On Saturday September 9, 2009, my mother in law Helen Anastasi hosted a reception for Lauren and myself at Aunt Carmen’s place. I got the opportunity to meet a lot of Lauren’s family and friends of the family.  Once again I was shown that the Maltese people are among the nicest in the world, and all made me feel welcome, especially Uncle Louis!
Here are the photos from our reception in Malta.
All photos B. Matt, Lauren and Elton.

Here is an assortment of shots from our trip to Malta.
All photos by Lauren and B. Matt

One of the jewels of the main city of Valletta, Malta is the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, built by the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578.  From the outside, it’s a rather austere, sollemn looking building, and it reminds you more of a fortress than a church, which makes sense considering who built it.  Once you enter, it’s another world, breathtakingly ornate.  The cathedral contains eight side chapels, each dedicated to the patron saint of the eight langues (or chapters) of the Knights.  Additionally, the floors of the church are …

After our four days in Amsterdam, Lauren and I flew to Malta. We stayed at Auntie Carmen’s place, in Birzebbuga, by the ocean.  For the next seven days we explored the entire island, and also went to both Comino and Gozo, two smaller islands nearby. The main island is easily covered in a bus in less than an hour, and trips to the main city of Valletta were eye opening. The city was built as a fortress by the Knights of Saint John in 1566, and the watchtowers, walls and …