Typical Valetta Street Scape
Corner Decoration on a church
Distress Priced Cheeseburgers....
Cafe Cordita in Valetta
Up high over Valetta on top of one of the city walls
Typical street with stair case
Door-knocker with Maltese Cross
View of Vittoriosa Yacht harbour...
Malta, well known for the Knights of St. John, who fortified and ruled the Island sometime between 9th Century and 1798 and gave it it's unique character, which it maintains to this day. Valetta, surrounded by massive walls and bulwarks, is a maze of narrow streets and alleys. Sandstone houses with overhanging enclosed balconies line the streets, and every block seems to have at least one church, all elaborately built and extensively decorated.Malta is part of the European Union, and thus effected by the overall economic crisis on the Continent - even McDonalds offers Hamburgers at Crisis Prices. In general life seems to go on unaffected, and residents and visitors alike enjoyed 'Freedom Day', a Public Holiday.
The eight pointed Maltese Cross, appears everywhere - ornamentation of street lamps and door knockers, tourist souvenirs and heraldic emblems on antique buildings. The eight points represent the virtues to which the ancient Maltese Knights aspired: Live in Truth, maintain faith, repent sins, demonstrate humility, love justice, be merciful, be sincere and and have a generous heart.
