Dubai to Christchurch - 15-16 October

Luckily we arrived at the airport in plenty of time, because there was a huge stuff-up with our tickets. Actually, the tickets were fine, but the person at the counter kept insisting that we were flying back via Bangkok, and then on to Sydney, and then home to Christchurch - bollocks! So, after initially queuing and then being told that stress-inducing information, then being sent to queue at yet another counter to sort it out (as I refused to accept it), and then back to wait in the by now even longer queue at the original counter, a supervisor got to the bottom of things and dealt with it by talking it through with our original person by phone. In the end, we really had no time to look at buying anything of significance in Duty Free, or having a coffee etc, and arrived in a harassed state at the Gate for our Emirates flight.

We had bought new bottles of water each at one of the Duty Free stores, but suddenly found ourselves in the now extremely crowded Gate area, where security people suddenly set themselves up with temporary tables and began searching all passengers’ luggage, and any water bottles had to be dumped even though we had already passed through the screening. We gulped down our water, and finally made it on board, and on our way home, via Sydney!

We arrived safely home on Wednesday 16 October!

Dubai - Monday 14 October

We arrived in Dubai just before 1 am, and got a taxi to take us to our hotel, the Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates (previously named Pullman Mall of the Emirates). Luckily, our price had been locked in when we originally booked, as we’d never be able to afford to stay there otherwise. It’s just that this hotel is so convenient, being attached directly to the Mall - very handy when you have loads of shopping to carry!

This hotel is very luxurious, and similar to the last time we stayed here, the staff are waiting so politely to help you in any way - the service is incredible. The views out over the city should have been interesting, but unfortunately the smog marred everything - so, no photos this time.

After enjoying our breakfast from the sumptuous buffet upon arising later in the morning, we split up from the Barrows, and headed in different directions to browse around the Mall. We seem to end up buying shoes when we come here, and did so again. We weren’t too much in the mood to buy much else, but did get another carry-on bag very cheaply at one of the department stores. It was also interesting looking around the supermarket in the mall, and we were especially pleased to see the meat cabinets full of New Zealand lamb and beef!

We had an enjoyable dinner that evening with the Barrows, at a restaurant in the mall's food court that did a great job of my gluten free meal.

After packing all our goodies, we had an early night, ahead of the early start the next morning for our flight home via Sydney.

Barcelona - Sunday 13 October

Our last day in Barcelona, and we were keen to pack in as much as possible that morning before needing to catch our flight. We packed our things and left them at reception, then headed out to queue early for the opening time of the Casa Mila (La Pedrera). We didn't have to wait too long, and found our way into this building that looks like melting ice-cream on the outside! It is classed as a world heritage site by UNESCO! 

Built by Gaudi between 1906-1912, we enjoyed a fascinating visit a couple of hours long. I especially enjoyed the fourth floor apartment, decorated and furnished in the style it would have been originally occupied in. Every aspect of the design contributed to the excellent livability and functionality of the apartments, including the atrium for maximising light, storage areas, skylights, fans, chimneys and ventilation areas. The areas covered with mosaics or tiles looked very similar to the things we saw in Park Guell. The rooftop area, with it's unusually designed chimneys, gave great views over the city. And the large attic area was set out with models, videos, and explanations of Gaudi’s designs and unique ideas about structural engineering. Fascinating!

La Pedrera

La Pedrera

After this we walked around, looking for somewhere for a brunch/lunch. We wasted a lot of time looking for something gluten free, and in the end I was happy to settle for a fruit salad with yoghurt. I was keen to use any scrap of time I could scrape up, to see one more thing - the Ramblas pedestrian area of Barcelona. It was difficult getting our bearings, but we eventually headed off at a brisk walk and managed to dodge our way between people and along the streets towards the Plaza Catalunya at the head of the Ramblas area. I got a brief glimpse of what lay ahead in the Ramblas, but alas, we really needed to get back in a hurry to be ready for our pick-up back at Quartprimera, and transfer to the airport for our return home via Dubai.

We rushed in, farewelled our hostess, and then waited on the street, increasingly anxious because our transport (Barcelona Day Tours again) was running half an hour late (due 1:25 pm! In the end, our hostess phoned them for us to confirm that they were indeed on their way. And finally, we made it to the airport on time!

Barcelona - Saturday 12 October

On this lovely, sunny morning, we were off the ship early, managing our own luggage (so we didn't have to pack early and leave our luggage outside our cabin door the previous evening). We were picked up around 8:30 am by our driver from Barcelona Day Tours, with a lovely van. We were booked to have a four hour (half day) Barcelona Highlights private tour, for just the four of us.

