i would suggest that you make a list of all the people for who you want to purchase gifts. valetta has wonderful little shops with the artisians sitting on his stool, working on his wares and also selling them to visitors.

i purchased a lovely necklace that i wear almost every day and when i recently visited a friend in the united states and complimented her on her beautiful silver woven necklace, she said : silly, don't you remember we bought it together in malta?

both of our necklaces were under ten dollars and when we arrived home, everyone asked us why we had not purchased the same for them.

the prices in malta as of september 2001 were so reasonable that our meals consisted of many courses with multiple desserts and we always felt that they had make a mistake when the bill was presented.

bettina jerusalem