A weekend in Malta

This is a view from the Palace in Sliema over Matla’s capital, Valletta, with a church in the foreground.

The Valletta skyline with St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral and Carmelite Church as seen from Sliema.

Typical Maltese boats moored in the fishermen village Marsaxlokk on Malta.

Passengers on small boats visit the natural rock formations of Blue Grotto on the southeast coast of Malta.

Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features narrow streets lined with colorful balconies.

A crystal lagoon at Comino, a small island in the Maltese archipelago.

A water fountain in Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta.

People walk past the Renzo Piano-designed Parliament House on Freedom Square in Valletta.

Children play around a red phone box in Valletta. Malta had been ruled by a number of other powers over the millenniums until it gained its independence from the last, the United Kingdom, in 1964. It remains a member of the Commonwealth.

The Blue Grotto on Malta.

Mdina, home to the Baroque St. Paul’s Cathedral, was likely founded in the early Middle Ages.