Barcelona is Spain's second city, and the capital of the Catalonia region - this region wants to be independent from Spain.

We drove towards the city, passing the Columbus Monument marking the spot where Christopher Columbus debarked and was welcomed by Ferdinand and Isabel after returning from his first trip to America.

We had some short photo stops at some memorable locations. We viewed the outside of the Gothic Cathedral of Barcelona (built in the 14th century). And then we moved on to see the exterior of the Palau de la Música Catalana (Catalan Concert Hall, built in 1908), a beautiful art nouveau building. We drove down the 'Block of Discord' viewing the modernista facades of some famous mansions built by famous architects at the end of the 19th century. The architects were trying to outdo each other, so their buildings ended up looking quite outrageous but beautiful. The buildings included Casa Batllo by Gaudi, Casa Amatller, and Casa Lleo Morera. We also passed another of Gaudi's buildings, an apartment block called Casa Mila (La Pedrera). We drove past the Plaza Catalunya, the famous plaza at the heart of Barcelona (at one end of the famous Ramblas promenade). People were gathering there for a protest! Another Plaza we drove by was Plaza d'Espanya, with a brief glimpse of the Les Arenes shopping and entertainment centre, that was originally built as a bullring.

Gothic Cathedral of Barcelona

Palau de la Música Catalana

'Block of Discord'

We also walked around the block of the amazing Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church), Gaudi's most famous work that is still being completed. It will eventually have 18 spires (it currently has four) and its facades (Passion, Nativity, and Glory) illustrate stories from Christ's life. The construction was begun in 1882, and Gaudi died in 1927, and since then this has become an amazing community project, with contributions from numerous architects, still reflecting Gaudi's vision. Completion is estimated to be in 2026, in time for the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Our driver gave us advice on how to purchase tickets online, to tour the church later, in the afternoon.

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Next we were taken to the Park Guell. Another of Gaudi's design projects, this was originally intended to be a housing project area for Eusebi Guell (the developer); but it is now a unique park with extensive grounds. We had a pleasant time roaming around the entrance area, enjoying the amazing environment and views. It was very busy! The artistic and ornamental mosaic tiles and unusual structures were truly amazing.

Park Guell

Park Guell

Park Guell

We were driven around some of the suburbs on the hills above Barcelona, and found our way to the Monastery of Pedralbes. Another gothic building, dating from the early 14th century, this beautifully restored monastery (and church) is now a museum, showing aspects of everyday life of the nuns. The courtyard was beautiful, and the displays and their descriptions were very interesting.

Monastery of Pedralbes

Monastery of Pedralbes

Next stop was to see a stunning gate at the entrance to the Guell Pavilions estate, again designed by Gaudi for his patron, Guell. This wrought-iron gate features an amazing mythical dragon, inspired by a Greek myth.

Guell Pavilions

After a lovely morning, we were dropped off at our accommodation, at the Quartprimera Guest House. This was accessed via an antique lift, that could only fit one of us a time, with one or two suitcases. That was a novelty! We had lovely rooms with ensuites in what seemed to be a large apartment area on our floor, with shared lounge and kitchen facilities that were kitted out to help you relax and seem at home. The lounge had views out towards the Casa Mila, very nearby.

Quartprimera Guest House's lift

Quartprimera Guest House

Our lovely hostess helped us book and print tickets online for quicker entry to the Sagrada Familia in the afternoon. And then we ducked out for a bite to eat as we headed in the direction of the church.

There was still a queue, but not reaching around the block like others who had not pre-booked! And then we spent the rest of the afternoon, absolutely engrossed and soaking up the sights and atmosphere of this incredible building. There is nothing else like it in the world. Gaudi's genius in designing structures based around the structures he saw in nature, the use of lighting, the displays, the different areas to just sit and reflect. It was very crowded, but absolutely amazing. David and I spent ages just in the museum section, looking at how the designs were planned, and models and sketches of the structures. There was so much to see, and in the end we could have spent a whole day there. I've only devoted a short paragraph to this, but my photos will illustrate this best. Nevertheless, even they do not help you really appreciate the huge scale and beauty of this incredible church. This, for me, was the highlight of our trip.
 

