Day 1: at sea and Day 2: Malta

This is the chronicle of our Mediterranean cruise.  These days are May 16 and 17, 2010

Our first full day aboard the Disney Magic was spent at sea. I thought it would be boring, but I was so wrong. We were actually busy! There were lectures, parties, bands, movies, seminars, and shows! It was awesome. There was more to do than hours in the day. Indy of course only wanted to go to the play place (or as I came to think of it, the Land of Magic and Wonder, where parents can drop off their kids and not feel guilty) and the pool, so life was great for him. Mr. HH was actually a bit sea sick the first day and we were all walking around like we were on a drinking binge. Sea legs take some time apparently. As I lay in bed that night, rocking with the waves and thinking about all the times I’d fallen into the walls as I went down the hall, I gained a new appreciation for my dad and all those who voluntarily join the Navy. I mean, we were on a luxury cruise line and those in the Navy are doing it on a vessel maintained by the US government. Think about that.

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The first port we pulled into was Valletta, Malta. Of course I knew were Malta was, and knew about the Maltese Cross and the Maltese Falcon, but that’s about the extent of it. It was gorgeous! I fell in love instantly. It was a warm, breezy day with striking blue skies and absolutely perfect for exploring this beautiful island. The buildings were all of local materials so everything was the same color, but the locals used paint to accent doors and windows and give the beige stone character. We took a bus out to the Blue Grotto with Hoosier Mom and Hoosier Dad, who shall now be known as JAG, and several other people from our boat. I knew nothing of the Blue Grotto, but was so glad we went (thanks again Hoosier Mom). You take a small boat around part of the island and into limestone caves and the grotto, which was stunning. You could see all the way to the bottom. There were jellyfish everywhere and our crazy boat captain reached in and picked one up! WHAT? The highlight for Indy was getting to “drive” the boat. Good times.
After a very long bus ride back to Valletta, we left Hoosier Mom and JAG and went to the Archeological Museum. Fascinating stuff there! Indy went crazy. Malta has been inhabited for more than 6000 years. One of the monoliths had carved swirls all over it and Indy and I discussed why they might have chosen that particular pattern. He decided that it probably stood for the wind (Malta was very windy ) and infinity because time never ends. I thought this was as good as anything I could have come up with and congratulated him on his ideas. A little while later we were in the gift shop (isn’t it amazing how all tourist destinations are set up so you have to go through the gift shop to get out?) and Indy spotted a small replica of the monolith. He struck up a conversation with one of the people working there who explained the symbols to him. Guess what the swirls stood for? Go, on, guess. WIND and INFINITY! Shut up. My boy is smart.
The day ended with a walk along the main street and a hike back to the ship where we dined on fabulous food and watched an amazing stage show. Oh, Disney, how you spoil me.

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