Monday - Valletta, Malta

Good Morning/Afternoon from Valetta, Malta and Happy Birthday Dad!!!! We arrived in Malta this morning around 7:30. We went out on the veranda to take in the sites and I opened my computer to do a little typing. I then realized that there was an internet signal – and yes, free wifi! I am the happiest person in the world right now. I am typing this while I am trying to upload photos to past posts. All of a sudden Dad came on line and it was only 3:14 am there. We were a little worried, but he had just heard something on the computer and came on in there. We talked on IM for a bit and then we called on Skype and sang Happy Birthday to him. It was great to talk to him again. I will see what I’m able to do on the internet here and then will probably go into town and/or lay out in the sun a bit. It’s just great to have calm seas, a sunny day, and wifi on my balcony!

So that excitement was short lived, I do have some wifi, but for some reason cannot upload pictures. I even went into town, with no luck. I think it may be something to do with the Blogger site. Today was an eventful day. After having breakfast in our room we decided to venture out. We got off of the ship and walked over to the shops and saw a bus stop where everyone had been waiting. After a few short moments a bus pulled up and we decided to hop on.

Mom even hit me with the cane and started running! The buses here are something else – I can’t wait to post the pictures and video. Evidently Malta is known for their buses. It took us all the way into the downtown area of Valletta.

There is a heavy British influence including driving on the left and they have the red telephone booths here. The language is a mix of Italian and Arabic, but everyone also speaks English. We spent a few hours walking around the town, and looking in various shops. They are known for their glass and their silver filigree work. The island is small, but almost every inch has something built on it. The walled fortifications are everywhere. We did a lot of walking and decided it was time to return to the ship. We had a wait a long time for the return bus, since they apparently do not hold to a schedule. The ride back included a near miss with a truck due to the streets being so narrow. Hey, what can you expect for 1 euro roundtrip! Once safely onboard we managed to make it up for a quick bite of lunch. I decided to go back in town to try and upload pictures, without success. We did manage to buy an additional suitcase for travelling back.

We are now sitting on the verandah watching the sun go down. Sunset is very early here, 17:31 today. We will soon be setting sail for Greece. Tomorrow we will be at sea all day and will arrive in Santorini on Wednesday. Tonight we have reservations in Toscana, their specialty Italian restaurant. We thought that was appropriate in order to celebrate Dad’s birthday.

We hope the weather is nice tomorrow so that we may spend it by the pool. The temperatures here are just perfect! Wish I could share the photos and video, but it will have to wait for another day. (That day has arrived!!!)