Malta

Malta International Airshow was a great experience. The trip down from Italy was easy and we landed Friday afternoon to a reception of dozens of professional and amateur photographers. Luckily, our hotel was in a popular area on Malta called St. Julian's. It was situated right in the busy restaurant/bar district as well as next to a small harbor and beach.
Malta was beautiful from the air on approach to landing....and this was the majority of our exposure to the island life because we were busy both Saturday and Sunday at the airshow. However, we did get a chance to explore some restaurants and nightlife in the "Paceville" area of town.
There was no language barrier in Malta. Although they have a native tongue called "Maltese," most people spoke English (with a British accent.) Tons of young people flock to the island for tourism and to study English. Malta is one of Europe's premier places to study English in private language schools (this is because visas are easy and the location is so nice).
We had many opportunities to talk to other aircrew and learn about their Air Forces, etc. Also, we were interviewed by many local and national TV stations about our flying experiences and our participation in the airshow. It was really the first time I've ever felt like a celebrity. Who would think that I'd actually get tired of signing autographs and posing for photos with people??
I've included some pictures: A photo taken of me on departure from Malta (by a pro photographer), a picture of a small harbor near our hotel, a photo of a British pilot taking a rest on his jet and a picture of our jets with a Malta church in the background.