Mediterranean and Adriatic Cruise October 2012 - Venice

Our next stop after Malta was Venice. The last time we were there it rained and we were hoping for better weather this time.

The following photos are early morning sailing down the Grand Canal.

All good so far, dull but dry. We had some breakfast before going ashore for the day. The next photos are all various views around the city of Venice.

The canals are a beautiful setting for a wedding.

One of the many shops that sell the beautiful porcelain masks.

St Mark's Square.

The astronomical clock.

The Rialto Bridge, and yes, it was raining!

A last look as we took the water taxi back to where our ship was docked.

Next port of call will be Split, Croatia.

Mediterranean and Adriatic Cruise October 2012 - Malta

Continuing with Mdina in Malta. There are only around 300 inhabitants of the ancient city and very few cars leading to it's nickname of The Silent City. It adjoins the village of Rabat which has a population of over 11,000.

Mdina is full of very narrow streets so is not at all suited to traffic.

Statue of the Madonna and Child on the Carmelite Church.

Gold leaf painting in a workshop.

Views of the neighbouring village of Rabat from the city walls.

The Mtarfa clock tower near Rabat.

Leaving Mdina, we passed through various beautiful villages as we headed back towards the coast.

We passed the Blue Grotto on the way

The fishing village of Marsaxlokk.

The town church.

From there we returned to the port of Valletta to sail for our next port of call. We were able to see the lovely architecture as we sailed out.

So it was goodbye to Malta as we sailed towards our next stop in Venice.

Mediterranean and Adriatic Cruise October 2012 - Cadiz and Malta.

The first port was Cadiz in Spain. The following pictures were all taken from the top of the HOHO bus.

Lovely beach.

Beautiful buildings

The old city walls of Cadiz.

Leaving Cadiz

It had been a very hot day so we sat on the balcony as we sailed away in the evening. The temperature was still 97 in the late afternoon.

Early morning approaching Malta.

Malta harbour

I have so many photos of Malta that I will put half in a separate post. First though, a taster of the ancient walled city of Mdina which was the ancient capital of Malta and whose history can be traced back 4000 years.

Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul, Mdina.