Things to Do in Kelowna & Okanagan Valley

Marsamxett Harbour sits on the north-west side of Valletta and, along with a series of major creeks – Sliema, Msida and Lazzaretto – provides calm mooring for boats as it is protected by the plug of land at Dragutt Point and by rocky Manoel Island, now connected to the town of Gzira by bridge. Marsamxett is separated from the Grand Harbour by the Valletta peninsula but together the two inlets make up the biggest natural harbor in Europe.

The towns of Sliema, Gzira, Ta’xbiex and Msida sprawl into each other along the northern edge of the harbor, while the southern side is lined with the battlements of Valletta and Floriana. A vast, slowly decaying 18th-century fortress stands on Manoel Island as well as the ruins of an isolation hospital that was used in the 17th century to quarantine sailors suspected of having the plague. Marsamxett Harbour is also home to Malta’s biggest yachting marina, which stretches right up Msida Creek to Ta’xbiex.

Malta’s prettiest fishing village sits around a bay on the south coast of the island and has starred in thousands of postcards and many a film. Marsaxlokk’s (pronounced marsa-schlock) chief attractions are twofold: the buzzing daily market and the fishing boats. The latter comprises a large fleet of luzzus (pronounced ‘lut-sues’) bobbing in the bay. These traditional, cheerily painted and wooden Phoenician-style fishing boats have become symbolic of the island – most of them are red, yellow and sky-blue, with eyes painted on their prows to ward off evil. With fishing the staple livelihood of this photogenic little town, there is small wonder that it is one of the best – and cheapest – places on Malta to eat the very freshest of fish. Chose from any of the outdoors restaurants for a fine seafood feast.

Marsaxlokk’s fresh produce market runs daily and sprawls along the quayside under brightly striped awnings; get there at 8am to avoid the crowds an admire the piles of seasonal fruit, vegetables and freshly caught fish. Proceedings reach a crescendo on Sundays, when visitors pour in from all over the island to snap up anything from exquisite locally hand-made lace, linen tablecloths and delicate filigree jewelry to gourmet relishes and Maltese honey – but you’ll have to delve among piles of tatty souvenirs and cheap household goods. Be prepared to barter but expect handcrafted lace to be expensive; if it is not, then it simply is not handmade.

Few places are as unashamedly picturesque as the village of Marken, and thus, its location, a peninsular stretching onto the IJsselmeer Lake, is often found plastered on souvenir postcards.

The quintessentially Dutch village has become a key tourist destination, with tour groups flocking to catch a glimpse of the unique island culture. Here, the vistas are undeniably quaint: painted wooden houses line the waterfront; colorful fishing boats jostle for space around the dock and the glistening lake waters reflect every detail. Even the village’s 2,000 inhabitants seem caught in time, dressing themselves in traditional costumes and preserving their time-honored customs.

Marken’s wooden houses, many of them now listed as national heritage sites, remain the village’s key attractions, but there are enough sights to make a pleasant day trip from Amsterdam, just 45 minutes away by road or boat.

The man whose dream changed America lives eternally in Washington DC. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened in October 2011, a few months after the 48th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I have a dream" speech. Set in the greater National Mall area, the memorial occupies four acres of land in West Potomac Park and looks out over Tidal Basin near the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.