Malta and Sicily

Hellooooo from Sicily!

 Yesterday we saw the independent nation of Malta, which is an island very close to Sicily. We docked in Valletta and took a land tour of the little island. We saw the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, churches (one built by fisherman), M’Dina, and the beautiful Blue Grotto. It was such a beautiful place to see! All of the places we have seen still have their Christmas decorations up, so I don’t feel so bad for not taking mine down.  Nearly every space is occupied by a building or a small farm, so it is a pretty jam packed place. The streets are narrow and you can tell that the Maltese use every square foot of their land wisely. However, each area was still sleepy and there weren’t very many people around, even before the siesta. The buildings all look very similar and are made of limestone. This is the same material used during construction thousands of years ago and today, so it is difficult to tell just how old each building actually was. There were ruins from 3000 BC, some of the oldest known in the world. This was definitely the best stop so far, besides beautiful and bustling Barcelona.

We just got back on the ship from our excursion to Tindari in Sicily. Tindari is a small hilltop town that houses the church dedicated to the Black Madonna. I can’t wait to post pictures of this statue and the surrounding altar, simply amazing. In the same area were some Roman ruins and baths (and a very cute stray dog that likes belly rubs). 

Talk soon!

Love,

R+A