Valletta

The next port of call is Valletta on the island of Malta. Valletta is the capital of Malta. Valletta is built on a peninsula, which is fed by two natural harbors. We've decided to do the half-day bus tour called "Malta's Capitals Old and New", which takes a scenic route and gives us a chance to see some of the island and the old and new capital.

The picture below is taken from one of the ship's upper decks. You can see that the ship is docked in the heart of the city of Valletta.

Another view on Valletta from one of the upper decks.

Valletta has a lot of historic buildings as you can see here. One of the buildings with most historic importance is St. John's Co-Cathedral, our next destination on the tour.

St. Johns Co-Cathedral was built by the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578 and has an impressive, mostly Baroque interior.

Here you can see some of the collection of marble tombstones in the nave in which were buried important knights. The more important knights were placed closer to the front of the church.

The main altar.

This is the Maltese Cross, one of the National symbols of Malta. It's identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta.

Shops and restaurants in the centre of Valletta.

The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

And there's our ship, seen from one of the higher viewpoints of Valletta.

After visiting Valletta the motor coach takes us to Mdina, the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval town surrounded by a city wall and is worth a visit. This is the main gate to Mdina.

The main square of Medina.

The Cathedral of St Paul.

Narrow streets in Mdina. The old town has a population of about three hundred inhabitants.

A visit to Mdina takes you back in time.

An view on the countryside of Malta. Malta is in fact an archipelago, of which only the three largest islands are inhabited.

Back on the ship. As you can see, Valletta is a popular cruise destination. In the evening, our ship leaves the port of Valletta, heading for Santorini, a famous island belonging to Greece.