Back in Malta for Easter with Liz’s parents. They are staying in an hotel in Sliema (about 5 mins away) and we are, of course, staying on Nimmie. We arrived just after 7pm on Thursday  evening, picked up the hire car and checked them into the hotel and then we all went out to an Italian restaurant, Mama Mia, nearby. The temperature was about 12 degrees C at 10pm but with quite a stiff breeze. Nimmie was looking good in the marina although with an orange tinge following heavy rain from the Sahara. Just as well we now have winch covers!

This morning began overcast but the sun broke through after lunch. We took John and Ruth to see The Malta Experience to get an overview of the rich and varied history of the islands before going on a tour of the Sacred Hospital nearby.

Sacred Hospital, Valletta

This was built by the Knights in the 16th Century and saw service right up to WWI, including the Crimea and Dardanelles campaigns. The wards were up to 150m long and could care for over 900 male patients at a time – women apparently didn’t get sick!  Then we went to the Upper Barrakah Gardens for an ice cream and to take in the views across Grand Harbour. Spot the helicopter on the back of the super yacht!

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to work out where the Good Friday procession went from and to. We finally worked it out and found ourselves a spot although it was over an hour late in starting so we had to leave after the main part went past to get to our dinner reservation vaguely on time. The costumes were varied, depicting all aspects of the Passon of Christ. All in all, a thoroughly lovely, if tiring, day.