Volendam 2026, Valletta, Malta...

After our glorious sail into the port of Valletta, Malta we were ready to head out and explore this magnificent island.   Our good friend, Florin accompanied us on our tour of Malta. Our guide Alfred picked us up at the port and off we went to Senglea our first stop of the day. Senglea is one of Malta’s historic Three Cities, located on a narrow peninsula in the Grand Harbour opposite Valletta…great views from this side of the harbor. Next, we drove to Vittoriosa one of the oldest fortified cities in Malta, located on a small promontory on the south side of the Grand Harbour opposite Valletta. We parked and got out below Fort St Angelo, massive historic fortress at the tip of the peninsula with great panoramic views of the Grand Harbour. It functioned as a British naval base until 1979 and suffered heavy damage during World War II, later preserving its historic character. Leaving Vittorioa we drove to Marsaxlokk,  a traditional fishing village. Marsaxlokk is located in the southeastern region of Malta, famous for its scenic harbor and maritime culture. The harbor is filled with brightly painted, traditional wooden fishing boats (known as luzzu) adorned with the protective eye on the bow and a great seafront market along the promenade. From here we drove to the Blue Grotto cliffside viewpoints overlooking the 30-meter main arch and sea caverns…we decided to forgo the boat cruise and headed to the Dingli Cliffs, located on Malta’s western coast, at around 253 meters above sea-level. These cliffs represent the highest point of the Maltese islands. The cliffs present a majestic sight; the views overlooking the terraced fields underneath and the panorama of the vast open seas with the uninhabited small island of Filfla. We made our way through the Malta countryside to Rabat to the ancient fortified city of Mdina, renowned for its opulent palaces, fortifications, architecture, and ancient heritage. We entered Mdiba via the Main Gate; an ornate Baroque gate built in 1724 and famous as a filming location for Game of Thrones. We strolled through the narrow streets of the island's old capital, taking in one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled/fortified city. Take a journey back in time, as the streets have not changed much in the last 1,000 years. We visited the St. Paul’s Cathedral, a grand Baroque cathedral rebuilt in the early 18th century after the 1693 earthquake. Stopping at Bastion Square we had panoramic, sweeping views over the surrounding Maltese countryside toward the coast. We had a delicious lunch at the Point de Vu restaurant outside the Mdina that was the former Royal Air Force mess during World War II.  After lunch, we headed to the Mosta Rotunda, officially known as the Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady in Mosta, Malta. The dome of the church is the world's 3rd largest unsupported church dome, with an internal diameter of about 39.6 meters. On April 9, 1942, during World War II, a German aerial bomb pierced the dome and fell inside during an evening mass with roughly 300 people present—but it failed to explode. Known as the "Miracle of Mosta", replica of the bomb is kept inside the church. Also, we went underground to the air raid shelter below the church entrance. It was an all-round fun day of seeing sites, history, lunch, shopping and enjoying ourselves. Of course I had to capture sail away photos. Off to the African continent tomorrow…La Goulette, Tunisia.