Malta: Part Two

On day two of our trip to Malta, we decided to explore the island a bit. Therefore, bright and early, we hopped on a local bus and sped (....well, crawled) off to the capital city, Valletta.

First stop, breakfast. A very healthy breakfast at that. Consisting purely of lemon meringue pie and sugary doughnuts...

Once we had eaten our fill of sugary treats, we started exploring the fortress city. Each street held a different surprise, whether it was a beautiful secret garden, a saint perched on a plinth surveying the alley or simply another beautiful building or view.

We stumbled across the Knights Hospitallers museum, a fascinating place which told the story of the Knights of St Johns and their influence on Malta and the hospital they built. We learnt how surgeons in the middle ages were prized for their speed due to the lack of anaesthetic and how doctors realised that giving patients separate beds reduced the spread of infection (a novel idea at the time!). We also got a glimpse of the extensive cave system that runs under the whole of Malta, while learning about the gruesome effect of the plague on the small island. This exhibition was a lot of fun to explore but also very informative- I hadn't realised quite how steeped in history the tiny island was! Definitely worth a visit.

After roaming the length and breath of the sun soaked streets, we retired more than a little exhausted to the bus, where I sat dreaming of our air conditioned hotel room and our comfy beds!