In Transit Overnight: Trans-Atlantic flight from North America

Afternoon: Look for program staff holding the Road Scholar sign in the arrivals hall at the airport. (Participants enrolled on "program-only" basis should consult special instructions.) Transfer to the hotel will take about 20 minutes. Check in and settle into rooms. Exact time (6:00 PM or 6:30 PM depending on arrivals) will be advised for "Welcome" gathering and distribution of materials, general information about the hotel facilities and procedures, answers to any immediate questions. NOTE: Itineraries are subject to variation for local conditions not always known far in advance. All indicated features will be included, but may be re-ordered. The exact schedule for each program is supplied at the "Welcome" gathering on the day of arrival.

Dinner: Hotel Dining Room. Tables will be assigned for our group. Buffet menu consists of multiple choices for starter, main course and dessert. Procedures will be more fully explained on site. The food in Malta is mostly continental with a British character. There is also Italian influence resulting in a variety of pasta dishes, and fresh seafood prepared in Mediterranean fashion -- with lemon, for example, or with tomato, garlic, capers. Beef, chicken, veal and the local specialty - rabbit, are generally served in sauces, with potato and vegetables on the side. Be sure to try the crusty Maltese bread and a soft goat cheese from Gozo.

Evening: The balance of the evening is at your leisure.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room. Please fill our tables as you arrive since coffee and tea service may be delayed until a table is full. Breakfast buffet usually includes both cooked (eggs, sausage, bacon) and cold items such as yogurt, cereal, breads, cold-cuts, cheese.

Morning: In the hotel lecture room, Road Scholars will meet staff and introduce each other, go over any late changes or questions regarding the program. Then transfer by motor coach to Valletta for "Malta Experience" audio/visual presentation that organizes the many layers of Malta's history in a polished format. Continue enjoying the local atmosphere with a visit to an ethnic market of fresh food, handicrafts and small souvenirs along a harbor of colorful and characteristic fishing boats.

Lunch: Hotel Dining Room

Afternoon: The afternoon is at leisure to rest and refresh.

Dinner: Dinner on your own. Many restaurants and cafes are within easy walking distance of the hotel. A list of suggestions will be provided.

Evening: Hotel Lecture Room. Lecture: Introduction to the Maltese Language - Although English is a national language, this lecture will include the historic origins of the exotic native tongue. With roots that may go back to ancient Aramaic, Maltese is the only Semitic language written from left to right in the Roman alphabet.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Optional boat trip requires walking a short but steep hill to and from the water. Non-opting participants can wait at an area cafe or shop the small craft vendors.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Hotel Lecture Room: Lecture: Prehistoric Cultures of Malta - Even though this miniature island has made various other significant contributions to world heritage, there is no doubt that nothing rivals its megalithic temples. Built in the period 3600 - 2500 B.C. by a small community enjoying an extraordinary cultural efflorescence in almost complete isolation, these buildings constitute architectural feats of the highest order. They show an internal evolution in form (from the simple to the more complex,) size of stone blocks used (from small to gigantic,) and in the artistic furnishings with increasingly greater refinement and sophistication. Then we will board the coach to visit several sites of Neolithic (New Stone Age) Temple monuments. Moderate walking on gravelly surfaces and some standing under open skies.

Lunch: Lunch at a casual area restaurant

Afternoon: Free time in the area of the restaurant at Wied Zurrieq near the Blue Grotto to enjoy natural scenery. Those who wish may board 8-passenger motored boats (cost included) to view geological layering of limestone that is so important to Malta's 6,000 year history of building. Return to hotel.

