Malta

Yesterday was turn around day for the 4 'kids' arriving in Milan at 10:30, a quick pit stop at the apartment, followed by departure to Switzerland by train at 2:30. Steven's mother Nancy has joined us for the rest of this adventure, and LaD will be leaving us for Paris and London on the 30th. We parents are heading to Switzerland in an hour.
We had a Merry Christmas in Malta. The weather cooperated and the island itself did not disappoint. I had chosen Malta for their celebration of Christmas. I wasn't sure how or where or when 'the Christmas procession' would occur, but again Malta did not disappoint. At around 6 PM the evening of the 24th, Danny and I were playing cards as the others were resting in various locations. From below we heard a band tuning up, so we peaked out the window and there their procession was forming. We flew down the stairs, followed by Liz in her pajama pants. For the next hour our family joined in with the residents of the town of Vittoriosa winding through the narrow streets and stopping frequently for the priest to 'do' a reading. People in the town along the route were on their balconies, or in their doorways. Some simply had their doors open to share their decorated entrances as they dined in the back.
We didn't see as many sights in Malta as we thought we would, but getting around proved to be a challenge. Jeff, the driver, had his first Brit experience. The wheel was on the right, The shifter was to his left, and he had to stay to the left on the road. Tom Tom had no maps for Malta, but Steven proved to be an exceptional navigator!! Saying our vehicle was for 7 passengers was a stretch, and a joke when we had all our luggage, but we endured. Our first trek was to the Blue Grotto followed by a quick visit to an archaeological site. This period of Malta's history is called 'the temple builders' and that's about all they know about these people who lived on Malta 3000 years ago. The next day was the medieval town of Mdina where we visited the catacombs and had views of the island. Tricia and I opted out of the Christmas day trip to the fault line which offered views of the island of Malta and Gozo. We all took water taxis from our location to Valletta to 'do' the tourist thing there.
I hope this rambling help to better understand some of the pictures I included.