Malta

Sailboats in Msida Creek marina with Msida Parish Church behind, Malta — The parish church of St Joseph rises above a forest of masts in Msida Creek marina.

Stone arch framing the Grand Harbour entrance, Valletta, Malta — Through a limestone arch in Valletta’s Lower Barrakka Gardens, the mouth of the Grand Harbour.

Colorful luzzu fishing boats filling Marsaxlokk harbor, Malta — Marsaxlokk harbor, where Malta’s traditional luzzu fishing boats wear their painted reds, yellows and blues.

Siege Bell War Memorial tower above the Grand Harbour at dawn, Valletta, Malta — First light on the Siege Bell War Memorial, which honors the 7,000 who died in the World War II siege of Malta.

Cemetery of marble statues below the Cittadella of Victoria, Gozo, Malta — White marble angels crowd a hillside cemetery on Gozo; the walled Cittadella of Victoria crowns the ridge beyond.

Marsaxlokk market quay with Our Lady of Pompei church and a luzzu boat, Malta — Market day on the Marsaxlokk waterfront, beneath the twin bell towers of Our Lady of Pompei.

Rock-cut burial chambers of St. Paul's Catacombs, Rabat, Malta — Inside St. Paul’s Catacombs at Rabat, where Romans cut their tombs into the living rock over 1,500 years ago.

Triton Fountain illuminated at night, Valletta, Malta — The Triton Fountain at Valletta’s City Gate, dressed in its Christmas-season lights.

Saluting Battery cannons overlooking the Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta — The cannons of the Saluting Battery, below the Upper Barrakka Gardens, still fire over the Grand Harbour every day at noon.

Ruth standing on weathered limestone below a fortress tower, Malta — Ruth at the foot of a fortress tower, on limestone honeycombed by centuries of sea wind.

Mgarr harbor, Gozo, with Our Lady of Lourdes church on the hill above, Malta — The Gozo ferry lands at Mgarr, where the church of Our Lady of Lourdes watches over the fishing fleet.

Red door and traditional red wooden balcony on a Valletta townhouse, Malta — A Valletta classic: the crimson door and gallarija — the traditional Maltese enclosed balcony — of house No. 34.

Ruth with espresso and cake at a sidewalk cafe table, Malta — Espresso and cake at a sidewalk café — our kind of mid-morning stop.

Storm waves breaking on the rocky Sliema seafront, Malta — The storm surf that kept us out of the water, breaking along Sliema’s rocky foreshore.

Illuminated Ferris wheel at night beside palm trees, Malta — A Christmas funfair Ferris wheel in full neon against the Mediterranean night.

Bell tower of the Cathedral of the Assumption inside the Cittadella, Victoria, Gozo, Malta — Inside the Cittadella of Victoria on Gozo, the cathedral’s bell tower rising over the old fortress lanes.

Ruth beside the grill counter in a steakhouse dining room, Malta — Ruth sizing up the grill counter at dinner — the steaks won.

Grand Harbour panorama with the Valletta bastions and moored yachts, Malta — Big Mediterranean sky over the Grand Harbour, Valletta’s bastions stretched along the horizon.

Performer in a Santa costume on roller skates at a Christmas market, Malta — Santa on roller skates, working the Christmas-market crowd.

Valletta city walls and St Paul's Pro-Cathedral spire at dusk with boats below, Malta — Dusk settles over Valletta’s bastion walls, the boat quay glowing below the spire of St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral.

Patchwork of stone-walled fields seen from the Mdina bastions, Malta — From Mdina’s bastions half of Malta unrolls — a patchwork of stone-walled fields running to the sea.

Our Lady of Pompei parish church with a Christmas star decoration, Marsaxlokk, Malta — Our Lady of Pompei, Marsaxlokk’s parish church, wearing its Christmas star.

Christmas trip this year was to Malta. We had planned to do a dive or two but the Med was surprisingly stirred up with high surf advisories. Ironically we got some great photos of the dive shops being flooded by high surf as a result. Other than that we were land-bound but stayed close to the coast. I loved the maritime feel to every part of this island nation that has been inhabited as long as any place on earth, even longer than Eygpt.