Malta part 2

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We continue to enjoy this lovely little country. I made a mistake when I said it was built of sandstone, it is in fact limestone, which is porous and the sea levels under Malta are rising, and the subterranean caves are gradually filling with sea water which is bad news for the distant future. However, at the moment all is well. We have had some lovely food here. Of note is the De Mondion, a Michelin star restaurant in the Xara Palace Relais and Chateau in Mdina. We went in the evening, a 20-minute taxi ride from Valletta. Mdina is situated on a hill west of Valletta and has narrow streets and a lovely Cathedral, which would be lovely to visit during the day. We chose the tasting menu which apart from the pork course was divine. Another lovely lunch was in Slima on the front at the Trattoria del Mare where we had the best seafood spaghetti and spaghetti vongole. The best bar so far has been the Fat City bar which is like sitting in an elegant sitting room with comfortable armchairs at which you end up chatting with all the other people as there are only 3 tables. On our 3rd day we did a harbour cruise from which you get an impressive sight of the miles of fortified walls, the prison where Caravaggio was held and hundreds of boats in all the marinas around the main harbour, The cruises depart from Slima so you have to get the little ferry across from Valletta. Day 4 of our stay and for once it is pouring with rain so we decided to do "The Malta Experience", which is an interesting film about Malta's history followed by a guided tour of the Hospitallers ward which used to be run by the Knights of St.John and is fascinating.

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