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

I was keen to try some traditional Spanish tapas, so we went for a wander and eventually decided to try a small tapas bar. The selection was interesting, and we weren't clear how it all worked; and of course I had to determine whether things were gluten free, this always slowing us down. We chose a selection of small dishes and settled down to enjoy the chance to relax after such a big day. As it turned out, around 7pm was very early by Catalayan standards, and there were very few people about, and we were all too tired to hang around later to soak up the atmosphere. We headed home after our meal, and were treated to a wonderful view from the lounge, of the beautifully lit up Casa Mila.

View to Casa Mila

Monaco - Friday 11 October

It was great to find out that another ship had cancelled their berth, and so the Ruby Princess was able to dock in Monaco, rather than use tenders to get passengers to shore. This took a lot of stress off the need to get back to the ship one load at a time.

As we headed for breakfast, an urgent announcement came over the speakers, interrupting the message being given at the time - a 'code one message' calling for staff to go immediately to Caribe 509. Obviously some sort of medical emergency for some poor traveller (actually, we found out in the evening that it was a heart attack). I would have to say that this cruise comprises mainly people over the age of 60, and the balance is probably tipped more towards the over 70s - quite different than our 2009 cruise on the Crown Princess. Also, Jan says that we're pretty much the only ones she's met on board who aren't on our second or third cruise this year!

It was lovely watching the sunrise over the ocean while we had breakfast (it was no doubt a lot warmer than when Ross and Liz last watched their special sunrise). We walked off the ship at 8:20 am, knowing nothing would be open but that there'd be plenty to see. I had read up on the best ways to get up to the Old Town and other key sights on 'The Rock', without needing to do a steep climb or use stairs - elevators and escalators are provided all over the city, to make moving around easier.

We enjoyed revisiting the gardens at the top, and wandering around the narrow streets of the Old Town. It was good to get into the square in front of the Palais, and see the views from all sides there, before it got too crowded.

We went back to the Cathedral, where Princess Grace was married, and she and Prince Rainier are now buried.

By 10 am we were ready to use the discount vouchers we'd picked up in a tourist booklet and go into the Oceanographic Museum. This was set up in the early 1900s by Albert I, and the renowned Jacques Cousteau was a dIrector for many years. We both found it absolutely amazing, and were so glad we had gone in. It had the best displays we had ever seen in an aquarium. We spent a couple of hours there and then headed slowly and carefully back towards the ship because my knee wasn't coping.

My legs are starting to 'give up the ghost', my ankle is getting quite swollen when I'm on my feet for a few hours (the one I broke about 3 years ago), and an area a couple of inches below my right knee is finally flaring up and catches badly. When it gives out I'm not sure I'll be able to walk.

After lunch I got lots of photos of Monaco from up on the deck, then we enjoyed sail-away with the spectacular views. Then we headed back to our cabin and began packing..... After a while we had a break in the bar and the Barrows joined us and we compared notes from our day, and looked ahead to disembarkation in Barcelona tomorrow.

We had our last dinner on the ship, and farewelled the team who had served us so well. We sat beside two women from Philadelphia, and they were interesting - one works in 'Wealth Management' and we had a good chat about politics.

We attended our final Show, first featuring a Comedian, and then singer, Paul Stone. We had a few final laughs thanks to our Cruise Director, and then headed to bed. Everyone seemed subdued tonight, perhaps feeling sad about leaving the cruise and their holiday ending...

Genoa - Thursday 10 October

We were pleased we hadn't organised anything further afield than Genoa today, as it looked very gloomy and had been raining when we looked out the window during our late 8 am breakfast (with the Barrows). Apparently boat trips to Cinque Terre had been cancelled, as had any Princess tours to Portofino, because of the sea conditions, although we'd had a very smooth night of sailing up the coast from Livorno.

The ship's information about Genoa (via TV and the daily news 'Princess Patter') indicated rather a lot of museums and art galleries in this city, but nothing we could really be bothered visiting. We spent the day with the Barrows and were off the ship at 9 am, paying E6 each for the recommended shuttle out of the port (a total rip-off as everyone soon decided, because it was only a 20 minute walk).

We ended up catching a 'Hop on Hop off' bus and riding on the top level for almost two loops of the circuit around the town while we got our bearings and decided where it was worth getting off. The rain started once, as we stopped in Piazza de Ferrari, and we wondered how much of the town we would end up seeing. But it didn't last long, and there were times when the sun shone through and it warmed up a lot, as well as times when black clouds and rain threatened again.

