A very interesting day indeed. Because it was Mother’s Day (also in Malta) our entire schedule was rearranged. We started out at a stop to see the Blue Lagoon that is on the Island of Comino. We were only able to see it above from the cliffs so the crystal clear turquoise waters did not show up well on my I phone camera. The island is named for the spice, cumin and the movie, Count of Monte Cristo, was filmed here.

Our next stop was the quaint city of Rabat. We arrived in the plaza just as Sunday Mass was starting in another beautiful cathedral. We first visited St Paul’s Grotto. Apparently St. Paul was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta and spent time there before he returned to Rome and was beheaded, He was attacked by a snake when he was in Malta and shook off the snake into a fire so the Maltese people believed he was a god. St. Paul also had 6 fingers. The story was he broke one of his fingers and they attached another, hence, he now had six.

Part of this underground complex were catacombs that were used by the Christians until the 4th century. They are 22,000 square feet. Below the catacombs were air raid shelters built during WWII. There were about 50 rooms built into the limestone. Families had to pay to have these “rooms” dug out. The extra limestone was put into the catacombs to make the bomb shelters stronger. Some of the wealthier families had tile put on the floors.

Next we were off to Mdina, the former capital of Malta. It is a medieval city surrounded by thick walls built for protection. It is now home to churches and palaces for the very wealthy.

Our final stop was a farm to table restaurant for lunch along with a cooking demonstration. My main course was cauliflower steak that was to die for.

By the time we had the cooking demonstration everyone was full from our three course meal.

Finally back to the hotel for a nap and hoping my legs stop aching from walking 5 – 6 hilly miles everyday. Tomorrow we take a ferry to the Island of Gozo.