Marsascala itself is a lovely fishing village, and there are plenty of cafes and shops. Prices are very cheap - one can obtain a good meal for less than four pounds! There's a pub cum restaurant where one can eat upstairs on the balcony, and observe everybody enjoying themselves down below. In the evening it seems as if every man, woman and child is out. The atmosphere really is perfect!

There's a well-stocked souvenir cum goods shop further down the road where the owner, who speaks perfect English (as most Maltese do) calls everyone Jo-Jo, and is extremely helpful. Souvenirs are very modest in price.

Valetta is about quarter of an hour's drive away. If you do not have a car, there are buses which will take you into the centre. Given the parking problems in Valetta, and the fact that the city is quite compact, it makes sense to go by 'bus. If you use a car in Malta, incidentally, there is one golden rule: Give way to everyone - especially bus-drivers. There's a saying: "English drive on the left, Americans on the right, and Maltese in the shade!"

There are plenty of places to visit in Valetta. Situated in what used to be the Civil Service club is an audio-visual presentation called the Malta Experience. We saw the presentation about Malta in the Second World War, and up till then had no idea of the battering this little island received in the early forties. The audio-visual programme is worth seeing. Just before you enter the viewing theatre, you can see the George Cross on the left hand-side, at the entrance. This was awarded to the island by King George VI for exceptional bravery. Buy your souvenirs before you go in, however, as the exit at the end leads you out another way.

St. John's co-Cathedral is also considered to be a must. It is certainly very impressive. Fairly near to this is a church commemorating the visit of St. Paul (albeit shipwrecked!) to Malta. We found this church even more inspiring than the Cathedral.