We finally got off the bus at Via XX Settembre to have a quick look at the shops (too expensive), and then our goal was to find the Porta Soprano and the tiny home where Christopher Colombus was born. After getting lost for a short time, I asked a local for directions. He was very helpful, with excellent English, and we were soon on our way again. We found the house, and then wanted to go up one of the lifts or funiculars for a great view over the city. As we walked towards one of these, we found that everything was actually quite close for walking, even though the bus tour made things seem far apart.

David and I bought tickets for the Funiculare di San Anna, while the Barrows walked up the steps. We needed to walk a short distance around to the Spianata di Castelletto for the wonderful views over the city and harbour. Then we walked down the bricked steps to Largo Zecca, and then back down towards the waterfront. I kept thinking how much Genoa reminded me of Wellington, both in the style of the buildings, and in the fact that much of it was on the hillsides surrounding the harbour. There were even overhead cables for the buses, though they weren't connected. Genoa just had a similar 'feel' about it.

By then it was about 1:20 pm and we decided there was no point trying to use the 'Hop on Hop off' or shuttle buses to return to the ship, because we'd been told they both stopped services between 1 and 2 pm. Strangely, we saw the former still operating, but continued our walk back, with rain threatening at times.

We enjoyed a light lunch in the International Cafe, and then made ourselves comfortable, with our books, inside on Deck 7. We enjoyed a catch-up chat with Harvey and Barbara before they headed off to the daily trivia competition. Soon it was time to get ready for our last Formal Night and second to last night of the cruise. We had another lovely dinner, this time chatting to a couple from London who do a lot of cruises because they are so close to everything. Their flight home from Barcelona will be only 1.5 hours!

The show in the Princess Theatre was excellent, with great singing and dancing to music from old shows. Dan, our Cruise Director did a great stunt at the end, with four passengers, which had us all amazed. We'll save it for our next party trick!

The ship was rocking significantly more again after we left Genoa, and we had to hold on to rails and walk carefully. It wasn't bad enough for me to need Sea Legs, luckily. The previous night's sailing had been so calm we hadn't felt as if we were moving at all.

Lucca - Wednesday 9 October

We had to be in the Michelangelo Dining Room by 7:30 am this morning for our 4.5 hour Princess tour to Lucca (due to start at 8 am. It was very frustrating sitting there, waiting another 25 minutes past the actual deadline, until the final go ahead to move at 7:55 am. We headed off with a busload of others towards Lucca, and within half an hour of the tour's start we pulled into a petrol station where those who needed to could have a free toilet stop before arriving in Lucca another 15 minutes away. Would you believe it.... All but 6 passengers got off to use the toilet, and we spent nearly 15 minutes wasting valuable time waiting for them - duh! There was plenty of time before we left the ship, and strangely enough, Lucca does have toilets too...!

It was interesting looking at the countryside along the motorway - we could see the Duomo and Leaning Tower of Pisa in the distance, the quarry on the hillside where sandstone for the local buildings was excavated, and the area of hills where the white marble came from. Some parts of the landscape reminded us of New Zealand, except we have noticed that we rarely see animals.

Finally we got into the lovely Tuscan walled town of Lucca (a Roman colony in 180 BC) and heard some of its history. It was interesting hearing about how town walls developed over time as a result of weapon developments, and how the fortifications around Lucca were largely huge, deep embankments of dirt, lined on the outside with bricks or stone. Now they have planted trees on top to make parks (they use a lot of Linden Trees).

We saw some of the remnants of the ancient Roman amphitheatre that were now converted into homes and shops.

We strolled into the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and got delayed there while some of our fellow tour passengers had a long conversation with our guide about taxes and property taxes in both Italy and the USA, and the Italian Prime Minister and other political matters... Eventually moving on, we saw the watch tower (Torre Guinigi), and heard about the town during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. There was also another long discussion about opera when we stopped at the school where Puccini had studied. Sigh... So much for seeing as much as we could.

Finally we made it to the Piazza San Martino with its Duomo. We had a quick look in there (very dimly lit, gloomy interior but with beautiful stained glass windows) at the much-revered Crucifix. We heard about the legend of how this Cross came to end up in Lucca and about the annual 13 September celebration of the town, when the Cross is paraded through the streets that are all lit up with candles. We saw a different style 'Last Supper' painting, thought to be by Tintoretto or a member of his family or his workshop in 1593.

We headed to the Piazza San Michele and had a quick look in the church of San Michele in Foro (also very gloomy inside). This left us with 50 minutes of free time to wander around. No chance of heading up on the town walls for a look, or to stroll or cycle along them. I guess that means we'll need to come back to Lucca in the future.

