Dan's excursion in the beautiful limestone city of Valetta started with a ride on a lift to the Barraka Gardens, with their spectacular view of the harbor and cities opposite. A walk through the broad streets to the co-cathedral of St. John pleasantly reminds one of the past grandeur of this fortress city built by the Knights of St. John and the islands other rulers from the Turks to the French and English. The cathedral is a simple, dignified Renaissance building on the outside but with the most ornate Baroque decoration inside. It also contains one of Caravaggio's masterpieces, "The Beheading of St. John," his largest painting and the only one he ever signed, painted especially for the Knights. A visit to the lavish Piccola Rocca Palace concluded Dan's tour before he returned to the ship. Jim spent the day on board a privately chartered boat that visited Malta's beautiful Blue Grotto area, where swimming and an on board picnic ensued. - Dan
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