We knew we were stopping in Malta on Easter Sunday all along before the cruise. Originally, we were hoping to go to church that morning so we could meet up with the senior missionaries we met on our previous trip, but then we realized it was General Conference Sunday, so most people would be watching it at home on internet anyway. So we scratched that idea and decided that the best thing we could do was find a quiet beach and spend some time there.
As we know from our first trip here, it's not easy to find a sandy beach in Malta, moreover, it's not easy to find a beach that is near the port. I researched and asked people on TripAdvisor about where to go, and everyone said that the best beaches are in the Northern part of the island (where we stayed before). But we were recommended the closest beach to the port, St. George's Bay. We got off the boat, walked through the Old Town passing many closed shops (it was Easter Sunday morning after all) and caught a bus that took us sort of north of Valletta. We walked over to where people said St. George's Bay beach was and...we couldn't believe it...it was so small and not really sandy...and right in the middle of the city...and just disappointing.
We asked the guy at the snack bar if there were any rocky beaches nearby and he pointed us in the right direction. After about ten minutes of walking we came to the rocky shore and decided to stay there for a little bit.
It was not the prettiest sight, and not a very comfortable place to walk on, but it was fun enough for the kids for half an hour.
Malta's landscape, once again. It was not super cold, but it was not sunny that morning.
We got bored of it pretty quickly and headed back to the disappointing sandy beach. On the way, we stopped at a large playground and let the kids enjoy themselves for a bit. We could tell they missed being able to run around like crazy outside.
At the St. George's Bay, we ran into the Alleys who were following our advice and came to this beach first. They were done playing already and were heading back to Valletta. I feel bad for giving them a horrible piece of advice;)
Our boys decided it was still warm enough for a swim. At least they had fun-hahaha. Too tired of partying late on the cruise ship, Robert?
I think they would get into the water even if it were winter. Oh wait, they DID get into the water in Malta when it was winter.
On the way back to the bus stop to catch a bus to Valletta, we were a bit startled by loud noise and music! It was an annual Easter procession held throughout Malta on this day--a group of people walking down the streets carrying a wooden statue of risen Christ and people throwing a bunch of confetti. Very festive!
When we got to the port, Robert took the kids to do more exploring as we had at least another 3-4 hours before the ship was leaving. By then the streets were more alive with people--tourists and locals. Although the locals were mostly hanging out at the restaurants with their families--all dressed up for a celebratory occasion.
I went back to the boat, changed into my running clothes and went for a long pleasant hilly jog/run through the old parts of Valletta. It was beautiful and relaxing...and much needed after extra pounds of food we ate each day.
In the meantime, the kids and Robert were having adventures of their own, trying to find the most beautiful corners of the city near the port.
I still think Valletta must be one of the most gorgeous ports of the Mediterranean.
That's our ship behind the smaller ship.
By then it was getting sunnier and sunnier.
This has to be one of my favorite pictures from the whole cruise. The red phone booth is just an accent it needed.
This is where they do a real fancy cannon ceremony...and we missed it AGAIN because it was at noon and not at four like I was hoping it would be.
Not taking that bus.
And back to our mammoth ship. This is actually the side that we were on. We were on Deck 9, so that's on the second row of balconies from the bottom (well, from the bottom row of balconies).
Yeah...Malta this time was not our favorite cruise stop. I guess we could have done something different and travelled further from Valletta, but chose to make it more of a relaxing day (but with a lame beach).
This was our last gala night, which were always fun. This time our waiters had all three families to take care of--ten children and six adults.
Good night, Lyana.
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