Europe Aventure Part 2: Ma;ta

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Hiya so I am actually going to try to write some blogs during break.

So Easter break is forever long over here. It started on March 13th and goes til April 13th, which through this time we have to leave the flat and go exploring.

My break began on kind of a rocky note. The day we were meant to leave I still hadnt receieved a confirmation saying that I had booked my flight to Malta so I was getting a little anxious. By the time we had reached the airport in London I had had around 3 hours to worry about whether or not I had actually booked this darn ticket. So by the time we reached the check-in counter I had every form of ID and credit card out, just in case and my nerves were ready to fry. Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

Anyway the real adventure begins once we actually got off the plane in Malta. Andrea and I walked to the bus stop to see if the bus was running that late at night when all of a sudden a bus zoomed by, the bus driver honked and waved at us, and then stopped about 20 metres away. So we got to the bus and the gentleman said it was going to cost us €50 to ride the bus. I about choked when he said this. so again we asked him how much it cost and again we got the same reply. Finally after seeing how we were still quite confused he replied ''Its 50 euro cents" Ahh this made so much more sense. Getting onto this bus was kind of nerve wrecking because 1. the bus had no door 2. the man starts yelling into the phone in Maltese very loudly. The only word we can understand is burger. Then the bus driver and his helped asked us if we wanted a burger. We thought this was a joke so we kind of laughed and said no thanks. Nope turns out they were indeed hungry and stopped for a burger from McDonalds not 200 metres from the airport. They left the music on which was nice and when they came back they kept trying to offer us their fries because they thought we must be really hungry. Anway we made it to our hotel safe and sound and the best part is there was a place to eat right below our room and it was super cheap for lots of food.

Vacationing in Malta.

So the first morning was super sweet because when we woke up we could open our door and go onto the deck that faced the sea. The weather was nice and warm so it was a good thing that we had packed skirts and tank tops otherwise it would have been too warm. Off we went exploring and ended up walking around the island for 5-6 and by the time we had made it back to our room we were burnt to a crisp. The next day we took a guided tour of Gozo island, which was fun. We had to take a ferry to get there and then catch our tour bus. On of my favorite spots was when we got to visit Fungus Rock and the Azure Window. The Azure Window is this gaint rock formation that forms a window over the sea. However, I almost enjoyed the rock climbing more. See we got about 30 minutes at this site so Andrea and I wondered across a whole bunch of rocks, which I must admit is semi-difficult in flip flops and a skirt. We even got to climb down to where you could go into this little cove and play around in the water. Oh we met some impressive people today. First we met this retired gentleman, prob. in late 80s, from England who had been the head gardener for the Queen for 17 years. And then we met a bunch of Navy men because I guess TWO navy ships had docked in Malta.

On Sunday Morning Andrea and I were abel to visit the local flea market in Valetta. I must say one could buy almost anything there. No joke items ranged from clothes, shells, food, tools, gifts, to birds and puppies! And I have to add that I enjoyed this market much more than the ones in Morocco because we could look around without being hassled. Later that day Andrea and I were able to get a tour of one of the navy ships. We had met some of the navy crew the night before and said that if we stopped by they would give us a tour. We thought they were joking but when we showed up they were waiting for us. Touring the ship was so awesome. We learned about what their jobs entailed and saw sleeping quarters and sonar technology. I didnt understand some/ most of what they were saying but it was still an awesome experience.

Well Monday was Saint Patricks Day and we headed down to Rabbat and Mdina. The awesome thing about ridign buses here is that it is so cheap. We were on the bus for almost 40 min and it still only cost us €1.16. That is about half the fare that it costs jsut to get to the city center in Nottingham. We toured St. Paul's Catacombs which were interesing. I learned that it was looted by the Muslims when they took over Malta and then served as storage for important artefacts durign WWII. You could even see small rectangles in the walls that had served as the resting spots for children. From Mdina we spent the afternoon at Golden Bay. It is supposed to be one of the best sandy beaches in Malta. It was a little breezy that day so it was kind of a bummer but still it was wonderful to be laying on a beach in the beginning of March. Andrea even convinced me to go in the water, which was quite chilly, with her so I have now swam in the Mediterrainan Sea twice! We celebrated St. Paddies day by meeting up with one of Andreas friends from Luther who is doing the study abroad progam here this semester. We were eating at the pub connected to our hotel when this gentleman came out of this large group of people and bought us all a pint of Guinness. I am not a big fan of Guinness but it was free and was not as bad as the first time I tried that stuff. And heck I got a free St. Paddies day Guinness hat out of it.

Overall Malta was quite an awesome adventure. We stayed in a hotel overlooking the sea which was inexpensive and provided us with breakfast. And we got to see the sun for more than two hours a day, which is a rarity in England

Yeppers Malta pretty much rocked!

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