Dinner: Hotel Dining Room

Evening: Hotel Lecture Room: Lecture: The Painter Caravaggio in Malta - One of the most important and influential painters of the period, Michaelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio led a colorful life that included both masterpieces and captivity in Malta. His story is adventure and the work he left in Malta includes two priceless treasures painted during his time as a Knight of the Order of St. John.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Moderate walking on paved but hilly streets in an historic area. Participants who opt to skip will be provided with a place to sit until the group recollects. Many cafes and shops in the area.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Motorcoach transfer to the capital city of Valletta, built by European Knights after the Great Siege of 1565. This baroque jewel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with wonderful historic structures adapted for reuse for government administration, shops and businesses. Visits to Upper Barrakka Gardens and panoramic view of historic Grand Harbour and the "Three Cities" area beyond; St. James Cavalier and Centre for Creativity - a magnificently restored space that was a munitions storage as part of the fortifications of the Knights during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Lunch: Lunch in an area restaurant

Afternoon: Continued Field Trip in the city includes breath-taking St. John's co-Cathedral, the Caravaggio paintings in the cathedral museum, and the National Museum of Archaeology collection of incomparable artifacts of the "Temple Period". Walking and some steps for entry. Return to hotel

Dinner: Dinner on your own to sample local restaurants

Evening: An evening presentation in the Hotel Lecture Room introduces Maltese traditional music and musical instruments

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Hotel lecture room: Lecture: The Three Monotheistic Religions of the Mediterranean - An overview of the socio-religious context of the Middle East and Mediterranean region with regard to the great faiths of the people of the book: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Return by coach to the city of Valletta and visit the Grand Master's Palace. On-site Lecture: The Hospitaller Order of St. John and the Siege of 1565 - The advent of the Order in Malta led to a radical transformation in the role of the island from an ill-defended barren island to the impregnable headquarters of the crusading order. Their initial establishment was in the port of Birgu in the "Three Cities" area, headquarters of the Siege of 1565, after which the city was named Vittoriosa (“the victorious.”) Walking, some steps to upper floors. Possible elevator working.

Lunch: Lunch on your own in Valletta at any of many cafe's and restaurants.

Afternoon: Time is provided to explore Valletta on your own. Scheduled pick-up will return participants to the hotel.

Dinner: Hotel Dining Room

Evening: Instruction in a lively themed card game will be provided, with several tables set up for play. NOTE: The rules for this game were created by participants in one of the first Road Scholar groups to Malta: "Seven cards for the seven years Calypso kept Ulysses captive in a cave on Gozo."

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Walking and standing under open skies. Some unavoidable steps in the Citadel. Ferries have an elevator to passenger lounge.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room. Early breakfast probably will include only cold items -- not cooked.

Morning: Early departure by motorcoach and along the scenic northern coast of the island to the ferry pier for crossing to the smaller sister island of Gozo. Greener and more rural that Malta, Gozo has a charming character all its own. 20-minute crossing by stabilized car ferry with passenger lounge and deck seating will pass the tiny island of Comino. Gozo filed trip visits include Ggantija Temples, acknowledged to be the oldest freestanding buildings on earth.

Lunch: Lunch at an area restaurant in Gozo

Afternoon: Continued field trip includes the walled hilltop citadel where in olden days the local farmers used to retreat to sleep for protection from pirate slavers. Also excursion to the Dwejra area of fossilized shell and natural formations. Return to Malta and hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner: Dinner on your own

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Considerable walking, up to two miles during the course of the day, on paved but hilly streets in an historic area. Participants who opt to skip will be provided with a place to sit until the group recollects.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Hotel lecture room: Lecture: Cottonera - A Regional Experience - Discussion on the lifestyles and social values of ordinary urban and peasant folk at the time of the Knights in Malta, and an intimate portrait of the politics of a working man’s community. Transfer by motorcoach to the "Three Cities" or Cottonera area. Lecture continues as walking presentation through the Inquisitor’s Palace, the streets of Birgu and near historic Fort St. Angelo.

Lunch: Typical worker's lunch at a casual local sports club.

Afternoon: A friendly volunteer game of Bacci, with instruction on the Maltese style of play. Then walk downhill to the harborside and board motorized 8-passenger boats of the traditional style. Cruise some of the creeks and inlets of the Grand Harbor that has played such a role in Malta's long history. Housing at various times Phoenician Galleons, Roman vessels, warships of the crusading Knights and much of the British Fleet, the harbor now sees Mediterranean cruise liners, film star Yachts, and frequently ships of the U.S. sixth fleet. Return by coach to the hotel.

