The dome of the Cathedral of St. John’s dominates the modest skyline of the fortress city of Valletta. I photographed our arrival in Malta from the highest deck of a cruise ship, approaching through a light rain. The pilot boat, which is guiding us into the harbor, creates a wake in the foreground that leads towards the city. The boat’s small scale offers an incongruous contrast to the broad cityscape before us. The fine mist softens detail, and complements the delicate interplay of light, color, and shadow that combine here to express the nature of this historic place.