Wednesday 22nd February
A fisherman was out on the rocks this morning, just below our balcony.

We drove east across the island and this is the view from the road with Mellieha in the distance on the right hand side. The scent of the flowers here was very rich and sweet.

We followed this road along the top of the bay on the east coast.

From the summit there are sweeping views of the lower lying farmlands to the south.

This area was earmarked for a new golf course. Opposition led to the creation of a nature reserve instead. We walked along part of coastal path and enjoyed stunning views of the coastline with Gozo in the distance.

This rough and rocky moorland-type land covers much of the interior of the island around here.

We came across this remote tiny house in its own little garden at the bottom of some rough steps leading to a cove.



Tuesday 21st February
We drove up the steep hill towards the centre of Mellieha. Just after the second hairpin bend we got a sight of Our Lady of Victory church.

Even when we parked we still had three steep flights of steps to climb.

Just below the church we found this lovely quiet courtyard .

The framed views of Mellieha Bay and the lower part of the town were wonderful .

The church fronts a large square where local farmers sell their produce from lorries.

The road from the square leads through the town in a route which is parallel to the main street.

There are steep stepped alleys joining these roads.

Trees seems to scrabble to survive in odd corners. On our route we saw modern buildings being shoehorned into the spaces between the older ones.

Later in the day we drove to the far end of the Marfa Ridge peninsula to enjoy the views.



Monday 20th February
Today's route into Valletta took us past the wealth of the Royal Yacht Club on one side and on the other were some very dilapidated buildings which housed small workshops.

Work is in progress on the entrance to the old city and this bridge has been created to give views of the ditch and fortifications.

Renzo Piano's new Parliament Building was completed in 2014. It's design includes two massive machine cut stone blocks supported on stilts so they look as though they are floating.

These colonnaded Upper Barrakka Gardens which were created in the 16th century provide a lovely peaceful retreat.

The colonnades lead to a terrace give magnificent views of Valletta Grand Harbour and Vittoriosa across the water.

St. John's Co-Cathedral was built between 1573 and 1578 and has a plain façade which faces on to a busy square.

 

The interior is a breathtaking example of exuberant Maltese Baroque style with a superb painted barrel vault ceiling and eight wonderful chapels.
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The walls are covered with intricately detailed stone carvings painted gold.

The Grand Master's Palace was the seat of Malta's Parliament until 2015 and yesterday this square was full of hundreds of political activists protesting about the EU's investigation into tax avoidance.

On this building is the plaque commemorating the award of the George Cross to the Island of Malta by King George VI.

UNESCO named Valletta a World Heritage Site, describing it as one of the most concentrated historical areas in the world. It was the first planned city in Europe with building tall enough to shade the street from the hot sun and straight street to allow the cooling sea breezes to circulate.

We took afternoon tea at Caffe Cordina, the Maltese equivalent of Betty's in Harrogate.

Our final visit was to the National Museum of Archaeology where we wanted to see the beautifully modelled figurines that were found locally.



Sunday 19th February
Everyone descends on Marsaxlokk for its Sunday fish market which has developed into a general market for local produce and souvenirs. We drove the full length of Malta to visit it.

The market stalls run along the full arc of the bay. In 1989 a warship was anchored here for the meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush (senior).

70% of Malta's fishing fleet is based here and their brightly coloured boats are called Luzzu. Each family has its own traditional colours.

The eyes on each boat are believed to be a survival of an old Phoenician tradition and are normally referred to as the Eye of Horus - the God of protection from evil.

The church of Our Lady of Pompei stands over the square by the quayside.

Adjacent to the church is this baroque style house with a fully working British red telephone box outside.

When we returned to Mellieha, the wind was getting up which gave perfect condition for several kite surfers in the bay.





Saturday 18th February
We spent a lazy Saturday morning sitting in the sunshine watching people feeding fish and pottering about in boats.

Early afternoon found us walking through the entrance to Mdina at Rabat, the ancient capital of Malta.

The Natural History Museum is in the Palazzo de Vilhena which is a beautiful building with elegant marble cantilevered stairs

You can take a carriage trip but it's very easy to walk around as cars are banned from most of it.

 

Palazzo Falson is a beautifully preserved medieval mansion built around this lovely courtyard.



 

In the kitchen is a display of these pots which are specially designed for cooking the local speciality, rabbit.

Mdina is built on a hill and the high walls offer wonderful views across the surrounding countryside.

St. Pauls Cathedral is said to be built on the site of the villa belonging Publius, the Roman governor of Malta, who welcomed St. Paul in AD 60. The present building was constructed between 1697 and 1702.

The stunning floor is covered with beautiful and intricately designed marble tombstones.

We took afternoon tea at a cafe on the wall itself with probably the best views anyone could wish for.

We later strolled around the quiet side streets of Mdina.

Rabat spreads down the hill south of Mdina and is known for its narrow streets and wooden galerijas (Maltese balconies).

We just had time to travel on to the coast to see the Dingli cliffs and to enjoy a walk along the clifftops.

On our way back to Mellieha, we passed Mdina and could see where we had enjoyed our afternoon explorations.