Valletta Harbour by sunset..

I am a sunrise person and love sunrise however I think being in Valletta lower gardens at sunset was pretty magical.  The more the sun was setting the more spectacular the scenery was, with lights becoming stronger and the sky going from light blue to pink and finally settling on the night.  I tell you I am so glad I was were I was and had my camera.  More photos of these magnificent surroundings to come. 

Christmas decorations - Valletta

Here's a short supply of photos taken a couple of weeks ago.  The decorations here look a bit scarce however believe me they are not , this year I think they did a pretty neat job with the decorations.  I just need to get some more streets to show you. Wish you all a wonderful season.

San Martin / St. Martin

St. Martin's Day (Jum San Martin in Maltese) is celebrated in Malta on the Sunday nearest to November 11. Children are given a bag full of fruits and sweets associated with the feast, known by the Maltese as Il-Borża ta' San Martin, "St Martin's bag". This bag includes St. Martin's Bread (Ħobża ta' San Martin), walnuts (ġewż), hazel-nuts (qastan), almonds (lewż), chestnuts (ġellewż), figs (tin), oranges (larinġ), tangerines (mandolin), apples (tuffieħ), pomegranates (rummien) amongst other things. There is a traditional rhyme associated with this custom:


Ġewż, Lewż, Qastan, Tin
Kemm inħobbu lil San Martin.

(Walnuts, Almonds, Chestnuts, Figs
I love Saint Martin so much.)


A feast is celebrated in the village of Baħrija on the outskirts of Rabat (Malta), including a procession led by the statue of St. Martin. There is also a fair, and a show for local animals. San Anton School, a private school on the island, organises a walk to and from a cave especially associated with St Martin in remembrance of the day.

Several places in Malta are named after this saint, including San Martin on the outskirts of St. Paul's Bay, and Ġebel San Martin outside of Żejtun.

Public Gardens around our little island.......

This is one of the five public gardens found in the village of Zejtun.  Gnien San Girgor was built in the early 70s. It's the biggest garden found in Zejtun and enjoys one of the most magnificent views of the southeast of Malta. In this garden one finds an open theatre.

Autumn views from the southern village of Birzebbuga

The first people who inhabited Birzebbuga were the Phoenicians. They chose this part of Malta because the southern part of the island was the first land to be found when coming from the east, and the bay, which is called Marsaxlokk offered substantial sheltered inlets for their ships.

Birzebbugia is a flourishing, but small, seaside resort not far from Marsaxlokk.  It has been a popular bathing spot for Maltese holiday-makers for decades.  In more recent years, the bay was artificially filled with sand recovered from the sea during dredging works for the nearby Freeport. Pretty Bay is now considered a sandy beach. It lies right in the town centre so there are plenty of shops and restaurants along the coastline. Outside Pretty Bay, towards St George's Bay, you'll find a rocky shore ideal for sun bathing and snorkeling. St George's Bay is a lovely inlet used by local fishermen who moor their boats there. The bay is a good venue for water sports such as windsurfing.

On the look out....

 for the arrival and departure of airplanes.  This as you can see is a great look out location.  It is found on the opposite side of Malta's International Airport. Click on the above photo and at the far end you can see the main building of the airport and also one of the  many Ryanair planes that flies in from all over Europe to Malta on a daily basis.

Malta's annual airshow

This was the 18th edition of the Malta International Airshow.  Participants for this year's airshow were Belgian air components (2 x F16), French Air Force, German Navy, Greece Hellenic Air Force, Italy - Agusta Bell AB212 , Royal Netherlands Air Force, United Kingdom Royal Air Force, US Navy, and  last but not least the Maltese Air Force.

If you would like to read more about the whole show and the planes here's the link http://www.maltairshow.com 

These shots were taken by my husband while we were on the beach enjoying the last days of swimming :)