We bought a couple of bottles of the local chianti wine, and looked at the shops as we explored some of the nearby streets. We liked the feel and atmosphere of the town. Everyone rides bikes (much like we saw in Amsterdam), and you have to be really careful when you stop or turn to look at something or you'll cause a collision. David had to grab hold of my arm several times before I came a cropper in a collision.

Before we knew it we were back on the bus for the 50 minute trip back to the ship at the port of Livorno, arriving by 12:30 pm. We headed for the buffet lunch and ended up sitting with a couple of Aussies who said they hadn't been to this part of the world before, but had missed what we thought was the incredible opportunity to visit Florence and Pisa, let alone anywhere else in the area, and had just caught the ship's shuttle for a quick look at what they described as the 'boring' shops in Livorno. All that history, and they didn't see any of it.

David was keen to have a relaxing soak in the spa, and then we settled down to read our books. I used one of my Captain's Circle drink vouchers for a cocktail (Bombay Sapphire gin, Grenadine, and a cherry Brandy). We caught up briefly with the Barrows just before we headed off for our usual 6 pm dinner. They'd had a great day in Florence and had enjoyed climbs up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as well as the dome of the Duomo in Florence.

We had a great dinner, and sat next to a couple from Aussie and had a good chat with them. After lingering over dinner (me having two large glasses of wine, followed by a Lemoncello...) Needless to say, I was slightly tiddly. We looked around the Piazza, and I looked at the deals on dress rings (artificial) and bought two more to go with the two I'd bought a few nights ago. David is very pleased with one in particular, because it looks like a huge and expensive diamond, but it only cost US$16!

Sea Day - Tuesday 8 October

It was not a good start to our day, being woken at 3:30 am by a text from 2 Degrees, thanking me for my payment for the month! My fault for not turning my phone off. I decided to read my email, knowing Dad would have had his operation overnight, and sure enough, there were a couple of Alison's amazing detailed updates - but with news that Dad was having problems with things not working as they should following the surgery, and even a trip back to hospital. Thank goodness I'll be home in a week.

Eventually we headed out to breakfast (the day revolves around food, as you can tell), and then made ourselves comfortable reading on Deck 15. I went to a photography seminar, put on by the ship's photographic staff, and it was quite good - I got some useful tips.

Murat had taken an order for a gluten free hamburger for my lunch, so we headed to the a la carte Da Vinci dining room for lunch at 12 pm. We each had some lovely leek and potato soup, followed by a burger. Phew...!

Jan and I had arranged to meet for Bridge at 1 pm, and 12 players showed up, making three tables. They played some kind of system called Party Bridge, so it was a bit confusing for us, but we enjoyed the four hands at our first table, then people rotated, and we went to another table. Well....... As we sat down, the man (husband) said to his wife "Do you want me to play or not?!" in a really shitty voice! Jan and I caught each other's eye, and settled down to play against the rudest man we have ever encountered at Bridge! His poor wife.... This went on for four hands of play. Boy, was he impatient with everyone, but he hadn't reckoned with us.... At one point I asked if they played at their Bridge Club, and he said he didn't any more (was probably banned!). Jan had him on a couple of times, questioning how he was wanting us to play, but then not following along himself. And then I played the cards in front of myself, but still in the centre of the table as he wanted, and he started to make one of his comments. So I looked him fiercely in the eye and told him sternly that I was doing exactly what he had said, and half expected him to storm off, but I think he was surprised into silence. We eventually swapped tables again (so we missed the chance to tell him to get a life...). The people at the table we moved to reported the same experience - they were incredulous. At the very end, this man disappeared (he had kept coming and going from his seat during the play, pacing around), and his poor, really lovely wife came over to us all to apologise for her husband "...who is a bit of a hot-head." My instant response to her was to say not to spend the rest of her life apologising for her husband!

There was another Captain's Circle presentation in the early evening, so David and I trundled along to try and win the lucky draw (no luck), and to at least get the two free drink vouchers they hand out...!

It was Formal Night again tonight, and we had our photo taken with our lovely dining team that look after us so well. Our Waiter, Jerry (from the Philippines); our Head Waiter (who sorts out the Gluten Free pre-order each evening) is Murat (from Istanbul); and our Wine Waiter is Blagica (from Romania). They had been very upset to miss us the previous night, when we had dined later than usual and then couldn't get into their section - they'd got everything ready and we hadn't shown up.

After dinner, we took advantage of everyone being at Formal Night, and David got all our laundry done while I worked on the blog. The laundry will have big queues as the cruise comes to an end.

