Malta, a land of honey limestone

If you're after history which predates Roman, predates the pyramids and Stone Henge then this is a little island with big history.

I didn't explore Valletta but went to a place called Marsaxlokk Harbour, a pretty place further down the coast.

It does have a strong link with fishing and when we arrived, they had their nets out drying.

It's one of those places where one could spend a day and probably not capture all that was on offer.

Some of the fishing boats were liveried up, displaying the traditional colours and signing.

Like the Greeks, they had the 'eye' to ward off evil spirits.

I found a lovely place where they sold some of the best local, street food. Like any of these places, you could tell how good it was by the queue.

The roads leading away from the harbour looked really interesting, but I only had one and a half hours to explore which curtailed much of my exploration.

Would I revisit it? Yes. But I would hope to spend longer.

On the way back to the bus, there was a run down, almost derelict looking building. In fact, it's very much in use: its a farm house, typical of the area. His exquisitely maintained land was hidden behind stone walling. I would equate it to a small holding one would see in the UK, the difference being, each field is smaller, being similar in size to a double allotment plot.

At the moment he has cabbage, Brussel sprouts, onions and potatoes. From what I was told, during the hot, dry season the land is left fallow and then brought back into production once autumn arrives. Presumably, when the rains return.

Valletta is very different. Incredibly densely populated, it's the 5th most densely populated place in the world.

The old town, the walled Valletta is, as it always was and is a mecca for tourists, with its museums, galleries, eateries and lack of VAT.

The harbour is a very busy port with numerous ferries carrying cargo and people. The ferries seem to be moving almost constantly and I noticed one going to the small island of Gozo but from what I learned, there are few of these each day so not a place to travel if one has a tight return deadline.

Outside of the old town are high rise flats, cranes and a lot of building work.

Like Gibraltar, they are building flats/apartments for the future generations. Child care, education is free, social housing appears plentiful and affordable, new builds to buy, expensive and out of most people's price range. (sounds familiar)

Many of the blocks of flats are for sale rather than rent and couples admire to buying one of these as their forever home.

It's a fabulous island. They drive on the left, most signage is in English and all children are taught English and Maltese from the age of five.