I woke up at 4:30 AM. Doesn’t matter what time zone I am in or what country. 4:30! At least I had a coffee maker and refrigerator in the room.

The plan today was a walking tour of Valletta, the capital of Malta and a World UNESCO site. I had never heard of a whole city being a UNESCO site so of course I had to do some research. There are actually 46 of them but the only names I recognized were Vatican City, Jerusalem and Timbuktu. Being a UNESCO site means they can’t change any of the outside architecture, only the inside. The city was established in 1500 by the Knights of St. John, a Roman Catholic order, from 8 different countries. The churches and palaces were spectacular.

We started at the Barrakka Gardens that had gorgeous views of the harbor.

Next stop was St. John’s Cathedral with the priceless painting by Caravaggio of The Beheading of St. John. Of course, the best pictures (including the Caravaggio) are on my Canon camera that can’t be downloaded until I get home.

This church was just as spectacular as any church that I have seen in Florence. It is still a working church that has Masses two times a day. Tomb stones of the Knights of St. John cover the floors. The picture below was the most interesting.

Our guide left us and sent us to see the Malta Experience that basically was a movie of the 7000 year history of the island of Malta. Most interesting was the destruction that occurred in World War II when Hilter wanted the island as a stepping stone to Africa. It was amazing how much of Valletta had to be restored to its former glory.

Our last stop of the day was at the Casa Rocco Piccola, a home that was built in 1580 for an Admiral of the Order of St. John. There have been 21 owners since then, all of royal families. The entire 5 floors have been restored and some of the building is a B & B and a restaurant. Most interesting to me were the bomb shelters under the building that were originally 400 year old wells and the 1949 Bentley.

On the walk back to the hotel, more down than up, thank heavens we saw some different views of our beautiful hotel.

We ended the night at a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. Trays of local peasant type appetizers. Most had sea bass for dinner that was on ice when we entered the restaurant and gone when we left.

After walking almost 6 miles today, here is hoping I can sleep past 4:30 AM.