Valletta (Malta) - Monday 7 October

Our visit to Valletta in Malta, was the inaugural visit of a Princess ship to this country. Originally we were meant to visit Tunis, in Tunisia, but this was cancelled the week before we left home, and we only found out when someone on Cruise Critic noticed the change on the online itinerary. Princess never formally notified any of us of the change. Anyway, it turned out to be a very popular replacement with the passengers!

Malta is a small country (three islands) that was once a British Colony, after the British were asked to come in and help the people defend themselves against the French. Hundreds of years prior to that, the Knights of St John (again!) had been granted access to the island after they lost Rhodes, and wasted no time re-establishing themselves here. They had another huge battle against the Turks, but this time the Knights survived after reinforcements arrived. After the Gallipoli campaign this is where many New Zealand soldiers were sent to be treated for their injuries. It was apparently the most bombed place on earth during World War 2, because of its strategic location.

We had a late breakfast and headed off the ship at 9:20 am. We had a long walk to get out of the port, and with a spur of the moment decision, we purchased tickets for one of the 'hop on hop off' bus lines. We did this well before we reached the bus, and were disturbed to see the big queue when we finally made it to the bus stop. After a 20 minute wait in line, we actually made it onto the double-decker open-top blue line bus of City Sightseeing Malta when it arrived, and then it left 10 minutes late because it was so full.

We sat down below and enjoyed the scenery as the bus gradually made its way out of the city and through some countryside towards the town of Mdina. It was interesting to note the relatively barren countryside and the use of stone walls everywhere. Buildings were all the same yellowy-coloured plaster and stone. The craft village we passed through was based in old aircraft hangar buildings, left over from the British airbase from the war.
During the drive we noticed that the cars were driving on the 'correct' side of the road. Then we noticed the British influence everywhere. The legal system, and education are British-based. More than 90% of the people speak English as one of their languages.

We didn't get off at any of the stops, eg the craft village etc along the way, but moved to the top level of the bus at Mdina when a lot of people got off. We were lucky that the rain held off as the bus headed back to Valletta, where we got off at the Castille stop. It had been good to get a look beyond the immediate city and the area where the ship was docked. It took a while to get our bearings and then we walked into the old, narrow streets of the town.

The atmosphere was quite different than the other countries and towns we have visited. It definitely felt more familiar, and 'comfortable'. Mind you, on some of our subsequent walks around the city fortifications we noticed how filthy it was with cigarette butts, litter, and the most doggy-do we've ever had to mind our steps with.... But in the main streets within the town, there were a lot of familiar shops, without the usual harassment to buy that seems to get worse the further east you go in the Mediterranean.

The first shop we went into was my favourite shoe store - Clarks! We found a lovely pair of shoes for David, and the somewhat disinterested young saleswoman went to see if she had his size. We never saw her again, until I noticed her talking to another salesperson down the back. Eventually she came back our way, and realised she'd completely forgotten all about us! And no, they didn't have the size.... Charming!

Next we paid to go into St John's Co-Cathedral and Museum, built with money from the Knights of St John. It was amazing - very highly decorated with golden ornamentation and quite beautiful. We do still wonder about the amount of money poured into churches and cathedrals over history...

After the Cathedral, we walked all the way from the top end to the bottom of the old town, then around the streets lining the inside of the fortifications.

Then we saw the 5D Malta Experience (one of those 'rides' where they move the seats, puff air and spray water at you while you view a huge screen with 3D glasses. It was a great 20 minute show that gave an excellent overview of the history and background of the country, as well as its beautiful scenery.

By 2 pm we started to head back towards the ship, missing the elevator down the cliff that we were looking for, and walking down steps and a road. When we were near the ship we came across the tall elevator back up the cliff to some gardens and great viewpoints at the top. I convinced David that it was worth the E1 to go up and look around, and it certainly was. We saw where 8 cannons were set up for gun salutes, and some lovely memorial gardens with tributes to people like Winston Churchill, Einstein, and Marconi, amongst others. After a good look around and more photos of the views, we headed back to the ship for a very late lunch after 3 pm.

Sail-away was impressive just after 6 pm, with music from a band onshore, dressed in traditional clothing. And then an 8 gun salute from the cliff-top saluting gallery we'd seen earlier. I managed to get it on video. Then we sailed away at sunset - magic!

We enjoyed dinner with the Barrows later than our usual 6 pm time, at 7:30 pm, and looked forward to a day at sea as we travelled towards Livorno.