Day 1 - We stayed the entire time in a small hotel on the bay boardwalk in Sliema. We caught a bus into the neighboring city of Valletta, a world heritage city filled with ornamental churches, colorful balconies and towering fortress walls. In the evening, there were festive lights, plays and traditional dances.

Day 2 - We once again spent the day exploring Valletta... the Church of Our Lady of Victories, the spectacular St. John's Co-cathedral (with its exquisite floors and art museum), a tour of the Grand Master's Palace (with its military museum and where I sat in the same chair used by Queen Elizabeth of England), and the beautiful Sanctuary Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Day 3 - We took a day tour of the island of Gozo. We took a ferry across the channel then got escorted around by a large tour bus. Our first sight, the Ggantija Temples, are estimated to be almost 5,000 year old (older than Stonehenge). We swung by Dwejra Point (with the Azure Window) and Xlendi Bay on our way to the capital, Victoria. We visited the citadel and cathedral then hopped on the ferry back to Malta.

Day 4 - We took a bus down to Pretty Bay (Birzebbuga), which was filled with fishermen and colorful boats. We first walked to Borg-in-Nadur (with bronze age ruins) and then to Ghar Dalam (a cave famous for its fossil finds). We walked to the fishing town of Marsaxlokk, where again there were many beautiful boats. We caught a bus to the Tarxien temples, built between 2200 and 1800 BC.

Day 5 - In Rabat, we toured St. Paul's Catacombs (an underground Christian burial place from the 4th and 5th centuries) and then St. Agatha's Catacombs and Crypt (along with its museum). Next was St. Paul's Grotto (the cave in which the apostle Paul lived in in 60 AD when he was shipwrecked on Malta). We walked to the connecting city of Mdina, an entirely walled fortress city. We visited the natural history museum, Mdina Dungeons (a wax torture museum) and the Cathedral of St. Paul and Peter.

Day 6 - For the last day of the millennium we thought we'd visit some of the oldest temples in the world, Hagar Quim and Mnajdra. We then took a boat ride to the Blue Grotto. In the evening we went to Valletta to view the festivities and performances. We watched the fireworks burst over the bay and the old fortress.

Day 7 & 8 - We watched the sun rise on a new millennium. Most things were closed for the next couple of days, so the first day we did a walking tour of Floriana, a nearby suburb. The second day we were able to catch a performance of the guards at Fort St. Elmo. They even fired cannons!

Day 9 - We visited Clapham Junction (the location of some mysterious cart ruts) then walked out to Dingli Cliffs.

Day 10 - We took the ferry to Gozo again. This time we hired a taxi for the day. We started with the Parish Church of St. John in Xewkija then to Dwejra Point again where we had more time to enjoy the area. We also returned to Victoria where we walked around the entire citadel. We passed by several coastal areas such as Marsalforn and Calypso Cave. Our driving tour ended with a windmill at Xaghra. Before we caught the ferry, we walked around the harbor and up the hill to the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Day 11 - We took the bus to Ta'Qali (a touristy craft market) and watched the artisans throw pottery, blow glass and make silver jewelry. We walked to old Mdina again to explore new streets and churches. Back in Valletta, we visited St. Paul's Shipwreck church. Its claim to fame is an actual piece of the column on which Paul was beheaded as well as some bones from his wrist.

Day 12 - We took a bus to the coastal city Mellieha at far end of the island. We visited a church and chapel in honor of Mary as well as Maria's Grotto. We then walked across the entire island at its narrowest spot. Anchor Bay was home to Popeye Village, built for the sole purpose as a movie set for the film Popeye.

Day 13 - We did a final walk around Sliema before catching our flight home.

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