Dinner: Hotel Dining Room

Evening: Hotel lecture room: Lecture: Malta Under the British - Malta under British rule was a different story than that of the brief French colonization which immediately preceded. This lecture puts the colonization of Malta into perspective with that of other colonies, from the 1800’s through to 1960’s.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Participants must climb a narrow spiral staircase with railing on exit from the Hypogeum. Those who do not wish to go all the way (one story underground) can watch the short introductory film and return to the reception area to wait for the others.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: The morning is free to pursue personal interests, with staggered departure times for visits to the Hypogeum. (Participants will know their time slot in advance.) After 10 years of conservation initiatives in cooperation with UNESCO, the underground Hal-Saflieni Hypogeum reopened to the public in late 2000. Entrance to this eighth world wonder of the Maltese Temple Period is restricted to ten persons per hour and must be pre-arranged. In small groups, Road Scholar participants will transfer by mini-van to visit this prehistoric site, guided by a museum curator,and return to hotel. Walkway with railing provided. Steps required to enter and exit underground chambers..

Lunch: Transfer to an area restaurant for typical national dish of rabbit stewed in wine and garlic. (Alternative dishes will be available.)

Afternoon: Field trip includes a stop at Mosta church to view one of the largest unsupported domes in the world, penetrated by a bomb in World War II which miraculously did not explode. Also public gardens attached to the President's residence. Light walking. Some steps to enter church. Return to hotel and time to freshen up. Hotel lecture room: Lecture: The Maltese Economy: Its Strengths and Vulnerability - The interaction of geographical and economic conditions, production, spatial distribution and wealth consumption of Malta as a small state in the central Mediterranean, will be viewed particularly in relation to its strengths and vulnerability as an island.

Dinner: Transfer to an area restaurant to share a pasta dinner with invited guests from the Maltese community. This mix of contemporaries from various walks of life often sparks lively conversation. Evening return to hotel.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Moderate walking on paved fairly level streets in an historic area. Participants who opt to skip will be provided with a place to sit until the group recollects.

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Hotel Lecture Room: Lecture: The Natural Maltese Environment - An introduction to the natural resources of Malta with historical evaluation providing the listener with an understanding of their diversity and beauty, as well as problematic (environmental) issues relating to Malta and Gozo. Motorcoach to the ancient capital of Mdina. Sometimes known as the "silent city" for its unique hushed quality of quiet dignity, Mdina is a living museum with families still occupying its ancestral mansions. Walking presentation in this medieval walled city will include the bastions, city gates and the cathedral. Moderate walking with places to rest.

Lunch: Lunch on your own to sample one of the charming restaurants in Mdina

Afternoon: Spend the afternoon exploring Mdina on your own, or join a guided walk outside the city gates into nearby Rabat to visit 4th century Christian catacombs, the Grotto of St. Paul if it is opened, where the apostle is believed to have lived for three months after shipwreck on Malta. (This site is part of a church which may be closed for services.) Meeting place and time will be set for return to hotel in the afternoon. Optional walking, steps.

Dinner: Hotel Dining Room

Evening: On your own, perhaps to stroll the seaside promenade or take in an optional performance at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Hotel Lecture Room: Lecture: Malta's Strategic Role in World War II - Britain's concept of Malta as a strategic fortress colony led to a situation where the axis forces were particularly concerned to conquer the island, especially as it served as a base for the conquest of North Africa. Transfer by coach to Malta's World War II museum housed in Fort. St. Elmo, then on to the Lascaris War Rooms for a presentation by its curator. These chambers for strategic planning have been kept much as they were left when in use, including Ike's office. Return to hotel. Moderate walking. Steps at War Rooms.

Lunch: Lunch is on your own.

Afternoon: The afternoon is free for personal pursuits or to organize packing.

Dinner: Transfer to an atmospheric local restaurant for Gala Dinner and group celebration of our time together. Evening return to hotel.

Lodging: Victoria Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel Dining Room

Morning: Departure transfers to airport. NOTE: Consult Travel Coordinator -- Overnight in Europe may be required on return to North America.

Meals Included: Breakfast