Today, we can sleep in as we don't have a bus or ferry schedule to meet.  So why on earth am I waking up at 6 a.m.

Still, it’s a nice casual morning where we enjoy a wonderful breakfast at the same harbour restaurant we enjoyed a few times.

Our Uber driver, while taking us to Mdina,  strongly advised us to visit the Crystal Palace,  so we added this to our list.

Interesting facts about Mdina
Mdina is a fortified medieval town on a large hill in the centre of Malta. The old capital of Malta has narrow streets and is often called the “Silent City” as no cars (except those of a few residents) have permission to enter. This gives the town a relaxing atmosphere for the visitors walking its narrow streets and alleyways.

Mdina’s recent and famous claim to fame comes from Hollywood.  The town was a set for the first season of the Game of Thrones. The city’s entrance gate is the show’s primary location, The King’s Landing.

During this entire trip we  learn of the destruction of the big earthquake in 1693, and Mdina is included in this disaster. On January 11, 1693 these islands experienced the worst earthquake in their history.  No citizens were killed in Mdina, but the earthquake nearly destroyed the medieval Sicolo-Norman cathedral, which was rebuilt and still stands in the city today.

Very decorative churches of Mdina

Our fist visit was to the Mdina Cathedral Museum. It is full of antiques and history and beautiful,  thought provoking,  eerie and even crazy art work.  I was drawn to a painting called A Lady Soothsayer.  I like the lighting and simplicity of it, especially as it’s  placed among all the very busy and dark works of its era that surround it; yet there is still something else about it that intrigues me that I can't quite figure out.

Then we entered the Metropolitan
Cathedral of Malta also known as Saint Paul located in the heart of Mdina and built during the Norman Period. (Norman likes that a lot of the history we have discovered took place during the Norman period).  I was awestruck.  There is not a square inch from floor to ceiling, in this Cathedral that isn't decorated  or telling a story in some way.
This 17th century cathedral is considered the mother of all churches of Malta and I understand why.

The Crystal Palace and beyond
We then strolled the relatively quiet streets to Rabat,  a lovely,  quiet village just outside of Mdina. This is where we found the Crystal Palace.  It did not disappoint.
Nestled on the corner street of Rabat stands the famous Crystal Palace.  A black railing with large white umbrellas welcomes visitors from a far.  There are people outside the two doors to enter and a line up inside. It looks like the place to be. Once inside its clear why.  The smell and sight of coffee and baked goods is too good to resist.
The Crystal Palace also known as Is-Serkin,  is a famous bakery renowned for fresh made pastizzi, a favorite Maltese snack. They are dough filled with your choice of peas, potato, or cheese.  Norm bought a couple filled with peas fresh out of the oven.  The fellow at the large oven couldn't get them out fast enough. 

After coffee and pastizzis we walked around Rabat some more, stopped for another drink on a patio and then called for a ride.

The aquarium was next on our list and then a 6 km walk along the  waterfront with  a stop that included a drink and a swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

We caught a ride back to our hotel to freshen up and walked about 20 minutes away to a 100 year old wooden schooner, The Black Pearl.  What a cool place.  We enjoyed our supper on the upper deck with a view to the harbour and then checked out the bar in the lower deck before heading back for the night.

Malta has been a wonderful experience full of sun, sea and history.
Tomorrow;  Budapest,  Hungry