It was a leisurely get up before we headed to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast. We managed to get a table outside, overlooking the city. One of the front of house staff showed us the ropes. Breakfast was a combination of traditional English breakfast, continental and Middle Eastern.

Once we’d eaten we headed out into the hot mid morning sunshine having decided to go to Grand Master’s Palace which was only 400 metres away from the hotel in St George’s Square. Construction of the palace began in the 16th century for it to be the residence for the Knights of St John. It later became the seat for Malta’s parliament from the country’s independence until 2015 . The Grand Master stables now houses the armoury. If you are interested in the history of Malta this is a good starting point.

We wandered through the beautifully decorated walkways, lined with suits of armours and portraits of notable figures.

https://heritagemalta.mt/explore/grand-masters-palace/

We were there for approximately an hour before I collected my bag from the storage area and went back out into the heat of Republic Street. We decided to explore more so headed down the pedestrianised part which then leads to the main road. We went downhill in the direction of Fort St Elmo where the road is lined with shops, eateries and colourful buildings.

We arrived at the east end of Republic Street and did a bit of a walk along the coastal road of St Elmo Place, looking out towards the St Elmo Breakwater and Ricasoli East Breakwater (both had a lighthouse positioned at the end).

https://veryvalletta.com/points_of_interest/breakwater-bridge/

We then decided to go to Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum. Some of it was inside so allowed us to escape the heat of the midday sun. It was another interesting place for any history buff but we had seen enough war history in the end. Given the current situation in many parts of the world today, it was a stark reminder which we’d rather not have to think about.

It was lunchtime so we walked back up Merchants Street, which was pretty much uphill all the way. It runs parallel to Republic Street and is similar with its vibrant cafes and bars, and historic buildings.

https://culture-malta.org/merchants-street-valletta/

We had plenty of choice of where to eat but the Capitol City Bar caught my eye. It had a good and reasonably priced menu offering a choice of dishes. I ordered prawn ravioli which was delicious. Happy hour was also taking places from 11am until 8pm which meant that some (not all) cocktails were two for the price of one. We sampled a couple before paying and moving on.

It was at this point that I was feeling too hot and sweaty to walk about anymore, so we went back to the hotel for a dip in the jacuzzi and a bit of relaxation.

I managed to nod off again, I’m obviously needing to catch up on sleep! Still, I had plenty of time to get ready before going to the hotel rooftop restaurant for our evening meal. It was a nice experience but we both preferred the simpler menus available in the restaurants around the hotel. A highlight was witnessing a man sitting next to us propose to his partner. A nice place to do this while the sun was setting.