May 19, 2022- The Old City

 


After a lovely breakfast in the lounge (minus wine) I went back to the Embassy.  The news was good.  They had everything ready for me to sign.  I did need to make yet another trip to get pictures taken (hadn’t thought of that) but they told me that if I got them there by noon they’d have the passport ready by 2 PM.  HUGE sigh of relief.  I was back with pictures at 10:30. After that I returned to the hotel, had lunch, went swimming and went back to the Embassy.  My passport was ready- a slimmed-down version good for only a year but which can be replaced with a full-size one at no additional cost.  I thanked everyone profusely but told them I hoped I’d never see them again!

From there I took a car to the old city of Valetta.  This was the real Malta, not the rarefied surroundings of the Hilton (although the Hilton Malta is now my favorite).  I just wandered, people-watching, admiring the architecture and occasionally getting lost.  I think I checked my passport every 5 minutes.




I was back in time for cocktail hour and enjoyed some local Chardonnay and a few snacks.  Dinner was takeout from a Nepalese restaurant enjoyed on my balcony.

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