Here we are, all dressed up for the party. Walt, who never wears a jacket, agreed to dress in one for this special evening if he could wear a white sports coat with a pink crustacean - an inspiration sparked by the title of Jimmy Buffett's first major album.
We boarded the tour bus in the picture below and began our journey to de Mondion restaurant in Mdina.
The first stop was the Parish Church of the Assumption in Mosta which is topped by the 4th largest unsupported dome in the world. To true believers, the church is also the scene of a miracle. In April, 1942 a German bomb fell through the dome where over 250 people had gathered to celebrate Mass. The bomb didn't explode, and no one was injured. A replica of the bomb is on display at the church.
We stopped next to admire the beautiful walled city of Mdina.
This is the view from Dingli Cliffs. It might look a bit familiar because the islet in the water is the one that can be seen from Hagar Qim and Mnajdra.
Tiny one room St. Mary Magdalene's Chapel, a typical Maltese wayside shrine, sits atop the cliffs.
Game of Thrones did a lot of shooting in Malta during its first season. This is the main gate to the city of Mdina which appeared in the show as the gate to King's Landing. The moat which surrounded the walls has been filled in and made into a garden. This lush patch of greenery was the only lawn-like expanse I saw on Malta.
When we arrived in Mdina just after sunset, the shops were closing and the daytime tourists were departing. The city, also known as the "Silent City" was becoming very quiet. We wandered down the narrow streets past the ancient buildings to St. Paul's Cathedral Square where we posed for a group picture.
Before entering the restaurant for dinner, we made one final stop to take pictures from the city ramparts.
In this picture, you can see the Parish Church of the Assumption in Mosta.
We settled in at a long table on the rooftop. The temperature was pleasantly cool and the view was astounding. We sipped our wine and enjoyed the Amuse Bouche. It was a delightful 15 or so minutes. Then (Did you happen to notice the clouds in the pictures above taken from the ramparts?) the rain began to fall on Malta although it was September and we had been told that the last time there had been a bit of rain was way back in March.
No problem, really. We re-arranged ourselves inside and the party continued. The food and wine were exquisite, the company was amusing, and a wonderful time was had by all.
