Just like Apostle Paul, we enjoyed the hospitality of Malta

What do you know about the country of Malta? Malta is an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is just south of Sicily, Italy, and just north of Africa. It's one of the smallest nations in the world--about 17 miles long and 9 miles wide. You could drive all the way across the widest point of this country in just 45 minutes. If you read the book of Acts, you will see that the Apostle Paul visited here in 70AD. Just like Paul, this morning we are going to go sailing around Malta! When we chartered our own boat to the Isle of Capri, we forgot to take a picture of the vessel. So this morning, we started with a picture of our catamaran. Denisa had to walk quite a ways down the dock to get it all to fit into one frame. This was not a small boat!

We should back up to say that we got on the catamaran at 10:00. That gave us plenty of time to eat the bountiful breakfast at the resort. Denisa could have taken a picture of the ten tables of breakfast items available in the all-you-can-eat smorgasbord. They had made-to-order omelets, french toast or waffles made fresh on request, sliced meats, ten different cheeses, cut your own bread, all kinds of fresh fruits . . . We felt overwhelmed as we wanted to try everything! But the one picture from this best-breakfast-buffet was a simple pastizzi. Denisa had read about this filo dessert with cheese or fig filling, and she couldn't wait to try it. We are really enjoying the hospitality of Malta!

Well fed, we waddled onto the catamaran. It had plenty of space for the eight of us to find our favorite perches.

We got to see much of the old architecture of Malta as we sailed out of the harbor.

What a blessing to be out on the Mediterranean Sea on a beautiful day! But we only had one day to enjoy the hospitality of Malta--so hang on to your hats!

We found that lying on our bellies on the nets gave a surreal view as the turquoise water flew under the boat. We also found that a rogue wave would splash that beautiful turquoise right in your face.

The boat came with a mid-morning fruit plate that we all enjoyed.

As we passed unique rock cliffs, our captain would explain them to us. This one was part of the filming of the first edition of the movie, "The Count of Monte Cristo."

Do you see the square tower on top of the cliff as we zoomed by?

It was from that square tower on top of the cliff that the Count was thrown. We put watching that old movie on our to-do list. Then we found out that Hollywood recently filmed a new version of "The Count of Monte Cristo." 

Our first stop was the Crystal Lagoon, where several other boats were already anchored.

The water was crystal clear, and we couldn't wait to jump in!

It was delightful floating in the Mediterranean Sea. We thought it was interesting that the ice cream boat showed up, selling frozen treats to the passengers of the boats anchored here. We had Toblerone (a swiss chocolate) and Oreo ice cream bars in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea!

We swam to the cliffs, where the bravest members of our group climbed to the top. That is Mark and Camden on the edge, right before they jumped from the top. Brian was the first jumper, showing them how to do it.

Our catamaran came equipped with a paddle board, and we used it to paddle people around Crystal Lagoon. Our favorite swim was through the arch that led from this protected lagoon to the open sea.

But we also checked out the sea caves at the bottom of the cliffs. Our captain warned us to watch out for stinging jellyfish, but we never saw any this day.

We have wandered into another of God's wonders as we enjoyed the tall rock cliffs and the clear cool water. Even though there were several other boats anchored here, it never felt crowded because the area was large.

After our ice cream break, it was time for free-style diving off the side of the catamaran.

Points were awarded for style. This picture also shows the tall entrance to the arch we swam through earlier.

While the Crystal Lagoon was lovely, the most famous place along the Maltese coast is the Blue Lagoon. We knew it would be crowded, so we asked for a pass-by look at the Blue Lagoon.

We found that large commercial boats bring their loads of tourists to the Blue Lagoon. They were docked in a long row to the left. We also saw that a line of shanties had been built to house shops and places for the crowds to grab a bite to eat. It's hard to see in the picture, but there were long lines of people in the water, on the beach, and in the shopping area. While we had ten boats in the Crystal Lagoon, there were forty boats at the Blue Lagoon. This was a much more commercialized version, and we much preferred the not-as-famous Crystal Lagoon.

We were getting hungry for lunch, but we weren't interested in fighting the crowds. So our captain took us to another anchoring spot further along the coast by a small village. We got our last swim and dives off the catamaran while Mark floated around taking videos. We swam in the turquoise water until a little boat showed up with our lunch of pasta, pizza, and hamburgers. This is the life!

On our way back to the harbor, we circled the cliff with the statue of Paul on top. Malta is where Paul was shipwrecked. Acts 27:27 - 28:5 describes Paul's time in Malta. "Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold." It looks like the Maltese have been a very hospitable people for thousands of years. 

We were on the water for almost eight hours, and then we headed back to the dock.

Our captain pointed out that the entire Malta navy fleet was in dock. The plain gray boats are all that island nation has to protect it.

After a day on the Mediterranean Sea, our captain suggested an evening in the old city of Valletta. From the water it was a walk straight up-hill. Until it became an independent country in 1964, this island had constantly been under the control of other empires. The most recent British control had left many English influences on Malta. They drive on the left side of the road, use the British electric plugs, and English is one of their official languages. We even found a red British phone booth on our walk up the hill.

Once on the top of the hill, we discovered that the Malta Fashion Week was in full swing. We seemed a little under-dressed in our swim gear.

Parts of Valletta are a UNESCO world heritage site, and it was a lovely place for an evening stroll.

While the main street was quite large . . .

we found that strolling down the narrow side streets meant walking between diners.

We were in search of the St. Paul Shipwreck Church. We had read that there were enough churches in this tiny country of Malta to visit a different one every day of the year. 

Most of the narrow streets lead straight up or straight down on this hilly city. But that makes for a fun place to take a family picture . . .

even if your family only has two people in it.

The next spot we were looking for was the old military battery. This was where the old cannons were shot toward approaching enemy ships.

But this evening it just made for beautiful frames for pictures of the Mediterranean Sea.

We only had one day to enjoy the hospitality of Malta, and we were all getting tired with all the sun and activity of the day. Denisa and Mark skipped dinner at the fancy restaurant in the resort and went straight to showers in the room. Just like Apostle Paul, we have enjoyed the hospitality of Malta.