We started with a bus ride to Valletta, the capital of Malta. It is not as built up as Sliema and has an older feel to it. There were many, many people out walking in the streets.  It looks like Christmas decorations were still up and there were loudspeakers playing Mozart as we walked along.  It was so lovely!

As in Sliema, the streets are very narrow and the cars drive fast!

We walked quite a bit along the ocean.  This is a view of the breakwater across the bay.

Taking a break from all the walking!

Another break at a playground.

Jon is checking the ferry schedule in the background. That iPad sure does come in handy! 🙂

So much to see!

We took the ferry back to Sliema for lunch. It’s a great way to get from one city to the other.

We took a bus to the north end of Malta to a town called Qawra. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Malta National Aquarium.

Walking through a water tunnel.

My favorite – walking through a big tunnel with sharks, sting rays and lots of cool fish.

The coral reef displays were pretty neat, too.

The sharks were a bit scary, though.

There is a beautiful promenade all along the waterfront in Sliema.  Most of our walk was along the water.

That’s Sliema to the side and front of us.

Valletta, the capital, as seen from the promenade in Sliema, across the Marsamxett Harbour.

Sliema is very touristy with many, many hotels, restaurants and high-rise apartments.  Quite the contrast with Valletta across the bay!

Finally – the park!

Without a yard, parks are going to be a daily staple.

Staying warm – when the sun goes behind the clouds and the wind picks up, it can get a little chilly (by Malta standards!).

More views of Sliema in the background.

Finally – familiar territory!

A view across St. Julian’s Bay to St. Julian’s.  This part of the promenade is about 10 minutes from our flat. 

The Mall of America! We had a lot of fun the night before we left going on the rides at the Mall.

We just checked our huge luggage – a total of 199 pounds!

Strolling through the airport. Our connection in Philly was tight – we were the last people on the plane! And then we sat and waited for nearly an hour while they fixed an indicator light!

The girls did great on the 3 flights. They listened to music and stories, colored, read, ate, slept (a bit) and watched out the window.

Our lovely landlady, Maria, took us out to lunch our first day in Sliema. We sat right by the ocean!

The joy of unpacking and settling into a place! We feel almost all moved in and are making our flat a great place to be.

Back to Thanksgiving…I forgot to post these photos of some crafts we made with friends before Thanksgiving!

The final product!

Taking a break from school work with Oscar.

Walking down the driveway.

All bundled up and staying warm!

Before the snow came, we cleaned up the garden. Lily sold baby gourds in the bean tipi while we composted broccoli plants!

In case you missed the FB posts, we saw Jan Brett on Sunday and had pictures with both her and Hedgie! The girls loved Hedgie!

Super cute singing pumpkins!

Next event -Pleasant Valley Halloween Party on Saturday.

Last year for the tiger outfit!

Mary Ingalls, sister to Laura Ingalls Wilder (standing in front of a blue Prius!).