet. But it was fun to be there. 

By now, it is over 90 degrees and we are melting. Decided to head back to the ship. Along the way, we stopped at a little rocky beach and I put my feet into the Sea. The water is incredible. 

When we arrived at the ship, they greeted us with cold towels and cold drinks. Felt like heaven. Matt and i were so sweaty! We peeled our clothes off and washed them, hung them on the very hot deck to dry. Got in our swimsuits and headed up for a swim. The pool here is good to get wet and that is about it! But it felt good. We relaxed a bit and had some iced tea and then headed back to our room.

Matt wanted to watch the boat leave and headed out to the bow. I stayed back to work on my blog while I have signal. The cruise travel director was narrating and I had the TV on. Realized at some point that I wanted to be outside as she was talking about the cannons saluting us as we left the harbor. I didn’t quite make it in time but heard the last two. I was glad Matt got the full experience. He loved it. 

We will have a casual dinner tonight and then tomorrow is another day at sea. Wonderful day in Malta.