Checked out of our hotel and on the curb.  We have been invited to join James and Wendy at their home for a few days.  Our connection to them is through my parents, who met them while working together in Hong Kong.  The extent of our relationship so far has been a few emails to coordinate arrivals etc. and a very gracious, on James part, ride from the airport to our hotel upon arrival in Malta.  If you listened to the conversation in the car on route to their 300 year old home, it would not appear like we are unacquainted.  Johanne and I were treated so warmly by James, our friendship became instantly permanent.  

Today we are visiting Rabat and the medieval village of M'dina.  James and Wendy have a few things going on and so we make plans to rendezvous for dinner later. Here is a shot of M'dina as we approach.

Rabat is derived from the Arabic word for suburb...... it was the suburb of M'dina, the former capital of Malta.  In fact, during the Roman times, half of the village of Rabat was part of what was then called Melita, current day M'dina.  During the Fatimid Occupation around the 10th century, the city was reduced by half as they didn't like the defensibility of Melita.

When visiting Rabat two things are important to visit.  Both Roman.  The ruins of a Roman Noble house and the Catacombs of St. Paul.  The catacombs are eerily impressive.,  Built during Phoenician times and used by the Romans as well between the 4th and 9th century, these catacombs were used as burial chambers.  You better not be claustrophobic if you want to see this place because it is very dark, closed in and more than a little creepy.

Every little nook you see in the pictures were burial sites.  Children were buried in the walls. Adults on the floors.  In the middle picture above, you can see a circle carved in the stone.  This is called an agape table, used for family celebration dinners to honor the dead.  I can't imagine having a party in there!  What would you say if you got an invite to one of those ?   We toured the catacombs on our own. No one else was in there.  The site is huge, only two sections are open to the public, there are 24 in total.  At one point I was completely alone in the depths of this place.  Johanne had given me the slip.... there I was, at a crossroad, the signage was vague, turn right and proceed down a long hall with the ghosts of dead people all around. Turn left more of the same, or go back. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.  I chose left, the hall had one Dull dust covered light about 20 meters away, the next think I know I am screaming like a teenage girl on a roller coaster!  Johanne, hidden in a recess, jumped out just as I made the turn and scared the shit out of me.  That's it.... game on, I am so going to get her back!  We make our way back to the sun.

Time to visit the walled village of M'dina. Pictures tell the story.

M'dina has had different names and titles depending on its rulers and its role but its medieval name describes it best-"Citta Notabile" the noble walls.....  It was home then, as now to Malta's noble families, some are descendants of the Norman, Sicilian and Spanish overlords who made M'dina their home from the 12 century onwards.  Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets.  M'dina is one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture.  It is also known as "the Silent City", since it is basically a car free zone.  Only residents are allowed to drive within the walls.  After viewing a historical movie, we stopped at this great little restaurant called Fontanella Tea Garden, for a pizza and some local wine.  The Maltese make a really good pizza.  Our view was pretty amazing too!

We finished with a full exploration of the town.  James and Wendy were meeting us at 5 to start our"get to know each other" time.  On our way back to our meeting place, we found a little shop selling Pastizzi.  In Malta, Pastizzi is almost a religious experience and not to be missed.  It is made two ways, a crispy, light phylo or puff pastry with either a simple cheese or pea centre.  We stopped here (see below) and for less than a euro we left with two, filled with cheese.  Not fancy but wow can they bake! Delicious!

Next up a visit to remember with the Mistruzzi family.  This is a shot of their living room, a former flour mill....Wow!