The flight from Malaga to Malta was uneventful, as expected.  I must admit, sitting in the Vueling plane awaiting takeoff I am amused at the number of times that flight crew count the passengers.  Four of them walk front to back with a small metal counter in hand frantically clicking away.  Six times per row 30 plus rows.  They do it in succession, as if each one cannot be trusted. Throughout the exercise the in charge Spanish flight attendant watches their addition with a stern look of disbelief.  The counters then gather, herd like at the front, words are exchanged, frustration appears on their faces and then the whole process begins again.  This happens three times before consensus is reached.  My confidence is now inspired, we have the proper seat count.  IE.  there is one passenger for each seat in the plane.  Yes folks, the flight was full and to be sure, four of the fully engaged flight crew did three passes through the cabin to confirm it!     Upon arrival in Malta I fully expect a new count by the crew to see if we are all still aboard....... Nothing happened, we disembarked.

The airport is a nice, medium sized airport, no ramp required. We deplane right on the tarmac and make our way to the baggage area.  Johanne and I pick up our luggage and look for the exit.  There are three signs, each one with a door directly below it.  Sign one,  European Union Members Arrivals, Visitors with declarations, Visitors without declarations.  We take the latter.  Proceeding through the door we enter a room, the same room as the other two doors enter! Go figure.

We are met by a family friend, James who whisks us off to our hotel.  The hotel is on the water in an area called Sliema.  Check out the view from our room.  SWEET!

After dropping the bags, it is time to explore.  At first blush, Malta appears to be monochrome. Limestone is the colour of everything.  Once you get a closer look, the wonders of the city come to life. We walk along the water toward the centre of Sliema.  The boardwalk is the centre of attention. Runners, families, tourists, Maltese commuters, all using it.  The pedestrian highway, and for good reason.  The streets are narrow and risky, filled beyond capacity with buses and cars, the boardwalk is wide and comfortable.  Malta is a small island, among the smallest countries in Europe.  It also has one of the highest population density for a European country, thus the traffic congestion.  Malta has an extraordinary history.  There are examples of civilization dating back to 5600 BC.  Before the pyramids!  It has also been ruled by everyone.  Kind of like a bicycle that everybody had a ride on, but nobody can own.  The Maltese are resilient, they survived.

One of the key moments in history was the arrival, via ship wreck, of St Paul the Apostle in 60A.D. He pulled off a miracle and is now forever enshrined throughout the island.  This beach is near where he crashed. No sign of him today although there is a miracle..... Johanne got in the water since it is about as warm as a summer day in Scotland. But that is another story.

One group is responsible for much of the architecture of the island. The 250 year rein of the Order of St. John's Knights. To say these guys had money would be an understatement. They ended up in Malta after being first chased out of Jerusalem, then Rhodes. They ended up being given the island of Malta by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V in the year 1530.  The cost of the gift was one Maltese hunting Falcon a year. The first Grand Master, Jean Perisot de la Valette, set to create a magnificent island.  Forts, Palaces and Churches followed.  The statue below is him in the flesh so to speak.

The palace above is his place.  Not bad.  After our walk,  we headed out to meet a former co-worker and Maltese Canadian, Tilly, who just happened to be visiting the island with her partner David, her Sister and her partner.  What a great coincidence.  We went to a fantastic restaurant l'Artist in Sliema where we were joined by Tilly's cousin.  To say the least, the food and the company was amazing!  I especially enjoyed the gozo goat cheese in a filo pastry and the many bottles of wine.  One a little more then the other perhaps.

Tomorrow we explore the wonders of Valletta, the city named after the first Grand Master.